SYDNEY: Australia’s largest city Sydney is all set to welcome 2018 with a rainbow-themed fireworks spectacular marking new same-sex marriage rights, with heavy security for festivities that kick off a wave of celebrations around the world. “This is a fabulous way to see out 2017; the year that four out of five Sydneysiders said a resounding ‘Yes’ to marriage equality,” Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said. In Australia, the beefed-up police presence will include some officers carrying semi-automatic rifles in Sydney and bollards used as barriers against vehicles. New York’s Times Square celebrations will be safeguarded by the toughest security presence in years, after two recent attacks apparently inspired by Daesh. The former reality television star is likely to continue to dominate headlines in 2018, with escalating tensions over North Korea among a host of global challenges going into the new year.

Source: Pakistan Today December 31, 2017 09:33 UTC