The world ushered in 2025 on Tuesday, as huge crowds bid farewell to a year that brought Olympic glory, the dramatic return of Donald Trump and turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine.
It is almost certain that 2024 will go down as the hottest year on record, with climate-fueled disasters wreaking havoc from the plains of Europe to the Kathmandu Valley.
“It’s been a complicated year, but at the same time you always have to look at the positive side of things. So it’s good to end the year here,” said Florence Corette in Paris, where a police source said more than one Millions of visitors were expected at the night’s festivities.
Meanwhile, pro-European Georgians celebrated the New Year by setting off fireworks at month-long rallies against the ruling party, which they accuse of being under Russia’s influence.
“Tonight proves once again that the Georgian people will not allow a pro-Russian government to turn our country into a Russian-style autocracy,” said protester Ilia Darsvelidze, 42.
Earlier a spectacular fireworks display illuminated Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor as Asia joined in to pop champagne corks and kick off New Year’s Eve parties.
Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Taipei to watch Taiwan’s tallest skyscraper explode in a dazzling display of fireworks.
And Sydney – the self-proclaimed “New Year’s Capital of the World” – launched nine tonnes of fireworks from its famous Opera House and Harbor Bridge to ring in the year.
In 2024, Taylor Swift wraps up her Eras tour, pygmy hippo Moo Deng goes viral and teen soccer prodigy Lamine Yamal helps Spain win the Euros.
The Paris Olympics united the world for a few weeks in July and August.
Athletes swam in the Seine, ran in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and rode horses on the manicured lawns outside the Palace of Versailles.
election stir
It was a global year of elections, with countless millions of people taking part in the voting in more than 60 countries.
The Russian vote led to Vladimir Putin’s victory, which was widely dismissed as a sham, while a student revolt ousted Bangladesh’s sitting prime minister.
However, no vote has been watched as closely as the November 5 contest, which will soon see Trump back in the White House.
From Mexico to the Middle East, the possibility of his return as commander-in-chief is already being discussed.
The president-elect has threatened economic harm to China and boasted of his ability to stop the Ukraine war within “24 hours.”
Similarly, a change of government is taking place in Ghana, where newly elected President John Mahama will be sworn in on January 7, giving many people there a sense of hope for 2025.
“The peaceful transition after the elections gave me hope that maybe things will get better for people like me,” Kwesi Antwi, 26, an unemployed graduate, told AFP in the capital, Accra.
hope and fear
The entire Middle East is in turmoil after Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, Israel marched into southern Lebanon and an explosion of counterfeit electronics sparked a wave of Israeli killings targeting Hezbollah.
Civilians were exhausted by the brutal war in Gaza, where dwindling stocks of food, shelter and medicine had worsened the humanitarian crisis.
“Safety and security can return, and finally the war can end,” Wafa Hajjaj told AFP from Deir al-Balah, where large numbers of displaced residents now live in crowded tents.
There was hope and trepidation as the new year approached in Syria, which is still reeling from the overthrow of longtime ruler Assad by Islamist-led rebels.
“We were hesitant to go out this year because of the security situation, but we decided to overcome our fears,” lawyer Maram Ayoub, 34, told AFP from the capital, Damascus.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is approaching its third anniversary in February.
Ukraine, which has been left behind in its east, now must contend with the Trump administration, which intends to cut off vital military aid.
But President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged in his New Year’s address that “peace will not be given to us as a gift, but we will do everything to stop Russia and end the war”.
On the streets of Kiev, teacher Katarina Chemerez wanted “peace to finally be achieved for Ukraine”.
In Sudan, celebrating its second New Year under the shadow of war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, many wished it the same.
“We hope that we will return to our homes safe and sound this year, that this war will end and we can see home once again,” Fatma Mohammed told AFP in Port Sudan.
Thousands of people have been killed in the fighting, while more than 12 million have been displaced and millions have faced mass starvation.
comeback, football, festival
With AI advancements on the horizon and rampant inflation slowing, there is a lot to look forward to in 2025.
Britpop bad boys Oasis will make a long-awaited reunion, while K-pop megastars BTS will return to the stage after military service in South Korea.
Soccer fans will discover a revised 32-team Club World Cup, hosted by the United States, in an already busy calendar.
And some 400 million pilgrims are expected to flock to the spectacular Kumbh Mela festival on India’s sacred riverbanks – billed as the largest gathering of humanity on the planet.
The UK Weather Service has already projected a rise in global temperatures for 2025, suggesting it is likely to be one of the hottest years on record.
On the stock front, Wall Street and Europe’s major indices posted solid gains in the year as investors eyed the impact of Trump’s policies on the world economy.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
