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Donald Trump takes the oath of office as Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump look on during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington January 20, 2025. — AFP pic
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PARIS, Dec 20 — Donald Trump’s return to power, a ceasefire in Gaza and massive investments in artificial intelligence: Here are 10 events that defined 2025.
Trump returns
A protectionist offensive. Mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Dismantling entire sections of the US federal government.
Since his return to the White House for a second term in January, Republican President Donald Trump has targeted adversaries, deployed the National Guard in Democrat-voting cities, attacked the media and fought against diversity and inclusion programmes.
He has also launched extensive diplomatic efforts, with mixed results.
And polls suggest Americans are increasingly disgruntled on economic issues — particularly the cost of living.
Stinging defeats in local elections have put his party in a delicate position for midterm elections due next autumn.
A ceasefire in Gaza
US pressure led to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, two years after an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soil triggered a devastating war in the Gaza Strip.
The truce allowed for the return to Israel of the last surviving hostages and all but one of the bodies of the deceased, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
It also enabled an increased flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, although still nowhere near enough to meet the territory’s needs, according to the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs.
Israel is waiting for the final hostage’s body to be returned before beginning negotiations on the second phase of the truce, a step which, under a US-backed plan endorsed by the UN, is intended to lead to the demilitarisation of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to move to the second phase “very soon”, but violence continues to plague the territory, with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce.
And the risk of regional conflict remains, with continuing Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.
Israel, with the help of the United States, also launched raids against Iran’s nuclear facilities during a 12-day war in June.
In September, Israel targeted Hamas officials in an unprecedented attack in Qatar.
This aerial view shows displaced Palestinians returning to the war-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip January 19, 2025. — AFP pic
Unsuccessful Ukraine talks
Trump’s arrival in the White House energised efforts to end the war in Ukraine, sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Trump’s sympathies have flipped repeatedly between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with Kyiv fearing it could be forced into a deal on Moscow’s terms.
In February, Trump berated Zelensky in the Oval Office, accusing him of risking World War III and disrespecting the American people.
As direct Russia-Ukraine talks led nowhere, Trump in August hosted Putin for a high-stakes summit in Alaska that ended early, leaving Washington accusing Moscow of not being serious about ending the war.
Trump later hit Russia with his first major package of sanctions.
However, there has been a flurry of international diplomacy to reach a truce based on a draft US plan floated in November, the initial version of which was considered by Ukraine and its European allies to be largely favourable to Russia.
Global trade war
Trump imposed waves of tariffs on imports and entire industries deemed strategic — such as steel, aluminium and copper — sparking a trade dispute that shook the global economy.
As targeted countries considered or implemented retaliatory measures, tough negotiations led to many deals, including with the European Union and China.
But bilateral talks with Canada were suspended after a Canadian province funded an ad criticising the tariffs.
Under pressure to lower the cost of living for Americans, Trump decided in mid-November to cancel tariffs on some food products, such as imported coffee and beef.
Pope Leo XIV arrives to lead a Jubilee audience at the Saint Peter’s Square in The Vatican September 6, 2025. — AFP pic
A new pope
Robert Francis Prevost became the first American pope on May 8 following the death of his predecessor Francis, whom he had long advised.
White smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel to announce the election of the 267th head of the Catholic Church after a less-than-24-hour conclave.
The Chicago-born clergyman, who spent nearly 20 years as a missionary in Peru and eventually obtained citizenship, took the name Leo XIV.
He has followed in the footsteps of his Argentine predecessor by focusing on the poor, migrants and the environment.
He has also offered reassurances to conservative circles by ruling out — at least in the short term — the ordination of women as deacons and the recognition of same-sex marriage.
Gen Z uprisings
Mass movements spearheaded by the under-30s arose across Asia, Africa and Latin America to fight against poor living standards, social media censorship and elite corruption.
They enjoyed mixed success — in Morocco, for example, the government promised social reforms, but more than 2,000 protesters now face prosecution.
In other countries, the protests transformed into a broader challenge to power after they were violently repressed.
But Nepal’s Maoist Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina were forced from office.
Young people featured prominently in post-election protests in Tanzania, which were brutally suppressed.
The pirate flag from the manga One Piece — a skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat — is often displayed by protesters and has spread on social media to become a symbol of the fight against oppression across continents.
A man waves a pirate flag from the Japanese anime ‘One Piece’, an internet trend used to criticise government policies, in Jakarta August 29, 2025. — AFP pic
AI boom
Technology giants and investors have spent ever-increasing sums to finance the rapid growth of AI.
AI-related spending is expected to reach roughly US$1.5 trillion (RM7.2 trillion) in 2025 and US$2 trillion next year, according to US advisory firm Gartner.
The market’s enthusiasm briefly drove chip giant Nvidia’s valuation beyond US$5 trillion.
But the markets fear a speculative bubble around the technology.
And there are broader concerns.
AI stands accused of fuelling misinformation, copyright lawsuits are mushrooming, and many companies have cited its adoption as an explanation for mass layoffs.
OpenAI faces a lawsuit from the parents of a California teenager who killed himself, alleging its chatbot ChatGPT offered advice on how to carry out his plan.
The company said it had strengthened its parental controls, while California has enacted legislation regulating chatbots.
A spectacular Louvre heist
On October 19, thieves dressed in workers’ vests used a furniture ladder to get into the Louvre Museum in Paris.
They fled on scooters with crown jewels valued at €88 million, though they dropped a diamond-encrusted crown on the way.
Four men suspected of being part of the raid were charged and jailed, but the stolen treasures have not been recovered.
French police officers stand next to a furniture elevator used by robbers to enter the Louvre Museum, on Quai Francois Mitterrand, in Paris October 19, 2025. — AFP pic
US strikes anger Venezuela
Washington has deployed a significant military presence off the coast of Latin America since August, officially to combat drug trafficking bound for the United States.
Around 100 people have been killed since September in US strikes on boats that Washington claims, without providing evidence, were ferrying drugs.
The US Justice Department insists the strikes were “lawful” and rejected accusations by a senior UN official that they were “extrajudicial”.
The campaign has drawn angry reactions in Latin America, especially Venezuela, which views the attacks as a pretext to topple President Nicolas Maduro and seize the country’s oil reserves.
On December 10, US forces seized a Venezuelan oil tanker by rappelling down onto the vessel from a helicopter.
Washington has since announced a “total blockade” against “sanctioned tankers” traveling to or from Venezuela.
US authorities accuse Maduro of heading a cartel, and are offering a US$50-million reward for his capture.
Record-breaking weather
While Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia had deadly floods, powerful storms lashed the Caribbean and the Philippines.
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more deadly and more destructive due to climate change fuelled by human activity, according to scientists.
Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful ever to hit the Caribbean, devastated entire regions of Jamaica and flooded Haiti and Cuba.
In South-east Asia, the Philippines was struck by Typhoons Ragasa, Kalmaegi and Fung-wong within the space of two months, while Vietnam was devastated by storms, floods and landslides.
Tropical storms and monsoon rains pummelled South-east and South Asia at the end of the year, destroying vast tracts of Indonesia’s northwest island of Sumatra and displacing thousands of people in Sri Lanka.
Temperatures soared and wildfires intensified in Europe, with a record amount of land burnt during the summer.
The French Mediterranean coast experienced its worst fire in 50 years.
In the United States, fires sparked by lightning led to the closure of the North Rim of the famous Grand Canyon in mid-July for the remainder of the tourist season. — AFP
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