Asia ushers in 2018 after spectacular NYE celebrations in Australia


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Hong Kong saw in 2018 in spectacular style as the southern Chinese city staged a stunning fireworks display over its famous Victoria Harbour.


Thousands thronged the harbourside to see the show illuminate the famous skyline as revellers danced to Auld Lang Syne.


“Shooting stars” were also fired from the rooftops of skyscrapers in a 10-minute musical fireworks display.


In the Indonesian capital Jakarta, hundreds of couples attended a free mass wedding provided free by the authorities.


“I am very happy,” Aminah, who only goes by one name, told AFP. “I’m happy because it’s for free and now I have all the legal documents which I have never had before, thank God.”


Australia


Revellers in Australia welcomed in 2018 with a spectacular fireworks displays taking place across the nation and the world amid strict security measures.


More than 1.5 million spectators packed the Sydney foreshore to watch tonnes of pyrotechnics light up the night sky.


The technicolour display was set to include a rainbow waterfall of fireworks cascading off the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark Australia’s legalisation of same-sex marriage following a nationwide postal survey in support of change.


“This is a fabulous way to see out 2017 – the year that four out of five Sydneysiders said a resounding ‘Yes’ to marriage equality,” said Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.


Hollywood heart-throb Hugh Jackman was due to add star power with a 20-second gold-and-silver pyrotechnics set, fulfilling a lifelong dream of designing a firework for his home town.



Around the world


Celebrations are also taking place across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas, with dazzling light shows bidding farewell to 2017.


In Hong Kong, “shooting stars” were fired from the rooftops of skyscrapers in a 10-minute musical fireworks display that stretched 1.1km.


The city of Dubai is this year replacing its main midnight fireworks with a laser show on the world’s tallest tower, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa, accompanied by music.


Moscow is set to be decked out to welcome the New Year with fireworks to light up 36 key sites.


Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of revellers are expected to line the Champs-Elysees for the festivities in Paris.


Toughest security in years


Stricter security measures have been a key focus this year amid fears that crowds could be targets for vehicle and other terror attacks.


In Australia, the stronger police presence included some officers carrying semi-automatic rifles in Sydney and bollards used as barriers against vehicles.


Earlier in December one man was killed and more than a dozen hurt when a man ploughed a car into a crowd of pedestrians in Melbourne.


“You’re going to see more police than ever out, it will be our largest contingent … (given) the current security environment,” said Victoria state police acting chief commissioner Shane Patton.


Other cities are also on alert following deadly vehicle assaults over the past two years in Barcelona, Nice and London.


New York’s Times Square celebrations are set to go ahead despite the Arctic chill gripping much of the central and north-eastern United States and Canada.


But revellers there will be guarded by the strongest security presence in years, after two recent attacks apparently inspired by the Islamic State group.



Looking ahead to 2018


IS’s defeat in Iraq and Syria was one of the key stories this year, although the jihadists remain a threat and numerous attacks around the world were claimed by them or Al-Qaeda-linked groups.


Donald Trump stole the news spotlight after making his debut as US President in January 2017, with “America first” policies and a bombastic personal style that has shaken up international diplomacy. 


The former reality television star is likely to continue dominating headlines in 2018, with escalating tensions over North Korea among a host of global challenges.


Other political and diplomatic earthquakes set to rumble into 2018 include the crisis in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar, and the humanitarian disaster in Yemen.


In Europe, further talks on Brexit will help shape the region’s future trade relationship while Russia is set to host the football World Cup amid frictions with the West.


Article source: http://watoday.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/how-the-turnbull-government-plans-to-access-encrypted-messages-20170609-gwoge0.html

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