The Japan Times - Sydney falls silent before fireworks bring in 2026

People around the world toasted the end of 2025, bidding farewell to one of the hottest years on record, packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.

Heavily armed police patrolled among hundreds of thousands of people lining the Sydney shore barely two weeks after a father and son allegedly opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in Australia's deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.

Parties paused for a minute of silence an hour before midnight Wednesday, with the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge bathed in white light to symbolise peace.

"Right now, the joy that we usually feel at the start of a new year is tempered by the sadness of the old," Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video message.

At midnight, nine tonnes of fireworks were set off to welcome the New Year.

"The fireworks have always been on my bucket list and I'm so happy to be here," said Susana Suisuikli, an English tourist.

Pacific nations including Kiribati and New Zealand were the first to see in 2026, with Seoul and Tokyo following Sydney in celebrations that will stretch to glitzy New York and the Hogmanay festival on the chilly streets of Scotland.

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 Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display planned for Victoria Harbour was cancelled to pay homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks.

- Truce and tariffs -

For many it has been a year of stress and excitement, even without the wars that have claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.

The world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, the Vatican chose a new pope and the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk laid bare America's deep political divisions.

Donald Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global markets into meltdown.

Trump used his Truth Social platform to lash out at his sliding approval ratings ahead of midterm elections to be held in November.

"Isn't it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!" he wrote.

Many expect tough times to continue in 2026.

"The economic situation is also very dire, and I'm afraid I'll be left without income," said Ines Rodriguez, 50, a merchant in Mexico City.

After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, US pressure helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October.

No-one is sure how long the break in hostilities will hold, with each side accusing the 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."

World leaders including China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin exchanged New Year greetings.

Xi said he was "ready to maintain close exchanges with Putin to jointly push for continuous new progress in bilateral ties", state news agency Xinhua said.

The war in Ukraine -- sparked by Russia's invasion in February 2022 -- is grinding towards its fourth anniversary with no ceasefire in sight despite a renewed burst of diplomacy.

- Sports, space and AI -

The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space and questions over artificial intelligence.

NASA's Artemis II mission, backed by tech titan Elon Musk, will launch a crewed spacecraft to circle the moon during a 10-day flight, more than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission.

After years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.

Athletes will gather in Italy in February for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

And for a few weeks in June and July, 48 nations will dispute the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It could be a last chance to see the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the global stage.

K.Inoue--JT