The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning due to low temperatures as snow blankets parts of Surrey. Snowfall of up to 5cm is anticipated across Southern England and some areas of Wales. Although initial warnings were expected to end by Saturday, the Met Office has extended alerts through Monday.

Illustration in Canada.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates a Mass on the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God in Vatican City ,Vatican.

Italy: Olympic Torch Relay 2026 in Termoli

Wrong-way driving is extremely dangerous because it can lead to head-on collisions at high speeds, leaving drivers with little time to react. It puts not only the wrong-way driver at risk but also innocent motorists often resulting in serious injuries or fatalities. Such incidents also cause major traffic disruptions, emergency road closures, and raise concerns about road safety measures and driver awareness.

Shishimai or the traditional Japanese lion dance is a cultural performance believed to bring good luck, ward off evil spirits and pray for health and prosperity. The lion is thought to have the power to drive away bad fortune and during New Year celebrations it often “bites” people’s heads especially children which is believed to bring wisdom, protect against illness, and ensure a year of good health.

“Ottamage! Awaji Island,” a playful tourism promotion campaign highlighting the unique charm of Awaji Island with a special focus on its famous onions. “Ottamage!” is a wordplay combining tama, a Japanese term meaning “ball” and commonly used to refer to onions with ottamage, a humorous expression meaning “so surprising it makes you say ‘Wow!’” The concept expresses Awaji Island’s fun, unexpected appeal through bold, eye-catching visuals. The campaign is part of the “Awaji Island’s Surprising Charms” project organized by Uzunokuni South Awaji Co. Ltd. It features whimsical, onion-themed installations and interactive attractions located at the Uzunoka Onaruto Bridge Memorial Hall and surrounding areas. Designed to be highly photogenic, the installations…

Pope Leo XIV presides over the celebration of mass on the first day of the year during the Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God at the Central Altar in St. Peter's Basilica.

Photo illustration in China

Illustrative editorial images in Germany

The London New Year's Day Parade, held annually on January 1st since 1987, showcases more than 8,000 participants, including international bands, cheerleaders, large inflatables, and floats, progressing from Piccadilly to Westminster. The parade attracts up to one million spectators who watch the event free of charge along a route passing notable landmarks such as Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, providing a celebration of global music and culture.

Pope Leo XIV delivers his Angelus prayer in Vatican

Pope Leo XIV' s weekly general audience in Vatican

This year, the Nijmegen Student Sports Council (NSSR) organized the New Year's dive in the Spiegelwaal in Nijmegen. Families and students enjoyed the tradition during a very cold day. Participants could purchase a variety of hot refreshments after their dip in the cold water. The proceeds went to charity.

Performers, marching bands, dancers, and decorated floats filled the streets of central London as the annual London New Year Parade processed from Piccadilly to Whitehall, marking the start of the year with a large public celebration. International marching bands and community groups showcased music, culture, and pageantry as crowds lined the route to watch the spectacle.

Illustration in Canada.

Consumers are in the shopping mall in Changzhou, China.

Trip to discover Senegal and the Moroccan city of Casablanca

The Ramsgate New Year's Day Dip started in 2013 by John Brown and Vicki Boyle to raise money for Ronald McDonald Houses, in memory of their son Joseph who passed away in 2012. Around 200 people gathered at midday at the Ramsgate Beach to attend the Ramsgate New Year's Day Dip.

The sudden snowfall on the first day of the new year affected Istanbul.

Palestinian-Israeli conflicts in Nablus, Palestine

Portugal’s airports faced widespread disruption after a border‑control systems failure in Lisbon triggered long delays that quickly rippled across the country, slowing passenger processing and straining operations in Porto as well. With automated checkpoints offline, manual inspections created bottlenecks at arrivals and departures, leading to crowded terminals, extended queues, and slower aircraft turnaround. Airlines adjusted schedules while ground crews worked under pressure to maintain operations amid winter weather and heavy holiday traffic. The situation underscored how a single point of failure in national infrastructure can cascade through the entire aviation network on one of the year’s busiest travel days.

Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Nablus, Palestine - 1 Jan 2025

Final score, Western Sydney Wanderers FC 0:1 Macarthur Bulls FC.

New Year's celebration in Saint Petersburg, Russia -31 Dec 2025

New year fireworks in Buenos Aires, Argentina - 1 Jan 2026

New Year’s Eve Celebration, Times Square, New York City, US - 1 Jan 2026

The historic palace, a major tourist landmark, is traditionally lit with nearly 100,000 light bulbs during major festive occasions.

Fireworks sales in the Netherlands have risen this year to a record amount of around 129 million euros, according to Leo Groeneveld, chairman of the Dutch Fireworks Association.

New Year's Eve 2026 in Melbourne

After the spectacular New Year’s fireworks, the crowd flows toward Flinders Street Station, heading home as the celebrations wind down.

First Sunrise 2026 in Melbourne

Pope Leo XIV visits the nativity scene in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City,Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV presides over the celebration of First Vespers and Te Deum in Vatican City,Italy.

Final score; Nottingham Forest: 0-2 Everton

Odessa residents are preparing to celebrate the New Year of 2026 and people are trying to live their normal lives amidst the power shortages and ongoing Russian shelling.

Record number of participants with more than 13,500 bib numbers in the traditional and popular New Year's Eve race in Barcelona known as the Carrera dels Nassos (race of the noses).

Michael Currie : 20251231 NYE MEL Police

Photo illustration in Canada - 31 Dec 2025

Brent Geese on the Margate seashore in Margate, UK

This event takes place every December 31st at noon, during the rehearsal for the midnight chimes, a moment when families and friends take the opportunity to toast the new year.

Large crowds filled the Melbourne CBD on New Year’s Eve 2025 as revellers gathered in public spaces, entertainment precincts, and transport hubs to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. Trams and trains carried passengers late into the night as people moved between events and social gatherings. Despite a strong security presence, the atmosphere across the city remained relaxed as Melbourne residents and visitors marked the end of the year.

Melbourne welcomed the New Year with large-scale midnight fireworks across the city, drawing crowds to the CBD, riverside locations, and designated celebration zones. The annual event marked the transition into the new year with public festivities, live entertainment, and coordinated fireworks displays visible from multiple vantage points.

On this day in 1926, the dike breached in the Land van Maas en Waal region, destroying 3,000 homes and forcing nearly 6,000 people to flee. Today, people gathered in the same church where locals were warned about the broken dike.

Palestinian-Israeli conflicts in Nablus, Palestine

Hundreds of thousands of people travelled from across Bangladesh to the capital Dhaka on Wednesday to pay their final respects to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka,Bangladesh.

Illustration in Germany.