New Year’s Eve: celebrations around the world as 2023 begins – as it happened

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That is it from me Martin Belam, for the evening. Thank you very much for joining us on this live blog during the day and night. We will be closing it shortly. I wish you all the best for the new year.

There is a summary news story rounding up some of the key new year’s eve moments from around the globe here: New Year’s Eve celebrations – fireworks and festivities amid global uncertainties.

The US ambassador to Ukraine has described Russian attacks on Ukraine in the early hours of the first day of the year as “cowardly” and “beyond belief”. In a tweet, Bridget Brink said:

Beyond belief. Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the new year. But Putin still does not seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron. America is absolutely confident Ukraine will prevail in 2023.

Fireworks and drones aren’t the only way that people celebrate on new year’s eve, as these pictures of Iranian Armenians visiting the Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran show.

People attend the new year gathering at Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Tehran. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images People pray at Saint Sarkis Cathedral, in Tehran, Iran. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Here is a clearer image of that drone tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II in London, which showed her face in profile as if on a coin.

Fireworks and a drone show paying tribute to the late Queen Queen Elizabeth II. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

The drones then reassembled themselves to show the face of King Charles III facing in the opposite direction, as is traditional on coins when the monarch changes.

Drones form the face of Kings Charles III in the sky over London. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

Here are some more of the pictures coming in from around Europe this evening.

People gather to celebrate new year in Pristina, Kosovo. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images People gather in Skanderbeg Square to celebrate the new year as fireworks light up the sky in Tirana, Albania. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Entertainers perform at Berlin’s landmark the Brandenburg Gate during a New Year’s light and music show. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Meanwhile on BBC One Sam Ryder and Sigrid are doing a duet of George Michael’s Freedom! ‘90 with a gospel choir, and I am happy to go on the record in public and endorse this combination.

First minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has just tweeted to wish everybody a happy new year.

I might need to give Sadiq Khan a co-byline on this blog if I am just going to be embedding all his tweets, but he does seem to be publishing in rapid succession all the clips that I would want to include. Here is how London showed solidarity with Ukraine tonight during its firework display.

With the new year comes bad news for those of us desperately hoping our teams are going to hold on to our best players …

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has posted some images of how the tribute to the late Queen appeared during the display.

As well as the sections showing solidarity with Ukraine and remembering the late Queen Elizabeth II, London’s fireworks also had a segment dedicated to celebrating 50 years of Pride.

Here is how things looked in Edinburgh.

Fireworks light up the sky over Edinburgh Castle and the Balmoral Hotel clock. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Reuters