Moderation urged for New Year's parties

Revellers in Ireland and Britain have been urged not to drink to excess as Europe prepares to ring in 2008.

The Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society group called on people in Ireland to use public transport and take responsibility for their drinking on New Year's Eve.

In Britain, more than 350,000 people were expected to pack the banks of London's River Thames to watch a mammoth fireworks display, while Edinburgh was to host its traditional giant Hogmanay knees-up.

But in Belgium, officials cancelled the traditional fireworks show in Brussels as the country went on maximum alert over possible  terror threats.

Hundreds of thousands of partygoers were also expected in New York's Times Square to usher in a year that will see a new president elected.

The city's New Year's Eve ball, which has dropped at the stroke of midnight every 1 January since 1907, has been fitted with 10,000 energy-saving light bulbs in a bid to make it more environmentally friendly.

Millions of people across Asia and the Pacific have already rung in 2008 with parties, champagne and massive fireworks displays, kicking off a global wave of New Year celebrations.

Sydney kickstarts New Year's celebrations

Massive bursts of red and green light filled the warm Sydney air as the clock ticked past midnight at 1pm Irish time, with more than one million revellers lining the harbour to catch a glimpse of the dazzling show.

The giant steel archway of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was again the centrepiece of the display, with a giant neon hourglass illustrating the theme of time passing.

Thousands in Hong Kong ignored unusually chilly temperatures to see the fireworks in Victoria Harbour.

More sombre celebrations took place in Japan, where thousands tossed coins and said prayers at Shinto sanctuaries across the country. Once the clock struck midnight, warm sake was served to the faithful in Tokyo.

Thousands of Pakistanis hoping to ring in the New Year on the beach in Karachi saw their plans scuppered by ongoing security fears in the wake of the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

In Bangkok, security was beefed up after bomb blasts killed three people last New Year's Eve, but police said there were no new threats and more than 10,000 people were expected on the streets of the Thai capital.

The President of China, Hu Jintao, called for world peace and development in his New Year address in the year the country hosts the Olympic Games.

Malaysia marked the last day of its celebrations of 50 years of independence with countdown concerts and another blazing fireworks display.