The world has celebrated the New Year
Well, the ball has dropped in New York City, following a performance in Times Square from Mariah Carey that saw her trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. What a way to end the year. To recap the past few hours:
- Celebrations around the world were marred following news of a terrorist attack in Istanbul. The city remains on high alert after a gunman opened fire on partygoers at a New Year’s Eve celebration in one of the most popular nightclubs in Istanbul, killing 35 people and wounding 40. Read the latest here.
- Big Ben chimed as fireworks exploded around the London Eye to signal the start of the new year.
- US president-elect Donald Trump wished a Happy New Year to “all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do. Love!”.
- Queen Elizabeth has not been seen in public for 11 days since she and Prince Philip sustained heavy colds, missing the New Year church service.
That’s it from the New Year live blog. Thanks for the comments, tweets and pics. We’ll leave you with this:
Mariah Carey's performance tonight honestly was a fitting end to 2016 pic.twitter.com/t9k1nGtJuK
— bella vita (@drugproblem) January 1, 2017
New York City welcomes the New Year
NEW YEAR ball drop 2017: https://t.co/XgrmgaBCYg via @YouTube
— TimeBombTech (@timebombtech) January 1, 2017
WATCH LIVE: Happy New Year, New York City! Here's how Times Square is celebrating: https://t.co/fm1DWSyJtw pic.twitter.com/jQu5gr2AT5
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 1, 2017
Happy New Year! pic.twitter.com/fdjReo1xO1
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 1, 2017
So this just happened at the Times Square party in NYC...
Even Milli Vanilli is embarrassed by Mariah Carey's debacle. pic.twitter.com/8179cHu7jA
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 1, 2017
Mariah Carey lip syncing is actually the most tragic thing I've ever watched pic.twitter.com/NT4tOIFOqz
— TYLER IACONA (@tyleriacona) January 1, 2017
The last death of 2016 was the remainder of Mariah Carey's career. Tragic.
— oksanna (@OksannaSamey) January 1, 2017
Mariah Carey represented the year 2016 very well... #trainwreck #isit2017yet?
— Samantha Evola (@SamEvola1) January 1, 2017
Almost Happy New Year time in New York. Less than half an hour to go...
Hurry up 2016. We're kinda over you. #GoodRiddance #balldrop
— Times Square Ball (@timessquareball) January 1, 2017
The @TimesSquareBall has been lit & raised. Let the #NewYear celebrations in #TimesSquare begin! pic.twitter.com/iJjDmfd4bR
— Times Square (@TimesSquareNYC) December 31, 2016
Well, are you?
.@MariahCarey is going to take the stage in just a few moments. Ready to ring in #2017withMariah? pic.twitter.com/GmOmdHmh6G
— Times Square (@TimesSquareNYC) January 1, 2017
Updated
Too much Trump? Fair enough. Here is some Justin Trudeau, with a New Year message.
Happy New Year! Let’s make this our year, Canada! pic.twitter.com/ihzkDiERZW
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 31, 2016
Fireworks for the kids have begun in Boston. Tweet courtesy of Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker.
Great to join all the families for tonight's #FirstNightBoston festivities, including the fireworks over the Common. Happy New Year! pic.twitter.com/rnCWW8LDS0
— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) January 1, 2017
Palestinian artist Osama Sbeata, 26, lights the words ‘2017 Happy New Year’ written in the sand in Gaza City.
Naw. Check out this adorable New Year snap of some lovely rescue animals.
Happy New Year to Abidjan, West Africa.
President elect, Donald Trump, has arrived at the same place he always celebrates New Year. At a star-studded party at the Mar-a-lago resort, which he owns, on Palm Beach. Tickets cost $575 for guests, and $525 for members.
According to Vanity Fair, Trump’s attendance has raised questions of a potential conflict of interest, with critics concerned the event could be perceived as selling access to the president-elect.
Incoming White House Director of Strategic Communications Hope Hicks told the press, “The transition is not concerned about the appearance of a conflict. This is an annual celebratory event at the private club, like others that have continued to occur since the election.”
Hicks added, “the president cannot and does not have a conflict.”
Actor Sylvester Stallone, left, and his wife Jennifer Flavin arrive at Mar-a-Lago. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
Summary
Celebrations in Barcelona looked pretty spectacular. Shout-out to Guardian reader Ricard P.
