The Japan Times - World welcomes 2026 after a year of Trump, truces and turmoil

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his traditional New Year address to tell his compatriots their military "heroes" would deliver victory in the deadliest conflict on European soil since World War II.

Earlier, New Year celebrations took on a sombre tone in Sydney as revellers held a minute of silence for victims of the Bondi Beach shooting before nine tonnes of fireworks lit up the harbour city at the stroke of midnight.

Seeing in the New Year in Moscow, Natalia Spirina, a pensioner from the central city of Ulyanovsk, said that in 2026 she hoped for "our military operation to end as soon as possible, for the guys to come home and for peace and stability to finally be established in Russia".

Over the border in Vyshgorod, Ukrainian beauty salon manager Daria Lushchyk said the war had made her work "hell" -- but that her clients were still coming regardless.

"Nothing can stop our Ukrainian girls from coming in and getting themselves glam," Lushchyk said.

Back in Sydney, heavily armed police patrolled among hundreds of thousands of people lining the 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, with the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge 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 will stretch to glitzy New York via Scotland's Hogmanay festival.

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 in homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks.

- Truce and tariffs -

This year has brought a mix of stress and excitement for many, war for others still -- and offbeat trends, with Labubu dolls becoming a worldwide craze.

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, American, 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.

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 -- 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 against a backdrop of ringing bells near Damascus's Bab Touma neighbourhood.

"I hope, God willing, that we will love each other. Loving each other is enough," said Bashar al-Qaderi, 28.

- Sports, space and AI -

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.

After a build-up featuring jet skis and floating pianos on an adjacent lake, a 10-minute burst of pyrotechnics and LED effects lit up the needle-shaped, 828-metre tall (2,717-feet) tower.

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.

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 compete in the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

H.Hayashi--JT