> >> security concerns dampen new year's eve celebrations in paris and brussels, while in munich, a terror threat forces train stations to temporarily close. out with the old, in with the new. celebrations in the u.s. and pacific, with cleanup post party already underway in asia as the world rings in 2016.

from towering inferno to , a fire breaks out in one of dubai's tallest buildings. there were no injuries. 2016 has begun on a tense note for security forces in germany. police are searching for suspects wanted in connection with a new year's eve terror plot. hours before midnight, authorities in munich got word a possible attack was imminent on the train stations. mail service -- rail service was temporarily closed but they have since reopened. oliver farry has details. >> a last-minute intelligence tip on new year's eve put munich's main train station on lockdown. german officials said they received word hours before midnight that the most serious and imminent threat of possible suicide attacks.

>> the federal police office informed munich on new year's eve at 7:40 p.m. that they had received information that the islamic state group leader planning an attack at midnight in munich's main train station. oliver: police forces evacuated the two train stations, shutdown services, and told rollers not to gather in that told revelers not together in crowded areas. the information could not be confirmed. >> despite the intensive investigation and exchanges of information with the federal authorities, we have not yet been able to confirm the accuracy of the information we have received so far. there are vague reports that five to seven individuals are involved. oliver: the chief of police said

some 550 officers were deployed to secure the city and search for possible suspects. molly: a short while ago, the munich chief of police held a press conference, and we spoke to our regional correspondent, emanuel chase. apparently, two complete terror attacks were planned in munich, and 500 policemen, more than 500 policemen were on duty. the information about those attacks came from foreign intelligence services. the american and the french services. that is what we know at the moment. test was complete. the attacks like those in paris were supposed to happen. it involves five to seven people. molly: so we understand police are still currently looking for people? >> they are looking for people.

no arrests have been made so far. there are five to seven suspects who are supposed to have iraqi and syrian passports. open its15 saw germany doors to a record number of refugees and migrants. that prompted words of criticism and support for the german chancellor. thursday, angela merkel gave her wishes for the new year. she stood firm on her decision to allow the influx of people, saying it is an opportunity for tomorrow. >> if thou to remain over angela merkel's resolved to give germany's -- if doubts remain over angela merkel's resolved to allow migrants into germany, she dispelled them in her address to the nation. angela merkel: i am convinced that we -- that this will represent an opportunity for us tomorrow. germanythe past year, alone has welcomed more than one million migrants and refugees.

in the face of mounting criticism of the open-door policy, the chancellor stood her ground, telling the country that while unprecedented numbers of people in syria are being killed and just place, europe could not look -- and displaced, europe could not look away. merkel: it is out of the question that the influx of so many people will be demanding. it requires time and money, especially those who want to stay here for the long term. >> half of the almost 1.1 million migrants and asylum-seekers have come from war-ravaged syria. it is five times last year plus total, and more than any other western country. angela merkel's unwavering plummets earned her worldwide, including from "time" magazine. at home, her usually high

ratings have fallen, as opposition rose within her own conservative cap. -- herowns conservative own conservative camp. particularlysition from eastern europe. hungary has launched a legal challenge against the plan. also: the french president gave his annual new year's eve address, and the fight against terrorism was at the heart of francois hollande's speech. for france, 2015 ended as it began, with lead shed on the streets of paris. -- with bloodshed on the streets of paris. >> the french parents -- the french president announced his wishes. you dress the nation after the terrorist attacks in the member and january last year. francois hollande: we are not finished with terrorism. the threat is still here and it is at its highest level. we foil attack plans on a

regular basis. my first duty is to protect you, and that means tackling the problem in syria and in iraq. that is why we have intensified our strikes against the islamic state group. >> francois hollande's stepping up of the french army campaign after the november 13 attacks in paris -- gunmen and suicide bombers stormed bars, restaurants, and a stadium and a concert hall, killing 130 people. paris was already on high alert following the terrorist attacks at the start of 2015 when three gunmen targeted the satirical hebdo," and arlie kosher supermarket. hollande: rejecting you means acting here on french soil. announced giving undeniable -- when we are faced with an immediate danger. and to take away the french

nationality of those who had been sentenced for having committed terrorist crimes. corn --ebate on french french born passport holders will continue until 2016. he urged french people to stay united. on a new year's eve clouded for many by fears of terrorism, a massive fire at a dubai skyscraper capture the world's attention. hours before the new year's eve celebrations began, flames engulfed the side of the 63 story luxury building. amazingly, no one was injured, and the city fireworks show went ahead as planned. a 63-floor building and golf in flames. the hotel was fully booked for new year's festivities when the blaze broke out of the 20th floor at around 9:30 p.m. local time. it was not immediately clear

