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European cities tighten security ahead of New Year celebrations
Pope Francis kisses a statue of Baby Jesus as he arrives to celebrate a new year’s eve vespers Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015. Parts of Australia follow New Zealand and Samoa in welcoming in the new year.
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In Paris, a New Year fireworks display has been abandoned, but the traditional gathering on the Champs-Elysees will take place amid tight security.
Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said the decision was taken on Wednesday evening after consultation with government officials.
The city of 1.2 million people has been on high alert since France stated that several men involved in the deadly November 13 attacks in Paris had links to Brussels.
In London, more than 100,000 people watched the fireworks display by the River Thames with thousands of extra police officers on duty.
Fireworks light up the sky over Sydney’s Opera House during New Year celebrations in Sydney on January 1, 2016.
Meanwhile in Italy, smog is helping to put a damper on New Year’s Eve celebrations throughout Italy, as Rome, Milan and other cities ban fireworks in a bid to avoid aggravating already high levels of air pollution. The event, which includes marching bands, cheerleaders, clowns and acrobats, kicks off in Piccadilly and finishes in Parliament Square, taking in Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.
More than 1.6 million Sydneysiders burst into rapturous cheers and applause when a spectacular midnight fireworks show exploded against an iconic backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
The arrival of the New Year was greeted by silence in Moscow – the fireworks display was five minutes late.
“We have every confidence our policing plan is as good as it can be”. Pic Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Balinese young girl take a selfie during a New Year celebration in Denpasar, on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on December 31, 2015.
Only 25,000 people in Madrid were allowed into the Puerta del Sol square. Fireworks also lit up Sydney harbour in Australia.
The celebrations went ahead as planned, despite a similar display in Brussels being cancelled due to safety concerns and German authorities warning of a “serious imminent threat” at an event in Munich.
In Japan, people released balloons by Tokyo Tower, while South Koreans celebrated with traditional bell-ringing.
As the final hours of 2015 draw to a close, many are bidding a tired and wary adieu to a year marred by attacks that left nations reeling and nerves rattled.
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And in Brussels, Belgium’s capital, a holiday terror plot led to the cancellation of festivities altogether. Still, most places are forging ahead with their celebrations as many refuse to let jitters ruin the joy of the holiday. She says, “We still have this fear, but we need to continue to live”.