Updated
Meanwhile, in Sydney, Australia, the wash-up from the celebrations has begun. Create your own caption for this one:
#2017 hits with a cold splash at #Bondi pic by @nampix for @smh pic.twitter.com/dyT00KcZk2
— Nick Moir (@nampix) December 31, 2016
The second course sounds pretty awful to be honest.
Per pooler @svdate, this is the menu tonight at Trump's NYE party pic.twitter.com/U78tLt1AbW
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) January 1, 2017
Meanwhile in Trump life, Politico reports that the author of a 1993 biography about the business tycoon, Harry Hurt, has had a New Year’s Eve run-in with his former book subject. Politico reports:
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday ejected from his West Palm Beach golf course one of his most critical biographers, Harry Hurt III, who had been preparing to play in a foursome with billionaire mega-donor David Koch.
Hurt is the author of “Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump,” a 1993 book that revealed among other things that Trump was accused of “rape” by his ex-wife Ivana Trump in a sworn deposition during their divorce proceedings.
On Friday, Hurt approached Trump on the practice tee at Trump International Golf Club, and congratulated him on his victory in last month’s presidential election, according to an account that Hurt posted on Facebook on Saturday.
Trump responded by criticizing Hurt’s biography as untrue, to which Hurt replied “It’s all true,” according to both Hurt’s Facebook post and a transition official who was briefed on the incident, but did not want to be identified discussing a testy exchange involving the president-elect.
Trump told Hurt “you’re out of here,” according to the transition official, while Hurt wrote on Facebook that Trump told him it was “inappropriate” for him to play at the club.
Some images are coming through of celebrations in Slovenia and Portugal.
The Falkland Islands are next to celebrate New Year. Meanwhile in New York, the crowds in Times Square are ready to party.
'Terror attack' in Turkey
As Europe celebrates the New Year there is tragedy unfolding in Turkey, where a gunman has killed at least 35 people in an attack on a nightclub.
For more on the developing story, click here:
Hello, Bonnie Malkin here taking over the blog from Sydney, where 2017 is already well under way. I can report that so far it is humid and cloudy. Myself and my colleague Melissa Davey in Melbourne will be manning the blog for the coming hours.
Summary
With the climax of the festivities in London, it’s time to hand over to our colleagues in Australia. Thank you for reading and a happy new year.
Princes Street in Edinburgh is lit up as the thousands-strong crowd celebrates Hogmanay.
Updated
The London Eye, lit up for the new year celebrations attended by thousands.
A child’s drawing calling for peace in 2017 is projected on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Updated
The Puerta del Sol clock welcomes the new year for the thousands gathered in central Madrid.
Big Ben chimes as fireworks explode around the London Eye to signal the start of the new year.
Warsaw celebrates the start of 2017.
Fireworks explode near to the High Cathedral of Saint Peter during New year celebrations in Cologne, Germany.
Edinburgh begins the countdown to new year with a display by the castle.
Fireworks rain on the Arc de Triomphe as Paris celebrates the start of the new year.
Updated
Cairo marks the beginning of 2017 with a fireworks display behind the pyramids.
New York
Tens of thousands of merrymakers have converged on Times Square to watch the giant New Year’s Eve ball makes its midnight descent. The century-old New York tradition is unfolding this year under an unprecedented blanket of security. As many as 2 million people, surrounded by a ring of 40-ton sand trucks and approximately 7,000 police, are expected to gather in the “Crossroads of the World” to watch the glittering sphere complete its midnight drop.
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, lit up by fireworks to mark the incoming of 2017.
Updated
Fireworks blaze above the Acropolis hill and Parthenon temple in Athens during the new year celebrations.
Updated
People wait for the stroke of midnight in the Grand Place, Brussels.
Updated
Revellers in Pakistan set off firecrackers to celebrate the arrival of the new year in Lahore.
A backdrop of green envelops Moscow’s Red Square as the capital ushers in the new year.
The Vatican
In his year-end message, Pope Francis has urged leaders to do more to tackle youth unemployment, saying a generation was being lost to desperation, migration and joblessness.
At his last public event of 2016, an evening vespers service in St Peter’s Basilica, the 80-year-old pontiff said doors had to be opened for young people “so that they can be capable of dreaming and fighting for their dreams”.
“We have condemned our young people to have no place in society, because we have slowly pushed them to the margins of public life, forcing them to migrate or to beg for jobs that no longer exist or fail to promise them a future,” he said in his homily.
