T.I.A Recaps 2022: International News Stories
Every year we say “it’s been a bloody big year”, and every year, it just seems to get bigger. For this reason, the 2022 edition of “TIA RECAPS” has been split into multiple different articles because collating it into one would have you sitting here for hours. The second installment will detail some of the International News Stories we talked about this year.
PRINCE ANDREW IS NOW JUST ANDREW
On the 16th of February Queen Elizabeth II stripped Prince Andrew, her third child, of his honorary military titles, as well as his royal titles. In 2020 had resigned from public roles due to criticism about his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It was a civil lawsuit that alleged he sexually abused a teenage girl that had his “military affiliations and royal patronages” returned to the Queen.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE
On the 24th of February Russia issued a pre-dawn attack on Ukraine, this invasion has killed thousands of people, and has left an estimated 14 million Ukrainians displaced. Half of those have been forced from their home, the other half have left Ukraine in search of safety. Ten months later, those who remain in Ukraine are living without power.
CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CRASH
On March 21 a Boeing 737-800 operated by China Eastern Airlines crashed into terrain in Teng County, Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on its flight path from Kunming (South West China) to Guangzhou (near Hong Kong). All 123 passengers and nine crew members on board were killed in the crash which has been reported as having been deliberately crashed, though this is still unconfirmed.
ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING
On May 24th, 18 year old Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother in the face, before travelling to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas where he completed the deadliest US school shooting in almost a decade. Ramos, a former student of the school, killed 19 students, two teachers, and wounded seventeen others. Officers have been criticised for the amount of time the shooter was able to be inside the school- 77 minutes, before they stormed the adjoining room he was in and killed him. In December a $39 million lawsuit was filed by survivors against law enforcement officers in Texas.
THE SPREAD OF MONKEYPOX
In May it was confirmed that monkeypox had spread to Western countries after a cluster was found in the UK. The first case was linked to travel to Nigeria (where the disease is endemic), while a further four cases had no link to such. 80,000 cases were recorded around the world this year in countries that had not previously reported the disease. It was declared a global emergency in August by the World Health Organisation.
THE PLATINUM JUBILEE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
A four day weekend was created in the UK from Thursday 2nd June until Sunday 5th of June to allow for celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. It was the first time that any British Monarch in history had celebrated the platinum jubilee.
ROE V. WADE OVERTURNED
It was Friday, June 24 when women in the US were stripped of yet another human right. On this day the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a piece of legislation that allowed access to abortion as a federal right. Trigger laws in many states meant that abortion was automatically or though state action outlawed from that moment on. 13 states have now banned abortion in the US including Idaho, Texas, Arkansas and Tennessee among others.
WHO THE HELL IS RUNNING THE UK?
In the 365 days of 2022 the UK went through three prime ministers. In July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was ousted by his own party- the Conservative Party. The party opted to replace him with Liz Truss.. Who resigned after just six weeks. On October 25, a third prime minister BUT the first UK leader of colour, Rishi Sunak took office.
IRAN PROTESTS
In September 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in hospital three days after being taken into custody by the morality police in Tehran. She was allegedly not abiding by the strict hijab rules enforced in the state. Protests erupted after her death, people were angry over the freedoms they were not allowed, as well as the economic impacts over sanctions. In response to the protests Tehran executed two people- the first, Mohsen Shekari on December 9, the second, Majidreza Rahnavard was executed on December 12 in a public hanging from a construction crane.
It would be impossible to detail all the international news stories from 2022, but here is a small snippet. Next instalment: deaths in 2022.
