Dubai: From the tiniest hatchling to the planet’s largest predators, 2025 delivered some of the most powerful images ever captured of animals and the natural world. These photographs go beyond visual beauty, offering quiet but urgent reminders of how fragile life on Earth has become — and how resil»»»

A 44-year-old Indian-origin man, Prashant Sreekumar, died of suspected cardiac arrest after reportedly waiting more than eight hours in the emergency room at Grey Nuns Hospital in southeast Edmonton, Canada, media reports said. Sreekumar began experiencing severe chest pain while at work on Decembe»»»

A 20-year-old Indian doctoral student, Shivank Avasthi, was shot dead near the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus on Tuesday. Police say the incident marks Toronto’s 41st homicide of the year. According to authorities, officers responded at around 3:34 pm (local time) to reports of a person»»»

Palm Beach: President Donald Trump said US forces conducted "powerful and deadly" strikes Thursday against ISIS militants in northwestern Nigeria, after he warned the group to stop killing Christians in the country. The Department of Defense said "multiple terrorists" were killed in an attack condu»»»

A Russian archaeologist detained in Poland is at the centre of an intense debate over the role of museums and experts and the role they play in Kremlin war propaganda. Alexander Butyagin is under arrest in Warsaw, awaiting a Polish court decision on a request to extradite him to Ukraine. Until now,»»»

Dubai: With the New Year just days away, the UAE is slipping into full celebration mode. From landmark countdowns in Dubai to record-breaking displays in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, the country is preparing for one of its busiest festive weeks of the year. Sign up for our daily business newslette»»»

President Donald Trump said the U.S. military carried out deadly strikes on ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria on Thursday in retaliation for deadly attacks on Christians in the West African nation. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. military carried out several st»»»

As spring turned to summer, Mark Carney led Canada's Liberal Party to an unlikely victory, Prince Harry told the BBC he wanted to reconcile with the Royal Family, and David Beckham got a knighthood. But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world? Test your memory of April to »»»

For weeks now, angry and distressed residents in Indonesia's westernmost province have been raising white flags over, the state's slow response to a series of deadly floods. Triggered by a rare cyclone in November, the deluge killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across »»»

Acting Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman, center, speaks to members and supporters in Dhaka, Bangladesh, after ending 17 years of exile by returning from London on Thursday. Photo by Monirul Alam/EPA Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka o»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent New Year greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, hailing the past year as one of “special significance” for bilateral relations between Moscow and Pyongyang and a deepening strategic partnership. In a telegram published by the Korean Central News Agen»»»

Hamas has denied responsibility for a bomb blast that struck an Israeli armored vehicle in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and has asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to comply with a ceasefire agreement. The US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect in Gaza on October 10, ca»»»

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has given a positive assessment of a conversation he had with US envoys on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelensky said Thursday's call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which lasted nearky an hour, had yielded "new ideas in terms of formats, meetings,»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Msheireb Properties and U Events have announced a cultural partnership that will bring the acclaimed Al Jazeera Orchestra & Choir to Barahat Msheireb for a two-night musical premiere. Scheduled for January 15 and 16, 2026, from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, the Baraha Musical Conce»»»

QNA Doha The Public Cleanliness Department at the Ministry of Municipality organised the first National Forum on Public Cleanliness on Thursday, under the slogan ‘Towards a Clean, Smart and Sustainable City,’ with broad participation from government agencies, private sector partners, universities, »»»

Istanbul officials on Thursday announced they detained 115 suspected members of ISIS who were planning terror attacks in Turkey aimed at mostly non-Muslim people at Christmas and New Year events, such as the Christmas mass at Saint Antuan Church pictured in 2022. File Photo by Erdem Sahin/EPA Dec. »»»

The Polish Air Force scrambled fighter jets to intercept a Russian military reconnaissance aircraft near Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea on Thursday amid heightened tensions in Eastern Europe. Photo by Jakub Karczmarczyk/EPA Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Polish Air Force fighters intercepted a Russian milit»»»

Doha, Qatar: The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2025 get underway in Doha on Friday, with Qatar hosting the elite global event until December 30. The tournament brings together the world's leading players to compete for four world titles in rapid and blitz chess across the men's and women»»»

Doha, Qatar: Cultural Village Foundation 'Katara,' in cooperation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, has invited the public to attend the opening of the “Legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022” exhibition. The exhibition will open on December 29, 2025, at 5:30 pm, at Building 45 in »»»

Lebanon said Israeli strikes near the Syrian border and in the country's south killed three people on Thursday, as Israel said it targeted a member of Iran's elite Quds Force and a Hezbollah operative. Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities betwee»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that this year’s Christmas comes amid ongoing suffering in southern Lebanon, speaking after a private meeting with Maronite Patriarch Béchara Raï. While cautiously optimistic about a potential easing of regional tensions, he emphasized that challenges pe»»»

Doha, Qatar: The FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 attracted more than 1.2 million spectators and concluded with Morocco lifting the trophy, as the tournament underlined Qatar's growing reputation as a host of major global sporting events. Held from December 1 to 18, the competition featured 16 national tea»»»

In an unprecedented development, an armed gang active in Gaza City forced inhabitants of residential bloc to evacuate their homes under threat of arms. Field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that identified the gang as the “Rami Halas Group”. At dawn on Thursday, its members opened fire in the air in t»»»

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he had had "very good" talks with US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, focused on ending the "brutal Russian war". "We discussed certain substantive details of the ongoing work," he said in a post on social media. "»»»

Mogadishu: Somalians voted on Thursday in the Mogadishu region's first direct local election in nearly 60 years, despite security concerns and a boycott by opposition leaders. The election is seen as a test ahead of the 2026 presidential ballot, in a country struggling to emerge from decades of con»»»

DOHA: The Doha Equestrian Tour Organising Committee has announced that tickets are now on sale for the H H The Father Amir Cup, with the opening leg set to take place at the Longines Arena at Al Shaqab from January 2 to 4. The prestigious event will bring together more than 240 elite riders competi»»»

Syrian authorities on Thursday said forces killed a senior leader in the ISIS group and arrested another operative in fresh operations near capital Damascus in coordination with the US-led coalition. Syrian security and intelligence forces, working in coordination with the international coalition, »»»

Israeli security forces announced on Thursday the arrest of five Israeli settlers over their alleged involvement in an attack on a Palestinian home that injured a baby girl in the occupied West Bank. The eight-month-old infant suffered "moderate injuries to the face and head" in the late Wednesday »»»

Attempts to secure peace in Sudan and halt the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe have continued for nearly two-and-a-half years of war. Yet a determined belief within the army and those backing it that military victory is still possible has prevailed. The result is unending destruction, displaceme»»»

Tel Aviv: Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died, his family announced. He was 72. Bakri was best known for “Jenin, Jenin,” a 2003 documentary he directe»»»