Status: 31.12.2023, 16:08 PM
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Sydney welcomes the New Year with a gigantic fireworks display. © Dan Himbrechts/AAP/dpa
While it's already 2024 in the South Seas and Australia, Germany is still waiting - this time with more uncomfortable weather than last time. The fear of rioting is clouding the anticipation in some places.
Berlin/Sydney - In some countries, 2024 has already begun. In Germany, people are still waiting for the New Year. Here, people look forward to the upcoming night with both anticipation and concern. For many people in the flood areas, the New Year's Eve party on Sunday evening literally falls into the water.
Large cities such as Berlin are preparing for possible riots with thousands of emergency personnel. In Cologne, after the terror alarm for the cathedral, the police want to strictly secure the world-famous church at night.
Weather cooler than last time
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), there will be some rain on New Year's Eve, but it will quickly move eastwards. There will be showers in some areas, especially in the west and northwest. After mild double-digit values last time, this time only up to about 7 degrees were expected.
In Lower Saxony, Interior Minister Daniela Behrens called for restraint with New Year's Eve fireworks because of the tense flood situation. The fire brigades and rescue services are busy enough, said the SPD politician in Verden.
In the South Pacific, 2024 is already
The people on the South Sea atoll of Kiritimati were the first in the world to start the year 2024. The approximately 7300 residents welcomed the New Year at 11:00 a.m. German time. An hour after Kiritimati, New Zealand and the island states of Samoa and Tonga celebrated the turn of the year.
At 14:00 CET, the new year began in parts of Australia, including Melbourne. In Sydney, a mega light show lit up the sky against the world-famous backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. According to organizers, more than 13,500 fireworks were set off in the harbor district alone. In addition, there were light projections generated by artificial intelligence.
Fireworks over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in Sydney. © Dan Himbrechts/AAP/dpa
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Gigantic light spectacles were also planned in many major cities in Asia, including Singapore, where thousands were expected to attend the fireworks display at 17 p.m. CET at Marina Bay overlooking the skyline.
Fear of riots in Berlin
After riots at the turn of the year last year, the police in Berlin faced one of their biggest New Year's Eve operations. The Gaza war following the terrorist attack on Israel by the Islamist Hamas on 7 October has exacerbated the general conditions. According to the chief of police, a total of about 4500,<> police officers from the capital and other federal states were to be deployed in the capital during the night.
Some New Year's Eve incidents had already occurred until Sunday afternoon: The police said that a 40-year-old had lost a hand when igniting a rocket in the Kaulsdorf district. In Berlin-Lichtenberg, a man who is said to have fired pyrotechnics from a weapon from the balcony triggered a SEK operation. The 33-year-old was arrested on Saturday evening, according to police.
Berlin police officers accompany a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Hermannplatz in Berlin's Neukölln district. © Michael Kappeler/dpa
The first riots and attacks on emergency services also kept the law enforcement officers busy. For example, a group of people in Neukölln threw pyrotechnics at passers-by, the police said on X (formerly Twitter).
At the Brandenburg Gate, where the traditional New Year's Eve party takes place, private fireworks are prohibited. For the first time since the Corona pandemic, there will be a fireworks display there. ZDF will once again broadcast the celebration live as a show called "Welcome 2024".
Before Christmas, security authorities had received information about a possible attack plan by an Islamist group in Cologne, which referred to New Year's Eve. The security precautions at Cologne Cathedral have already been increased for Christmas. Emergency services are to patrol the city area with submachine guns on New Year's Eve.
Whole globe only on January 1 at 1 p.m. in the new year
In total, it takes 26 hours for the whole globe to slip into the new year. American Samoa, which lies just 220 kilometers east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last country to ring in 2024 - twelve hours after Germany. At 13:00 CET on 1 January, only two uninhabited islets will follow. Dpa