In a New Year’s address, President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia would advance with confidence in 2025 and that Russians should be “proud” of what the nation had accomplished during his 25-year rule.
On Tuesday, the three and a half minute message from Boris Yeltsin, who resigned unexpectedly on the last day of 1999, was delivered. It is exactly 25 years since Putin took office.
“And now, on the threshold of the New Year, we are thinking about the future. We have faith that everything will work out, and we only intend to advance. We know for sure that the absolute value for us was, is and will be the fate of Russia, the wellbeing of its citizens”, Putin said.
Putin, 72, paid tribute to Russian soldiers fighting in the war in Ukraine, describing them as heroes. “We are proud of your courage and bravery. We believe in you”, he said.
In your]Russian soldiers’ honor, he continued, “In honor of the 80th anniversary of the great victory and as a tribute to the memory of our ancestors who fought for the motherland at all times.”
People watch Putin’s address at Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia]Anastasia Barashkova/Reuters]
With Russia steadily advanceing on the battlefield and US President-elect Donald Trump promising a quick ceasefire once in office, the address came at a crucial moment in the nearly three-year conflict.
Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Moscow, said the Russian president avoided discussing the war’s trajectory in his address.
“Despite Putin’s upbeat message, the mood here remains sombre. Many of you hope that the new year will bring an end to the conflict and war in Ukraine, as well as a better economic outlook for a country with unprecedented economic difficulties, she said.
In the first quarter of the twenty-first century, according to Putin, Russia had accomplished significant goals and overcomed difficulties.
“We still have a long way to go, but we can be proud of what has already been accomplished. This is our common heritage, a reliable foundation for further development. Our country – independent, free and strong – was able to respond to the most difficult challenges”, he said.
Millions of households watch the televised New Year’s Eve speech, which continues a tradition begun by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. It is a holiday staple in Russia.
Sport fans can anticipate another year of thrilling action, culminating with the Olympic Games, which featured two T20 cricket World Cups, as well as a Euro championship.
Al Jazeera lists the top five events to watch out for in 2025 out of the dozens of well-known tournaments that are spread throughout the year:
ICC Champions Trophy (Pakistan and United Arab Emirates): February 19 – March 9
Less than two months before the tournament’s opening game, the fate of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was decided after months of speculation and tug-of-war between hosts Pakistan and India’s neighbors.
The eight-team competition, last played in 2017 when Pakistan beat India in the final in London, will now be partially played in Dubai after India’s refusal to play their fixtures in Pakistan.
When the competition begins on February 19 in Karachi, the winner will be Australia, Pakistan, and T20 champions India, who are both 50-over world champions. After the Indian government refused to send its team to Pakistan, the famous Pakistan-India match will take place in Dubai.
The top four finishers will advance to the March 4 and 5 semifinals in Dubai and Lahore, respectively, for the 15-match competition to be played in a round-robin format. If India qualifies, the final is scheduled for Lahore on March 9; however, it might move to Dubai.
UEFA Women’s Euro Championship (Switzerland): July 2 – 27
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 was termed as the event that awakened a “sleeping giant” and blazed a trail for women’s football. Two years later, the women’s game will be thrown back into the limelight with the Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
Spain, the 13-time champion of the tournament, will be the favorites to win the trophy, but record-holder England and record-eight-time champion Germany will be in the mix for the 16-team competition.
Thun will host the opening game between Iceland and Finland, while Basel will host the final match on July 27. The host nation will host the championship’s eight locations.
England lifted their first Women’s Euro title after beating Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium in London on July 31, 2022]Alessandra Tarantino/AP]
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (India): September – October
The United States (US) will host the revamped version of FIFA’s premier club competition a year before the FIFA World Cup returns to North America following a 32-year hiatus.
In a bid to boost the tournament’s profile and attract a wider audience, the Club World Cup has been expanded to a 32-team event from the usual seven top clubs from regional confederations. The new Intercontinental Cup will now be held annually as the competition’s annual championship, making the event a quadrennial competition under the guidance of FIFA.