The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is lit up to mark New Year’s Day in Dubai.
Updated
Theresa May's new year message
In her new year message, the British prime minister has moved to reassure those who voted for Britain to stay in the European Union that she will fight for their interests “around the negotiating table in Europe this year”.
Read the full story here:
Thailand
King Maha Vajiralongkorn has called for unity in his first new year address since taking over from his late father, who was widely seen as a unifying force during decades of turbulence. The pre-recorded address was only the second time he has spoken to the public since taking the throne on 1 December.
“No matter what problems we may face in our country, we believe that if we work together we can overcome and alleviate any situation,” said the king in the broadcast. He thanked the public for their show of loyalty towards his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, still widely mourned after a rule that spanned seven decades.
The usual new year firework displays in Bangkok have been cancelled this year out of respect for the mourning period.
Scotland
Hogmanay celebrations have got under way in Scotland’s capital as thousands of people arrived to bring in the new year. Up to 80,000 people are expected to gather on the streets of Edinburgh for the sold-out world-famous event which Paolo Nutini will headline.
There will be performances from The Charlatans, Fatherson and Be Charlotte. Three firework displays – at 9pm, 10pm and 11pm – come before the crescendo of the spectacular midnight moment display from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. Thousands of partygoers will join hands to sing the world’s largest rendition of Auld Lang Syne at the stroke of midnight, with images being beamed around the globe of Scotland’s big party night.
Updated
Pope Francis finds a moment to reflect in front of a nativity scene in St Peter’s Square, Rome.
One of the most impressive displays of the night comes from Hong Kong, where the city’s skyline was illuminated in blue and pink.
Singapore welcomes in 2017 with a fireworks display at Marina Bay.
Revellers in Australia have been enjoying the first hours of New Year’s Day, with some still partying on Sydney’s Bondi beach.
More spectacular scenes from Indonesia, this time in Yogyakarta.
London
Sadiq Khan has called for resilience ahead of London’s New year fireworks show, saying the capital is “as safe as it possibly can be”. Khan said the mood on the streets was upbeat, adding that it was “really important we don’t allow terrorists to disrupt our celebrations on this New Year’s Eve”.
“We’ve done everything we possibly can do to keep us safe,” he said. “We’ve got more armed police officers on duty tonight than we have on any previous year, we’ve got more visible police officers working tonight than on any previous year ... We’ve got to make sure the resilience that London is famous for is demonstrated tonight.”
A huge police presence has been deployed on the streets as spectators from around the world gather to watch fireworks light up the Thames as Big Ben strikes midnight.
Updated
This is Alexandra Rogers taking over the new year live blog from Marc Walker to keep you updated on celebrations across the world as they happen.
Updated
Crowds gathered to watch fireworks light up the night sky behind Myanmar’s landmark Shwedagon pagoda during the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Updated
In Berlin, revellers are preparing to welcome in 2017 at a show at the Brandenburg Gate.
Updated
Indonesia welcomes in the new year with a fireworks display at the Selamat Datang monument in Jakarta.
Updated
An elderly lady waits for customers to snap up her New Year’s Eve party hats and masks in Yangon, Myanmar. A process of reform has been under way in the country, also known as Burma, since November 2010, when military rule was replaced by a new army-backed civilian government
Updated
Celebrations are in full swing in Taipei, Taiwan, where the tourist board estimates more than 1m people have travelled to the city to marvel at the spectacle of thousands of fireworks exploding from the famous 101 skyscraper
Updated
On New Year’s Eve last year, about 100 women in Cologne’s central square and other German cities were sexually assaulted. A year on and Cologne police have deployed 1,500 officers - 10 times the number of officers compared to last year. Extra security guards are also on duty to ensure the area is safe for New Year’s Eve party-goers
Updated
Paramedics struggling to cope with level of emergency calls hours before midnight
The Press Association is reporting that paramedics are dealing with a high level of emergency calls on New Year’s Eve:
Paramedics were struggling to reach patients in parts of the south-east on New Year’s Eve amid a high level of 999 calls.
South East Coast ambulance service NHS foundation trust (Secamb) said 999 callers in Kent in particular were being hit by delays in crews reaching them due to the high demand.
Managers said they were focusing on responding to life-threatening 999 calls as they urged people to think carefully about whether they really needed an ambulance.
