countown music so, with some of the classic musical numbers that accompanied new york's new year's eve ball making its descent. we stay with the pictures, but this has been a huge security operation in new york. an estimated 2 million people in the area, surrounded by a ring of about 40,000 ton trucks and police to keep everybody say. it is a comfortable temperature. lots of the traditional hats doing the rounds and couples enjoying themselves, but the temperature roughly five celsius, so not freezing and people enjoying themselves, as you can see. let's cut back and hear some more of the music. # these little town blues #

are melting away # i'll make a brand new start of it # in old new york # ifi new start of it # in old new york # if i can make it there # i'll make it anywhere # it's up to you, new york, new york # new york, new # i want to wake up in a city # and

find i'm top of the list # top of the hill # number one # these little town blues a huge number of tourists, as with every year, as many go to attend this event. it sweeps across from east to west, each city in the different time zones nowjoining in. auckland was the first major city, some pretty spectacular fireworks there and in london. european cities and now in america. we leave new york and now the rest

of the news. in turkey, 39 people are dead after an armed attack at a nightclub in istanbul. local media say shots were fired during new year celebrations at the popular reina nightclub. it's thought that dozens of other people have been wounded. the attack happened in the 0rtakoy district during new year's celebrations. between 500—600 people were in the club at the time. istanbul's governor called it a terrorist attack. seref isler from the bbc turkish service has this report. the new year celebration turns into a massacre in istanbul, this time

targeting a popular nightclub around 1:15am, local time. reina targeting a popular nightclub around 1:15am, localtime. reina is located on the banks of the bosporus in a trendy district. it was hosting hundreds of people for a new year celebration. at least one assailant, believed to be dressed in a santa claus costume, randomly opened fire after shooting and killing a police officer at the door. media say some guestsjumped officer at the door. media say some guests jumped into the cold waters off the bosporus to escape. the confusion of those inside still visible after. translation: i had my back turned. my husband suddenly told me to get on the floor. a man ran inside. two or three people started firing. then there was this fog. i fainted until special forces took us out of there. they shot randomly, there were bodies on the floor. the governor of istanbul has called it a terrorist attack. translation: at about 1:15am a

terrorist attack and entertainment venue terrorist attack and entertainment venue using a firearm. the terrorist first shot and killed a police officer out the front and then fired at people at the venue who were only there to have fun on new year's eve. 2016 has been a terrible year for turkey. the eu member country has seen over turkey. the eu member country has seen over 16 attacks and an attempted coup. some of the attacks have been blamed on so—called islamic state and some on kurdish pkk militants. according to turkish state tv, more than 250 people have lost their lives in a year many turks were eager to leave behind. as a result public gatherings for new year's eve are already restricted, with about 17,000 police on duty and a country already nervous. but, just as it entered 2017, turkey was reminded once again that tight security can't always prevent such a determined attack.

a former member of the turkish parliament earlier spoke to us. i asked whether the attacks were likely to be targeting the nightclub 01’ likely to be targeting the nightclub or the new year's eve celebrations. this was not only targeting one of istanbul's top nightclubs but also a symbolic target, that is, targeting a secular lifestyle, targeting western lifestyle. it is in fact quite similar to the paris attack in the sense that the islamic state, if it is confirmed that they were behind the attack, is yet again trying to undermine turkey's secular western lifestyle. so from that point of view this is not only a

major part security but it is an ideological matter. there is a clashing of different ideologies and therefore it is not only limited to therefore it is not only limited to the islamic state, because in the run—up to this attack for the last two weeks turkey has had quite an intense debate about christmas celebrations, about new year's eve celebrations, about new year's eve celebrations and other islamists, maybe not as violent or as radical as the islamic state. they have also been pointing the finger is to the secular people in turkey, the more western oriented people and by targeting them and encouraging them not to celebrate new year is, and arguing that this is illegitimate

and basically a kind of christian propaganda, undermining islam. so the cultural battle unfortunately endedin the cultural battle unfortunately ended in the first part of the new year with this terrible event. have various organisers of christmas or new year against being pressured or received threats not to hold events by islamists? yes. in fact there we re eve n by islamists? yes. in fact there were even billboards and as we all know turkey is a country where freedom of speech expression is not necessarily guaranteed. but when various islamist organisations and movements decided to target people celebrating christmas or new year is through billboards, through public announcements, the government has been extremely tolerant. in fact many people chose to stay at home.

they didn't feel secure enough to go out. many of the street parties were cancelled. so this was quite a rocky yearin cancelled. so this was quite a rocky year in terms of new year celebrations, but it still did not prevent the attacks. so it is important to disentangle the two different phenomena. on the one hand this is a horrible islamic state attack, and as we know there are tax all around the world and it is hard to contain those... —— attacks. all around the world and it is hard to contain those... -- attacks. that was a former member of the turkish parliament. the un security council has unanimously supported dock —— effo rts unanimously supported dock —— efforts to end fighting in syria. total support for the latest attempt at peace. after nearly six years of fighting, is this finally a route out of war? the latest agreement is backed by some of the key players, but doubts stopped the us

and other countries giving it wholehearted endorsement. instead, they simply welcomed it. we have voted in favour of this resolution because it strikes the right balance. cautious optimism and support, predicated on hope, but tempered by a realistic need to wait to see how this arrangement is implemented before casting the full weight of the security council behind it. many details of the agreement remain secret. but the russian government, which brokered it along with turkey, says other countries should not obstruct the process. translation: i don't want to criticise, but i would like in the most delicate way to just hint to colleagues it is a very complicated process. everything we have been able to achieve is the result of enormous work. so, please, let's keep things clear. please help us. if you don't want to help, just make sure that you don't complicate things. in syria, many questions remain.

