Global Events Include New Year Celebrations, Animal Debuts and Conflict Site Responses on April 15, 2026

# Global New Year Observances and Cultural Events Revellers covered each other in vermillion powder during Biska Jatra celebrations marking the Nepali new year in Bhaktapur, Nepal. People splashed water to send blessings during celebrations of the Dai new year in Jinghong, China. Hindu devotees performed rituals to mark the end of the Bengali year in Howrah, India.

A police officer stood guard on a rooftop as Sikh pilgrims celebrated the Vaisakhi festival, which marks the Sikh new year, at the shrine of Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, Pakistan. The Guardian reported these events as part of widespread new year observances across Asia. People cheered while waiting for the arrival of a speaker at a Turning Point USA event in Athens, Georgia, US.

Animal and Environmental Releases Linh Mai, a two-month-old Asian elephant, made her debut during a media preview at the Smithsonian national zoo in Washington DC, US.

Linh Mai is the first Asian elephant born at the Smithsonian national zoo in 25 years. An olive ridley sea turtle hatchling was released at a beach in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. A fashion designer collected textiles from a rubbish dump to use them in new creations in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ceremonial and Commemorative Activities Trainee police officers threw their hats in the air after taking their oath of service to officially enter the service in Cologne, Germany.

The Duke of Sussex viewed a wall of remembrance at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia. People paid tribute at the statues of the late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on the 114th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung in Pyongyang, North Korea.

A pro-EU campaigner stood outside parliament after the government announced it was considering adopting EU single market rules in London, UK.

Responses to Conflict Incidents Firefighters worked at the site of a building hit by a Russian drone strike in Sumy, Ukraine.

A funeral procession occurred for people killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike on the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Gaza. People searched for belongings from their cars at the scene of an Israeli air strike in Beirut, Lebanon. First responders inspected the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle in Jiyeh, Lebanon.

The Guardian reported these responses as ongoing activities at conflict-affected sites.