As the page turns to herald a new year, 2022 has not been without its share of the good, the bad, and the jaw-dropping unexpected across the world.
From the United Kingdom’s double change of guard within weeks, to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the one-day-one-trend drama following Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition, it has been a mix of varied experiences within the global community.
Below are some major international headlines that were talking points of 2022:
BREAKTHROUGH PIG-HEART-TO-HUMAN TRANSPLANT
History was made on January 7, as the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) announced the successful first-of-its-kind transplant of a pig’s heart to a human. David Bennett, the 57-year-old man with terminal heart disease who received the heart, however, died in March.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE
On February 24, after threats and counter-threats, explosions were reportedly heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, and other parts of Ukraine as Putin ordered a special military operation in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Ten months later, amid deaths, displacements, sanctions, as well as food and energy crisis, there has not been a resolution. As recently as December, Russian missile attacks were recorded in Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, the country’s capital.
UK, ASYLUM SEEKERS, AND THE PROPOSED RWANDA TOUCHDOWN
In April, Boris Johnson, UK prime minister at the time, announced that the country will begin moving asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing. The announcement, however, did not meet with all-around approval as refugee organisations criticised the decision, which has now been backed by a UK court.
MILITARY TAKEOVERS AND ATTEMPTED COUPS
In Burkina Faso, there was a military takeover on live TV — the second of such within eight months. There were also attempted coups in Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, The Gambia, as well as arrests in Germany over suspicion of plotting a coup.
INDIA ‘MISTAKENLY’ FIRES MISSILE INTO PAKISTAN
In March, there was drama at the defence ministry of India following an “accidental” firing of a missile into Pakistan. The development was, however, blamed on a “technical malfunction”. Although Pakistan said the missile was shot down, there were concerns over possible ripple effect considering that both countries have been involved in conflict dating back several years, especially over which nation controls the Kashmir territory.
THOUSANDS KILLED IN DISASTERS
The current year also witnessed its share of deaths running into thousands of persons across the world — including hundreds killed in flooding in South Africa, Congo, among others; over 250 killed following stampedes in South Korea and Indonesia; more than 100 killed in Somalia car bombings; and over 140 deaths after a bridge collapse in India.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II, POPE BENEDICT XVI PASS ON
On September 8, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 96, and Charles, her eldest son and the former Prince of Wales, took over the throne as the new king and ruler of 14 Commonwealth states.
Other notable deaths of 2022 included that of Pele, the Brazil footballing legend and three-time World Cup winner; as well as Pope Benedict XVI who passed on less than 24 hours before 2022 drew its final curtains.
ELON MUSK BUYS TWITTER — AND TRUMP RETURNS
After agreeing to purchase the micro-blogging platform for an initial offer price of $44 billion, Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla Inc, acquired Twitter. Weeks after the acquisition, Twitter reinstated the account of former US President Donald Trump. The account was restored after the Twitter CEO posted a poll on Twitter asking users of the platform if Trump should be reinstated.
ARGENTINA WINS FIFA WORLD CUP
After a hair-raising game featuring Argentina and France, that initially ended 3-3 following over two hours of play, the FIFA World Cup final on December 18 climaxed into a penalty shootout.
With panic, tension, and confused expectations finally dissolving into the finishing seconds, it was a victory for Lionel Messi’s Argentina, as the country secured its third World Cup trophy — its first since 1986.
UK’S CHANGE OF GUARD AND OTHER POLITICAL MATTERS
From the UK to Pakistan, it was a year of varying events around political crises. There was a significant development in the UK, as Boris Johnson stepped down as prime minister, giving way to Liz Truss. However, 45 days later, Truss resigned, and Rishi Sunak became UK’s prime minister.
In April, Aung San Suu Kyi, who led Myanmar for five years before the country’s military toppled her government in February 2021, was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption. In December, she was jailed for another seven years.
Also in April, a military tribunal sentenced Blaise Compaoré, former president of Burkina Faso, to life imprisonment for the murder of Thomas Sankara, his predecessor, while in faraway Pakistan, Imran Khan was removed as the prime minister of Pakistan.
CHINA’S RENEWED BATTLE WITH COVID
In December, several countries across the world reviewed their protocol for preventing COVID, with much of the focus placed on travellers arriving from China. The development came amid concerns over rising COVID cases in China and the country’s decision to relax its rules for inbound travellers.
THE TALIBAN AND ITS SEVERAL BANS
The passing year came with several restrictions imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan — including restricting women from acquiring university education, suspension of operations of foreign and domestic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country, and barring persons without beards from working for the government.
THE NETHERLANDS APOLOGISES FOR 250-YEAR SLAVERY
In December, The Netherlands apologised to its former colonies for its involvement in slavery which went on for more than two centuries.
“Today, I apologise. For centuries, the Dutch state and its representatives have enabled and stimulated slavery and have profited from it,” Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, had said.
“It is true that nobody alive today bears any personal guilt for slavery. However, the Dutch state bears responsibility for the immense suffering that has been done to those that were enslaved and their descendants.”
