A destroyed helicopter on the ground at the Mezzeh Air Base on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, 16 December 2024. After Syrian rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad on 08 December 2024, the Israeli military carried out strikes throughout Syria to destroy what remained of the Assad regime's military arsenal. (Photo by Antonio Pedro Santos/EPA/EFE)




Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reports at the Chamber of Deputies on the upcoming European Council, in Rome, Italy, 17 December 2024. EU leaders will attend a European Council meeting in Brussels on 19 December. (Photo by Riccardo Antimiani/EPA)




Lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) (in white) try to break into Parliament where Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) occupied the night to avoid the passing of the third reading of amendments to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act and other controversial bills at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on December 20, 2024. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng/AFP Photo)




Choristers light candles during a rehearsal for Christmas services at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Britain, on December 23, 2024. (Photo by Jaimi Joy/Reuters)




A 12 meter-tall statue of Young-hee, the iconic doll from Netflix's South Korean TV series “Squid Game”, is seen on a barge in front of Wat Arun temple ahead of the launch of Season 2, in Bangkok on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP Photo)




People welcome North Korea's weightlifters including gold medalists at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships as they arrive at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, December 19, 2024. (Photo by Jon Chol Jin/AP Photo)




Anastasia and Pavel, veterans of the Ukrainian-Russian war on their wedding day on December 14, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. They lost limbs during combat and met during rehabilitation at the “Superhumans” center. (Photo by Kostyiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)




A man dressed as Santa Claus greets a child at the Souza Aguiar Municipal Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 19 December 2024. The Souza Aguiar Municipal Hospital, in collaboration with volunteers, held a Christmas campaign visiting hospitalized children and giving them gifts. (Photo by Andre Coelho/EPA)




Fireworks burst over Saydnaya Convent during the lighting of the Christmas tree, in Saydnaya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, December 24, 2024. (Photo by Hussein Malla/AP Photo)




A man waves a flare during a celebratory demonstration following the first Friday prayers since Bashar Assad's ouster, in the central square of Damascus, Syria, December 13, 2024. (Photo by Leo Correa/AP Photo)




Pope Francis is kisses by a child during the weekly general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, December 18, 2024. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)




Under ice finnish freediver Kristian Maki-Jussila dressed as Santa Claus, swims underwater in a frozen lake in Sundom by –15°C (5 Fahrenheit), Westen Finland, on December 15, 2024. Dods is a form of extreme freestyle diving from heights jumping with stretched arms and belly first, landing in a cannonball or a shrimp position. World record is a 44,3m dive. (Photo by Olivier Morin/AFP Photo)




Ukrainian rescue services eliminate the consequences of a Russian ballistic missile hitting the city center on December 20, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)




A firefighter dressed as the Grinch takes part in the Christmas season celebrations in Valparaiso, Chile, on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters)




French military unload medical and emergency equipment from the A440M military aircraft, aboard of wich rescue teams were transported in an emergency response, bringing aid to the small French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, almost cut off from the world after the passage of cyclone Chido, at the French Air Force Base 181 Saint-Denis-La Reunion “Lieutenant Roland Garros” in Sainte-Marie, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on December 15, 2024. At least 14 people were killed in Mayotte when a fierce cyclone battered the territory, authorities said, with officials warning it will take days to know the full toll. Rescue workers and supplies are being rushed in by air and sea, but their efforts are likely to be hindered by damage to airports and electricity distribution in a territory where even clean drinking water was already subject to chronic shortages. (Photo by Richard Bouhet/AFP Photo)




Flowers are laid in front of the Johannis church near the Christmas Market in Magdeburg, Germany, Monday, December 23, 2024. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)




A supporter of the Syrian opposition waves its flag during a rally to celebrate days after the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by opposition rebels, in Paris, France, 14 December 2024. (Photo by Mohammed Badra/EPA)




A man dressed as Santa Claus and others ride motorcycles before delivering gifts to hospitalized children in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Francisco Loureiro/Reuters)




(From L) Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais Sabah Aib, Miss Cote-d'Azur Lilou Emeline-Artuso, Miss Guadeloupe Moira Andre, Miss Corse Stella Vangioni and Miss Martinique Angelique Angarni-Filopon perform on stage during the Miss France 2025 beauty pageant at the Arena Futuroscope in Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, central-western France, on December 14, 2024. (Photo by Romain Perrocheau/AFP Photo)