London displays fireworks over Big Ben, London Eye

Since the Paris assaults in November, which noticed Islamic state jihadists slaughtering one hundred thirty individuals in a collection of gun and suicide assaults, Europe has been on excessive alert with France and Belgium cancelling their conventional New Year fireworks shows of their respective capitals.

In the Thai capital Bangkok, police-flanked party goers at the site of a deadly bombing that took place just months ago.

The story Sydney New Year’s Eve 2015: Arrests down as police record a quiet night first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.

In London as many as 3,000 police officers worked on New Year’s Eve as cities across the world heightened security in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

At least 14 people were slightly injured, and one person suffered a heart attack from the smoke and over-crowding during an evacuation late Thursday, according to the Dubai Media Office. About 60,000 police officers and troops were deployed across the country, and revellers said that made them feel safer.

As the clock struck midnight, cheers began and fireworks shot into the sky. Up to 5,000 police were in the area, with explosive ordnance disposal experts sweeping the area ahead of time.

The world is welcoming 2016 with large fireworks displays in major cities from Sydney to Hong Kong and from Paris to NY.

New Year’s Eve is Japan’s biggest holiday, and millions of people crammed into trains to flee the cities for their hometowns to slurp down bowls of noodles, symbolizing longevity.

An army of council workers has swept the streets of London to clear up the mess left behind by the tens of thousands who flocked to the banks of the Thames to see in the New Year.

As midnight approached, families bundled up for visits to neighbourhood temples, where the ritual ringing of huge bronze bells reverberated through the chill. He said it was impossible to forget “so many days marked by violence, by death, by the unspeakable suffering of so many innocents”. Horns blared and crowds cheered as the tower was lit up with fireworks, with colours shifting from green to red to white.

More than a million people lined the streets to watch what some described as “the best fireworks in the world”.

Over in Edinburgh, equally jolly celebrations featured live music, dancing, fireworks, and even a message from Tim Peake, the British astronaut aboard the International Space Station. Police spokesman Ayman Batniji said hotels and restaurants were allowed to hold parties a day earlier or a day later. Authorities also cited a desire to avoid the injuries that typically occur when people set off their own fireworks and to protect animals that might be frightened by the noise.

Police in Kenya, which has been repeatedly attacked by al-Shabaab militants from neighbouring Somalia, urged vigilance as many people prepared to celebrate 2016 in hotels and watch midnight fireworks displays.

‘We have every confidence our policing plan is as good as it can be.

He traveled from Boston with his wife, Debbie, 59, to ring in the new year in Times Square.

(160101) – BERLIN, Jan. 1, 2016 (Xinhua) – Fireworks light the sky over the Brandenburg Gate during the celebration for the New Year in Berlin, Germany, on Jan. 1, 2016.

Brussels’ mayor has canceled the Belgian capital’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration because of a terror threat as several cities around the world ramped up security.

In New York meanwhile, more than a million people are expected to crowd into Times Square under heavy security to celebrate the arrival of 2016 with the traditional dropping of the New Year’s Eve crystal ball.