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If 2025 had a mood, it would be rage bait. If 2025 were a movie, it would be a mix of political thriller and tech horror, with a dash of heist comedy. If 2025 were a game, it would be a chaotic one, with players trying to survive while the rules keep changing.
Every week in 2025 brought a new headline no one could ignore, but there were eight that specifically had people shaken.
These eight events shocked the world in 2025
Donald Trump’s return to the White House
When Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office for his second presidency in January, he wasted no time implementing the policies he had campaigned on: steep tariffs, far-reaching executive actions, and sweeping immigration restrictions.
Nothing defines the second term of Trump’s presidency like the fact that the country saw the longest federal shutdown in American history. Shortly after beginning his second term, Trump launched a messy trade war, raising tariffs on several countries, then changing some and agreeing to multiple potential trade deals.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
This has resulted in the exponentially inflated price of groceries.
The Trump administration has also cracked down on illegal immigrants through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. He has sent federal agents and troops to Democratic-run cities, where critics say Trump has deployed tactics that spread fear in immigrant communities.
Less than a year in, and the U.S. has seen two massive protests against “No Kings,” AKA Trump, and the lowest approval rating of Trump’s term so far.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk
One of the most shocking political events of the year occurred on September 10, 2025, when conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Kirk was addressing questions about mass shootings when a bullet fired from over 142 yards away struck him in the neck.
Image credits: Adam Berry/Getty Images
The following day, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson surrendered after his parents recognized him from the circulated images. Prosecutors charged him with aggravated murder and sought the death penalty.
The aftermath of the event has seen many debates and conspiracy theories about the culprit behind the murders.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh and Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger also introduced legislation to commemorate Kirk with a silver dollar coin. The bill would need to pass through the House, under Republican control, and gain Democratic support in the Senate before becoming law.
The election of Pope Leo XIV
In early 2025, the world witnessed a milestone in the Catholic Church with the election of Pope Leo XIV. He became the first American-born pope and the first pope to hold U.S. or Peruvian citizenship.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Pope Leo XIV served Peru’s poor and indigenous communities for decades. His election surprised many: the papacy rarely chooses leaders from global superpowers, let alone an influential country like the U.S.
Image credits: Vatican Media/Getty Images
But even in the U.S., he doesn’t fit neatly into any partisan box.
Instead of being America-first, Pope Leo XIV has emphasized standing in solidarity with the global poor and migrants. He has supported women’s leadership roles in the church but does not endorse ordaining them as priests.
The Nepal Gen Z uprising
In September, youth-led protests erupted across Nepal and managed to topple the government. They were spontaneous and digitally coordinated, popularly dubbed the “Gen Z protests.”
The movement began following a nationwide ban on numerous social media platforms, coupled with public frustration over corruption and the display of wealth by government officials.
Image credits: Yunish Gurung/Getty Images
The protests, which at times became violent, led to the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, along with a few government ministers, on September 9. On September 12, Sushila Karki was appointed as the interim prime minister of Nepal.
At least 76 people died during the protests, with 34 protesters dying from gunshot wounds.
The Louvre heist
In what can only be defined as one of the boldest museum heists in modern history, thieves disguised as construction workers walked out of the Louvre’s Galerie d’Apollon on October 19, with eight French Crown Jewels valued at over $100 million.
The operation took less than ten minutes total and stunned the world. Even more astonishing was that it occurred during regular visiting hours. A new investigation shows that the thieves evaded police with just 30 seconds to spare.
Image credits: Zhang Mingming/Getty Images
Police believe they have arrested all four robbers who had escaped on motorbikes, but they have found no trace of the jewels. The stolen jewels included an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise.
Fragile Gaza ceasefire
Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October—news that was greeted with caution yet celebrated across the world. However, according to data by the Gaza Government Media Office, Israel violated the agreement at least 738 times between October 10 to December 9.
The situation is dire as the ceasefire stands on narrow grounds. Marta Lorenzo, the director of the UNRWA office in Brussels, told the EUobserver that the situation on the ground is “a combination of hope and despair.”
Image credits: Amir Levy/Getty Images
“There is a little bit of hope that the ceasefire is going to bring stability and peace … [but] the conditions on the ground have not changed much for people,” she said.
GPT-5 revolutionizes AI
On August 7, 2025, OpenAI released GPT-5, the most advanced version of the AI yet. The release marked a turning point in artificial intelligence, not only in capability but in accessibility.
GPT-5’s launch accelerated debates on AI governance, economic disruption, and education reform. In October, Axios conducted a study showing that 52% of the internet is now “AI slop,” or low-quality machine-generated content.
Image credits: Axios
Researchers have long warned that AI-generated content could overwhelm human-created work online, and that large language models trained on vast data might choke on their own exhaust and collapse. Many began to feel that reality in 2025.
India and Pakistan could have started a nuclear war
In May 2025, the long, tense relationship between India and Pakistan escalated into the most dangerous conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations in decades.
India retaliated against the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 26 civilians were killed by launching Operation Sindoor on Pakistan, launching missile strikes into the country. India had accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, which Pakistan denied.
Image credits: Faisal Bashir/Getty Images
For four days, firing and border shellings continued back and forth, leaving the world tense, as both countries boat nuclear capabilities.
The New York Times cited Pakistani media in reporting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had allegedly summoned a meeting of the National Command Authority responsible for decisions regarding the use of nuclear weapons.
But Pakistan’s defense minister denied that any such meeting took place.
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