People throughout the world celebrated New Year with great enthusiasm. Fireworks lit up the sky over Sydney Harbour as Australia's biggest city ushered in the new decade with a spectacular burst of colour. Over 1.5 million people assembled at the foreshore to welcome in the New Year with a firework display that included 10,000 individual effects, part of the city's five million dollar party.<br/> <br/>Reports of new year celebrations are pouring in from different parts of the country. In the national capital Delhi, people gathered at Connaught Place to greet the New Year, braving biting cold. In Mumbai, people were seen partying hard at pubs, hotels and beaches amidst tight security.<br/>The President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister have greeted the people on the occasion. Wishing joy and prosperity, the President Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil urged the countrymen to ensure the welfare and progress of the nation and all its people by strengthening the bonds of mutual trust and compassion.<br/>The Vice President Mr.Hamid Ansari said, like every year, this New Year also brings renewed hopes and expectations along with more challenges which can only be fulfilled by working unitedly with greater resolve and dedication. <br/>Welcoming the dawn of a new decade, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, exhorted the countrymen to build upon the achievements of the past in striving for the realization of their dreams. <br/>Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit wished for peace and tranquility to all on the eve of New Year and sought their cooperation in making the 2010 Commonwealth Games a grand success. <br/>