Organizers worldwide have readied for large-scale celebrations despite the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. to secure a prime waterfront location in the Sydney Botanic Garden. “It’s total madness,” said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had waited in line since 7:30 a.m. Ng Han Guan / APĪs the clock struck midnight in Australia, more than 1 million people - a number equivalent to 1 in 5 of the city’s residents - watched a 12-minute fireworks display focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge from the shore and from boats in the harbor. A reveler wears neon spectacles to ring in the new year in Beijing on Sunday.

Revelers across Asia celebrated the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve with fireworks and brightly lit signs - offering a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as the globe’s ongoing conflicts raised security concerns and led to muted or even canceled festivities. The police department first used drones to help monitor New Year's Eve celebrations in 2019, after its planned deployment in 2018 was canceled by rain. The American Civil Liberties Union has long expressed concerns that drones can be used to violate privacy rights and track people, such as police critics, whose messages authorities don't necessarily want to celebrate. 'We can look for any type of anomalies in the crowd, any suspicious people, any suspicious person,' he said. Officers on the ground can tune in to drone video via smartphone, Daughtry said, while the aerial robots scan the 1 million-attendee event to detect anomalies in the crowd, medical emergencies and crowd movement.

New York police are deploying drones over Times Square amid New Year's Eve celebrations, hoping the evolving technology could help identify potential attackers and forecast crowd movement.Īssistant Police Commissioner Kaz Daughtry gave a tour of three of the drones being used tonight to monitor Times Square celebrants, saying the devices bring state-of-the-art technology, including real-time 5K monitoring, to the effort to keep New Year's Eve safe. Thousands if not millions of the colorful notes were then released as confetti when the ball dropped at midnight. The number of arrests in and around Times Square was not yet available, the public information office said.Ĭelebrants rang in 2024 with optimism by writing their wishes on small notes via the NYE Wishing Wall. Times Square Alliance volunteers throw confetti as the clock strikes midnight as seen from the New York Marriott Marquis during the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Monday, Jan. More than 1,000 officers were assigned to the event, and they were assisted by drones that beamed real-time video to their smartphones in 5K quality, police said. The possibility was a concern after a man allegedly attacked three officers with a machete outside a Times Square security checkpoint last year. The New York Police Department's public information office said its initial assessment turned up no major responses. Revelers celebrate New Year's in Times Square on Januin New York City. Stringer / Getty ImagesĪn estimated 1 million people celebrated the New Year in New York City's Times Square overnight, and there appeared to be no major incidents, authorities said. The resort received some backlash on Chinese social media platforms, but many supported its decision, calling it “reasonable” with “adequate compensations.” People release balloons into the air to celebrate on Januin Wuhan, China. ET) yesterday, the Air Quality Index reached 215, marked as “severe pollution,” according to the state media, citing Shanghai’s real-time air quality release. Visitors were entitled to compensation, such as afternoon tickets, which would allow them to enter the park to watch the regular fireworks display, the resort said yesterday on its official Weibo, Chinese equivalent to X.Īs of 3 p.m. Ng Han Guan / APĬities across China welcomed 2024 with fireworks displays and by releasing colorful balloons.īut the Shanghai Disney Resort canceled its fireworks display, titled 'Ignite the New Year,' because of the “severe air pollution,” the resort said in a statement. Offset UTC 0:00 hoursġ2:30 pm 12:30 EST (Eastern Standard Time) (New York City, NY, USA).Larissa Gao Revelers ring in the new year after a countdown to 2024 in Beijing, Monday, Jan. Universal Time Coordinated is 5 hours ahead of EST (Eastern Standard Time)ĥ:30 pm 17:30 in UTC is 12:30 pm 12:30 in New York City, NY, USAīest time for a conference call or a meeting is between 1pm-6pm in UTC which corresponds to 8am-1pm in New York Cityĥ:30 pm 17:30 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC).

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