Overview
- President Donald Trump’s second term drove a global trade confrontation with tariffs on more than 180 countries, sweeping executive actions, a USAID shutdown, and tougher migration operations.
- A UN commission concluded that acts of genocide were committed in Gaza, and U.S.-brokered ceasefires enabled limited prisoner and hostage exchanges alongside partial troop withdrawals as hostilities persisted.
- Global investment in artificial intelligence reached roughly $1.5 trillion, propelling record tech valuations and prompting regulatory scrutiny after high-profile harms linked to consumer chatbots.
- The United States logged strong late-year momentum with growth estimated near 4% and record-setting markets, even as supply chains and inflation pressures were tested by tariffs.
- Extreme wildfires scorched Los Angeles and San Diego with more than 15,000 hectares burned and losses above $30 billion, while Europe posted record burned area and the Grand Canyon faced fire-related closures.