From Syrian jihadist-turned-statesman Ahmed al-Sharaa to Virginia Giuffre, the accuser of convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein: these are five figures who defined the year 2025.
From a former jihadist known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani to interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa has undergone a remarkable transformation since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power.
On December 8, 2024, Sharaa entered Damascus after leading his Islamist alliance's lightning offensive from their stronghold in northwest Syria, ending a civil war that had lasted nearly 14 years.
Trimming his beard and swapping his military uniform for suits, Sharaa settled into the presidential palace where Assad - who fled to Russia - and his family dynasty ruled for decades.
Sharaa quickly seized power: he was appointed president for a five-year transitional period and formed a government in which his allies hold key positions, although some parts of the country still remain outside their control.
The international community has largely welcomed him with open arms, despite episodes of sectarian violence against the Alawite and Druze minorities this year.
Gulf states, key ally Turkey and France are among the countries that have hosted Sharaan, who addressed the United Nations General Assembly in September.
His visit to the White House in November was the culminating recognition for a man who once carried a $10 million bounty for his capture.
In 2025, the world's most influential online content creator undertook extravagant new projects, from an amusement park, an animated series, to a toy brand.
At the top of YouTube with over 450 million followers, Jimmy Donaldson - or MrBeast - runs an empire built around his personality, which includes a chocolate brand, a restaurant chain and even a series on Amazon Prime.
The 27-year-old American creator was even positioned as a contender for the acquisition of the social network TikTok in the United States.
Starting with travel or joke videos, his signature brand has now become a popular contest with prizes that often reach seven figures. In one case, he replicated the concept of the hit TV series “Squid Game.”
In September, his video "Would You Risk Your Life for $500,000?", which featured a stuntman in a burning building, was condemned by some, after critics accused him of putting people's lives at risk for entertainment.
Named in 2023 by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world, MrBeast has a fortune of around half a billion dollars, according to Forbes.
Venezuela's shadowy opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, is a bold challenger to an iron-fisted government. This role earned her the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
So, the 58-year-old has never stopped criticizing President Nicolas Maduro - who is accused of manipulating successive elections to stay in power and imprisoning opponents - or his socialist predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
However, she has been criticized for her links to the far right in Europe.
An engineer by profession, Machado enjoys a popularity similar to that of music stars and an ability to gather large crowds with enthusiastic speeches.
She was an opposition candidate for the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, but was barred from participating.
Instead of quietly retiring, she campaigned tirelessly for her replacement: little-known former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
Maduro declared election victory, but only a handful of countries recognized his result.
Gonzalez Urrutia fled into exile in Spain, but Machado remained to lead the resistance from hiding.
"I will be where I can be most useful to our country," she told AFP in October.
Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk became one of the greatest boxers of all time in 2025.
At the age of 38, Usyk became the undisputed world heavyweight champion for the second time in July, after knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.
He says the glory is not for himself, but for his war-torn nation, Ukraine, and for those defending it against Russian forces.
"I want to thank all of Ukraine, the guys who are defending our country. I've received countless messages from soldiers... currently on the front lines," he said. "Guys, you are extraordinary; you make it possible for me to be here today."
Usyk, who has won all 24 of his professional fights, has flown the Ukrainian flag, whether at fundraisers or speaking publicly, after being persuaded not to take up arms himself.
He also used funds to rebuild the house of Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi, a friend and former teammate who was killed by Russian forces in Irpin, a suburb of Kiev.
"Over the last three years, my foundation has raised millions of euros from various donors to support the army, reconstruction efforts and humanitarian projects," he told AFP in March.
Virginia Giuffre - who was among the leading women who accused convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former British Prince Andrew - took her own life in April at the age of 41.
For nearly 15 years, she spoke out about being raped by the financier when she was a minor and claimed she was sexually exploited by some of Epstein's powerful friends, including then-Prince Andrew.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
His accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence, and Andrew has been stripped of all royal titles.
Giuffre raised a family in Australia and founded Speak Out, Act, Reclaim, a support group for victims of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Her memoir was recently published posthumously./rel
