New Year 2026 LIVE: New York rings in 2026 with iconic ball drop at Times Square
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People take part in New Year's Eve celebrations on January 01, 2026 in New York City. Photograph: (AFP)
New Year 2026: It's finally the new year. The world rang in 2026 under the shadow of war, grief, and uncertainty. Let's have a look at how fireworks lit the skies even as conflicts, political shocks, and climate extremes shaped an uneasy start.
World welcomes New Year 2026: People around the world rang in 2026 after a year marked by war, extreme heat and political shocks. From global trade turmoil to grinding conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, 2025 ended on an uneasy note for much of the world. Let's have a look at how the world welcomed the New Year 2026.
Baker Island and Howland Island located in the central Pacific Ocean, near the equator, ushered in 2026; it is the last place on Earth to do so.
Fireworks light up the sky above the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, after the city rings in 2026
Ukrainians celebrating their fourth New Year’s Eve since Russia’s invasion said their greatest hope for 2026 was peace, along with relief from crippling power outages that have made daily life “hell.”
“As we step into the New Year 2026, we do so as a nation that has shouldered the greatest reform programme and reconstruction effort in our modern history. Despite numerous challenges, the year 2025 laid the foundation for sustainable development rooted in our national aspirations,” said Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
On New Year’s Eve, he took aim at actor George Clooney while preparing to host celebrations at his Florida residence.
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2025 was the year US President Donald Trump returned to office, launching sweeping tariffs that rattled global markets and disrupted trade.
Even as fireworks lit up skies elsewhere, violence in Sudan showed no sign of easing as the new year began.
A fragile truce held in Gaza after months of devastation, though Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of violations.
“We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow,” said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali, describing displacement, bombardment and loss.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was “10 percent” away from a deal to end the war as fighting nears its fourth year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Russians to believe Moscow would secure victory in what he called Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
Hong Kong cancelled its traditional New Year fireworks display to honour 161 people killed in a November fire that tore through multiple apartment blocks.
In Sydney, New Year celebrations opened with a minute of silence for victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting. Fireworks followed at midnight as heavily armed police patrolled the waterfront.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit in white to symbolise peace, less than two weeks after Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years.
Kiribati and New Zealand were the first countries to welcome the new year, followed by Australia, South Korea and Japan as celebrations moved west with each passing hour.
