The 10 most discussed news on Geopop in 2025

2025 was a year full of changes and great historical events: from the election of the new Pope Leo

Let’s look back together at the 10 most discussed news stories of these 12 months, listed in chronological order, told through the articles in our magazine Geopop.it and our in-depth videos.

The Los Angeles fires

Between January 7 and 14, 2025, the city of Los Angeles was hit by a series of fires that caused extensive damage. Among the main causes are the drought – with almost no rainfall for 6 months – and the Santa Ana winds – intense, hot and dry – which in fact favored the spread of the flames, which even reached the homes of VIPs and the “Hollywood” sign. In total, over 14,000 hectares of land were burned and over 24 people lost their lives.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

The Washington plane crash

On January 29, 2025, an American Airlines plane, with 64 people on board, and a military helicopter with 3 soldiers collided, ending up in the Potomac River and causing the death of all 67 people involved. The causes of the accident have not yet been clarified by the NTSB, which will publish its final report in January 2026.

Among the hypotheses, however, there are possible human errors in the landing phase at Ronald Reagan airport, characterized by very short runways, and too lax safety procedures regarding the separation between scheduled aircraft.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

The 4.6 magnitude earthquake in the Campi Flegrei, the strongest in the instrumental era

On 13 March 2025, the strongest earthquake ever detected in the area in instrumental times was recorded in the Campi Flegrei, with a magnitude of 4.6: the epicenter was located near Bagnoli, at a depth of just 2 km, which is why the tremor was distinctly felt throughout Naples, causing panic and numerous people in the streets, as well as some collapses.

In fact, at the Campi Flegrei, an acute phase of bradyseism is underway, the volcanic phenomenon of alternating lowering and lifting of the ground, which generates earthquakes: since October 2025, the speed of ground lifting has started to increase again, reaching 25 mm per month.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

The blackout in Spain, France and Portugal

On April 28, 2025, Spain, Portugal and parts of France were hit by a mega blackout that paralyzed critical infrastructure such as rail transport, road traffic and telecommunications.

The blackout, probably caused by a sudden collapse in photovoltaic production, was so vast because every electricity grid is extremely delicate: in the event of imbalances, a cascade of disconnections can be generated that can leave an entire country without electricity in the space of a few minutes, as happened in the Iberian Peninsula.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

The conclave for the election of the new Pope

The conclave for the election of the new Pontiff took place in the Vatican between 7 and 8 May 2025, after the death of Pope Francis. On that occasion, all the cardinals of the world – under the age of 80 – gather in the Sistine Chapel in St. Peter’s, to elect the new Pope following the procedures codified by specific norms of canon law.

Once a majority of 2/3 of the votes has been reached, the new Pontiff is announced through white smoke, and then presented to the public using the famous formula Habemus Papam.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

Donald Trump’s tariffs

On April 2, 2025, United States President Donald Trump announced a series of tariffs against most of the United States’ trading partners, including Europe: that day, renamed “Liberation Day”, kicked off a period of austerity and economic uncertainty, which triggered significant drops in global stock markets.

Since August 1, 15% duties have been in force on European goods bound for the United States, with the tariffs also applied to the automotive sector (previously at 25%) and the pharmaceutical sector (so far exempt).

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

The Air India flight crash

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI171 crashed in Ahmedabad, India, with 242 people on board. Having crashed into a residential area, the plane crash resulted in the deaths of 260 people, with only one survivor among the passengers in the flight.

The NTSB’s preliminary report confirmed that, just 3 seconds after takeoff, the commander forcibly shut down the engines, inevitably causing the aircraft to crash. Also for this reason, the disaster was one of the most discussed of the year, especially with regards to psychological support for the pilots.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

Comet 3I/ATLAS

Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third “interstellar visitor” discovered to transit our Solar System, has been one of the “hot” topics in science in 2025, and not just because of its extreme scientific interest. Discovered on July 1st, it was immediately talked about well outside the circle of space enthusiasts due to the “theories” proposed by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, according to which the celestial body – due to its numerous anomalies compared to the comets of the Solar System – could be an extraterrestrial technological artefact. Theories – It goes without saying – definitely denied by NASA and the entire scientific community. After reaching the point of maximum proximity to the Sun on October 29th and to the Earth on December 19th, the interstellar comet will have a close pass with Jupiter on March 13th 2026 and then will move further and further away until leaving the Solar System forever.

To learn more about the topic, find one of our articles here, to which the dedicated video is added.

The Global Sumud Flotilla

On 2 October 2025, the Israeli navy boarded and blocked in international waters the 47 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian mission headed towards the Gaza Strip to transport food and essential goods. As underlined by experts, it was an illegitimate Israeli action from the point of view of international law, having occurred in open international waters and through the use of force.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.

The theft of jewels at the Louvre

Last, but not least, the theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which occurred on 19 October 2025: four thieves stole 8 French Crown Jewels, belonging to the Napoleon family, for a total value of 88 million euros. The robbers managed to sneak into the museum by entering the Apollo Gallery via a freight elevator, and then broke the window with a grinder in a blind spot of the cameras.

To learn more about the topic, find our article here, to which the dedicated video is added.