will aid get through to everyone? how will breaches of the truce be handled? what will happen to groups that haven't signed the deal? and, the biggest of all, will president assad remain in power? the rebel grouping with support from most arab states, the eu and united states still says he has to go. all of the war crimes he has committed here, these crimes, you cannot expect someone like him to go on ruling syria. so, if he doesn't go, it means there will be no peace in syria. it is the third truce in less than a year, but for the time being it appears to be holding. but peace is more than the absence of war. so—called islamic state says it carried out two bombings in the busy market in the iraqi capital on sunday morning, killing about 80 people. a third blast happened in

east of the city. for iraqis, 2016 ends as it began, with bloodshed and grief. just one of the shoppers and traders slaughtered on a saturday morning. there were two bombs, one in a car parts shop, then another when a crowd had formed around the first. fathers, and sisters, and mothers, and brothers. translation: when we heard the explosion, we found many people killed and wounded, whom we rescued and sent to the hospital. why does this happen in iraq? why to the iraqi people? to the north, the battle to take mosul, iraq's second city, from so—called islamic state continues. it is a long slog, and for many residents, the only way is out. three more months, iraq's government says, the action might take. maybe next year will be better.

but many iraqis are giving up, as they flee their battered city with nothing but bags and suitcases. the north korean leader kim jong—un says his country is close to developing long range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. in a televised new year speech he said north korea had soared as a nuclear power in 2016. pyongyang has conducted two nuclear tests in the past year, triggering international sanctions. it's unclear how close they are to making nuclear—capable missiles able to reach the united states. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: fireworks herald a new year around the world, here in london a spectacular display lights up the river thames. the most ambitious financial

and political change ever attempted has got underway with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow, in holland, we're gonna use money we picked up in belgium today, then we'll be in france, and again it'll be the same money. it has just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed in his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it was good. just good? no, fantastic. that's better. this is bbc news.

the latest headlines: at least 39 people have been killed in a gun attack on a crowded nightclub in istanbul. another 69 have been wounded. 16 of the those killed were foreigners. the city's governor described it as terrorism he said it was a brutal and merciless attack on innocent people celebrating new year. new year celebrations have been taking place around the world, as people welcome in 2017. auckland, in new zealand, was the first main city to celebrate, as the rest of the world caught up. catriona renton reports. big ben tolls as midnight struck, london flooded with colour, on the banks of the thames,

as the uk rang in the new year, with musical references to the great names lost last year, prince and david bowie. prince: dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing we call life. in several foreign languages: welcome to london. # prince - 1999. crowd: five, four, three, two, one. in new zealand, the countdown began on auckland's sky tower,

as it became the first major city in the world to welcome in 2017. soon after, it was sydney, australia, the harbour bridge the focus of its spectacular display. in tokyo, 2017 burst onto the scene. the japanese celebrated with a sea of white balloons. # village people - ymca. crowd: happy new year!

and this was hong kong's kind of party. crowds were treated to a sparkling display over victoria harbour, accompanied by a rendition of auld lang syne. # disco version of auld lang syne this was pyongyang, in north korea. and look at this, the world's tallest building was lit up as a dubai began the new year. and the spectacle in moscow was dazzling over the kremlin and moskva river, as russia said hello to 2017. then, in germany, berliners came out in their thousands to one of europe's largest street parties at the brandenburg gate, defiant. security here was tight after the attack on berlin's christmas market, which killed 12 people.

millions of others don't have too much longer to wait now for 2017 to begin. catriona renton, bbc news. the election of donald trump has thrown into doubt one of the obama administration's key policy achievements, the floor with cuba. the communist run island has slowly been opening up to the world since washington lifted strict travel and trade restrictions. but the united kingdom is also keen on more investment and travel with cuba. when rock royalty the rolling stones played havana, it wasn'tjust a concert. what they achieved with music has been less easy for other parts of the uk economy, that is to break into cuba. while he was still in thejob, philip hammond became the first uk foreign secretary to visit the island in an official capacity since the revolution in

