Fireworks explode over the Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Photo: AFP
More police than ever have been deployed across Sydney to ensure security. as more than a million people — equivalent to one in five of the city's population — gathered on the harbor waterfront to enjoy the best views, state officials said in a statement.
Many revelers have been camping out at prime vantage points since Sunday morning.
The waterfront has been the scene of heated pro-Palestinian protests after the sails of the Sydney Opera House were lit up in the colors of the Israeli flag in response to a Hamas attack October 7.
At the Vatican: Pope Francis remembered 2023 as a year marked by war during a traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square. He offered prayers for “the tormented Ukrainian people, 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 destroyed by armed conflict, how many deaths and how much destruction, how much suffering, how much poverty,” the pontiff said. “Whoever is interested in these conflicts, listen to the voice of conscience.”
Fireworks exploded from the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand, New Year celebration. Photo: AP
In New York's Times Square, officials and party organizers say they are prepared to welcome tens of thousands of revelers into downtown Manhattan and ensure their safety.
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, said there were «no specific threats» to the annual New Year's party, which will feature live performances by Flo Rida, Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J, as well as televised appearances by Cardi B and others. Organizers said in-person attendance is expected to return to pre-Covid levels, even as foot traffic in Times Square has dropped slightly since the pandemic.
Amid near-daily protests in New York over the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, police said they would expand the security perimeter around the party, creating a «buffer zone» that would allow them to prevent potential demonstrations.
«We'll be here with our dogs, on horseback, on our helicopters and boats,» Mr Adams said. Officials will also monitor protests using drones, he said. “But as we saw last year, after there are no specific threats, we get a threat.”
During last year's New Year's party, a man with a machete attacked three police officers a few blocks from Times Square.< /p>< p>Security measures will also be strengthened in European cities on Sunday.
There are plans to station 90,000 law enforcement officers in France, domestic intelligence chief Celine Berton said Friday. Of these, 6,000 will take place in Paris, where Gérald Darmanin, France's interior minister, said more than 1.5 million people were expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Élysées.
Mr Darmanin noted «very high terrorist threat.» » because, in part, «what is happening in Israel and Palestine», referring to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Mr Darmanin said that for the first time police would be able to use drones as part of security work security, and will also involve tens of thousands of firefighters and 5,000 soldiers.
New Year's celebrations in the French capital will focus on the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, including DJ sets, fireworks and video projections on the Arc de Triomphe, highlighting «the changes in the city and the faces of the Games,» the City of Paris press office said. Other planned events include the «largest Mexican wave ever held» and a «giant karaoke.»
Moscow show cancelled
The security challenge ahead of the Olympics was highlighted when a tourist was killed in a knife attack near the Eiffel Tower on December 2. Cafe terraces, which killed 130 people, also pose a serious threat.
In Berlin, around 4,500 police officers are expected to keep order and avoid riots, as was the case a year ago. Police in the German capital have banned the traditional use of firecrackers on several city streets. They also banned pro-Palestinian protest in the Neukölln area, where several pro-Palestinian riots have occurred since the Hamas attack on October 7.
In Russia, the country's military actions in Ukraine have overshadowed the country's military actions in Ukraine. end-of-year celebrations with the usual fireworks and concert on Moscow's Red Square have been canceled, as they were last year.
After shelling in the center of the Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday killed 24 people, some local authorities across Russia also canceled regular fireworks, including in Vladivostok. Millions of people across Russia are expected to tune in to Vladimir Putin's New Year's message.
Свежие комментарии