Summary At the stroke of midnight the skies still lit up with pyrotechnics.
PARIS (AFP/Dunya News) - Europe welcomed in the New Year on high security alert, with Munich stations evacuated over an imminent terror threat and fireworks cancelled in Paris and Brussels, while a huge fire ripped through a Dubai hotel.
German police warned people to stay away from two of Munich s railway stations and avoid large gatherings after "indications that a terror attack" was being planned by Islamists in the southern German city.
Authorities said early Friday the threat involved a suspected suicide bomb attack by the Islamic State group.
A police spokeswoman told AFP that they had "reliable information" that the plot targeted festivities under way on New Year s Eve.
Elsewhere in Europe terror fears loomed large, with firework displays cancelled in Brussels and Paris just weeks after jihadists killed 130 people on the streets of the French capital.
More than 100,000 police were deployed throughout France to guard celebrations, as defiant Parisians turned out on the Champs Elysees to greet 2016 in the biggest public gatherings since the November 13 attacks.
In his New Year address, President Francois Hollande said France "has not finished with terrorism yet" and that the threat of another attack "remains at its highest level".
"The people of Paris and France need this symbolic passage into the New Year," said Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo.
"After what our city has lived through, we have to send a signal to the world," she told the weekly Journal du Dimanche.
Belgian police meanwhile were holding five people over an alleged New Year attack plot in Brussels, as well as arresting a 10th suspect over the Paris attacks.
Fireworks were banned in towns and cities across Italy, in some cases because of a recent spike in air pollution but also because of fears that, in the current climate, sudden loud bangs could cause crowds to panic.
In Madrid, thousands of people will flock to Puerta del Sol square, however police will limit the number allowed in to just 25,000.
Berliners will do better with about a million expected at the Brandenburg Gate for a free mega-street party.
Australia
Sydney, traditionally the first to host a major New Year s bash, kicked off the global festivities when it lit up the skies with pyrotechnics at the stroke of midnight (1300 GMT).
Sydney, Australia celebrates 2016 arrival
Celebrations near Sydney s famed Opera House
Dubai
In Dubai, a huge fire ripped through a luxury 63-storey hotel, the Address Downtown, close to the world s tallest tower where people had gathered to ring in the New Year.
But authorities put on a spectacular show, refusing to let the hotel blaze, which injured 16 people, disrupt celebrations.
Festivities went ahead as planned and crowds cheered the arrival of 2016 with bursts of light and colour in a massive fireworks show starting at the landmark Burj Khalifa skyscraper, even as smoke billowed from the nearby blaze.
Fire broke out in a luxury hotel near Burj Khalifa but was later brought under control
Authorities put on a spectacular show, refusing to let the hotel blaze disrupt celebrations.
Britain
Britain welcomed in 2016 on Friday with giant fireworks shows in London and Edinburgh as hundreds of thousands of revellers hit the streets to see in the New Year.
Some 12,000 fireworks filled the clear night sky in London, watched by 113,000 ticket-holders lining the banks of the River Thames and thousands of others craning for a view from vantage points around the city.
As Big Ben in the Houses of Parliament s clock tower chimed in the New Year, fireworks exploded around the London Eye ferris wheel on the opposite side of the River Thames.
Fireworks exploded around the London Eye ferris wheel
Big Ben in the Houses of Parliament s clock tower chimed in the New Year
That kicked off an 11-minute salvo set to music from the likes of David Bowie and Lenny Kravitz.
The smoke from the fireworks drifted downstream, engulfing landmarks like Tower Bridge, Saint Paul s Cathedral, and The Shard, Western Europe s tallest tower.
Boats on the river honked their horns and smaller, back garden fireworks parties could be seen all across the city.
On the main BBC television channel, the fireworks show was bracketed by a live concert from Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, watched by millions at home.
Meanwhile in Edinburgh, 75,000 people saw in the New Year at the Scottish capital s Hogmanay street party, which draws revellers from around the world.
Fireworks lit up the skies at midnight over Edinburgh Castle, with rock bands like Biffy Clyro, Maximo Park and Idlewild entertaining the crowds, the culmination of three days of partying.
"This is a unique atmosphere and we like to say we invented not just Hogmanay but New Year celebrations," said Edinburgh Hogmanay director Pete Irvine.
"We have Auld Lang Syne , we have pipe bands, loads of people in kilts and fancy dress.
"It s the Scots at their friendliest and we are amazingly good company -- so this is the right place to be."
British astronaut Tim Peake also sent a message to the UK from the International Space Station.
The ISS works on GMT, meaning New Year is celebrated at the same time as Britain.
"I d like to wish everybody on our beautiful planet Earth a very fun New Year s Eve and a happy, healthy 2016. Happy New Year!" he said in front of a British flag, before spinning over backwards.
In his New Year message, Prime Minister David Cameron said 2016 could be a "game-changer" for Britain.
"It s a New Year, and Britain begins it with renewed strength," he said.
Meanwhile the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby urged people to welcome in the "poor and weak", citing the plight of refugees.
"Hospitality and love are our most formidable weapons against hatred and extremism," the leader of the world s Anglicans said in his New Year message.
Asia
The chimes of midnight will move across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and finally the Americas.
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Hong Kong s fireworks display for 2016
Beijing, Singapore and other Asian cities may rival Sydney s pyrotechnic splash, but Brunei will offer a sober evening after banning Christmas in a shift to hardline Islamic law.
2016 celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand
Singapore celebrates New Year
Taiwan says hello to 2016
Tokyo, Japan jubilant on 2016 s arrival
Jakarta remains on high alert after anti-terror police foiled detailed plans for an alleged New Year suicide attack in the Indonesian capital.
Turkish police have detained two Islamic State suspects allegedly planning to stage attacks in the centre of the capital Ankara which is expected to be packed on New Year s Eve.
Moscow
Meanwhile, in Moscow police will for the first time close off Red Square where tens of thousands of revellers traditionally gather.
"It s no secret that Moscow is one of the choice targets for terrorists," Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said recently.
Party at the pyramids
Cairo meanwhile is trying desperately to attract tourists to bolster the economy.
The government is staging celebrations in front of the pyramids near the Egyptian capital, with ambassadors, artists and intellectuals all invited.
Egypt has been in turmoil since the 2011 uprising but was further hit by the October 31 crash of a Russian airliner over the Sinai killing 224 people.
In stark contrast, Sierra Leone s capital Freetown is hoping to reclaim its mantle as host of the best beach parties in Africa after Ebola scared people away.
The city of 1.2 million was deserted 12 months ago during the worst Ebola outbreak ever recorded.
"This New Year s Eve I am going to dance and party until the cock crows," said 35-year-old Franklyn Smith.
In the United States, authorities said they had arrested and charged a 25-year-old American Muslim convert over an alleged attempt to launch a New Year s Eve attack in upstate New York in the name of the Islamic State group.
In New York City, despite a pledge of tight security for Times Square, another million people are expected to turn out to see the ball descend.
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