Happy 2010! Sydney kicks off the New Year as celebrations are launched around the world

By Mail Foreign Service

Let's get it started: Fireworks explode at midnight above Sydney harbour and the Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate New Year's Eve in Australia today


Under explosive bursts of crimson, purple and blue, more than one million New Year revellers in Sydney got one of the world's biggest parties started Thursday - bidding farewell to the tough year that was 2009 and welcoming a new decade.

As the family-friendly, pre-midnight fireworks show illuminated Australia's largest city, preparations were under way across the world for pyrotechnics, parties and prayers in the final countdown to herald the end of the period dubbed 'the Noughties'.

The mood of celebrations was tempered in some places by the effects of the financial downturn, which bit hard in 2009, sending economies into recession, causing millions to lose their jobs and home foreclosures to rise dramatically in some countries.


Harmony in the New Year: The ying and yang symbol is displayed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge after the midnight fireworks display
There were also reminders of threats and the fight against terrorism that during the decade led to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and rising militant violence in Pakistan.
The U.S. Embassy in Indonesia warned of a possible terrorist attack on the resort island of Bali on New Year's Eve, citing information from the island's governor - although local security officials said Thursday they were unaware of a threat. The e-mail warning to U.S. citizens said predominantly Muslim Indonesia's counter-terrorism efforts have been partly successful in recent years, but violent extremists continue to pose a deadly threat.
In Sydney, crowds - organizers expected more than 1.5 million people - thronged to harbourside parks and public places for the annual fireworks extravaganza over the landmark harbour bridge and opera house. The twin shows, one at 9 p.m. and a bigger one at midnight, are the centrepiece of Australia's celebrations that generates some of the most striking images from a night of revelry across the globe.


Harmony in the New Year: The ying and yang symbol is displayed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge after the midnight fireworks display


There were also reminders of threats and the fight against terrorism that during the decade led to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and rising militant violence in Pakistan.

The U.S. Embassy in Indonesia warned of a possible terrorist attack on the resort island of Bali on New Year's Eve, citing information from the island's governor - although local security officials said Thursday they were unaware of a threat. The e-mail warning to U.S. citizens said predominantly Muslim Indonesia's counter-terrorism efforts have been partly successful in recent years, but violent extremists continue to pose a deadly threat.

In Sydney, crowds - organizers expected more than 1.5 million people - thronged to harbourside parks and public places for the annual fireworks extravaganza over the landmark harbour bridge and opera house. The twin shows, one at 9 p.m. and a bigger one at midnight, are the centrepiece of Australia's celebrations that generates some of the most striking images from a night of revelry across the globe.


New decade: Sydney's fireworks are just the start of New Year's celebrations across the globe



source: dailymail