THE New Year has kicked off down under with Sydney exploding into 2024.
Almost a million people have swarmed the Australian city’s waterfront to watch an epic 12-minute firework display and party the night away – before the sun sets on the rest of the world.
AlamyAustralia is celebrating the arrival of 2024[/caption]
GettyThe incredible scenes above Sydney’s harbour[/caption]
GettyNearly a million people are believed to be watching the display in-person[/caption]
The streets were packed with revellers rushing to reach the waterfront to watch the incredible display of fireworks, which is viewed annually by around 425million people worldwide.
More police than ever have been deployed throughout Sydney to ensure safety as one in five of the city’s population are out to watch the fiery celebration.
Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2024, with thousands cheering a fireworks display sprouting from New Zealand’s tallest structure, the Sky Tower.
The small Pacific island nations of Tongo, Samoa and Kiribati were the first to say goodbye to 2023 at 10am GMT.
Billions across the world are getting ready to ring in the New Year – with tens of thousands expected to line the streets of London before Big Ben sounds its gongs.
But this year’s celebrations are overshadowed by the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which have cast a pall over festivities and heightened tensions across parts of the world.
Many cities are deploying extra security and some places have cancelled New Year’s Eve events altogether.
In the Vatican, Pope Francis recalled 2023 as a year marked by war during a traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St. Peters Square.
He offered prayers for the tormented Ukrainian people and the Palestinian and Israeli populations, the Sudanese people and many others.
“At the end of the year, we will have the courage to ask ourselves how many human lives have been shattered by armed conflict, how many dead and how much destruction, how much suffering, how much poverty,” the pontiff said.
“Whoever has interest in these conflicts, listen to the voice of conscience.”
In New Yorks Times Square, officials and party organisers say they are prepared to welcome tens of thousands of revellers to the heart of midtown Manhattan and ensure their safety.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said there were no specific threats to the annual New Years Eve bash, which will feature live performances from Flo Rida, Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J, as well as televised appearances from Cardi B and others.
Organisers said in-person attendance is expected to return to pre-COVID levels, even as foot traffic around Times Square remains down slightly since the pandemic.
Amid near-daily protests in New York sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, police said they would expand the security perimeter around the party, creating a buffer zone that will allow them to head off potential demonstrations.
“We will be out here with our canines, on horseback, our helicopters, our boats,” Adams said.
Officials will also monitor protests with drones, he said. “But as we saw last year, after having no specific threats, we get a threat.”
During last years New Years Eve party, a machete-wielding man attacked three police officers a few blocks from Times Square.
Security will also be heightened across European cities on Sunday.
In France, 90,000 law enforcement officers are set to be deployed, domestic intelligence chief Cline Berthon said Friday.
Of those, 6,000 will be in Paris, where French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said over 1.5 million people are expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Elysees.
New Years Eve celebrations in the French capital will center on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, including DJ sets, fireworks and video projections on the Arc de Triomphe.
The security challenge ahead of the Olympics was highlighted when a tourist was killed in a knife attack near the Eiffel Tower on Dec. 2.
In Berlin, some 4,500 police officers are expected to keep order and avoid riots like a year ago. Police in the German capital issued a ban on the traditional use of fire crackers for several streets across the city.
They also banned a pro-Palestinian protest in the Neukoelln neighborhood of the city, which has seen several pro-Palestinian riots since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
In Russia, the country’s military actions in Ukraine have overshadowed end-of-year celebrations, with the usual fireworks and concert on Moscows Red Square canceled, as last year.
After shelling in the centre of the Russian border city of Belgorod Saturday killed 24 people, some local authorities across Russia also cancelled their usual firework displays, including in Vladivostok.
Millions throughout Russia are expected to tune into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Years address.
AFPSydney sad goodbye to 2023 with an epic 12-minute display[/caption]
GettyAuckland was the first major city to turn into 2024[/caption]
GettyAussie’s had spent all day angling for the best spot[/caption]
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