International
pti-PTI
Auckland
rang
in
2026
with
a
downtown
fireworks
display
launched
from
New
Zealand’s
tallest
structure,
Sky
Tower,
making
it
the
first
major
city
to
greet
the
new
year
at
a
celebration
dampened
by
rain.
South
Pacific
countries
are
the
first
to
bid
farewell
to
2025.
Clocks
strike
midnight
in
Auckland,
a
population
of
1.7
million,
18
hours
before
the
famous
ball
drops
in
New
York’s
Times
Square.
The
five-minute
display
involved
3,500
fireworks
launched
from
various
floors
of
the
240-metre
Sky
Tower.
Smaller
community
events
were
cancelled
across
New
Zealand’s
North
Island
on
Wednesday
due
to
forecasts
of
rain
and
possible
thunderstorms.
Australia
plans
defiant
celebration
after
country’s
worst
mass
shooting.
Auckland,
New
Zealand,
was
the
first
major
city
to
celebrate
2026
with
a
fireworks
display
at
the
Sky
Tower,
while
Sydney,
Australia,
prepared
for
a
cautious
celebration
following
a
mass
shooting
where
15
were
killed.
Meanwhile,
Indonesia
and
Hong
Kong
scaled
back
their
celebrations
due
to
recent
tragedies,
opting
for
subdued
events.
Australia’s
east
coast
welcomes
2026
two
hours
after
New
Zealand,
but
in
Sydney,
the
country’s
largest
city,
celebrations
will
be
held
under
the
pall
of
Australia’s
worst
mass
shooting
in
almost
30
years.
Two
gunmen
targeted
a
Hannukah
celebration
at
Bondi
Beach
on
December
14,
killing
15
and
wounding
40.
A
heavy
police
presence
monitored
the
thousands
who
thronged
to
the
downtown
waterfront
on
Wednesday
to
watch
a
fireworks
show
centred
on
the
Sydney
Harbor
Bridge.
Many
officers
openly
carried
rapid-fire
rifles,
in
a
first
for
the
annual
event.
An
hour
before
midnight,
the
massacre
victims
will
be
commemorated
with
one
minute
of
silence
while
images
of
a
menorah
are
projected
on
the
bridge
pylons.
The
crowd
has
been
invited
to
show
their
solidarity
with
Australia’s
Jewish
community
by
shining
their
phone
torches
across
the
harbour.
New
South
Wales
Premier
Chris
Minns
urged
Sydney
residents
not
to
stay
away
through
fear,
saying
extremists
would
interpret
smaller
crowds
at
New
Year’s
Eve
festivities
as
a
victory.
“We
can’t
be
in
a
situation
where
this
horrible,
criminal,
terrorist
event
changes
the
way
we
live
in
our
beautiful
city,”
Minns
told
reporters
on
Wednesday.
“We
have
to
show
defiance
in
the
face
of
this
terrible
crime
and
say
that
we’re
not
going
to
be
cowered
by
this
kind
of
terrorism,”
he
added.
Indonesia
and
Hong
Kong
hold
subdued
events.
In
Indonesia,
one
of
Australia’s
nearest
neighbours,
cities
scaled
back
New
Year’s
Eve
festivities
as
a
gesture
of
solidarity
with
communities
devastated
by
catastrophic
floods
and
landslides
that
struck
parts
of
Sumatra
island
a
month
ago,
claiming
more
than
1,100
lives.
The
capital,
Jakarta,
will
not
ring
in
2026
with
its
usual
fanfare,
choosing
instead
subdued
celebrations
with
a
calm
and
reflective
programme
centred
on
prayers
for
victims,
city
Gov.
Pramono
Anung
said
last
week.
Makassar
Mayor
Munafri
Arifuddin
urged
residents
of
one
of
Indonesia’s
largest
cities
to
forgo
parties
altogether,
calling
for
prayer
and
reflection
instead.
“Empathy
and
restraint
are
more
meaningful
than
fireworks
and
crowds,”
he
said.
Concerts
and
fireworks
on
Indonesia’s
tourist
island
of
Bali
have
been
cancelled
and
replaced
with
a
cultural
arts
event
featuring
65
groups
performing
traditional
dances.
Hong
Kong,
too,
will
ring
in
2026
without
the
usual
spectacular
and
colourful
explosions
in
the
sky
over
its
iconic
Victoria
Harbor,
after
a
massive
fire
in
November
killed
at
least
161
people.
The
city’s
tourism
board
will
instead
host
a
music
show
featuring
soft
rock
duo
Air
Supply
and
other
singers
in
Central,
a
business
district.
The
facades
of
eight
landmarks
will
turn
into
giant
countdown
clocks
presenting
a
three-minute
light
show
at
midnight.
Many
parts
of
Asia
welcome
the
new
year
by
observing
age-old
traditions.
In
Japan,
crowds
will
gather
at
a
Buddhist
temple
in
Tokyo
for
a
bell
striking
at
midnight.
In
the
South
Korean
capital
Seoul,
a
bell
tolling
and
countdown
ceremony
will
be
held
at
the
Bosingak
Pavilion.
(AP)
GRS
GRS
