Happy New Year: Australia, New Zealand welcome 2024 with ...

Happy New Year! The Pacific nation of Kiribati has become the first country to celebrate New Year 2024. The country's largest island, also known as Christmas Island, entered 2024 at 10:00 (GMT).

Kiribati, pronounced as Kiribass, consists of 33 atolls sprawling across an expansive region in the equatorial Pacific, stretching almost 4,000km from east to west and over 2,000km from north to south.

After Kiribati, New Zealand's Auckland also welcomed the year 2024 at 11:00 (GMT) with a fireworks display from the Auckland Sky Tower and a light show over the city's Harbour Bridge.

The tip of New Zealand's tallest tower lit up in different colours as fireworks exploded in the sky.

Fireworks have also started in Australia as New Year's Eve celebrations enter its final stage. In Australia, Sydney Harbor Bridge will become the focal point of the famous midnight fireworks display and light show which is expected to be viewed annually by around 425 million people worldwide.

Huge crowds are assembling in Sydney for one of the globe's most breathtaking New Year's fireworks exhibitions.

Following this, Tonga and Samoa will be the next to welcome the New Year, with millions of people expected to participate in festivities worldwide in the hours to come.

The United States will welcome New Year 2022 at 5 am (10.30 am IST). In New York's Times Square authorities and event organisers express readiness to welcome and safeguard crowds of celebrants.

In France, which will embrace New Year at 11:00 pm GMT, security has been tightened with as many as law enforcement officers deployed, according to domestic intelligence chief Céline Berthon.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, conclusion of 2023 is expected to be marked by unsettled weather as as low pressure systems bring showery conditions for New Year's Eve and Hogmanay celebrations.

While showers are expected across the region, there's a higher likelihood of drier conditions in the eastern parts of England and Scotland. Windy conditions are expected to persist across Wales and southern England.