Kurdish Man Dies in Failed Attempt to Rescue Drowning Woman in Erbil

 A Kurdish flag hangs in the Erbil International Airport, in Iraq, September 27, 2017. (AP/Khalid Mohammed)
A Kurdish flag hangs in the Erbil International Airport, in Iraq, September 27, 2017. (AP/Khalid Mohammed)
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Kurdish Man Dies in Failed Attempt to Rescue Drowning Woman in Erbil

 A Kurdish flag hangs in the Erbil International Airport, in Iraq, September 27, 2017. (AP/Khalid Mohammed)
A Kurdish flag hangs in the Erbil International Airport, in Iraq, September 27, 2017. (AP/Khalid Mohammed)

On the third day of Eid al-Fitr, Iraqi woman Zahra Hashim, 36, was resting on a chair near the Choman river in the Balakayati area, in Rwanduz town northeast of Erbil, enjoying the beauty of the village’s nature as she got dragged by the water stream in no time.

Despite her screams and cries, none of her three children or family members who were with her made a move to rescue Zahra.

However, Jabar Osman Said, 19, a young Kurdish man who was on an overlooking hill, jumped and tried to rescue the woman, who clung to his arm with great force, but the water flow was stronger than him, and both the young man and the woman were swept away from the village by one kilometer, to end up drowning together in the river.

Sarkar Othman, 13, Jabar’s younger brother, confirmed that his brother was close to the scene, when he suddenly heard the scream of the drowning woman.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that she grabbed his brother's arm strongly and dragged him to the depth.

“My brother could not resist the strength of the lady and the power of the current, which dragged them together to the depth away from the village.”

Ali Balaki, the young man's uncle, said that the villagers will rush to rescue anyone drowning in that river. One of his nephews also drowned last year while rescuing a man dragged by the river.

"Our family is always keen to provide help for people, regardless of their identity. This is part of our customs and traditions in this region.”

The Kurdistan Tourism Authority called on tourists from Iraq's central and southern governorates to fully comply with the guidelines of the Tourism and Civil Defense Authority and to exercise extreme caution in the mountainous tourist areas and to avoid the dangerous spots.



Full List of 2026 Golden Globe Nominees

A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
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Full List of 2026 Golden Globe Nominees

A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
A podium stands near Golden Globe statues, ahead of the announcement of the nominations for the 83rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Nominees for the 2026 Golden Globe Awards have been announced and “One Battle After Another” is this year's leading nominee.

Here's the list of who's nominated for this year's awards, which will be held Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton. Nikki Glaser will host the ceremony, according to Reuters.

MOVIES Best motion picture, drama “Frankenstein”; “Hamnet”; “It Was Just An Accident”; “The Secret Agent”; “Sentimental Value”; “Sinners.”

Best motion picture, musical or comedy “Blue Moon”; “Bugonia”; “Marty Supreme”; “No Other Choice”; “Nouvelle Vague”; “One Battle After Another.”

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, drama Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Die My Love”; Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”; Julia Roberts, “After the Hunt”; Tessa Thompson, “Hedda”; Eva Victor, “Sorry Baby.”

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture, drama Joel Edgerton, “Train Dreams”; Oscar Isaac, “Frankenstein”; Dwayne Johnson, “The Smashing Machine”; Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”; Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”; Jeremy Allen White, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.”

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”; Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked: For Good”; Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue”; Chase Infiniti, “One Battle After Another”; Amanda Seyfried, “The Testament of Ann Lee”; Emma Stone, “Bugonia.”

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”; George Clooney, “Jay Kelly”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”; Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”; Lee Byung-hun, “No Other Choice”; Jesse Plemons, “Bugonia.”

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role Emily Blunt, “The Smashing Machine”; Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”; Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good”; Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, “Sentimental Value”; Amy Madigan, “Weapons”; Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another.”

