In Australia, Sydney sparkled with silver and gold fireworks to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic Opera House. Meanwhile, the mood in Gaza remained somber. Residents are concerned about their survival. In Europe, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication after more than half a century on the throne.
This is how people around the world said goodbye to 2023 and welcomed the New Year.
AUSTRALIA - Sydney welcomed 2024 with a dazzling fireworks display of silver and gold pyrotechnics to mark the 50th anniversary of its famous Opera House.
GAZA - The people of Gaza had little hope that 2024 would bring much relief after Israel's 12-week war to eliminate Hamas. In Rafah, on Gaza's border with Egypt, which has become the biggest hub for Palestinians fleeing other parts of the enclave, on Sunday people were more busy trying to find shelter, food and water than thinking about the New Year . "In 2024, I want to go back to the ruins of my home, pitch a tent and live there," said Abu Abdullah al-Agha, a middle-aged Palestinian whose house in Khan Younis was destroyed and who lost a young niece and nephew in an Israeli airstrike.
DENMARK - Denmark's Queen Margrethe II used her New Year's speech to announce she will abdicate on January 14 after 52 years on the throne. She will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik.
RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an election in March, made only passing mention of the war in Ukraine in his New Year's address, hailing its soldiers as heroes, but mostly emphasizing the need for unity and common resolve.
UKRAINE - In his New Year's address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has become stronger in overcoming serious difficulties as the war against Russia is almost two years old. He mentioned the word "war" 14 times in his 20-minute address.
CHINA - Chinese President Xi Jinping said that in 2024, the country will consolidate and strengthen the positive trend of its economic recovery and maintain long-term economic development with deep reforms.
TAIWAN - President Tsai Ing-wen said maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the responsibility of both countries.
NORTH KOREA - North Korea has vowed to launch three new spy satellites, build military drones and increase its nuclear arsenal by 2024. Kim Jong Un has said US policy makes war inevitable.
In New Year messages exchanged on Monday, Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to continue developing cooperative relations between the two countries.
VATICAN CITY - During his Sunday prayer, Pope Francis said: "I wish everyone a peaceful end of the year and I ask you not to forget to pray for me."
FRANCE - French President Emmanuel Macron has said 2024 will be "the year of our French pride", marked by the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire.
GERMANY - In his traditional year-end address, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said 2023 had brought "so much suffering and bloodshed" but promised "Germany will deal with it". On Sunday, police detained three more suspects in an alleged Islamist plot to attack the famous German cathedral in Cologne on New Year's Eve. The alleged attackers planned to use a vehicle to attack the 800-year-old Gothic cathedral.
UNITED KINGDOM - London rang in the New Year with the famous ringing of Big Ben, fireworks and a news report featuring the coronation of King Charles.
USA - In New York, tens of thousands of revelers gathered in Manhattan's Times Square to watch the ball fall at midnight, following scheduled performances by musicians including Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J. President Joe Biden said in an interview ahead of the launch on the ball that he hopes the celebrants understand that "we are in a better position than any other country in the world to lead the world".
BRAZIL - A dazzling display of fireworks lit up Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, where nearly two million people gathered to ring in the New Year. /BGNES
