Published 17:00 IST, December 21st 2020
Huge things in 2020: From Brexit to World War 3 speculations, news that dwarfed pandemic
From Brexit including Trump rejecting his defeat to Australia wildfires, from Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict to speculations of World War 3, read 10 huge things.
While COVID-19 pandemic was the grim highlight of the year 2020, there were many huge things that happened throughout the months. From US Election 2020 including Trump rejecting his defeat to Australia wildfires, from Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict to speculations of World War III following the killing of Top Iranian military officials, many incidents caused a stir across the world and triggered a range of trends on Twitter. This year also witnessed a major breakthrough in the Royal Family with Duke and Duchess of Sussex formally stepping down as the royal members of the family.
World War III speculations
The killing of IRGC commander General Soleimani on the directives of Donald Trump marked a new low in the already strenuous, US-Iran relations. As the White House and the Pentagon confirmed the death of Iran's powerful military head, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed "harsh vengeance”, the news triggered the concerns of a dramatic escalation of conflict between the two countries, on social media, netizens shared memes to make the light of the situation--making the phrase 'World War 3' trend on Twitter.
US Election 2020
From impeachment inquiry against the incumbent, Donald Trump to allegations over now President-elect Joe Biden regarding relations with Ukraine, the months leading to the US Election 2020 were itself chaotic. Adding on, the elections were conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality. Despite the chaos, the historic presidential elections in the United States declared Joe Biden victorious after several days of counting as opposed to only 24 hours.
However, after tiresome vote-counting, Trump refused to concede until the official declaration and halted the transition process. Even now as the winner is called by the Electoral College, Trump is giving fuel to his baseless campaign of calling the elections 'rigged' and a 'fraud'.
Wildfires across the globe
From Amazon Forests in South America to Australia and California, wildfires ravaged the parts of the world throughout the year. While Australia had begun tackling the natural disaster from mid-2019 and continued to witness sparks and record-breaking heatwave this year, Amazon and California also caught a fresh wave of destruction.
Fires in the Amazon rainforest and the Amazon Biome spanning Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru also caused unrest for a prolonged period of time. Moreover, virtually all the damage in California has occurred since mid-August when five of the six largest fires in state history erupted.
Brexit
After 47 years of European Union membership, Britain finally left the 27-nation bloc on January 31 at 11:00 pm (local time). UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Britain's departure as a 'moment of real national renewal and change' while thousands of supporters gathered outside the British Parliament. Most Britons were seen welcoming the moment they longed for since the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union which was joined back in 1973.
However, there were many who think it was not a 'good decision'. However, the hurdles for British and EU lawmakers did not cease to exist, both sides have been unsuccessful in bagging a post-Brexit agreement even as the deadline of the transition period is looming around the year-end.
China cornered by the world
This year, China was also seen struggling to clear its name from bearing the blame of COVID-19 pandemic. From the United States (US) to Australia, countries across the globe called for an independent investigation over the origin of the novel coronavirus, the first infection of which was discovered in China's Wuhan.
Ever since Zeng Guang, an ex-epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that coronavirus originated elsewhere before it appeared in China in December 2019, the state-controlled media of the Communist State have directed all their resources in propagating the claim as fact. As of now, a team from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is set to arrive in Wuhan in January to investigate the origin.
Duke and Duchess of Sussex 'step down'
Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, decided to step back as ‘senior members’ of the Royal family. Internet was flooded with a barrage of opinions on the couple’s decision to take a “progressive new role” which was also aimed at giving their son a chance to grow up “normally” with awareness about his royal heritage.
The Royal couple, in a statement, said that they intend to become financially independent while extending full support to The Queen. “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages,” the statement read.
Japan PM resigned over health concerns
Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally confirmed his resignation and announced that he will be stepping down effective immediately, citing personal health reasons. In his final speech as PM, he said, 'I want to send my apology to the people, as I step down as Prime Minister, there is no guarantee that my health gets better.' His position is now taken by Yoshihide Suga who was the chief cabinet secretary under Abe.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) Protests
The United States witnessed a series of protests across the country that lasted for months after a Black man named George Floyd was brutally murdered by a Caucasian police officer in Minneapolis in May. Several thousand people took to the streets to protest against police brutality in the United States that later turned into a civil movement demanding police reforms and end of systemic racism. The protest spread across the country and turned violent in some places with demonstrators regularly clashing with law enforcement agencies.
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
The new fight, which triggered on September 27, is considered to be the heaviest in several decades. Thousands of people have been killed including civilians and widespread damage to property leading hundreds to flee their homes in the disputed region. The Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict raised international concern about stability in the South Caucasus, a region zig-zagged with pipelines that Azeri oil and gas to world markets. However, in a significant development, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a ceasefire starting on October 10 midnight and “substantive” talks over the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Russin foreign minister Sergey Lavrov had said.
SpaceX Crew Dragon launch
Back in 2019, SpaceX had designed “Crew Dragon,” which became the first privately owned spacecraft to successfully dock with the ISS. In 2020, NASA sent two of its astronauts to the ISS abroad the Crew Dragon, which became SpaceX’s first-ever crewed mission to space. On May 30, the spacecraft carried NASA astronaut Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken into orbit for a rendezvous with the space station, becoming the first crewed vehicle to fly from the US soil since the retirement of the shuttle in 2011.
Updated 16:58 IST, December 21st 2020