Auckland has become the first major city to ring in 2024, with thousands cheering a fireworks display sprouting from New Zealand's tallest structure, Sky Tower, and a downtown light show. This year's New Year's Eve 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 canceled New Year's Eve events altogether, the AP reports. In Auckland, light rain cleared in time for the countdown to begin on an illuminated digital display near the top of the 1,076-foot communications and observation tower.
Two hours later in neighboring Australia, the Sydney Harbor Bridge became the focal point of a renowned midnight fireworks display and light show viewed annually by around 425 million people worldwide, according to city authorities. More police than ever deployed throughout Sydney to ensure safety as more than 1 million people—equivalent to one in five of the city's population—converged on the harbor waterfront for the best views, state government authorities said. The waterfront has been the scene of heated pro-Palestinian protests after the sails of the Sydney Opera House were illuminated in the colors of the Israeli flag in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas that triggered the war.
Security will also be heightened across European cities on Sunday. In France, 90,000 law enforcement officers are set to be on duty, 6,000 of them in Paris. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin cited a "very high terrorist threat" because of the Israel-Hamas war. In Berlin, some 4,500 police officers are to be deployed to avoid riots like those of a year ago. In Russia, the country's military actions in Ukraine have overshadowed end-of-year celebrations, with the usual fireworks and concert on Moscow's Red Square canceled, as last year. In Muslim-majority Pakistan, the government banned all New Year's Eve celebrations as an act of solidarity with Palestinians. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar urged Pakistanis to "show solidarity with the oppressed people of Gaza" by beginning the new year with simplicity.
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