HONG KONG, Dec 31: Fireworks lit up the sky from Sydney to Hong Kong as the cities rang in 2006, kickstarting a night of celebration around the world as revellers bid farewell to a year scarred by violence and natural disasters.

Security was tight ahead of New Year’s festivities in major cities worldwide, with some 1,700 police patrolling streets and beaches in Australia’s largest city to prevent any outbreaks of violence, following suburban race riots earlier this month.

Sydney’s landmark Opera House was illuminated at midnight by the most spectacular pyrotechnical display the city has ever seen, including a giant heart attached to the city’s famous Harbour Bridge.

Australia has 900 troops in Iraq and the government has warned repeatedly of militant attacks on home soil, but around one million people turned out in one of the first cities to leave 2005 and its violence behind.

With sweltering night-time temperatures expected to rise to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on New Year’s day, T-shirts and shorts were the order of the day as people partied into the early hours.

Street parties and glittery displays marked the festivities across Asia and the Pacific, with Hong Kong boasting a light and sound show including fireworks set off from 20 buildings around its harbour.

In the Chinese capital Beijing, bells and drums were sounded 108 times at midnight (1600 GMT) to mark an auspicious start to the year, signifying the elimination of worldly troubles in accordance with Buddhist tradition.—AFP