World bids farewell to 2024 and greets New Year with fireworks

The world ushered in 2025 on Tuesday, with huge crowds waving goodbye to the old year that brought Olympic glory, a dramatic Donald Trump return and turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine. Sydney – the self-proclaimed “New Year’s capital of the world” – sprayed nine tonnes of fireworks from its famed Opera House and Harbour Bridge at midnight local time (1300 GMT).