New Jersey will host the finals of both tournaments, while the 2025 edition will be held at some of the venues that were originally scheduled to host the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina star Lionel Messi’s club Inter Miami CF have entered the competition for the first time and will be up against the likes of global giants Real Madrid, Manchester City, Juventus, Fluminense, Boca Juniors and Bayern Munich.
The tournament’s expansion and scheduling during European football’s summer break has invited criticism from players ‘ bodies and football experts. The European Commission has received a joint complaint from FIFA and the European Leagues organization over the inclusion of the tournament in the international match schedule.
The new tournament’s opponents claim that it causes more players’ workloads and adds more congestion to an already busy schedule.
The FIFA Club World Cup trophy is unveiled during the Club World Cup draw, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino (left).
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup (India): September – October
India’s trophy collection for the Women’s ICC World Cup is surprisingly small given its status as the world’s premier league and its reputation as a global powerhouse.
When the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup returns to India in September 2025, international stars like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues will have a chance to end the drought.
The South Asian country hosted the tournament twice in 1997 and 2013, but at a time when women’s cricket was not as well known as it is now.
The full list of teams, venues and final schedule for the 2025 edition have not been confirmed. Australia, the record-seven-time champion, will be the favorites to retake the trophy, but four-time champions England and India, the nation’s hosts, will look to overthrow the holders.
If India and Pakistan agree to host their matches in green, the women’s green will do so at a nearby venue if they do so.
India are yet to win an ICC Women’s T20 or 50-over World Cup]File: Altaf Qadri/AP]
Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco): December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026
The Morocco-based Africa Cup of Nations, which is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event on the continent of Africa, will take place from December 2025 to January 2026 for the second time in Morocco.
In their bid to capture their second AFCON title since 1976, the FIFA World Cup 2030 co-hosts will make the most of their home advantage, but regional leaders Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, and Egypt will be in their way.
AFCON was originally scheduled for June and July, but it was changed to the end of the year as a result of the revamped Club World Cup’s appointment.
Six cities, including Rabat, Fes, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier and Agadir will host the games.
Morocco will host its second AFCON tournament in 2025-26]File: Julio Cortez/AP]
The borderless area has expanded to 29 members, making the two Eastern European nations’ wait of 13 years since Romania and Bulgaria have both acceded to the Schengen zone.
The expansion, made possible when Austria and other members dropped their objections to the former communist countries joining, officially took place at midnight (22: 00 GMT) on Wednesday, marked by ceremonies at various border posts.
Travelers now have free access to the rest of the 27-member bloc’s land borders, which were officially closed at midnight.
In March, the two Balkan nations formally joined the Schengen Area, but only those who arrived by air or sea could travel.
At the Ruse-Giurgiu border crossing, where the two nations’ interior ministers met late on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the frontier, were the two countries’ interior ministers. A meeting between Hungary’s national police chief and the head of the border police of Romania was held at a second, less formal ceremony.
Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, but they did not become borderless until March, when maritime and air travel border checks were eliminated. Due to concerns that the two nations weren’t doing enough to stop migrants from entering without authorization, Austria’s opposition remained in place.
Romanian and Bulgarian border police at the Giurgiu-Ruse border]Daniel Mihailescu/AFP]
Hungary’s government, which held the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, made months of efforts to annex Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen Area.
The Transylvania region of Romania, a remnant of Hungary’s partition following World War One, has a population of one million ethnic Hungarians. Although the two countries’ relations have historically been difficult, opening the border will facilitate travel and strengthen regional ties.
Schengen, one of the main achievements of the European project, was established in 1985 as an intergovernmental project between five EU countries – France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. It has grown over time to become the world’s largest free travel destination.
However, several Schengen member countries, including the Netherlands, Austria and Germany, this year reinstated some land border checks over concerns ranging from migration to security. The reimposed checks, according to EU officials, could undermine the scheme’s objectives.
According to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a South Korea-based religious group, over 4,000 members of the church who recovered from COVID-19 are willing to donate plasma for developing a new treatment.
Mr. Man Hee Lee, founder of the Shincheonji Church, said that members of the church are advised to donate plasma voluntarily. “As Jesus sacrificed himself with his blood for life, we hope that the blood of people can bring positive effects on overcoming the current situation,” said Mr. Lee.
