Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev as he bids the last farewell to his wife Raisa Gorbacheva during the funeral ceremony in Moscow, Russia, 23 September 1999 (reissued 30 August 2022). According to a Moscow Central Clinical Hospital statement, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has died at the age of 91. As a supporter of the de-Stalinization programs of his predecessor Nikita Khrushchev, Gorbachev initiated numerous reforms during his tenure. He signed a nuclear arms treaty with the United States and withdrew the Soviet Union from the Soviet-Afghan war. His policies created freedom of speech and press, and decentralized fiscal policy planning and execution to increase efficiency. Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, overseeing Russia’s transition from one party rule to fragile democracy. (Photo by Sergey Chirikov/EPA/EFE)

People use large water guns to spray each other as they celebrate the annual Songkran festival in Bangkok, Thailand on April 14, 2025. Thailand celebrated the Thai traditional New Year, called Songkran in Thai and also known as ëthe water festivalí, on 13 April, with festivities going on on throughout the weekend. During Songkran, people celebrate the New Year by splashing water to each other as a sign of washing away sins and bad luck from the previous year. People across Thailand celebrate the New Year with parties and water related activities throughout the weekend. (Photo by Diego Azubel/Matrix Images)

A model presents a creation by designer John Galliano as part of his Spring/Summer 2020 women's ready-to-wear collection show for Maison Margiela during the Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 25, 2019. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

Vitalii Sediuk (L) jumps on singer Justin Timberlake as he arrives to attend the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 01, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Fisher/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A policeman wearing a coronavirus-themed outfit composed of helmet, mace and shield, gestures towards a vendor (L) at a market to raise awareness about social distancing, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Chennai, on April 2, 2020. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)

A robot, developed by start-up firm Asimov Robotics, holds a tray with face masks and sanitizer after the two robots were launched to spread awareness about the coronavirus, in Kochi, India, March 17, 2020. (Photo by Sivaram V/Reuters)

Volunteers throw a mixture of water, neem herb and turmeric as an alleged natural disinfectant on a street in a residential area during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Chennai on April 7, 2020. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)

Peng Jing, 24, attends her wedding photography shoot after the lockdown was lifted in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province and China's epicentre of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, April 15, 2020. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)