The world welcomed 2024 with a mix of celebration and sombre reflection.
Sydney sparkled under a shower of silver and gold fireworks commemorating the 50th anniversary of its iconic Opera House, while the mood in Gaza remained bleak, with residents more concerned with survival. In Europe, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication after over half a century on the throne.
Here's how places and people around the world bid farewell to 2023 and welcomed the New Year.
AUSTRALIA - Sydney hailed 2024 with a dazzling fireworks display featuring silver and gold pyrotechnics to mark the 50th anniversary of its famous Opera House.
GAZA - People in Gaza had little hope that 2024 will bring much relief after 12 weeks of Israel's war to eliminate Hamas. In Rafah on Gaza's border with Egypt, which has become the biggest focal point for Palestinians fleeing other parts of the enclave, people were more preoccupied on Sunday with trying to find shelter, food and water than with thinking about the New Year.
"In 2024 I wish to go back to the wreckage of my home, pitch a tent and live there," said Abu Abdullah al-Agha, a middle- aged Palestinian man whose house in Khan Younis was destroyed and who lost a young niece and nephew in an Israeli air strike.
DENMARK - Denmark's Queen Margrethe II used her annual New Year's speech on Sunday to announce that she will abdicate on Jan. 14 after 52 years on the throne and will be succeeded by her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik.
RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin, facing an election in March, made only passing reference in his New Year address on Sunday to his war in Ukraine, hailing his soldiers as heroes but mostly emphasising unity and shared determination.
UKRAINE - President Volodymyr Zelensky in a New Year address said Ukraine had become stronger in overcoming serious difficulties as the war against Russia is almost two years old. He mentioned the word "war" 14 times in a 20-minute address.
CHINA - China President Xi Jinping, speaking on Sunday in a televised speech to mark the New Year, said the country will consolidate and enhance the positive trend of its economic recovery in 2024, and sustain long-term economic development with deeper reforms.
TAIWAN - President Tsai Ing-wen said that maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the responsibility of both sides.
NORTH KOREA - North Korea vowed to launch three new spy satellites, build military drones and boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024 as leader Kim Jong Un said U.S. policy is making war inevitable, state media reported on Sunday.
Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to further develop relationship of cooperation between the two countries in New Year messages exchanged on Monday, South Korea's Yonhap news reported, citing North Korea's state radio.
THE VATICAN - At his Sunday prayers, Pope Francis said: "I wish everyone a peaceful end of the year, and please do not forget to pray for me".
FRANCE - French President Emmanuel Macron in a televised address ahead of New Year celebrations said 2024 would be "the year of our French pride" marked by the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games and the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral after a devastating fire.
GERMANY - Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in his traditional year-end address that 2023 held "so much suffering and bloodshed," but promised "we in Germany will get through this."
Police on Sunday detained three more suspects in an alleged Islamist plot to attack Germany's famed Cologne Cathedral on New Year's Eve.
The alleged attackers had planned to use a car to attack the 800-year-old Gothic cathedral, Cologne police said.
BRITAIN - London ushered in the New Year with the bongs of its famous Big Ben bell, fireworks and a display of news highlights that featured King Charles' coronation.
UNITED STATES - In New York, tens of thousands of revellers gathered in Manhattan's Times Square to watch the lighted ball drop at midnight, after scheduled performances by musicians including Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J.
President Joe Biden said in an interview ahead of the ball drop that he hoped celebrants realised "we're in a better position than any country in the world to lead the world."
BRAZIL - A dazzling fireworks spectacle lit up Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach where almost two million people gathered to welcome in the New Year.
Reuters
Mon Jan 01 2024
People watch confetti flying around after the clock strikes midnight during New Year celebrations at Times Square, in New York City, New York, U.S., January 1, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Tinjauan CGTN: 80 peratus responden Perancis sanjung pengaruh China
Nilai dagangan antara China dengan Perancis meningkat lebih 800 kali ganda sejak kedua-dua negara menjalin hubungan diplomatik 60 tahun lalu.
Anwar harap terminal baharu LTSIP jana lebih banyak peluang ekonomi di Kelantan
Anwar Ibrahim berharap terminal baharu Lapangan Terbang Sultan Ismail Petra (LTSIP) fasa satu, yang mula beroperasi semalam, mampu menjana lebih banyak peluang ekonomi di Kelantan.
TH terima lebih 80,000 rayuan haji
Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) menerima lebih 80,000 rayuan haji bagi musim haji 1445H/2024M setakat hari ini, menurut Pengarah Eksekutif Haji TH Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman.
PRK: Ramanan nasihat calon fokus bertumpu bawa isu tempatan
Calon bertanding pada PRK DUN KKB perlu memberi tumpuan terhadap isu-isu yang dihadapi masyarakat tempatan berbanding membincangkan hal-hal bersifat nasional dalam siri kempen mereka.
Terengganu rekod lima kes strok haba, kelesuan haba
Sebanyak tiga kes strok haba dan dua kes kelesuan haba dilaporkan berlaku di Terengganu setakat bulan lepas.
Panasonic Beauty perkenal pengering rambut berteknologi nano, EH-NA0J
Teknologi unik nanoe MOISTURE dan Mineral memberi 18 kali lebih kelembapan sambil mengeringkan untuk rambut lebih terurus dan bersinar.
Angka korban rakyat Palestin di Gaza hampiri 34,600 orang
Angka kematian warga Palestin akibat serangan berterusan Israel di Semenanjung Gaza sejak Oktober lepas telah meningkat kepada 34,596 orang, kata Kementerian Kesihatan di wilayah itu pada Khamis.
Kemenangan di PRK KKB akan jadi manifestasi perpaduan - Ahmad Maslan
Kemenangan calon PH pada PRK DUN KKB, 11 Mei ini akan menjadi manifestasi perpaduan BN dan PH dalam menghadapi PRK lain, sekiranya diadakan pada masa depan.
Piala Thomas: Malaysia jinakkan Jepun untuk mara ke separuh akhir
Malaysia mara ke separuh akhir Piala Thomas 2024 selepas menundukkan Jepun 3-1 dalam perlawanan yang berlangsung di Gimnasium Pusat Sukan Hi-Tech, Chengdu, China.
Pembinaan Hospital Angkatan Tentera Kem Terendak bermula Julai ini
Pembinaan bangunan baharu Hospital Angkatan Tentera Kem Terendak di sini akan bermula pada Julai depan dan dijangka siap pada 2028, menurut Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.