Secamb’s on-call gold incident commander Richard Webber said: “We are already receiving a high volume of emergency 999 calls, especially across Kent and are struggling to reach many of these in a timely manner. Our staff are already working extremely hard but this does mean that for certain emergencies, some patients can expect to wait longer for an ambulance as we focus our efforts on responding to calls which are deemed life-threatening.”
During the festive period, Secamb saw a 10% rise in demand compared to last year. From 7pm on Christmas Eve to 11pm on Boxing Day it responded to 4,840 emergency calls.
Last year, between 10pm on New Year’s Eve and 4am on 1 January, the trust handled 1,135 calls – an average of more than three 999 calls a minute – and this year is expected to be even higher.
Webber urged people to only dial 999 in a “serious emergency” and asked them to consider other options, including the NHS 111 service.
Partly in response to high call levels, it emerged this week that Secamb’s specialist critical care paramedics are being brought into the overall cover plan system to make them available to respond to all types of call.
The change, revealed in a leaked memo, provoked criticism among CCPs who fear lives could be endangered by them being tied up with non-urgent calls instead of dealing with life-threatening emergencies as they have done previously.
Secamb managers have defended the move, saying that with high demand and poor response times it could not continue the current model of not sending CCPs to certain categories of patient.
The change will run until the end of March 2017 when it will be reviewed.
Secamb, which covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex and north-east Hampshire, was put into special measures in September after the Care Quality Commission ranked it inadequate. The change is part of its recovery plan.
Updated
Fears that selfie sticks would become passé in 2017 appear totally unfounded as new year partygoers in Hong Kong capture the turn of the year.
Updated
Swedes see in 1 January with a nyårstårta, or new year’s cake. Here’s a trifle cake inspired by Pokémon Go. One of many being baked up and down the country this evening. Looks good ...
Årets nyårstårta är klar. Tryffeltårta á la PokemonGo. #pokemongo #HAPPYNEWYEAR pic.twitter.com/hW9lYGDH6y
— Sarah Bernhardt (@sanasilb) December 31, 2016
Updated
Having completed the important diplomatic work of saluting his “many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do”, President-elect Donald Trump will see in the New Year with 800 guests at an “elegant and sophisticated” party at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Rather in the vein of a planned inauguration in which big names and smaller names – such as those of individual Rockettes and members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – have declined to perform, in the last case preferring not to be seen to endorse “tyranny and fascism”, the calibre of celebrities on the guest list seems uncertain at best.
As of Saturday morning, ageing Hollywood action star Sylvester Stallone, who reportedly turned down Trump’s offer of a job with the National Endowment for the Arts, was still due to attend. The legendary music producer Quincy Jones, however, was not.
In a call with reporters on Friday, incoming White House spokesman Sean Spicer mentioned the two stars as guests. Later, a spokesman for Jones – a Clinton donor – said he did not know how Spicer got that idea, as Jones would be seeing in 2017 with his family in Los Angeles.
Ongoing concerns about potential conflicts of interest between President Trump and Businessman Trump have also infringed on the party. Politico reported on Friday that Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks rejected suggestions that the sale of tickets, at between $525 and $575 a head, constituted the sale of access to the president-elect and his family.
“The transition is not concerned about the appearance of a conflict,” Hicks said, on the same call as Spicer. “This is an annual celebratory event at the private club, like others that have continued to occur since the election. “Additionally, the president cannot and does not have a conflict.”
Some beg to differ.
Koreans celebrate their day of birth but also mark growing a year older from 1 January.
Updated
Feliz Año Nuevo (Happy New Year!) from Hong Kong:
¡Feliz Año Nuevo desde Hong Kong! pic.twitter.com/Vc5PIepAdf
— Consulmex Hong Kong (@ConsulMexHko) December 31, 2016
Updated
I am handing over to my colleague Marc Walker, who will be continuing this live blog. I would like to thank all those who have sent in their photographs and tweets, and for everyone who has commented under this article.
I’ll sign off with one of my favourite pictures of the celebrations so far. Happy New Year, everyone.
Updated
Beckie in Japan has just tweeted me with these lovely shots.
@guardian @Nicola_Slawson In Takarazuka, near Osaka in Japan. Just been to the local shrine to wish in the new year! pic.twitter.com/GUVLzNCdvM
— Beckie Senior (@BeckieSenior) December 31, 2016
Photo editor fail of the day goes to the Daily Express who have confused the real city of Paris for the Paris Las Vegas hotel in their article about security measures in France for tonight’s celebrations. Oops.