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another”; Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”; Paul Mescal, “Hamnet”; Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”; Adam Sandler, “Jay Kelly”; Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value.”

Cinematic and box office achievement “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; “F1”; “KPop Demon Hunters”; “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”; “Sinners”; “Weapons”; “Wicked: For Good”; “Zootopia 2.”

Best motion picture, non-English “It Was Just an Accident,” France; “No Other Choice,” South Korea; “The Secret Agent,” Brazil; “Sentimental Value,” Norway; “Sirāt,” Spain; “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” Tunisia.

Best motion picture, animated “Arco”; “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”; “Elio”; “KPop Demon Hunters”; “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”; “Zootopia 2.”

Best director Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”; Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”; Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein”; Jafar Panahi, “It Was Just an Accident”; Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value”; Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet.”

Best screenplay “One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson; “Marty Supreme,” Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie; “Sinners,” Ryan Coogler; “It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi; “Sentimental Value,” Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier; “Hamnet,” Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell.

Best original score “Frankenstein,” Alexandre Desplat; “Sinners,” Ludwig Göransson; “One Battle After Another,” Jonny Greenwood; “Sirāt,” Kangding Ray; “Hamnet,” Max Richter; “F1,” Hans Zimmer.

Best original song “Dream as One,” from “Avatar: Fire and Ash”; “Golden,” from “KPop Demon Hunters”; “I Lied to You,” from “Sinners”; “No Place Like Home,” from “Wicked: For Good”; “The Girl in the Bubble,” from “Wicked: For Good”; “Train Dreams,” from “Train Dreams.”

TELEVISION Best television series, drama “The Diplomat”; “The Pitt”; “Pluribus”; “Severance”; “Slow Horses”; “The White Lotus.”

Best television series, comedy or musical “Abbott Elementary”; “The Bear”; “Hacks”; “Nobody Wants This”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “The Studio.”

Best performance by a female actor, drama Kathy Bates, “Matlock”; Britt Lower, “Severance”; Helen Mirren, “Mobland”; Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”; Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”; Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus.”

Best performance by a male actor, drama Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”; Diego Luna, “Andor”; Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”; Mark Ruffalo, “Task”; Adam Scott, “Severance”; Noah Wyle, “The Pitt.”

Best performance by a female actor TV series, musical or comedy Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”; Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”; Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”; Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”; Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday”; Jean Smart, “Hacks.”

Best performance by a male actor, TV series, musical or comedy Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Glen Powell, “Chad Powers”; Seth Rogen, “The Studio”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear.”

Best limited series, anthology series or movie made for television “Adolescence”; “All Her Fault”; “The Beast in Me”; “Black Mirror”; “The Girlfriend”; “Dying for Sex.”

Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series or movie made for television Jacob Elordi, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”; Paul Giamatti, “Black Mirror”; Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”; Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”; Jude Law, “Black Rabbit”; Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me.”

Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series or movie made for television Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me”; Rashida Jones, “Black Mirror”; Amanda Seyfried, “Long Bright River”; Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”; Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”; Robin Wright, “The Girlfriend.”

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus”; Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”; Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”; Catherine O’Hara, “The Studio”; Parker Posey, “The White Lotus”; Aimee Lou Wood, “The White Lotus.”

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”; Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”; Walton Goggins, “The White Lotus”; Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus”; Tramell Tillman, “Severance”; Ashley Walters, “Adolescence.”

Best performance in stand-up comedy on TV Bill Maher, “Is Anyone Else Seeing This?”; Brett Goldstein, “The Second Best Night of Your Life”; Kevin Hart, “Acting My Age”; Kumail Nanjiani, “Night Thoughts”; Ricky Gervais, “Mortality”; Sarah Silverman, “PostMortem.”

Best podcast “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard”; “Call Her Daddy”; “Good Hang with Amy Poehler”; “The Mel Robbins Podcast”; “SmartLess”; “Up First from NPR.”


