Fireworks lit up the midnight sky over Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House during New Year's Day celebrations in Australia/Screengrab

Nations around the world are welcoming the New Year as midnight strikes across different time zones.

The island of Kiritimati - an atoll in the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati - became the first place to enter 2026. One tourist there told us he marked it "on a beach with no satellites, no signs of human life, complete darkness and countless crabs".

New Zealand soon followed by welcoming the New Year with fireworks in Auckland.

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A firework display from the top of Auckland's Sky Tower welcomed in the New Year/Screengrab
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Then Australia lit up the sky over the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

In Sydney, celebrations were tempered by sadness as the nation reflected on the Bondi Beach attack on 14 December in which 15 people were killed.

At 23:00 local time, Sydney Harbour fell silent for a minute, with crowds holding lights to remember the victims of Bondi. A Jewish menorah was projected on to the pylons of the Harbour Bridge.

Elsewhere, there were more fireworks at Marina Bay Waterfront in Singapore.

In Hong Kong, spectators enjoyed live performances with fetching headwear.

Laser lights dominated the night sky over the Lotte World Tower, South Korea's tallest building in Seoul.