Every year on December 31st, from Sydney to London, Rio de Janeiro to Taipei, the skies ignite in a synchronized global spectacle fireworks marking the transition into a new year. But how did this luminous tradition begin, why has it spread across cultures, and what are the costs of such grandeur? This MAN TV investigation explores the origins, economics, controversies, and evolving future of the world’s most explosive celebration.

Australia ends 2025 as a country on edge but not without options: politically stable yet bruised by violence, economically employed yet squeezed by costs, and socially proud of its diversity yet deeply unsure whether its institutions are keeping up with people’s expectations.

Australia has formally switched on digital proof of citizenship, allowing Australians to use a secure digital notice alongside traditional paper certificates for key identity checks from 5 December 2025.

Australia’s migration intake in 2025 has reached record territory, with new data confirming the highest-ever levels of net permanent and long-term arrivals and cementing migration as the dominant driver of Australia’s population growth.​