NCW Releases 37 Wildlife Species in Hegra Reserve in AlUla

The release included six mountain ibex, 20 sand gazelles (reem), six idmi gazelles, and five ostriches - SPA
The release included six mountain ibex, 20 sand gazelles (reem), six idmi gazelles, and five ostriches - SPA
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NCW Releases 37 Wildlife Species in Hegra Reserve in AlUla

The release included six mountain ibex, 20 sand gazelles (reem), six idmi gazelles, and five ostriches - SPA
The release included six mountain ibex, 20 sand gazelles (reem), six idmi gazelles, and five ostriches - SPA

The National Center for Wildlife (NCW), in cooperation with the Royal Commission for AlUla, has released 37 wildlife species into Hegra Reserve as part of ongoing breeding and reintroduction programs aimed at restoring natural habitats, enriching biodiversity, supporting ecological balance, and promoting environmental tourism.

The release included six mountain ibex, 20 sand gazelles (reem), six idmi gazelles, and five ostriches, SPA reported.

This effort is part of NCW's continuing work to increase the numbers of threatened native species and expand their presence across suitable natural environments.

NCW CEO Dr. Mohammed Qurban stated that releasing these species into the reserve helps protect wildlife, safeguard ecosystems, and enrich biodiversity, strengthening the sustainability of the reserve and its role as a natural and cultural destination of national significance.

Qurban noted that this release is an extension of the center’s reintroduction efforts across reserves in the Kingdom, aimed at rehabilitating ecosystems, increasing biodiversity, and ensuring long-term sustainability. It aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the Saudi Green Initiative, and the National Environment Strategy, while also adhering to global approaches to wildlife conservation.


Australian Bushfires Raze Homes in Two States; Firefighter Dies 

Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)
Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)
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Australian Bushfires Raze Homes in Two States; Firefighter Dies 

Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)
Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)

An Australian firefighter was killed overnight after he was struck by a tree while trying to control a bushfire that had destroyed homes and burnt large swathes of bushland north of Sydney, authorities said on Monday.

Emergency crews rushed to bushland near the rural town of Bulahdelah, 200 km (124 miles) north of Sydney, after reports that a tree had fallen on a man. The 59-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and died at the scene, officials said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the "terrible news is a somber reminder" of the dangers faced by emergency services personnel as they work to protect homes and families.

"We honor that bravery, every day," Albanese said in a statement.

A fast-moving fire over the weekend destroyed 16 homes in New South Wales state's Central Coast region, home to about 350,000 people and a commuter region just north of Sydney.

Resident Rouchelle Doust, from the hard-hit town of Koolewong, said she and her husband tried to save their home as flames advanced.

"He's up there in his bare feet trying to put it out, and he's trying and trying, and I'm screaming at him to come down," Doust told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"Everything's in it: his grandmother's stuff, his mother's stuff, all my stuff - everything, it's all gone, the whole lot."

Conditions eased overnight, allowing officials to downgrade fire danger alerts, though the weather bureau warned some inland towns in the state could hit more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, raising fire dangers.

More than 50 bushfires were burning across New South Wales as of Monday.

On the island state of Tasmania, a 700-hectare (1,729 acres) blaze at Dolphin Sands, about 150 km (93 miles) northeast of the state capital of Hobart, destroyed 19 homes and damaged 40. The fire has been contained, but residents have been warned not to return as conditions remain dangerous, officials said.

Authorities have warned of a high-risk bushfire season during Australia's summer months from December to February, with increased chances of extreme heat across large parts of the country following several relatively quiet years.

In neighboring New Zealand, five helicopters and multiple crews were working to put out a fire near the country's oldest national park, a month after a wildfire burnt through 2,589 hectares (6,400 acres) of alpine bush there.

Police said they had closed a road near the state highway and advised motorists to avoid the area and expect delays after the blaze near Tongariro National Park, a popular hiking spot, spread to 110 hectares (272 acres) by Monday afternoon.