Time truly flies! Time flies but leaves its shadows behind. 2020 is about to end in a couple of days. This year was challenging for so many people in so many ways. It won’t be wrong to say that 2020 was all about the ‘survival of the fittest’. Our day-to-day routines have been altered by the global pandemic, affecting health and lives of majority of the people around the world.
Here is the list of some major events in 2020 that took many people by surprise:
More than half of all Australians have been directly affected by the bushfire crisis, including millions whose health has been affected. The devastating fires in Australia burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares, destroyed over 5,900 buildings, and killed at least 34 people. However, smoke pollution that blanketed the country’s southeast during the bushfire may have killed more than 400 people, according to the estimates of Medical Journal of Australia. These fires lasted for months killing at least one billion animals were believed to have died in the fires as more than 100 species were in need of medical help in order to survive.
The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most shocking and uncertain event of the year 2020. The novel coronavirus, a respiratory disease originated from a wet market in the city of Wuhan, located in the Hubei province of China. Life, come to a halt since the COVID-19 pandemic affected people throughout the world with many countries went into lockdown. It has caused a significant loss of human life with major economic disruption. In a matter of a few months, the virus has spread across the world to more than 20 million people, resulting in at least 751,000 deaths. The pandemic is not over yet; many countries are experiencing its second wave.
The royal exit was something that was heartbreaking for the fans of royal family in Britain. After many months of speculation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce they are stepping down from their duties as senior royal members in Buckingham Palace. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they planned on being financially independent and split their time between North America and the United Kingdom.
A Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed into houses in Karachi on May 22, killing 97 people. Miraculously, two passengers survived the crash. Airbus has opened an investigation into the plane’s strange behavior around takeoff, the latest deadly plane crash was a devastating event in the uncertain times of COVID-19.
This year also faced an agricultural disaster. Hundreds of billions of locusts swarmed through parts of East Africa and South Asia. The Food and Agricultural Organization said that the locusts could affect the food security of 25 million people. City-sized swarms of the dreaded pests wrought havoc as they descend on crops and pasturelands, devouring everything in a matter of hours. The scale of the locust outbreak, which affected seven East African countries, was like nothing in recent memory.
After three years of political chaos, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union at the end of January. The move brought about a mixed reaction as celebrations and protests sparked across the country. This change was welcomed by the sitting government of the country.
It was claimed by US officials that more than a dozen missiles were launched from Iran on two military bases in Iraq occupied by American soldiers. No deaths were reported from the incident, but more than 100 troops were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. The attack was believed to be retaliation against the US, following the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
by: Abeer Arshad
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