Sydney, Australia:
On Tuesday, crowds will marvel at fireworks and toast with champagne to welcome 2025 and bid farewell to a year that brought Olympic glory, Donald Trump’s dramatic return and turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine. . 2024 is almost certain to be the hottest year on record, with climate change causing disasters from the plains of Europe to the Kathmandu Valley.
As New Year’s Eve parties got into full swing along Australia’s picturesque Sydney Harbor on Tuesday afternoon, many revelers were relieved to see the past 12 months in their rearview mirrors.
“Obviously there’s a lot of war and chaos going on in different places,” health worker Stuart Edwards, 32, told AFP as crowds swelled on Sydney’s waterfront in the early hours of the morning.
“It would be great for the world if everything took care of itself and resolved itself.”
The city, which bills itself as the “New Year’s Capital of the World,” releases nine tons of fireworks from the famous Opera House and Harbor Bridge at midnight.
More than a million people are expected to flock to the city’s foreshore to catch a glimpse of the fireworks.
“I just enjoy seeing all the beautiful colors and being in this situation with so many people in great Australia,” said Ruth Laws, a 71-year-old retired nurse.
This year, Taylor Swift ended her Elas tour, pygmy hippo Mu Deng became a hot topic, and 16-year-old soccer prodigy Lamine Yamal helped Spain win the Euros.
The Paris Olympics brought the world together for a few short weeks in July and August.
Athletes swam in the Seine, raced in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and rode horses across the manicured lawns outside the Palace of Versailles.
election chaos
This is a year of global elections, with countless people voting in more than 60 countries.
Vladimir Putin won a landslide victory in the Russian vote, while a student revolt in Bangladesh overthrew the current prime minister.
But no vote has drawn as much attention as the Nov. 5 race that will soon see Donald Trump return to the White House.
From Mexico to the Middle East, Trump’s imminent return as commander in chief is already making waves.
The president-elect has threatened to inflict economic pain on China and boasted of his ability to end the war in Ukraine within “24 hours.”
hope and anxiety
Chaos rippled across the Middle East as President Bashar al-Assad fled Syria, Israel advanced into southern Lebanon, and tampered electronic devices exploded in a series of assassinations targeting Hezbollah.
Civilians are tired of the intense war in Gaza, and stocks of food, shelter and medicine have dwindled, deepening the humanitarian crisis.
“2024 has been the most difficult year,” Wafa Hajjaj told AFP from Deir El Bala, where thousands of displaced people are currently crammed into crowded tents.
“Since the beginning of this year, I have lost many loved ones, including my father and close friends,” she said.
“May peace and security return and the war end.”
There was hope and fear as the new year approached in Syria, which remains in turmoil after Islamic rebels overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
“Due to the security situation, I was hesitant to go out this year, but I overcame my fear and decided not to change my habits,” Malam Ayub, 34, a lawyer from the capital Damascus, told AFP.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is inching closer to its tragic third anniversary in February.
Ukraine, outnumbered on its eastern flank, must now contend with a Trump administration that appears intent on cutting back vital military aid.
On the streets of Kiev, teacher Katerina Chemelizh hoped that “there would finally be peace in Ukraine” and “that people would stop dying”.
comeback, football, festival
Advances in AI are on the horizon and rampant inflation is slowing, but there is still much to look forward to in 2025.
Britpop bad boys Oasis have made their long-awaited reunion, while K-pop megastars BTS return to the stage after completing military service in South Korea.
Soccer enthusiasts will enjoy the revamped 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.
Approximately 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend the spectacular Kumbh Mela festival held on the banks of India’s sacred rivers, said to be the largest gathering of humans on earth.
The Met Office has already predicted that global temperatures will be sweltering in 2025, suggesting it is likely to rank among the hottest years on record.
But with rising sales of electric cars and increased use of renewable energy, there is a glimmer of hope that glacial progress against climate change may finally gain momentum.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
