Through the Lens: The Year in Asia, July to December

The Dalai Lama attends a long-life prayer meeting at his temple complex in Dharamshala, India, on July 5. The Tibetan spiritual leader turned 90 the following day, after a week of celebrations by followers during which he again angered China and spoke of his hope to live beyond 130 and, after dying, be reincarnated. (Photo by Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)

Emperor Naruhito talks with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh in a traditional ger tent at the government office in Ulaanbaatar on July 8. Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Mongolia from July 6 to July 13, casting a spotlight on the widely forgotten detention of thousands of Japanese soldiers and civilians in the last days of World War II. The emperor said he wished "to pay tribute to and ponder over the hardship of those who unwillingly lost their lives far away from their homeland." (Pool photo)

Mahathir Mohamad receives gifts from supporters during a birthday meet‑and‑greet on July 10 in Putrajaya. Mahathir Mohamad, one of the world's oldest living former heads of government, turned 100 that day. Born in 1925, he entered politics in the 1940s and twice served as Malaysia's prime minister, for a 22-year term starting in 1981 and then for about two years beginning in 2018. (Photo by Annice Lyn/Getty Images)

A Thai military unit fires toward Cambodia as the two Greater Mekong Subregion neighbors exchange heavy artillery on July 25, part of the worst fighting along their shared border in more than a decade, in Surin, Thailand. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)  

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, center, looks on as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, left, and Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai shake hands on July 28 following mediation talks in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an unconditional ceasefire. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/Pool/Reuters)

Cambodian migrant workers carry their belongings across the Ban Laem border checkpoint on July 29, 2025, in Chanthaburi, Thailand, a day after the combatants agreed to a ceasefire in a clash that to that point had left at least 35 dead and over 200,000 displaced. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Bonfires are lit along the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome during a remembrance ceremony in Hiroshima on Aug. 5. A day later, the city marked 80 years since the U.S. atomic bombing. At a ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, officials called on young people to work toward the abolition of nuclear weapons, fearing a new nuclear arms race. (Photo by Yo Inoue)

Humanoid robots fight during the kickboxing finals on Aug. 17. The World Humanoid Robot Games took place from Aug. 15-17 at the National Speed Skating Oval, a venue for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and included an opening ceremony a day earlier that featured robots that could dance and play musical instruments. More than 500 androids showcased their capabilities during the world's first Olympic-style competition of its kind. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Demonstrators clash with riot police at a protest against what the demonstrators said were exorbitant allowances for Indonesian parliamentarians, outside Indonesian parliament buildings in Jakarta on Aug. 28. The wave of protests across Indonesia left at least seven people dead. The damage to government facilities, including police headquarters and legislative offices, was widespread. Observers said the violent unrest reflected frustration over economic hardship. (Photo by Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they attend a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency. (Photo by KCNA/Reuters)

Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul reacts next to members of the media after he was elected Thailand's prime minister, replacing Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was ousted by the Constitutional Court on an ethics violation, in Bangkok on Sept. 5, 2025. (Photo by Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters)

A protester hangs a One Piece pirate flag as smoke and flames rise from the Singha Durbar after people set fire to the palace in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 9. The protests erupted over a government decision to block access to some social media platforms. Clashes with police on Sept. 8 left 19 dead. The ban was lifted on Sept. 9, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned later that day. (Photo by Sunil Pradhan/Anadolu/Getty Images)

A massive sinkhole opens on Samsen Road near Vajira Hospital, in Bangkok, on Sept. 24. The roughly 50-meter-deep sinkhole formed just outside a police station and Vajira Hospital, pulling down power lines and bursting a water main. (Photo by Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters)

This scene from Sept. 30 depicts an apartment in the suburbs of Phnom Penh that suddenly became home to Cambodian returnees from Thailand. The returnees lack basic household necessities, having left their jobs on the other side of the border. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

This general view shows the collapsed Islamic Boarding School Al Khoziny on Sept. 30 in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. The collapse trapped dozens of students who were performing their Asr prayers. Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency reported one student died and 84 others suffered minor to serious injuries. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)

Debris remains scattered outside a damaged Jollibee restaurant in the aftermath of a magnitude 6.9 quake that shook Bogo, Cebu province, the Philippines, on Oct. 1, 2025. (Photo by Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

Tourists watch a parade at the Shijingshan Amusement Park in Beijing on Oct. 3. The eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival began on Oct. 1, sparking a surge in travel. (Photo by Li Wenming/AP)

Sanae Takaichi on Oct. 4 basks in the applause of Liberal Democratic Party members who had just elected her to lead their party. (Photo by Shun Kato)

Drones create an image of mascot Myaku Myaku as part of World Expo 2025 Osaka’s closing ceremony on Oct. 13, after a 184-day run. Despite a rocky start, 25 million visitors ended up attending the fair. (Photo by Yo Inoue)

Cambodian and Thai prime ministers Hun Manet, left, and Anutin Charnvirakul change seats during the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement, which came on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 26. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/Reuters)

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, during a visit to the U.S. Navy's base in Yokosuka, Japan, on Oct. 28. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)

Donald Trump shakes hands with Xi Jinping at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the APEC summit, in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30. Their meeting came as a sign that the U.S. and China were on a path toward a trade detente. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Residents survey what is salvageable after countless houses were reduced to rubble by flooding caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi, in Talisay, Cebu province, the Philippines, on Nov. 5. The storm made landfall on Nov. 4, killing at least 66 people[the most up-to-date toll for Cebu is 139] and leaving widespread damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure. It was the 20th typhoon to hit the nation this year as climate change took a heavy toll. (Photo by Daniel Ceng/Anadolu/Getty Images)

TSMC Chief Executive C.C. Wei and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pose for photos during TSMC’s annual sports day in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Nov. 8. (Photo by Ann Wang/Reuters)

People run past a sound grenade fired by police to disperse demonstrators, ahead of the verdict on cases against the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Nov. 17. A special tribunal sentenced the self-exiled former prime minister to death for her role in the killing of hundreds of protesters in July 2024. Her banned political party, the Awami League, staged a lockdown on Nov. 13, and unrest ahead of the verdict led to police and paramilitary forces being deployed. (Photo by Abdul Goni/Reuters)

Wong, 71, shouts on Nov. 26, grief-struck that his wife was trapped inside Wang Fuk Court during a major fire. The buildings are in the Tai Po district of the New Territories in Hong Kong. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A family looks forlorn in a room inundated by rainwater in Colombo on Nov. 28. (Photo by Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

Residents clean up a commercial district of downtown Hat Yai as floodwaters receded on Nov. 29. (Photo by Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images)

Residents take in what’s left of an area hit by deadly flash floods following heavy rains in Palembayan, Agam regency, West Sumatra province, Indonesia, December 1, 2025. (Photo by Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

A believer holds an electric candle during a Christmas Mass at Indonesia Arena stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 24. (Photo by Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

Choir members sing Christmas carols outside the fX Sudirman shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 23. (Photo by Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

On Christmas Eve, decorative lighting along with Christmas installations illuminate Carter Road, Bandra, in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times/Getty Images)