Paris vs Paris Las Vegas Hotel @dailyexpressuk #fail https://t.co/mmFTNT9ByX pic.twitter.com/qD2SM9ZjSM
— Nicola Slawson (@Nicola_Slawson) December 31, 2016
It will be midnight in Hong Kong shortly.
Strictly Come Dancing pro, Neil Jones, is there and will be enjoying the fireworks from a rooftop.
I can't wait to spend New Year's Eve with friends watching fireworks from a rooftop in Hong Kong🤗🍾
— Neil Jones (@Mr_NJones) December 31, 2016
A reader, Ian, is also in Hong Kong waiting for the fireworks.
@Nicola_Slawson celebrating in Hong Kong for the first time, should be an epic firework display across the harbour! pic.twitter.com/xZPdtBrhbJ
— Ian (@numb15) December 31, 2016
Meanwhile in Beijing ...
@Nicola_Slawson Here in Beijing, I'm deciding what to do with my lucky punnet of Brussels Sprouts - eat now, or save for next year? Thinks.. pic.twitter.com/g6kff4CtXb
— Andrew Benton (@thangnangman) December 31, 2016
Updated
What’s the best way to celebrate NYE?
With pie and Prosecco. D’oh!
How do you prep for NYE back in London after spending Xmas in Cumbria? Pies + Prosecco of course pic.twitter.com/ZrsSRVDrhm
— Stephen Holmes (@swearstoomuch) December 31, 2016
Queen may miss New Year's Day church service
It sounds like the Queen may have to spend at least one more day in bed as she is still recovering from her heavy cold.
The monarch has not been seen in public for 11 days since she and Prince Philip sustained heavy colds, forcing them to cancel the traditional train journey to their north Norfolk estate for Christmas.
Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace was forced to issue a statement confirming the Queen was still alive after a tweet from a fake BBC News account claimed she had died.
Updated
Lots of people in Asia are now tweeting pictures from their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Bali looks a bit good!
The view from my rooftop in Bali last New Year's Eve. Just. Incredible. #newyearseve #newyear #celebrations #bali pic.twitter.com/Ejfv8INAGm
— Travel For Your Life (@travel4yourlife) December 31, 2016
Closing out the year in Seoul! #NewYearsEve #Welcome2017 #namsantower pic.twitter.com/adqMOwuMHu
— chris han (@Onespeedallday) December 31, 2016
Happy new year japan🇯🇵
— Miye Kobayashi (@msk428) December 31, 2016
Philippines 23:10⏰ pic.twitter.com/dtuGanVkOr
A bit of fun for the dying hours of 2016: Trevor Noah of The Daily Show bid farewell to the year many will care to forget.
Trevor and The Best F#@king News Team say goodbye to 2016. pic.twitter.com/UnLr7myvHF
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) December 31, 2016
Updated
It’s already 2017 in parts of Russia.
Updated
In South Korea, protesters have set off their own fireworks during a candle-lit vigil calling for the impeached president, Park Geun-hye, to step down, near the presidential house in Seoul.
Updated
A Sri Lankan woman lights oil lamps as other devotees carry various offerings at a Buddhist temple on New Year’s Eve in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Updated
Lots of people in Switzerland wave goodbye to the old year by swimming in a very chilly lake. Whatever floats your boat!
Do you do anything special to mark the last day of the year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawson or send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com
Updated
In Japan, New Year’s Eve is traditionally a day spent with family and although there will be fireworks over Tokyo’s Disneyland castle, the bars will remain fairly quiet.
Elliot Morris decided to do something a bit different while holidaying in the capital city and went to watch a New Year’s Eve boxing match at Ota City Gym. He said: “It was fantastic and very fun. We are now just in a quiet bar.”
How are you celebrating the new year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawson or send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com.
Updated
My colleague Emma Beddington has written a guide to surviving New Year’s Eve with children. Does this ring any bells?
Traditionally a grave disappointment, New Year’s Eve is at least a time to cut loose and escape the suffocating, sprout-scented stranglehold of the family Christmas. But with kids, you can forget about that. You’re far too late (and broke) for babysitters. Everyone is bored, bloated, probably sick, definitely fighting and stuck with one another. How can you reach midnight without tears?
Updated
Worshippers of Yemanjá ask for blessings from their deity at Copacabana – before one of the world’s largest New Year’s Eve beach parties kicks off.
