People around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the new year to come. Midnight arrived first on the islands closest to the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean, including Kiritimati, Tonga and New Zealand.
In Australia, Sydney began 2026 with a spectacular fireworks display, as per tradition. Some 40,000 pyrotechnic effects stretched 7 km (over 4 miles) across buildings and barges along its harbour and featured a waterfall effect from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
This year, it was held under an enhanced police presence, weeks after gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish event in the city.
"After a tragic end to the year for our city, we hope that New Year's Eve will provide an opportunity to come together and look with hope for a peaceful and happy 2026," Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore said ahead of the event.
In Seoul, thousands gathered at the Bosingak bell pavilion, where a bronze bell was struck 33 times at midnight - a tradition rooted in Buddhist cosmology, symbolising the 33 heavens.
DRUMS AT THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
An hour to the west, there were celebrations and a drum performance at the Juyong Pass, at the Great Wall of China just outside Beijing.
Revellers wore headgear and waved boards emblazoned with "2026" and the symbol of a horse. February will mark the arrival of the Year of the Horse on the Chinese lunar calendar.
In Hong Kong, the annual New Year's fireworks display was called off after the apartment complex blaze in November that killed 161 people. Instead, a light show with the theme of 'New hopes, new beginnings' transformed facades in the Central district.
In Croatia, revels got off to an early start. Since 2000, the town of Fuzine has held its countdown at noon, a tradition that has since spread across the country.
Crowds cheered, toasted each other with champagne and danced to music - all in the middle of the day. Some brave souls in Santa hats took a plunge into the icy waters of Lake Bajer.
Elsewhere, preparations got under way for the more traditional midnight toast. In subzero temperatures in New York, organisers began putting up security barriers and stages ahead of the crowds that will flock to Times Square for the annual ball drop.
Similarly, on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro - albeit with warmer weather - staging was being set up for a massive music and fireworks party known as "Reveillon."
Organisers were hoping to beat their 2024 Guinness World Record for the biggest New Year's Eve celebration.
Greece's ancient Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis had a quiet New Year. The mayor of Athens said silent, environmentally friendly fireworks were used, citing distress caused by loud displays to pets, animals and some people.
In snowy Kyiv and Moscow, both Ukrainians and Russians saw in the new year, expressing hopes of peace after nearly four years of conflict.
"I wish for the war to end, I think that this is the main and most important topic for our country," said a woman in central Moscow who gave her name only as Larisa and said she had traveled from distant Altai Krai to see the Russian capital in the winter holidays with her family.
Many Ukrainians lamented that peace still seemed a distant prospect.
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More than a 1,000 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, remain without heating after a Russian missile strike earlier this week, local authorities said on Sunday, as freezing temperatures grip the city.
Kyiv's water and heating systems were restored after being temporarily shut down due to the intense cold, as engineers worked to stabilise the power grid, which had been pushed to the brink by a series of Russian strikes, including one two nights ago.
Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv early on Friday (9 January) killed at least 4 people, injured at least 19, and caused significant damage to residential buildings and critical infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of targeting civilians during New Year attacks, as intensified fighting coincided with U.S.-led efforts to push both sides towards ending the nearly four-year war.
The Trump administration will suspend all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries beginning 21 January 2026, according to a State Department memo reported by media.
At least four people were injured after a large fire and explosions hit a residential building in the Dutch city of Utrecht, authorities said.
Sweden is sending a group of military officers to Greenland at Denmark’s request, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday, as Nordic countries and NATO allies step up coordination around the Arctic territory.
Saudi Arabia has informed Iran that it will not allow its territory or airspace to be used for any military action against Tehran, according to two sources close to the kingdom’s government cited by AFP.
Romania has reiterated its openness to discussions on a potential unification with neighbouring Republic of Moldova, following recent remarks by Moldova’s president.
Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held talks on Thursday to prepare a new programme providing expanded financing for 2026–2029, aimed at supporting the country’s economy and reconstruction efforts amid ongoing Russian attacks.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that the long-awaited “Board of Peace” to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction has officially been formed.
At least 18 people were injured on Thursday after a stun grenade exploded at an Interior Ministry vocational training centre in Russia’s Republic of Komi, according to state media.
The White House said Thursday that Iranian authorities have stopped 800 executions that were scheduled amid ongoing protests, as the U.S. continues to monitor events in Tehran closely.
The White House says a meeting between Vice President JD Vance and Danish officials over Greenland was "productive."
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