Five people who made headlines in 2025

From Syria's militant-turned-statesman, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, here are five figures who helped to define 2025.

Ahmed al-Sharaa

From a former militant known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani to Syria´s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has undergone a stunning transformation since ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

On December 8, 2024, Sharaa entered Damascus after leading his alliance's lightning offensive from their northwest Syria bastion, capping nearly 14 years of civil war.

Trading his fatigues for suits, Sharaa settled into the presidential palace where Assad — who fled to Russia — and his family dynasty ruled for decades.

Sharaa quickly consolidated power: he was appointed president for a five-year transitional period and formed a government in which allies hold key positions, though parts of the country are still outside their control.

The international community has largely welcomed him with open arms, despite bouts of sectarian violence against the Alawite and Druze minorities this year.

His November visit to the White House was the ultimate recognition for a man who once had a $10 million US bounty on his head.

MrBeast

In 2025, the world's most influential online content creator took on extravagant new projects, from an amusement park, an animated series, to a toy brand.

Number one on YouTube with over 450 million subscribers, Jimmy Donaldson — or MrBeast heads an empire built around his personality, which includes a chocolate brand, a restaurant chain and even an Amazon Prime series.

The 27-year-old American creator even positioned himself as a contender for the acquisition of the social network TikTok in the United States.

Starting out with travel or prank videos, his trademark has now become popular competitions for often seven-figure prizes. In one instance, he reproduced the concept of the hit TV series "Squid Game".

In September, his video "Would You Risk Your Life for $500,000?", featuring a stuntman in a burning building, drew condemnation from some, with critics accusing him of endangering lives for entertainment.

Named in 2023 by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world, MrBeast has a fortune estimated at around half a billion dollars, according to Forbes.

Maria Corina Machado

Venezuela's opposition leader in hiding, Maria Corina Machado, is a fearless challenger of an iron-fisted government — a role that earned her the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

The 58-year-old has never shied away from criticising President Nicolas Maduro — accused of stealing successive re-elections and imprisoning detractors — or his socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez.

She has, however, come under scrutiny for her associations with Europe´s far-right and US President Donald Trump.

Machado has welcomed the US military presence in the Caribbean, which has seen strikes on alleged drug boats claim at least 83 lives since September.

An engineer by training, Machado boasts rockstar appeal and an ability to rally huge crowds with rousing speeches.

She was the opposition´s presidential candidate for Venezuela´s 2024 elections, before she was barred from taking part.

Rather than yielding quietly, she campaigned tirelessly for her replacement: the little-known ex-diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

Maduro claimed electoral victory, but only a handful of countries recognised his win.

Gonzalez Urrutia went into exile in Spain, but Machado remained to lead the resistance from hiding.

"I´ll be wherever I can be most useful to our country," she told AFP in October.

Oleksandr Usyk

Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk cemented his place as one of boxing's all-time greats in 2025.

At 38, Usyk became a two-time undisputed heavyweight world champion in July after knocking out Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium.

He says the glory is not for himself but for his beleaguered nation, Ukraine, and those defending it against Russian forces.

"I want to thank all of Ukraine, the guys defending our country. I have received countless messages from soldiers... currently on the front line," he said. "Guys, you are incredible; you allow me to be here now."

Usyk, who has won all 24 of his professional bouts, has flown the flag for Ukraine, whether by raising funds or speaking out, having been dissuaded from taking up arms himself.

He also used funds to rebuild the house of Oleksiy Dzhunkivskyi, a friend and former teammate who was shot dead by Russian forces in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv.

"Over the past three years, my foundation has raised millions of euros from various donors to support the military, reconstruction efforts, and humanitarian projects," he told AFP in March.

Virginia Giuffre

One of the main accusers of American convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Britain's former prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, took her own life this April at 41.

For almost 15 years, she spoke about being raped by the financier while 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 his royal titles.

US President Donald Trump, who was once close to Epstein, continues to deny any involvement.

Giuffre started a family in Australia and founded "Speak Out, Act, Reclaim," a support group for victims of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. Her memoirs were recently published posthumously.