IT'S '24 HEAVEN
Spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks thrill crowds in London & Edinburgh as 2024 kicks off with a bang around the world
Meanwhile police are out in force in some parts of the world amid fears of riots and terror attacks
NEW Year celebrations wowed crowds around the world with impressive fireworks as millions of people ushered in 2024 with a bang.
London and Edinburgh wowed with stunning midnight displays as countries around the globe rang in the New Year on Sunday with incredible pyrotechnics.
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Enormous crowds gathered in London to watch the mighty display of fireworks this year - which lasted for 12 minutes.
And stunning snaps showed cityscapes around the world ablaze with colourful explosions.
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris was lit ablaze with pink clouds of fireworks and "2024" in huge letters.
And performers put on impressive displays in the sky above excited revellers.
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Despite consumer fireworks being banned in Amsterdam on New Year's Eve, the city still put on an incredible performance with an electronic light display.
Berlin also sported impressive pink sparklers and Athens lit up the Acropolis with an impressive show of pyrotechnics.
Hundreds of rockets shot out from Dubai's Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building - as midnight struck in the Middle East.
And incredible colourful sparks lit up the sky in Hong Kong too.
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Earlier, more than a million people swarmed to Sydney's waterfront to party the night away in front of an epic firework display - before the sun set on most of the world.
The streets were packed with revellers rushing to reach the best position to watch the heavily anticipated display of fireworks - watched annually by 425 million people worldwide.
As the clock struck midnight in Sydney, tons of explosives erupted in a 12-minute display that focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
"Its total madness," said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had waited in line since 7.30am to secure a prime viewing spot.
"Its not so easy to find a good place to sit, but the view is incredible."
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.
Incredible displays were also seen in Bangkok as enormous firework explosions lit up the night sky above the Grand Palace.
And party goers enjoyed a show of similarly impressive sparklers right on the beach in Bali.
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Some released huge lanterns into the sky in Turkey, and others started etching out "2024" in the air with sparklers hours before the clock even struck 12 in Edinburgh.
Tens of thousands of people had been expected to line the streets of London before Big Ben sounded its gongs.
But this year's celebrations were somewhat 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 deployed extra security and some places 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."
Security was also heightened across European cities on Sunday.
In France, 90,000 law enforcement officers were deployed, domestic intelligence chief Cline Berthon said on Friday.
Of those, 6,000 were in Paris, where French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said more than 1.5 million people had been expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Elysees.
New Years Eve celebrations in the French capital centred 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 were 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 shattering war in Ukraine has overshadowed its end-of-year celebrations, with the usual fireworks and concert on Moscow's Red Square cancelled again this year.
After Ukrainian missile strikes hit the centre of the Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday, killing 24 people, some local authorities across Russia also cancelled their usual firework displays, including in Vladivostok.
Yet, millions throughout Russia tuned into President Vladimir Putin's New Year's address.
In New York's Times Square, officials and party organisers 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 featured 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 had been expected to return to pre-COVID levels.
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Amid near-daily protests in New York sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, police are expanding the security perimeter around the party to create a buffer zone.
"We will be out here with our canines, on horseback, our helicopters, our boats," Adams said.
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