Happy New Year! World celebrates 2016
And fire engulfed a 63-storey skyscraper in Dubai on Thursday night, but with the block evacuated and only minor injuries reported authorities went ahead with a New Year’s fireworks display at the world’s tallest building a few hundred metres away.
In Munich, police warned of an imminent threat of a terror attack as midnight approached and ordered two train stations cleared. Its descent started at 11:59 p.m. after Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed a button and lead the 60-second countdown to 12:00 a.m., January 1 while a giant illuminated “2016” sign marked the start of the new year. Paris police say 80 percent of their officers are on duty.
The French are still recovering from the November 13 attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris, and authorities were preparing for a possible worst-case scenario on New Year’s Eve.
Times Square was under heavy security as recent deadly attacks in Paris and California are still fresh.
In Turkey, police detained two Daesh (the so-called IS) suspects allegedly planning to stage attacks in the center of Ankara which was packed on New Year’s Eve. “Let’s make 2016 a year of courage and hope”. Nine years ago, a series of small bombings at various points around the city forced the last-minute cancellation of midnight celebrations at the same venue – which also was ground zero for an extended political protest in 2010 that was quashed by the army with deadly force. This year is no different.
In his New Year message, Prime Minister David Cameron said 2016 could be a “game-changer” for Britain.
In Brussels, a planned New Year’s Eve fireworks display was canceled late Wednesday over fears of an attack.
The Metropolitan Police said it was working closely with the mayor’s office, British Transport Police (BTP), Westminster City Council and others to ensure the event ran smoothly.
Revellers in central London during the New Year celebrations. More than 8,500 performers representing 20 countries are taking part in the annual New Year’s Day parade through London, again amid a large security operation.
“Our plans are purely precautionary and not as a result of any specific intelligence”, said Superintendent Jo Edwards, spokeswoman for Scotland Yard.
Security in the city, due to host next year’s Olympic Games, is a top concern after the militant attacks in Paris raised red flags.
“It’s the Scots at their friendliest and we are amazingly good company – so this is the right place to be”. We’ve been policing at the threat level of severe for some time now, we are very experienced in London policing large-scale events. And in Munich, police were anxious about the threat of a terror attack.
In the Turkish city of Istanbul, a bridge between the continents of Europe and Asia, police said they had ramped up the number of officers on the streets by around 10,000, thanks to staff working longer shifts.
And many of those skaters stuck around to see the only big fireworks show blasting off on this New Year’s Eve.
In Tokyo residents and guests released helium balloons near Tokyo Tower as the clock struck midnight.
Tens of thousands of revelers gathered on either side of Hong Kong’s iconic Victoria Harbour, which was bathed in a dazzling fireworks display.
NEW YORK: Around 1 million people are already packing into New York City’s Times Square for the annual celebration.
“After what our city has lived through, we have to send a signal to the world”, she told the weekly Journal du Dimanche.