One witness holds a smartphone while fireworks explode at the Arc de Triomphe on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris during New Year celebrations. It happened early on January 1, 2023. (Julien de Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)
The world bids adieu to 2022 and looks to 2023 with cautious optimism amid significant challenges facing the global economy, including soaring inflation; an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine that has disrupted the international energy industry; elevated numbers of excess deaths Around the globe since the COVID-19 pandemic began; continued efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to wage an undeclared war To dominate the world with the United States
The British monarchy witnessed a shift in the final year of the year as Charles III, who succeeded to the throne after the death Queen Elizabeth II In September. Around the globe, people watched the November soccer World Cup in Qatar. The former leader of the CCP died in the month’s close. Jiang ZeminThe person responsible for the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong believers that began in 1999. The year ended with the December disclosure of the “Twitter Files” This revealed to the international community the influence of government agencies on Twitter to censor or steer discussion about various issues, from the 2020 election to COVID-19.
On New Year’s Eve, many people gathered in large crowds to witness fireworks and light displays in a gesture of farewell to 2022 and welcome to 2023. Since the beginning of 2022, most countries have relaxed many restrictions, which has opened the world up to post-COVID normality. These are photos showing how celebrations took place around the globe:
New Year celebrations start in New Zealand on Jan. 1, 2023, when fireworks explode above Sky Tower in central Auckland. (Dean Purcel/NZ Herald via AP). Fireworks light up over Sydney Harbour Bridge during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Roni Bintang/Getty Images) Fireworks light up the sky over Sydney Harbour Bridge during New Year’s Eve celebration in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Roni Bintang/Getty Images) People celebrate as fireworks light up the skyline from the Taipei 101 building during New Year’s celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Gene Wang/Getty Images) Revelers fly balloons during a New Year celebration in Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei Province, on Jan. 1, 2023. (STR/AFP via Getty Images). Revelers attend a New Year celebration in Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei province on Jan. 1, 2023. (STR/AFP via Getty Images). People celebrate the new year with fireworks on a beach in Houhai, in Sanya in China’s southern Hainan province on Jan. 1, 2023. (Hector Rectamal/AFP via Getty Images). Revelers view a fireworks and laser display as they celebrate New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong near Victoria Harbour. This was Jan. 1, 2023. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images) As they celebrate the New Year, Revellers snap photos at a fireworks and laser show near Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong on January 1, 2023. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images) People gather in front of the torii gate of Oarai Isosaki shrine to watch the sunrise on New Year’s Day in Oarai of Ibaraki Prefecture on Jan. 1, 2023. (Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images). People gather in front of the torii gate of Oarai Isosaki shrine to watch the sunrise on New Year’s Day in Oarai of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images). People gather in Seoul to celebrate New Years at the Bosingak Pavilion in Seoul on January 1, 2023. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Members of the public look at the first sunrise of the year during New Year’s celebrations at a park in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) A fireworks display is held during the celebrations of the new year at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square on January 1, 2023. (Kim Won Jin/AFP via Getty Images). People take part in a fireworks display during the new year celebrations on Kim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang, early January 1, 2023. (Kim Won Jin/AFP via Getty Images). On New Years Eve, people take selfies at the King Taksin Bridge, Bangkok, Thailand. This is Jan. 1, 2023.(Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images) Wat Arun Buddhist temple, Chao Phraya River. Fireworks display over Wat Arun Buddhist shrine during New Year celebrations in Bangkok (Thailand) on January 1, 2023. (Jack Taylor/AFP via Getty Images Revelers attended the New Year celebrations near the Selamat Datang Monument (Welcome), at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, Jakarta on January 1, 2023. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images). People light fireworks during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 31, 2022. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images) Fireworks explode over buildings during New Year’s celebrations in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) Fireworks explode over buildings during New Year’s celebrations in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) Fireworks can be seen in the sky near the lit-up Lotus Tower during New Year Celebrations in Colombo (Sri Lanka). (Ishara. S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images People react to fireworks as they light up the sky after celebrating the new year at the Miracle Center Cathedral in Kampala (Uganda), on January 1, 2023. (Badru Katumba/AFP via Getty Images). People gaze at the fireworks launched from Old Mutual Tower, Nairobi, Kenya to celebrate the new year on January 1, 2023. (Yasuyoshi Chuba/AFP via Getty Images New Year’s Eve fireworks light the landmark Burj Khalifa tower at midnight in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on Dec. 31, 2022. (Ryan Lim/AFP via Getty Images A light-and-drone show celebrating the New Year in Al Wathba (near Abu Dhabi) on December 31, 2022 saw fireworks lighting the skies. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images). People gather near a Christmas tree decorated in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in a Kyiv square on New Year’s Eve in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 31, 2022. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) People walk in the Red Square prior to its closure for celebrations on the New Year’s Eve, with the St. Basil’s Cathedral, left, and the Spasskaya Tower, right, in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 31, 2022. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP photo) On January 1, 2023, fireworks lit up London’s skyline, above Big Ben, and the London Eye. This was just after midnight in London. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) New Years’ Eve fireworks are seen over the London skyline from Lift 109 at Battersea Power Station in London, England, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Rob Pinney/Getty Images) To celebrate the new year in London, England on January 1, 2023, fireworks and a drone show honoring Queen Elizabeth II lit up the skyline. (Carl Court/Getty Images) With the Arc de Triomphe, fireworks explode. “2023” Projected on the building at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, during New Year celebrations, Paris, January 1, 2023. (Julien de Rosa/AFP via Getty Images) People gather on the Champs-Elysees as they wait for the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Paris on Dec. 31, 2022. (Julien de Rosa/AFP via Getty Images) Fireworks explode over Berlin’s landmark, the Brandenburg Gate, during a New Year’s light and music show before midnight to welcome the year 2023 on Jan. 1, 2023. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images) The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany celebrates the new year on January 1, 2023. (Adam Berry/Getty Images) On December 31, 2022, hundreds of citizens and tourists attended a water-and-laser show in Graz to celebrate the New Year 2023. (Erwin Scheriau/APA/AFP via Getty Images). Couple kisses while fireworks are captured in Rome as part of New Year celebrations. This photo was taken with the Colosseum as background. (Filippo Montforte/AFP via Getty Images). Early on January 1, 2023, fireworks explode above the Acropolis as part of New Year celebrations in Athens. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images People celebrate as the traditional New Year’s fireworks light up the sky at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Pedro Prado/AFP via Getty Images) People celebrate as the traditional New Year’s fireworks light up the sky at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Pedro Prado/AFP via Getty Images) As confetti fills Times Square in New York City to mark the start of the new year on January 1, 2023, observers watch. (YukiIwamura/AFP via Getty Images). In Times Square, New York City on January 1, 2023, confetti filled the air as cheering spectators. (YukiIwamura/AFP via Getty Images). A couple is seen kissing in Times Square on New Year’s Eve 2023. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
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