Updated
Brisbane just welcomed in 2017. It looks nice and tropical there, a bit different to the cold and foggy weather on this side of the world.
And with that, we say goodbye to 2016 and hello to a wonderful #2017! Happy New Year! 💥😃#brisbaneanyday pic.twitter.com/bxo0qDfGm4
— Brisbane City (@Brisbane_City) December 31, 2016
Security measures will form 'protective ring' in London
When 2017 reaches the UK capital, thousands of police officers will provide a protective ring around the city’s set-piece fireworks display, with security tactics having been adjusted after this year’s terrorist atrocities in Europe.
Armed police will also be a fixture on the capital’s tube trains as they travel between jobs – a move aimed at reassuring passengers.
Fears of a mass-casualty terrorist plot targeting one of the country’s new year events have been heightened after lorries were used in devastating attacks on crowded areas in Nice and Berlin.
British Transport Police (BTP) said they would be extending officers’ working hours on the night for a second year running.
The BTP superintendent Andy Morgan said: “We developed and improved our security plan for last year’s New Year’s Eve event following the atrocities in Paris in the previous November and we, of course, have looked at good security, a thorough security boost following a different type of threat in Nice back in July.
“In general, we have a good eyeline on what could happen, we’ve got very, very good assets both covert and overt deployed out within the footprint and across London, almost joined at the hip with our colleagues from the Metropolitan police to make sure that we’re working together to provide that security blanket across London.”
Updated
Incidentally, it’s not the first time Donald Trump has thought to mention his enemies while sending good wishes on special holidays or events.
Here’s a thanksgiving tweet from 2012:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone--I love you all, even my many enemies (sometimes!).
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2012
This was on the anniversary of 9/11 in 2013:
“@realDonaldTrump: I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2013
Here’s his Father’s Day message from the following year:
I would like to wish all fathers, even the haters and losers, a very happy Fathers Day.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2014
And one from Memorial Day in 2015:
I would like to wish everyone, including all haters and losers (of which, sadly, there are many) a truly happy and enjoyable Memorial Day!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2015
The New Year enthusiasm is at risk of being dampened here in the UK. The fog in the south has caused delays at Gatwick and Manchester, while in northern England and Wales, rain is set to sweep across areas including Manchester, Leeds and possibly Cardiff at midnight, the Met Office said.
Spectacular fireworks have illuminated Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate the arrival of 2017 in Australia, as Britons count the hours until the new year also lands in the UK.
The Pacific island nations of Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati were the first to welcome the new year as the clock hit 10am on New Year’s Eve in London.
The end of 2016 was then marked in the Chatham Islands and parts of New Zealand shortly afterwards, with fireworks launched from the top of Auckland’s Sky Tower, before celebrations began in Sydney at 1pm London time.
Sydney Harbour Bridge was doused in the bright light of an estimated seven tonnes of fireworks during two displays, including an earlier show which saw the landmark bridge glow purple in a tribute to the late US singer Prince.
British singer David Bowie was also honoured with space-themed fireworks as a nod to the late star’s hit Space Oddity.
Updated
Donald Trump's new year message
Here’s US President-elect Donald Trump being all nice and positive as he wishes everyone a Happy New Year. Oh, wait …
Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2016
Updated
Sydney welcomes 2017 in with lots of loud and colourful fireworks, as per usual.
Happy new year! #Sydney #Australia 🎊🎉🎈♥ pic.twitter.com/dv4xtfXmSn
— KELLY MAINELLI (@kelly_mainelli) December 31, 2016
Happy New Year from #Sydney, #Australia! 😊 pic.twitter.com/pDrrjVuEVG
— Saara Alhopuro (@alhopuro) December 31, 2016
Happy new year 2017 in Sydney 😄😄 pic.twitter.com/oAIdgnmUml
— Arvind Ramanathan (@arv_ra) December 31, 2016
Happy New Year from Sydney pic.twitter.com/R2kl5fPgPT
— Rukia Kigu (@RukiaKigu) December 31, 2016
@thescript @TheScript_Danny Happy New Year boys from Sydney Australia 🎉🎉💋💋 pic.twitter.com/chp1LbRlrp
— Tina Busine (@TinaEFB19) December 31, 2016
Updated
Happy New Year, Australia
Fireworks Sydney style...
Welcome to 2017! #SydNYE pic.twitter.com/Q8RvTQkfXr
— City of Sydney (@cityofsydney) December 31, 2016
Updated
Happy New Year Sydney!