what caused the fire. >> she came back saying it was the cover fireworks. when we looked out, there was fire on the building. >> the building was packed with people when the inferno erupted. amazing that officials are reporting that only a dozen or so people were injured, and no one killed during the incident. firefighters and police arrived quickly. hundreds were evacuated. large explosions reverberated from inside the burning building, as wax smoke billowed across -- as black smoke billowed across the skyline. but the startling scene did not stop the emirates fireworks display from going ahead as scheduled at midnight.

dubai's economy depends heavily on tourism, with new year's one of the busiest periods. the city promised to provide any guests affected by the fire with alternative accommodations. dramatic scenes in dubai for new year's. the last celebrations are still taking place in a few spots on the west coast of the u.s. and canada as well as in the pacific. a correspondent tells us how countries around the world rang in the new year. >> happy new year! yeah! crowding onto the chefs elysees -- on the champs elysees just weeks after the terrorism attacks. the fireworks to play was that the fireworks display was replaced. little squashed,

but it was really lovely, really nice. >> there is a lot of security present here, and the crowd has been great. everybody has been in a good mood so far. it is nice to be here. >> there was heightened security in london, too, as crowds flocked to the banks of the thames river to watch the fireworks. in the german capital, all eyes were on the brandenburg gate for the annual countdown. highroad two got in on the action as the sky lit up over the pyramids of giza. rio de janeiro celebrated in style with a giant party on copacabana beach for 2 million people. earlier, tokyo saw in the new releasing on the stroke of midnight.

new zealand was one of the first to ring in 2016 with its georgia meter tower in the sky over auckland. ownralia had its pyrotechnics extravaganza. molly: several arrests have been made in china over last month's deadly landslide in the southern city of shenzhen. 12 people died and 62 remain missing and are presumed dead after a mountain of construction waste that had been piled up against a hill and collapsed during heavy rain. entire buildings. prosecutors say 11 people have been charged with negligence. they urged police to track down additional suspects. china -- the french journalist expelled from the country has arrived in paris. veteran correspondent ursula gauthier published an article describing beijing --

criticizing beijing treatment of minorities. some were able to do fantastic things -- to work, to go and see people, to go to different places. gauthierat was ursula speaking to "france 24." that is it for this edition. we will leave you with a look at the tragic events in paris. the capital was shaking, but the french spirit remains strong. shaken, butal was the french spirit remains strong. [music plays]

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>> welcome. ais is a resident -- renovation project. this marks is 500 years since the king came to the throne, also his most famous military success. we start this edition on a personal note to read i am here in what used to be the bedroom of king francis i's official , who enjoyed not only

close proximity to the king's chambers around the corner, but also called one of the most luxurious and ornate palaces of the times. he was not a man of taste in addition, he was also a military chief. powerted by the constant wars with his swarm enemy, the emperor king charles v. >> in 1515, there was little to indicate that king francis would become the king of france. francis was 20 years and four months old. it happened without issue. his successor, his cousin, also died without an heir. when louis died on the first of january, he was left only a minor cousin who could be crowned king, and that was francis.

's reign began with a battle which was to begin -- his reign began with a battle that was a famous one. his ambition was to be named holy roman emperor by the pope, but charles of habsburg was preferred. he did not take the election failure of 1519 very well. he thought he would get it and spent a lot of money on it, so francis went on the offensive. >> the two men were soon locked in an endless struggle, but francis not only met defeat, the biggest in -- >> in a feud hours, france was -- francis was arrested and imprisoned in an italian jail in madrid. burnishedee, francis his image, making use of the

printing press, recently had poetsand also take part in what was later to be known as public relations. it was only 300 years later, upon the restoration, that louis xviii and charles x called on him to praise the virtues of an enlightened monarchy. >> he was even maybe prototype and founder of french culture in society. being this renaissance prince, this prince of good taste and culture and gallantry, he became the idea of french men worldwide. >> it is an image of the thatssance prints endures in textbooks to this day. nicknamesthe king's -- there certainly was a monarch who had an incredible nose for the arts.

i'm in the king's gallery, surrounded by renaissance frescoes that were painted and carved during his reign. seems here with his personal salamander emblem. i, palaces francis were decorated with just a scattering of paintings, and not a single sculpture. but this fervent patron of the his artists across europe. fascinated by history, iterature, the young francis return from his military campaign with one clear ambition, to re-create the essence of florence back home in france. the king became a patron and a strong supporter of the arts. do not know if we can call francis i a scholar, but he was certainly interested in everything.