1959. now, the chancellor of the exchequer, during his trip, mr hammond signed a memorandum of understanding covering energy, finance, education and culture, and held talks with raul castro. the great issue is the relationship between cuba and the united states, and the beginning of a flaw in that relationship, the beginning of the normalisation, makes many things possible that have not been possible for decades. it makes economic development possible. of course, since that visit, britain has voted to leave the eu. as the reality of brexit reckons, uk companies are looking to latin america and the caribbean. unilever just cemented looking to latin america and the caribbean. unileverjust cemented a deal on a £20 million investment outside havana. when the uk eventually leave the eu, it may become far more common to find british companies doing what unileverjust it, british companies doing what

unilever just it, laying british companies doing what unileverjust it, laying the first stone of a new factory on cuban soil. at the recent havana trade fair, the british products on display ranged from financial services to single malt whiskey. so will the future relationship with cuba remained fundamentally cultural and educational, or will bilateral trade now finally began to flourish? all the above. you are right, cuba is not a huge market. it is an of about 11 million people, or a set of islands. then, we are a set of islands. then, we are a set of islands on the other side of a nation, and i think there are some really unusual areas, or there are some particular areas, that fit. jointly owned brazilian cuban company also just broke ground on a cigarette factory. the zeal is a long—standing partner for cuba. if the united kingdom hopes to compete with the likes of the south american giant ina with the likes of the south american giant in a post— brexit economy, it has a long way to go, both here and across the caribbean. still, as the

communist run island slowly opens up, more bilateral trade would be a start. in indonesia, two local environmental volunteers have held a unique celebration to highlight their campaign to clear their river of rubbish. ari and sandra chose to navigate down the waterwayjust outside jakarta as part of their wedding celebration. they explained that it was their way to express their love for each other and the environment. nimesh thaker reports. for ari and sandra, their special day had to look and feeljust right. and for the happy couple, it is the river taking them to their wedding, which symbolises how dreams for a better life can become reality. at over 100km long, the ciliwung river has brought prosperity to tens of thousands of people. translation: this is very meaningful, and i hope it can be

inspiration for other young people. we have shown a love for our language and culture. now we need to show our love for our environment. this wedding has inspired everyone, including myself. running free and clear now, the ciliwung has not always been a pleasure to cruise. just over one year ago, this is how it looked. the debris choking the river comes from illegal dumping by villages and industries, but the battle to clear the river is ongoing. it flows through the greaterjakarta area, parts of which are subsiding. it is estimated that some areas of the megacity have sunk by four meters over the last four years. the river can no longer flow into jakarta bay. converted into canals, the water quality has declined as more people in illegal settlements throw their waste into the river. officials say they are enforcing the law, and have a strategy which is working. translation: so far, we've collected fines from those who were caught. but some residents were unable

to pay, so they clean the city by picking up trash from one to two hours. the sanitation department said it remained the government's hope to clear all the rivers by 2020. activists say the fight to keep the rivers clean will require stronger action against industries, and not the poor. let's leave you with the new year celebrations in new york on just over 20 minutes ago. # old lang syne. good morning and a very

happy new year to you. the change of year brings a change in the weather. if we take a look at the recent satellite picture, you can see this strip of cloud sinking its way southwards. there is rain coming from this cloud. it is associated with a weather front, and in fact, it is a cold front. and as that continues to journey southwards and eastwards through new year's day, we will see increasingly cold air digging in from the north. and that really is the pattern for the next couple of days. but back to the here and now, the first part of new year's day increasingly wet across southern parts of the british isles. so this is the story at 9:00am this morning. across south—west england, some quite heavy bursts of rain. that's stretching up through the south midlands and into east anglia. to the south—east, a mild start. seven degrees there in dover. a lot of cloud, but the main body of rain won't have got

here by this stage. but it will later in the day. and then, on the back edge of the weather front, with cold air starting to dig in, and we could see sleet, possibly some wet snow developing, particularly up over high ground, the pennines. certainly some wintry showers for northern scotland. rain close to the coast, but inland, over high ground, some snow. windy here, potentially some icy stretches on untreated roads, as there could be across the north and north—west and northern ireland. then for wales, we're back into our weather front, with rain and wintry weather up over high ground. remember, there is cold air digging into the back of the weather front. and our front essentially stalls across south—eastern areas, so here we can expect quite a lot of rain throughout new year's day. but further north, some bright skies, some sunshine, also some wintry showers, particularly for exposed coastal areas. and a really chilly day here, four or five degrees, mild air holding on across the far south and south—east. but then, as we go through the night, that cold air works its way southwards across all parts of the country,

as we finally push our weather front away. and we will see quite a widespread frost, as well, and potentially icy stretches, particularly where we see showers continuing through the night on exposed coasts. and these are increasingly turning wintry, even to quite low levels. and some of these will continue into monday. for most for monday though, it is a beautiful day with sparkling sunshine. however, it won't do much for the temperatures, 3—6 degrees at best. as we go deeper into the week, high pressure is in charge of the weather, sitting out to the west. a north—westerly wind, so not a particularly warm wind direction, but slightly less cold air will work into the mixture during tuesday and wednesday. with it, a fair amount of cloud, but for many it will stay dry. just a few showers for exposed coasts. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm gavin grey. at least 39 people have been killed in a gun attack on a crowded nightclub in istanbul. another 69 have been wounded. 16 of those killed were foreigners. the city's governor has called it a terrorist attack on innocent

people celebrating new year. the united nations security council has unanimously welcomed efforts by russia and turkey to stop fighting in syria and says it supports the start of a political process. peace negotiations are due to begin next month in kazakhstan which have the backing of russia, iran and turkey. millions of people have been celebrating the start of 2017 at events across the world.