World
Revelers watch ball drop in US, around the world to ring in 2024: 'It's beautiful'
People across the globe celebrated the turn of the new year Sunday night and into Monday morning as they watched the ball drop and kissed loved ones under confetti that showered onto city streets marking the start of 2024.
In New York City’s Times Square, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” was heard from speakers by thousands of people after the colorful ball dropped at midnight.
“It’s beautiful,” Corin Christian of Charlotte, North Carolina, said.
Many people arrived Sunday morning for a spot in one of the barricaded pens set up by the New York City Police Department ahead of musical performances by Bebe Rexha, Sabrina Carpenter, Ludacris, Megan Thee Stallion, LL Cool J and other performers before the final countdown to midnight.
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Revelers pose for a photo among the crowd at the New Year’s Eve celebration in New York’s Times Square, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. (AP)
“This is my first time to celebrate the New Year in Times Square,” Nadja Sjostrom, of Stockholm, Sweden, said. Sjostrom arrived in New York a few days earlier for the celebration and had been standing in Times Square since about 8 a.m.
Antonio Ruz flew from Granada, Spain, to achieve his lifelong dream of ringing in the new year in Times Square. He joined the crowds to enter the barricaded area at about 8.15 a.m. for what he described as a “once in a lifetime” moment.
“Since I was a kid, I saw on TV this is a spectacular show, so I had to live it,” he said.
Thousands of police officers worked to keep New York City safe during the festivities. There is typically an increased police presence in cities on New Year’s Eve, but the heightened security this year also came as pro-Palestinian protesters in New York attempted to disrupt celebrations and call for a ceasefire in the ongoing war in the Middle East between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.
Roughly 90,000 officers were deployed around France, including along Champs-Elysees Avenue, where large crowds observed a multidimensional light show projected onto the Arc de Triomphe showcasing the history of Paris and sporting events slated in the city for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
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Fireworks explode over the ancient Parthenon temple at the Acropolis hill during New Year’s celebrations in Athens, Greece, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (AP)
Fireworks displays were showcased at iconic locations, including the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and at the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
In China, celebrations were relatively quiet as most major cities banned fireworks over safety and pollution concerns. But people still gathered and performers danced in colorful costumes in Beijing and a crowd released balloons in Chongqing.
Revelers in Taiwan’s capital of Taipei gathered for a fireworks show at the bamboo-shaped Taipei 101 skyscraper and at concerts and other events across the city.
Revelers ring in the new year after a countdown to 2024 in Beijing, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (AP)
India saw thousands of revelers from the financial hub of Mumbai watching the sun set over the Arabian Sea.
People across Japan gathered at temples, including the Tsukiji Temple in Tokyo, where visitors stood in line to strike a massive bell.
About 2 million people celebrated at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach under light rain to watch fireworks and ring in 2024.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
World
Budapest marks 22 years in the EU after political transition
Published on •Updated
One day after the new parliament convened and Péter Magyar was sworn-in as prime minister, thousands have been celebrating Europe Day in Budapest, along with the 22nd anniversary of Hungary’s accession to the European Union.
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On 9 May 1950, the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Schuman Declaration was issued, laying the foundations for the community now known as the European Union. Seventy-six years later, on the same day, Hungary swore in a new prime minister, something that will no doubt reshape the often tense relationship between Brussels and Budapest. The change of government has also left its mark on this year’s Europe Day.
“We are all very happy. I’ve never come out for Europe Day before, so I can’t compare it, but you can really feel the good mood, especially after yesterday,” said a young woman on Szabadság tér, the main venue for the events.
“I’m really pleased about it, to be honest, and I feel there is a much more enthusiastic and motivated atmosphere. Not least because we now have a chance to set off again on a shared path with Europe,” is how another participant summed up their feelings about the change of government.
The organisers have lined up a host of programmes for Europe Day, including concerts. As tradition dictates, the event was launched with a running race: this time the runners took on a half marathon, but they could also compete in relay teams if they did not want to cover the full 21 kilometres.
The Europe Day programme continues into the evening. The detailed schedule can be browsed here (source in Hungarian), with the band hiperkarma headlining tonight’s programme.
World
Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands
TENERIFE, Spain (AP) — A hantavirus-stricken cruise ship with more than 140 people on board has arrived at Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa, where the passengers and some of the crew are to disembark.
The World Health Organization, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions have said that nobody on board the MV Hondius is currently showing symptoms of the virus. Three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.
As a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship is set to arrive at Granadilla port in Tenerife, Spain on Sunday morning, the WHO, Spanish authorities and cruise company Oceanwide Expedition are coordinating the disembarkation of passengers and some crew on ground.
The ship will not dock but will remain at anchor, with people ferried off in small boats. Everyone disembarking will be checked for symptoms, and will only be taken off the ship once evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations.
There are currently people of more than 20 different nationalities on board.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers, were to be supervising the evacuation of the ship. Authorities have said the passengers and crew members who will disembark will have no contact with the local population.
Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.
World
North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report
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North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.
The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.
Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.
The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.
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North Korea launched two cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon on Sunday, April 12, 2026, according to North Korean state media. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.
The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.
“If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately,” the updated provision states.
KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech at the inauguration ceremony of Saeppyol Street in Pyongyang on Feb. 15, 2026. (KCNA via KNS/AFP)
Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.
That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.
Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the “most hostile” state.
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Kim Jong Un reportedly observed missile test launches in North Korea on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service)
Kim has also accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression,” and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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