ALBAWABA - Aleppo in devastation after last week's mega earthquakes that hit south Turkey and northern Syria. Aleppo was just one of the Syria cities to take a battering with many killed, houses destroyed and infrastructure, and/or what's left of it, devastated. UN officials have been visiting the city recently. The United Nations says the disaster may have left up to 5.3 million people homeless in Syria, including 200,000 people in Aleppo alone.

ALBAWABA - A devastating earthquake has struck southern Turkey, in the early hours of Monday morning it was deadly in its intensity, felt in many Middle East countries including Syria with its own rising death toll and destruction, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine and Israel. The quake had a magnitude of over 7.4 percent that struck in the southern province of Kahramanmaras with 78 aftershocks according to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

ALBAWABA - Tunisians have gone to the polls on Sunday to vote for a new parliament. This is the second round of voting under new reforms introduced by president Kais Saied to elect a new legislature made up of 131 seats as 262 candidates stood for these elections that were marred by a low turnout.

ALBAWABA - In a dramatic turn of events the supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Brazilian Congress, the Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia and the Supreme Court, Sunday, in protests against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's inauguration last week. Hundreds of supporters of the far-right former president clashed with police who were trying to barricade the complex.

ALBAWABA - A historic ceremony. Scenes captured during the official ceremony of Brazil's new president at the National Congress in Brasilia. Luiz Inacio, Lula de Silva, first served as president of the country between 2003 and 2010.

ALBAWABA - Countries all over the world celebrate Christmas in different traditions and spirit. What follows are snapshots of the festivities that usually fall on 25 December of each year.

ALBAWABA - Jordan holds the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in the Dead Sea. The venue on 21 December, aims to support the economic development, stability and security of Iraq, gathered regional leaders including Abdul Fatah El Sisi, the Egyptian president and was lead by Jordan's King Abdullah. In attendance as well was Iraq's prime minister Mohammed Al Sudani, the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and French President Emmanuel Macron and officials from the European Union.

ALBAWABA - Ukraine is in darkness with Russia attacking its electricity and power infrastructure. About 12 million Ukrainians today are living without electricity. The following pictures show how people are coping with the new black out crisis across the country.

ALBAWABA - African leaders meet in Washington in a special US-Africa summit. About 50 heads of states are attending from Africa in the American capital for the first time in eight years. News of the summit, taking place between 13-15 December, is trending.

ALBAWABA - "Extinction Rebellion" is a group of activists fighting against climate change and the protection of the environment. In this collection of photos their activism is displayed. They are dressed as Santa Claus sitting on the Boulevard Saint-Germain outside the Ecological Transition Ministry in Paris and denouncing the French government's environmental policy on the eve of the start in Montreal of the COP15 biodiversity summit in Paris, on December 6, 2022.

ALBAWABA - People from all over the world have taken to the streets in support of people in China against their government's zero-covid policy which requires incessant lockdowns. Protestors from New York to California and reaching to Melbourne and Tokyo are taking to the streets to show their support in worldwide demonstrations against what's happening in China. And protests are being reported in China in a rare public display of anger by people against their country's lockdown policies to contain the growing Covid pandemic.