Witnesses said large tongues of flames shooting skywards enveloped the luxury hotel, which lies across a plaza from the Burj Khalifa, where hundreds of people were gathering to view a spectacular fireworks display due to start shortly to mark the New Year.
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Basu: Japan’s apologies on ‘comfort women’ not enough
Beijing-based activist Tong Zeng said that the agreement between Seoul and Tokyo was “a really big shock” for China. The landmark deal between Korea and Japan over the thorny issue of sex slaves is facing a strong backlash in Korea.
More than a million people are thought to have travelled to Sydney to watch the world-famous display which lasted for 12 minutes as the clock struck midnight.
York flood victims’ homes targeted by looters
The River Ouse peaked at over 5 metres above its typical level, while the River Foss has hit record heights. I don’t feel too anxious because we are higher up and I’d rather that people in need were rescued.
Flipping the switch of the Philips New Years Eve Ball as a part of the run up to the New Year’s Eve 2016 celebrations in Times Square on December 30, 2015 in New York City.
Westbrook leads Thunder to 110-106 victory over Suns
Head to head, the Suns are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings in Oklahoma City and the over is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings. Jose Calderon added 15 points, Kyle O’Quinn had 12, Robin Lopez scored 11, and Kristaps Porzingis finished with 10.
Horns blared and crowds cheered as the tower was then lit up with fireworks, with colours shifting from green to red to white.
A worker fixes speakers in front of the landmark Big Ben to prepare for the New Year’s Eve celebrations in London, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015.
More than 100,000 people are expected to turn up to see the fireworks in London, which is a ticketed event.
Beijing’s shopping and bar areas are under a holiday security alert that started before Christmas and has resulted in armed police standing guard at popular commercial areas.
Angus Viller said he was preparing some glasses of champagne to watch the New Year fireworks from the balcony when his family noticed the blaze.
With tens of thousands of police and soldiers deployed across France, and the annual fireworks display in Paris canceled, President Francois Hollande used his traditional New Year’s Eve speech to warn that the terrorist threat is still at its “highest level” in France.
North Korea was expected to mark the new year with a speech by leader Kim Jong Un, which outside observers pore over for insight into the reclusive country’s policy directions.
While some cities, such as Brussels, Paris, and Moscow cancelled or altered their New Year’s celebrations over security fears, Sydney’s went ahead as planned. In Madrid, thousands of people will flock to Puerta del Sol square, however police will limit the number allowed in to just 25,000.
She said: “We’re mindful of what’s going on in other cities and across the world, we’re linked into the intelligence services, but there is no specific intelligence about the event in London tonight”.
As for what people can expect, Hamilton said it depends on how much they are willing to spend.
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Here are some pictures from New Zealand celebrating the new year.