The fireworks have started and are set to feature tributes to Prince and David Bowie. Send us your snaps!
Happy New Year from Sydney pic.twitter.com/4EaKSdPKy4
— Vesna (@Vesna1975) December 31, 2016
How are you spending the last day of 2016?
Libby Maguire spent it exploring the Australian coast. “I did the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk to celebrate the last day of the year ... I’m now at a house party at the beach with an Aussie band playing some hits.”
Do you do anything special to mark the last day of the year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawsonor send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com
In Spain it is traditional for people to eat one grape at every stroke of the midnight clock chimes on New Year’s Eve to bring luck in the following year. Some extra keen people held a warm-up session at midday in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol.
Curious as to how Sydney organises its always impressive fireworks displays? Wonder no more:
It takes 7 tonnes of fireworks to make #SydNYE happen - go behind the scenes as the crew prepares the display you're about to see pic.twitter.com/EWiUDtKn5N
— City of Sydney (@cityofsydney) December 31, 2016
Safety and security is high on the agenda for New Year celebrations around the world this year:
Security is high in London ahead of the New Year's Eve celebrations pic.twitter.com/xMvxdQcs4F
— Press Association (@PA) December 31, 2016
I love this photograph of a passenger plane flying in front of a rainbow during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan.
This year’s celebration in the city will use fireworks combined with a light show for the first time, with an estimated cost of TW$45m (£1.1m).
A Guardian reader in Taiwan also sent us this photograph of her family’s New Year’s Eve feast. Laura Pepper Wu said: “We are celebrating our baby’s first NYE with a dim sum dinner here in Taiwan! Happy New Year!”
How are you celebrating the new year? Tweet me @Nicola_Slawson or send me an email: nicola.slawson@theguardian.com
Updated
More pretty pictures from down under courtesy of ABC News Australia:
Beautiful shots from Sydney by @brantdcumming #abcnye Full story: https://t.co/5BOWyIEAC8 @abcnews pic.twitter.com/AdSILxdlDq
— Monique Ross (@rossmonique) December 31, 2016
Updated
New Year's Eve protest in South Korea
While most people are gathering to ring in the new year, in South Korea people have once again gathered in protest. Even on New Year’s Eve, large crowds of protesters have turned out in Seoul to demand the resignation of the impeached President Park Geun-hye, who is determined to restore her powers through a court trial.
South Korea isn’t the only country to have celebrations dampened by national events. Normally boisterous Bangkok will see in the new year on a more sombre note, with prayers and candles replacing parties as the nation grieves for King Bhumibol Adulyadej who died in October.
With Brazil mired in its worst recession in a century, the fireworks there have been cut to just 12 minutes as the state government fights bankruptcy. However, up to 2 million people are still expected to party on Rio’s Copacabana beach.
Updated
Terror threat puts cities on higher alert
Security concerns have hit many new year events this year, with many cities opting to set up truck blockades as a new tactic to try to prevent vehicles ploughing into crowds, as happened in Berlin and Nice this year.
While Sydney is using garbage trucks as safety barriers, the German capital has beefed up security after the 19 December attack, deploying hundreds more police, some armed with machine-guns.
“This year, what’s new is that we will place concrete blocks and position heavy armoured vehicles at the entrances” to the zone around Brandenburg Gate, a police spokesman said.
In Cologne, aftersexual attacks during New Year’s Eve events last year, 1,800 police will be deployed, compared with just 140 in 2015. In neighbouring Austria, police will hand out 6,000 free pocket alarms to help prevent assaults on women.
In Paris, there will be a full fireworks display again, after 2015 celebrations were muted following the massacre of 130 people on 13 November of that year. Nearly 100,000 police, gendarmes and soldiers will be deployed across France against the terrorist threat.
With more than a million people expected to turn up to watch the ball drop in Times Square, New York is deploying 165 “blocker” trucks and about 7,000 police.
Rome has organised armoured vehicles and a greater numbers of security forces around the Coliseum and at St Peter’s Square where Pope Francis will celebrate midnight mass.
In Moscow, police will deploy more than 5,000 officers, backed by thousands more from the new national guard and volunteer militia, to maintain order. Thousands traditionally gather in Red Square, but for the second year in a row, the area will be open solely to 6,000 invitees.
In London, 3,000 officers will be on patrol among crowds lining the banks of the river Thames to watch the fireworks over the London Eye.
