World bids farewell to 2025 amid turmoil, truce and tariffs

SYDNEY/NEW YORK: New Year’s Eve revellers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday, waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a fragile Gaza truce, vain hopes for peace in Ukraine and extreme weather.

In Sydney, Australia — often called the “New Year’s capital of the world” — hundreds of thousands gathered along the harbour to witness fireworks over the Sydney Opera House. A minute of silence will be observed at 11:00 pm (1200 GMT) in remembrance of the 15 people killed in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach earlier this month.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video message: “Right now, the joy that we usually feel at the start of a new year is tempered by the sadness of the old.”

Security was heightened, with heavily armed police patrolling crowds. Pacific nations including Kiribati and New Zealand were the first to ring in 2026, kicking off celebrations that will stretch across the globe to New York, Brazil’s Copacabana Beach, and Scotland’s Hogmanay festival.

In Hong Kong, fireworks over Victoria Harbour were cancelled in tribute to 161 people who died in a housing estate fire in November.

Global headlines of 2025 included Trump’s tariff blitz that roiled markets, the death of pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, the Vatican’s selection of a new pope, and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after two years of devastating conflict in Gaza.

Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali reflected on the year: “We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror.”

The war in Ukraine, triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, continues with no ceasefire, while China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin exchanged New Year greetings, signalling ongoing diplomatic engagement.

Looking ahead to 2026, the world anticipates sporting spectacles including the Winter Olympics in Italy and the biggest football World Cup across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Space exploration will continue with NASA’s Artemis II mission, supported by Elon Musk, sending a crewed spacecraft around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Artificial intelligence also remains in focus, with investors and regulators watching for potential market disruptions.

From extreme weather and political upheaval to sports, space and technological innovation, 2025 closed as a year of highs and lows — and the world stepped into 2026 with hope, caution, and anticipation.

Web Desk