Sydney, Australia, is 16 hours ahead of the United States' East Coast, meaning it is already Jan. 1, 2026, down under. So Australians already switched their calendars to 2026, while it was only 8 a.m. in New York City, and most folks on the West Coast hadn't even rolled out of bed yet.

Australia has welcomed in 2026, led by a defiantly joyous celebration on Sydney Harbour just weeks after the nation's worst-ever terror attack.Heavily armed police kept a close eye over about 1 million people who flocked to the waterfront for the midnight fireworks.

Terror attack in Australia exposes growing jihadist networks as security experts warn ISIS remains far from defeated despite recent government claims.

After the country barred children under 16 from using social media, many parents have been asking whether similarly tough action is needed in their own countries.

As 2026 began, India, New Zealand, Australia, Japan among other nations celebrated the occasion with vibrant fireworks and large gatherings., World News, Times Now

Israel’s Amichai Chikli said Australian officials overlooked rising antisemitism and extremist rhetoric ahead of the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack, criticizing the focus on gun laws.

Australia is the first country to take such sweeping action, but many countries, including the United States, are considering age-gating social media in similar ways. “We know the world will be watching,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a September speech at the United Nations.

Even more new cars and brands are coming to Australian showrooms in 2026, from the Toyota RAV4 to the BYD Sealion 8.

Travis Head hopes Australia and England will come together for a drink once the Ashes concludes in Sydney, restoring a tradition that was lost after the 2023 series.

Melbourne, Australia — A man accused of shooting dead 15 people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach in an antisemitic attack faced a lengthy delay in getting a gun license because of a bureaucratic mishap, not because he raised suspicions, a state government leader said on Tuesday.

He has noted that in July 2024 his government appointed Australia’s first-ever special envoy to combat antisemitism; that in February 2025 it tightened hate-speech laws; and that it has found money to safeguard synagogues and other Jewish sites.