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United States New Year's Eve LIVE: Sydney welcomes 2024 with spectacular ...
Rishi Sunak hails a ‘momentous’ 2023 in New Year’s message
Millions across the world are getting ready to celebrate the New Year, with the first nations already welcoming the start of 2024.
At 11am GMT, New Zealand became the latest country to start its celebrations, with a firework display in Auckland.
The small Pacific island nations of Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati were the first to bid farewell to 2023, as it turned midnight there at 10am GMT.
Thousands have already gathered in Sydney ahead of their iconic firework show, which sees eight tonnes of pyrotechnics launched from the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, marking the start of a 12-minute spectacle.
Despite the bad weather predicted across the UK, tens of thousands are expected to line the streets of London before midnight this evening, with the countdown initiated by Big Ben.
The last place to leave 2024 will be Baker Island in the central Pacific Ocean - by which point it will already be 2 January in Kiribati.
Rishi Sunak hails a ‘momentous’ 2023 in New Year’s message
Holly Evans31 December 2023 11:30
The Met Office has warned that travellers may face difficulties, with hundreds of train services across the country impacted and delays expected.
Read more here
Holly Evans31 December 2023 11:24
Revellers turned out in large numbers to celebrate the new year in Australia
(Getty Images)
Crowds gather at Mrs Macquarie's Chair to watch the fireworks during New Year's Eve celebrations
(Getty Images)
Holly Evans31 December 2023 11:23
A French family who feared they would not be able to get home until January 2 after Saturday’s Eurostar chaos saw their train cancelled have hailed their unexpected tickets home on Sunday as a New Year’s Eve “miracle”.
Isobel Ram, 49, her partner Amaury Ferrero, 52, and daughter Lee Ram, 20, live in Toulouse but their train home was cancelled on Saturday due to flooding in a tunnel in Kent.
Amid the chaos, they booked the first available return tickets, for January 2.
Eurostar passengers have been left disappointed after flooding caused cancellations (Yui Mok/PA)
(PA Wire)
Ms Ram told the PA news agency: “We spent the night in a hotel, we came back this morning and a miracle happened and they gave us three tickets for today’s Eurostar (12.30pm train). We were worried we would be here until January 2.
“We were super happy but a bit embarrassed because there was a huge queue of people waiting behind us and we didn’t want to show we got tickets, make it too obvious, in case other people didn’t. But we said a huge thank you to the lady who did the tickets for us.”
She said her daughter is especially pleased they will be home for New Year’s Eve, adding: “She has got a huge party in Paris tonight. It’s excellent, fantastic, brilliant, a miracle.”
Holly Evans31 December 2023 11:17
Sydney Harbour has been lit up already by their 9pm family show, while tens of thousands have queued for hours to watch the iconic display at midnight.
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The 9pm "family fireworks" explode over boats on Sydney Harbour during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney
(AFP via Getty Images)
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The "family fireworks", displayed three hours before midnight every year ahead of the main show at midnight
(AFP via Getty Images)
Holly Evans31 December 2023 11:13
New Zealand has become the next country to ring in the New Year, with a firework display taking place in front of large crowds in Auckland.
The country’s two main islands - North Island and South Island - are both in the same time zone while the Chatham Islands, which lie to the east, have a different time zone 45 minutes in advance.
Next to celebrate will be Australia in two hours time.
Fireworks over Auckland as the clock strikes midnight
(Independent )
Holly Evans31 December 2023 11:03
The small island nation of Kiribati became the first in the world to welcome 2024, with its clock hitting midnight 13 hours before the UK.
Next to celebrate will be New Zealand followed by Australia.
Holly Evans31 December 2023 10:59
Holly Evans31 December 2023 10:53
Welcome to our live coverage of New Year celebrations across the world, as millions await the countdown to midnight.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates here.
Holly Evans31 December 2023 10:51