Updated
In case you’re confused, Sydney has two sets of fireworks – one at 9pm (for families who don’t want to be out too late), and the other at midnight proper, which falls at 1pm GMT.
Here’s a time lapse of the 9pm fireworks, boiled down to a mere 16 seconds by Mike Bowers, Guardian Australia’s photographer-at-large:
For those who missed it here is the 9pm Sydney fireworks in a time lapse-condensed to 16 seconds #HNY2017 @GuardianAus pic.twitter.com/tCvLeh95e0
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) December 31, 2016
Updated
Does anyone else think the Sky Tower in Auckland looks like a bit like a pineapple in this stunning shot?
Updated
One more second of 2016 to endure
Many of us can’t wait for 2016 to be over, but did you know that we are going to have to endure an entire extra second of it?
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is to introduce a “leap second” after 23.59:59 on 31 December.
As a result, clocks striking 00:00:00 will actually be recording a time of 23:59:60 – delaying midnight by a second.
It will be the 27th time the NPL has brought in a leap second to ensure that time based on the Earth’s rotation does not lag behind time kept by atomic clocks.
Read more about that here:
Updated
Shame about the lack of capital letters in this tweet from the City of Sydney, but it’s more about the picture of course ...
Paying tribute to the late prince with purple rain #SydNYE pic.twitter.com/xwkSd4NqlS
— City of Sydney (@cityofsydney) December 31, 2016
Updated
The celebrations in Sydney have already kicked off with a children’s fireworks display. Tell us how you are celebrating in your part of the world.
.@EpicAustralia on #Periscope: #SYDNYE #periNYE Family Fireworks Display #Sydney #epicaustralia https://t.co/RYdnSrEwym
— Keizo (@kanji_k) December 31, 2016
9pm fireworks on Sydney Harbour #NewYearsEve #SydneyNYE pic.twitter.com/blp4qqQl5E
— Damien Bryan (@DamienBryan79) December 31, 2016
Updated
New Year's Eve security tightened
A hop and skip over the Tasman Sea and Australia is gearing up for its famous new year celebrations in Sydney and will be defying the increased terror threat.
About 1.5 million people are packing Australia’s biggest city to watch the midnight fireworks, a larger-than-usual crowd due to the weekend timing and warm weather, as the New South Wales state premier urged “business as usual”.
“My encouragement to everyone is to enjoy New Year’s Eve … in the knowledge that police are doing everything they can to keep us safe,” Mike Baird said.
The year of 2016 has seen repeated bloodshed around the world, most recently a deadly truck attack at a Berlin Christmas market, as well as a similar incident on Bastille Day in France that killed 86, as well as atrocities in Turkey and the Middle East, and the war in Syria.
About 2,000 extra officers have been deployed in Sydney after a man was arrested for allegedly making threats online about the celebrations.
There were a number of other reported threats this holiday period, in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere. In Melbourne, police said they foiled a “significant” Islamic State-inspired Christmas Day terrorism plot.
Indonesia said it had foiled plans by an Isis-linked group for a Christmas suicide bombing, and 52 died in the Philippines in bomb attacks blamed on Islamist militants.
Israel on Friday issued a warning of imminent “terrorist attacks” on tourists and western targets in India, telling its citizens to avoid public places.
Updated
Only a couple of minutes to go until midnight in New Zealand. How are you celebrating? Tweet me @nicola_slawson and let me know.
Auckland, NZ lit up for New Years #readynowletsparty pic.twitter.com/dXvxUwwzZ3
— JM (@JosephMaru1) December 31, 2016
5 minutes til new years in new Zealand. WOOOOOO. pic.twitter.com/WnmePuTQw4
— Leigh (@leighturtle) December 31, 2016
Not everyone is having a good night in Auckland though, thanks to public transport woes!
How stupid is this — no way for people to use public transport on new years in Auckland. Any thoughts @DarbyatCouncil @richardhills777? https://t.co/0FlELju3Vs
— Ryan Mearns (@ryanmearns) December 13, 2016
Happy New Year’s Eve!
Welcome to our last live blog of the year, probably. Join us as we chart the new year being welcomed in across the globe.
For those desperate to see the back of 2016, the good news is it is already 2017 in Samoa!
Happy New Years to all my fams in Samoa pic.twitter.com/KfaVMV2hcG
— W S . W S . W S (@WestStayBlessed) December 31, 2016
Updated
