NYT

We look back at the lives of some of the artists, innovators and thinkers we lost in 2025.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, known as the R.S.S., has survived bans and vilification to emerge as the force reshaping India’s secular republic into a Hindu nation.

She was given the “hardest job under heaven”: upholding birth limits enforced by often brutal local officials. She came to support softening the policy, then abolishing it.

Pope Leo XIV greeted the soggy faithful in St. Peter’s Square in both English and Italian and apologized that there wasn’t enough room in the basilica for them all.

Haitham Salem spent 11 months held by Israel without charge and said he endured beatings and abuse. He was released as part of the cease-fire deal, longing to return to his family.

The vote in Myanmar, widely seen as a sham, is a bid for legitimacy by the military government. It is also a way for Beijing to exert its influence there.

The holiday spirit is bringing people together, with celebrations of lights, dance and Santa.

Mykola Leontovych, the Ukrainian composer of the famed festive song, lived in the eastern city of Pokrovsk. Months of Russian assaults have erased most tributes to his life there.

After officials called the presidential race for Nasry Asfura, his rival, Salvador Nasralla, disputed the result and expressed ire over the U.S. role.

The toll on older people and those with disabilities is especially severe as Moscow’s forces repeatedly attack the port city’s infrastructure.

The aircraft was on its descent from the mountain when it crashed around the Barafu Camp area in Kilimanjaro National Park, officials said.

Chosen by a British TV station to give an “alternative” to the king’s speech, Jimmy Kimmel said it had been a great year for the U.S. “from a fascism perspective.”

The first draft essentially called for Ukraine’s surrender. The revised version includes the security guarantees Kyiv wants to prevent future Russian aggression.

The holidays usually bring home huge numbers from the Venezuelan diaspora. But this year, after international airlines halted almost all service, many people are spending Christmas alone and on edge.

Nasry Asfura was endorsed by President Trump in a contentious election. His opponent, Salvador Nasralla, said he would not accept the results.

Leo XIV’s Christmas address was his first since being elected pontiff and was scrutinized for comparisons with those of his predecessor, Francis.

His annual Christmas message was more outward-looking than last year’s, when he focused on the medical workers who had helped him and his daughter-in-law after their cancer diagnoses.

Tarique Rahman, who had managed his party’s political affairs from Britain, is back in his country to campaign in elections.

For decades, Havaianas flip-flops have been a beloved global symbol of Brazilian culture, worn by millions of people each day. They are now ensnared in a political fight.

The debut followed the North’s first test of a new surface-to-air missile and the arrival of a U.S. nuclear-powered attack sub for a port call in South Korea.