Sydney turns out the lights

The lights went out in Sydney as businesses and homeowners switched off to draw attention to global warming.

The normally gleasming white sails of the Sydney Opera House darkened, and so did the harbour bridge and chunks of the city skyline. Emergency and street lights, as well as those at commercial port operations, stayed on.

Throughout the city of about four million people, residents turned off the lights in an event organised by environmentalists and supported by Sydney city officials, the New South Wales state government and thousands of businesses.