buildings, hunting, women -- he had a wide range of interests. francisghout his reign, i surrounded himself with artists, intellectuals. some came from -- providing the official drawings of the court. many more were italian. leonardo da vinci. julie romano produced -- giulio romano did this tapestry. she loved to have books in greek and latin on his shelves. he had been translated and reproduce. it was the very beginnings of publishing, if you would like, thanks to the king. >> francis i promoted a humanist philosophy. , muching ottoman leaders

to the chagrin of his enemy, charles v. a was prompted to entrust mission of exploring the new world >> he was a contemporary of the era of great discoveries, but he also instigated them. he was passionate about that he collected armadillos, animal skulls. king francis saw himself as a civilizing force in the style of the roman emperors. when his military victories handled -- dwindled after the battle, he turned his focus to learning. he was an instigator of the french renaissance. >> for more on this king francis fraser residence, i am joined by a renaissance specialist in charge of the collections and heritage. thank you very much for being with us. can you tell us how this hunting

lodge was turned into a veritable palace by king francis? >> in 1526, when francis begins to show an interest in fontainebleau, it is an old castle in ruins with collapsed roof tops. at first, francis decides to renovate the castle, so as to be able to live in it quite quickly because he is a huge fan of hunting, and this castle is set in forest teeming with game. from then on, and until his death, francis continues to build and expand on the castles until fontainebleau becomes the most extraordinary of france's royal palaces, both in size and the court. >> give us a sense of the lifestyle here. what was the lifestyle of the king in fontainebleau? >> it may come as a surprise, but during the renaissance punto, the french court -- the renaissance period like a

french court were nomadic. there time came to stop, was no property nearby. the king would sleep under a tent. if this -- this ballroom gives us a great sense of the renaissance parties held here. banquets. food played an important role, as did music and theater. >> when we went to the king's gallery, we saw the emblem of a salamander. can you tell us about that emblematic of >> all the renaissance kings had an emblem. some even had more than one. for francis, the salamander had special meaning. that a mythical animal captured the imagination because it is supposed to be able to survive in fire, even to feed off flames and put them out. that is what makes the

salamander a very potent symbol, that the king associates with "i nourish and extinguish," a motto. >> going to the notion of extinction of the salamander, there was an edict written here in fontainebleau on the persecution of protesters. tell us about that. >> initially the king's sister is interested in the protestant movement. in the royal circle, one could imagine the king and his court are about to convert. francis i also finds protestantism useful at the start of his reign, sparking anarchy in the states of his rival, charles v. by the end of the 15 30's and 15 40's, he understands the protestant movement is creating rebellion and discord among his subjects. he cannot accept that. by the end of his reign, his response to protestantism has turned into repression.

as we have seen, the reign of king francis, both militarily and diplomatically, was a mixed tag of success and failure. eight months into his reign, the battle.ht won a key in september 15 15, he ousted his swiss enemies and captured the city state of malan, a temporary victory that remains in history books. here is why. >> it is one of the most iconic battles in french history, yet many can only remember the days -- >> does it ring a bell? gnan in 1515.ri >> do you know who it was against? >> you have got me there. >> many facts have been forgotten. >> the italians, yes?

it was the austrians against the british. the battle took place in a field 15 kilometers southeast of malan . at the time, the holy roman empire controlled a swath of territory ranging from the north of germany to the mediterranean. king francis wanted to conquer lan.rich country of mi along with the niche and allies, french troops cast with mercenaries and declared bloody victory that left tens of thousands dead. but there is another reason the battle is remembered today. a hint of which can be found on king francis's grave in the basilica of san to knee -- >> it is one of the first times in french hillary -- in french history that these were used in battle. on the left you have the more traditional image of the monarch

leading the charge with spear in hand. artillery made the difference and became an indispensable feature of war. over a thousand swiss mercenaries were killed and one day, forcing the country to capitulate. a moment8úxú

val: hello, i'm val zavala, and i'm here at the california science center in front of a magnificent piece of history--the space shuttle "endeavor." you're about to see a film that will lift your spirits and put you in awe of what we here in southern california are capable of accomplishing when we work together. you're about to see a documentary that captures the three nights and three days in l.a. when divisions disappeared. why? because all eyes were on this. it appeared first overhead. it was designed to soar in outer