World War II was not as global as the news of a COVID-19 epidemic in 2020. In the United States, a tumultuous presidential election and waves of opposition to racial injustice drew relentless coverage.
To an extent, other dramatic improvements. Among them: China’s repression of Hong Kong’s democracy; An apocalyptic eruption in Beirut; Basketball icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter die in shocking helicopter crash.
As President Donald Trump’s indictment and Prince Harry and Megan Markle announced in January leaving their key roles in Britain’s royal family, some epic events are far from over. A few weeks later came the long-awaited Brexit, in which Britain formally withdrew from the EU.
As much of the world struggled with COVID, armed conflicts erupted in Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Ethiopian region of Tigre. The endless war in Afghanistan dragged on, even as the warring factions fought in peace talks. Mass demonstrations challenged the ruling powers in Belarus and Thailand.
Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for past sexual harassment and sexual abuse and has filed a petition for bankruptcy protection against the Boy Scouts of America.
Some of the other highlights of 2020 are:
Iran: The year that began with the assassination of a high-ranking official ended with tensions between Iran and the United States. On January 3, a US drone strike killed Revolutionary Guard General Cossem Sholaymani.. Iran has responded with a missile attack that wounded dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq. In December, a mysterious attack near Tehran killed a nuclear scientist, identifying that the United States and others had organized Iran’s attempt to search for nuclear weapons two decades earlier. Iran blamed the attack On Israel.
Immigration: Throughout 2020, the Trump administration offered to extend a wall along the US-Mexico border, which angered human rights advocates as they implemented immigration policies. Targets include unsupported children seeking asylum in the United States; Hundreds were detained in hotels Before being expelled. The administration also sought to suspend the postponement of the childhood visit to protect some young immigrants from deportation. But a federal judge ruled that the applications were new To be accepted.
Hong Kong: China has imposed a national security law in Hong Kong. Subsequent oppression The protest effectively nullified China’s pledge to allow the city to maintain the rights it had promised for 50 years following its handover from British colonial rule in 1997. The arrests of leading opposition parties and the expulsion of local lawmakers – which prompted the entire opposition camp to resign – led many countries to reduce their legal cooperation with Hong Kong. The United States imposed travel bans And financial constraints.
Opioids: Purdue Pharma, The maker of Oxycond, pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, duly responsible for its role in opioid epidemics, which contributed to the deaths of more than 470,000 Americans over two decades. Burdock admitted that he had blocked efforts to combat the drug crisis. The request arose out of a settlement that included a $ 8.3 billion fine and confiscation, but victims’ lawyers are concerned. The owners of the Burdock, the Chockler family, are likely to express their wealth intact.
Significant Deaths: For sports fans around the world, 2020 was sadly booked by the deaths of two famous superstars – Kobe Bryant of Basketball, 41, and Diego Maradona of football, 60. Among those killed with Bryant in a helicopter crash was his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who is also a promising athlete. Other dignitaries who died include U.S. Civil Rights leader John Lewis, Guitarist Eddie van Hollen, And cast Chadwick Bosman And Sean Connery. Many admirers of liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Not only did he mourn his death, he was replaced by a conservative, Amy Connie Barrett.
Beirut: The Lebanese capital was devastated in August by the largest non-nuclear explosion ever recorded. A fire broke out in a port warehouse containing reserves of about 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate. Explosion Tearing through Beirut, sucking in the air, the windows scatter miles around and blow homes away. More than 200 were killed and thousands wounded in the tragedy of a nation Already surrounded by mass protests and economic dissolution.
France-Muslims: A teacher was beheaded in October An 18-year-old Chechen outside Paris was prompted to announce France’s highest security alert following the killing of three people by a Tunisian immigrant in Nice. The attacks come amid an investigation into the 2015 assassination of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet of Islam. Teacher beheaded for showing cartoons to his class while discussing freedom of expression – actively defended by President Emmanuel Macron. Caricatures and Macron’s position provoked calls from Muslim countries to boycott French products; And some French Muslims Security resisted repression.
Hurricane: This is a historically busy hurricane period The forecasters had to return to the Greek alphabet after exiting the assigned names. In the United States, Louisiana was hit by three hurricanes and two tropical storms. Laura hit the hurricane state, Which came ashore in August. In November, several Central American countries were devastated by two Type 4 hurricanes. In Tennessee, a hurricane erupted in March, killing 25 people.
Israel-Diplomacy: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed historic agreements in September and plotted diplomacy At the White House with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. This is Israel’s first naturalization agreement with Arab countries for more than 25 years. Later, Sudan and Morocco also promised warm official relations With Israel. These actions helped Netanyahu deliver a welcome record to his constituents for dealing with the corona virus crisis and the ongoing corruption investigation.
Wildfires: Thousands of wildfires spread across western America, killing dozens and destroying thousands of homes, And revelation brings scenes Orange sky and dangerous wind. Several months before the usual start of the wildfire season, drought, extreme temperatures and winds blowing at 100 mph ignited some of the most devastating fires in regional history. Scientists blame climate change for serious and frequent extreme events such as storms, droughts, floods and wildfires – including massive brush fires that have been raging for months In Australia.
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Associated Press reporters include John Cambrell in the United Arab Emirates, Christopher Bodin in Beijing, Gina Karam in Beirut, Elaine Conley in Paris, Rebecca Santana in New Orleans, Joseph Federman in Jerusalem and Olga Ar in San Francisco. Rodriguez contributed to this report.