Cities around the world welcome 2026 with thunderous fireworks and heightened security
MELBOURNE, Australia, January 1, 2026 (AP) — From Paris to Dubai to Sydney, crowds began ringing in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks or jet skis, while others took a more subdued approach. A countdown to midnight was projected onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Russians celebrated in snowy Moscow. In Japan, temple bells rang and some climbed mountains to see the year’s first sunrise and a light show with somersaulting jet skis twinkled in Dubai. In Rio de Janeiro, revelers packed more than 4 kilometers (2 1/2 miles) of the city’s Copacabana Beach