Asia rings in 2026 with Australia hosting defiant celebration after mass shooting
MELBOURNE, Australia: Drummers pounded in the New Year and a stampede of computer-generated horses was shown over a section of the Great Wall as China and the rest of East Asia marked the start of 2026.
Temple bells rang across Japan, and some climbed mountains to see the year’s first sunrise. Hong Kong held subdued celebrations following a recent fire that killed 161 people at an apartment complex.
Sydney saluted the new year with joy and defiance, as the famous Harbor Bridge crackled with fireworks less than three weeks after Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.
South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. New Zealand’s capital, Auckland, held a fireworks display 18 hours before the ball drop in New York’s Times Square.
