Crowds gather as countries across the world begin 2024 celebrations

2024 glasses are displayed ahead of New Year's Eve in Times Square, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Partygoers across Asia celebrated the countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve with fireworks and brightly lit signs.

It offered a hopeful start to 2024 for some, even as the world’s ongoing conflicts raised security concerns and led to muted or even cancelled festivities.