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World welcomes 2026 with fireworks after year of Trump and turmoil
Revellers around the world toasted the start of 2026, bidding farewell on Wednesday to a volatile year when temperatures soared, US President Donald Trump upended global trade, and the brutal conflict in Ukraine raged on.
While a fragile truce took hold in devastated Gaza, violence in Sudan continued unabated. A new American pope was installed at the Vatican, the world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, and Labubu dolls sparked a worldwide frenzy.
In Sydney, partygoers paused for a minute of silence to remember the victims of the mass shooting on Bondi Beach before fireworks lit up the skies at the stroke of midnight.
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the New Year in Sydney, Australia, January 1, 2026.Reuters
Heavily armed police patrolled the shoreline, packed with hundreds of thousands of people, barely two weeks after 15 people were gunned down at a Jewish festival in Australia's deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.
The famed Sydney Harbour Bridge was bathed in white light to symbolise peace.
Pacific nations, including Kiribati and New Zealand, were the first to see in 2026, with Seoul and Tokyo following Sydney in celebrations that make their way around the globe with each passing hour.
In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display was cancelled in homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks.
Fireworks explode during the New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand, January 1, 2026.Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was "10 per cent" away from a deal to end the fighting, soon to reach the four-year mark.
Russia's Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, used his traditional New Year address to urge his compatriots to believe that Moscow would deliver a victory in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
In the Ukrainian city of Vyshgorod, beauty salon manager Daria Lushchyk said the war had made her work "hell" but that her clients were still showing up.
"Nothing can stop our Ukrainian girls from coming in and getting themselves glam," Lushchyk said.
Tariffs and fragile truce
This year has brought a mix of stress and excitement for many, war for others still, and a daring jewel heist at the Louvre.
Pop megastar Taylor Swift got engaged to her American football player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.
Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global trade and world stock markets into meltdown.
As he prepared to host a New Year's party at his lavish Florida home, the Republican president launched a broadside at Oscar-winning actor George Clooney.
After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, pressure from Trump helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October, though both sides have accused each other of flagrant violations.
"We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief," said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali.
"We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror."
In contrast, there was optimism despite abiding internal challenges in Syria, where residents of the capital Damascus celebrated a full year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
"There is no fear, the people are happy, all of Syria is one and united, and God willing…it will be a good year for the people and the wise leadership," marketing manager Sahar al-Said, 33, told AFP as bells rang in Damascus.
In Dubai, thousands of revellers queued for up to nine hours for a spectacular fireworks and laser display at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
Revellers popped champagne near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Bulgaria adopted the euro, and huge crowds danced at Edinburgh's Hogmanay street party.
More than two million people are expected to pack Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world's biggest New Year's Eve party.
In the US capital, the Washington Monument will be lit up to kick off America's 250th birthday celebration.
And in New York, thousands gathered in freezing temperatures amid tight security for the traditional ball drop in Times Square.
Sports, space and AI
The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space and questions over artificial intelligence. Athletes will gather in Italy in February for the Winter Olympics.
And for a few weeks in June and July, 48 nations will compete in the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico and Canada. NASA is planning a crewed mission to circle the moon during a 10-day flight, more than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission.
And after years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny, and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.
