Revelers across Asia celebrated the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve with fireworks and brightly lit signs – marking a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as ongoing conflicts around the world raised security concerns and caused celebrations to be muted or even out were cancelled.

As the clock struck midnight in Australia, more than a million people – a number representing a fifth of the city’s population – watched a 12-minute fireworks display centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge from the shore and from boats in the harbor.

“This is complete madness,” said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had been queuing since 7:30 a.m. to secure a prime waterfront location at the Sydney Botanic Garden.

Organizers around the world have been preparing for major celebrations despite the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. In New York City, where there have been almost daily protests over the Israel-Hamas war, officials and party organizers said they were prepared to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of revelers who will flood Times Square in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.

ASIAN NATIONS WELCOME THE NEW YEAR FIRST

As the clocks struck midnight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, fireworks exploded on the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

China celebrated relatively quietly as most major cities banned fireworks due to safety and environmental concerns. Still, people gathered in Beijing and artists danced in colorful costumes, while in Chongqing a crowd released wishing balloons. During his New Year’s address, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the country would focus on providing impetus for economic recovery in 2024 and promised that China would “certainly” be reunited with Taiwan.

In Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, spirits seemed good as revelers gathered for a fireworks display at the bamboo-shaped Taipei 101 skyscraper, as well as concerts and other events across the city.

In India, thousands of revelers flocked from the financial hub of Mumbai to a busy promenade to watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea. In New Delhi, fireworks sparked concerns that the capital – already notorious for poor air quality – could be enveloped in a toxic haze on the first morning of the new year.

Temple bells rang across Japan as people gathered at shrines and temples. At Tokyo’s Tsukiji Temple, visitors received free hot milk and corn soup while queuing to ring a large bell, and an organ concert took place in front of a majestic altar.

POPE highlights human cost of war

In the Vatican, Pope Francis recalled the year 2023 as a year full of wartime suffering. During his traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, he said prayers for “the tormented Ukrainian people and the Palestinian and Israeli people, the Sudanese people and many others.”

“At the end of the year we will have the courage to ask ourselves how many lives have been destroyed by armed conflict, how many deaths and how much destruction, how much suffering, how much poverty,” the pope said.

GAZA AND UKRAINE WARS CONTINUE

In Russia, the country’s military actions in Ukraine have overshadowed year-end celebrations, with the usual fireworks display and concert in Moscow’s Red Square canceled like last year.

After a shelling in the center of the Russian border town of Belgorod killed 24 people on Saturday, some local authorities across Russia also canceled their usual fireworks displays, including in Vladivostok. Millions of people across Russia were expected to have watched Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recorded New Year’s address in which he asserted that there was no force that could divide Russians and stop the country’s development.

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 35 people on Sunday, hospital officials said, as fighting raged in the tiny enclave, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war would continue for “many more months.” resisted international calls for a ceasefire.

In Muslim-majority Pakistan, the government has banned all New Year’s Eve celebrations in solidarity with the Palestinians.

In Iraq, a Christmas tree was decorated with Palestinian flags and symbolic corpses in shrouds next to a freedom monument in central Baghdad. Many Christians in Iraq have canceled this year’s celebrations in solidarity with Gaza, choosing to limit their celebrations to prayers and rituals.

“We hope that the New Year 2024 will be a year of good, prosperity and joy,” said Ahmed Ali, a Baghdad resident.

GLOBAL TENSIONS LEAD SECURITY VIgilance

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said there were “no specific threats” to his city’s annual New Year’s Eve party. Police said they would expand the security perimeter around the party and create a “buffer zone” that would allow them to head off possible demonstrations. During last year’s party, a man with a machete attacked three police officers a few blocks from Times Square.

Security measures were also tightened in all European cities on Sunday.

German authorities said they had arrested three more people in connection with the alleged threat of a New Year’s Eve attack by Islamic extremists on the world-famous Cologne Cathedral.

In Berlin, around 4,500 police officers are supposed to ensure order and prevent riots like a year ago. The police in the German capital have issued a ban on the traditional use of fireworks on several streets in the city. They also banned a pro-Palestinian protest in the Neukölln district, which saw several pro-Palestinian riots.

In Paris, over 1.5 million people are expected to take part in the celebrations on the Champs-Élysées, with around 90,000 police officers deployed nationwide, senior officials said. The celebrations in the French capital will focus on the 2024 Paris Olympics, including DJ sets, fireworks and video projections at the Arc de Triomphe.

In a New Year’s message, French President Emmanuel Macron predicted that the 2024 European Parliament elections will be crucial for the future of Ukraine and the fate of democracy across Europe.