New Year’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. Parties will pause for a minute of silence at 1pm (1200 GMT) as the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge is bathed in white light to symbolize peace. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line Sydney’s foreshore as nine tonnes of fireworks explode on the stroke of midnight. Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global markets into meltdown. World leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began exchanging New Year greetings.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 31, 2025 13:06 UTC