From Donald Trump’s second term in the White House to a turbocharged football calendar, here are five things to watch for in 2025:
Trump 2.0
In the days since his landslide victory in the US presidential election, Donald Trump has named several of his nominees to form his future cabinet in the White House ahead of his inauguration on January 20.
With a slate that includes vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and Elon Musk as co-head of a government efficiency department, there are concerns about what a second Trump term could mean for the United States and the world. is
His swearing-in ceremony in front of the US Capitol in Washington will see 82-year-old Joe Biden hand over to Trump, who will become the oldest US president in history by the end of his four-year term, two years his junior. .
Climate
Could 2025 be the year our greenhouse gas emissions stop their steady climb around the world?
Researchers point to signs that China, the world’s biggest polluter, which is responsible for 30 percent of global emissions, is expected to see a modest increase in fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions this year.
Global CO2 emissions from burning coal, oil and gas could peak in the next few years, says Glenn Peters of the Global Carbon Project.
This carbon pollution is the primary driver of increasingly dangerous climate change.
But even if there is a peak, Ignacio ArrÃniz Velasco of the E3G think tank said countries cannot afford to “relax” and then must immediately reduce their emissions to aim for carbon neutrality.
Football obsession
Can there be too much of a good thing? In 2025, the question of football overkill and player burnout will dominate amid a supercharged calendar.
The 32-club World Cup awaits the players in the summer, when they would normally have had time to recover from the national leagues.
And it’s coming after a particularly busy season featuring the prestigious European club competition in a new format – a much-anticipated expanded Champions League.
It’s all part of a trend to increase the number of high-profile matches in football – the next World Cup in 2026 will welcome 16 more countries, resulting in 104 games instead of 64.
The 2034 World Cup host will likely have a bigger stake in Saudi Arabia as they spend more money on the game with potentially changing results.
Other controversies that could spark include the continued use of VAR technology, which is currently locked in a love-hate relationship with players, fans and pundits.
Kumbh Mela
The largest gathering of humanity on the planet, tens of millions of people will be showered in rose petals and sacred ashes in a spectacular Hindu festival on the banks of India’s holy river from January 13 to the end of February.
Classified as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, the mega festival known as Kumbh Mela takes place every three years.
The site alternates between four sacred sites, on the waters of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, considered among the holiest sites in Hinduism.
In 2025, this northern city will be in Prayagraj. The last time the festival was held there, in 2013, it attracted 120 million people.
The return of Oasis and BTS
On the one hand, the grumpy bad boys of Britpop, on the other the fresh-faced darlings of K-Pop.
Both Oasis and BTS are set to make a comeback in 2025, much to the delight of their fans, after being away from the stage for very different reasons.
Led by Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel, Oasis would return in 2009 after a high-profile bust-up – one of many – led to a 15-year split.
The band behind “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova,” songs that gained anthemic status in the 1990s, embark on a world tour starting in the U.K. and Ireland before heading to North and South America. .
In the initial rush to buy tickets from official sites, many fans who missed out sought alternative means – leading to a spate of ticket scams.
It will be a very different approach in South Korea, where the wildly popular K-Pop boy band BTS has vowed to reunite after its members end their mandatory military service in June.
It’s the return of millions of fans and an entire multi-billion dollar industry awaits.
Experts say megastars’ performance and return to public life could boost South Korea’s cultural exports even higher.