Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Police officers on duty watch the fireworks display at the Binondo-Intramuros bridge in Manila as the local government welcomes the Chinese New Year on January 22, 2023. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

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CHINESE-NEW YEAR

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176714496612620230122-chinese-new-year-GC-1508.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Police officers on duty watch the fireworks display at the Binondo-Intramuros bridge in Manila as the local government welcomes the Chinese New Year on January 22, 2023. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>SYDNEY, Australia — New Year&#x27;s Eve revelers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday, waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/people-culture-events/2025/12/30/from-nye-countdown-to-fancy-feast-4-ways-to-welcome-2026-1924">From NYE countdown to fancy feast: 4 ways to welcome 2026</a></div><p>It was one of the warmest years on record, the stifling heat stoking wildfires in Europe, droughts in Africa and deadly rains across Southeast Asia.</p><p>There was a sombre tinge to party preparations in Australia&#x27;s harbor city Sydney, the self-proclaimed &quot;New Year&#x27;s capital of the world&quot;.</p><p>Barely two weeks have passed since a father and son allegedly opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in the nation&#x27;s deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.</p><p>Parties will pause for a minute of silence at 11 pm (1200 GMT) as the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge is bathed in white light to symbolize peace.</p><p>&quot;It has been a difficult year for so many people,&quot; said Steph Grant, a 32-year-old Sydney resident.</p><p>&quot;Here&#x27;s hoping the world looks like a brighter place in 2026,&quot; said Grant, who works in advertising.</p><p>Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line Sydney&#x27;s foreshore as nine tons of fireworks explode on the stroke of midnight.</p><p>Security will be tighter than usual, with squads of heavily armed police patrolling the crowds.</p><p>Sydney kick offs a chain of celebrations stretching from glitzy New York to the Hogmanay festival on the chilly streets of Scotland.</p><p>More than two million people are expected to pack Brazil&#x27;s lively Copacabana Beach for what authorities have billed as the world&#x27;s biggest New Year&#x27;s Eve party.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>TRUCE AND TARIFFS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.</p><p>The world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, the Vatican chose a new pope, and the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk laid bare America&#x27;s deep political divisions.</p><p>US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global markets into meltdown.</p><p>From palm-fringed islands in the South Pacific to the sprawling factories of Shanghai, few escaped the trade assault unscathed.</p><p>Many expect the tough times to continue in 2026.</p><p>&quot;The economic situation is also very dire, and I&#x27;m afraid I&#x27;ll be left without income,&quot; said Ines Rodriguez, 50, a merchant in Mexico City.</p><p>&quot;All our colleagues are in the same situation: very little work and not very profitable,&quot; said Buenos Aires business owner Fernando Selvaggi, 61.</p><p>After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, US pressure helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October.</p><p>But with each side already accusing the other of flagrant violations, no one is sure how long the break in hostilities will hold.</p><p>Israel&#x27;s assault on Gaza has killed more than 70,000, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, a figure the UN deems is credible.</p><p>The war in Ukraine—sparked by Russia&#x27;s invasion in 2022—meanwhile grinds towards its four-year anniversary in February.</p><p>There were hopes a renewed burst of diplomacy might produce a breakthrough this year.</p><p>But Russia shot down any notion of a temporary ceasefire in the final days of 2025.</p><p>As envoys shuttle between Moscow, Washington and Kyiv, one major obstacle remains: Ukraine is reluctant to give up land, and Russia is unwilling to give it back.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>SPORTS, SPACE AND AI</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space travel and serious questions over artificial intelligence.</p><p>More than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission, 2026 looks to be the year that mankind once again sets its sights towards the moon.</p><p>NASA&#x27;s Artemis II mission, backed by Elon Musk, plans to launch a crewed spacecraft that will circle that moon during a 10-day test flight.</p><p>After years of unbridled enthusiasm, artificial intelligence is starting to face mounting scrutiny.</p><p>Nervous investors are already questioning whether the years-long AI boom might be starting to resemble something more like a market bubble.</p><p>Athletes will gather on Italy&#x27;s famed Dolomites to hit the slopes for the Winter Olympics.</p><p>And for a brief few weeks between June and July, nations will come together for the biggest football World Cup in history.</p><p>For the first time, 48 teams will compete in the world&#x27;s most-watched sports event, playing in venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.</p><p>From the beaches of Brazil to the far-flung reaches of New Zealand, the tournament is expected to draw millions of fans.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FLzQw2nw9RY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J9M_NIUNA9A?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.</p>

Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.

World bids farewell to 2025, a year of Trump, truces and turmoil

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World bids farewell to 2025, a year of Trump, truces and turmoil

Agence France-Presse

Published Dec 31, 2025 09:39 AM PHT

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NEW YEAR 2026

2026

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Agence France-Presse

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