Hanoi (VNA) – Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, central banks raising interest rates, the global population reaching 8 billion, and the World Cup in Qatar are among the top stand-out international events selected by Vietnam News Agency (VNA) in 2022.
1. Russia conducts special military operation in Ukraine
A giant plume of smoke rises above the Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol as Russian troop launches an attack on Ukrainian forces there on April 19, 2022. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. The serious conflict shows no sign of ending, pushing relations between Russia and the West into a new spiral of confrontation.
The conflict and retaliatory sanctions between Russia and the West have impacted global security and politics, pushing gas prices up to a 14-year high, and causing many countries to face food shortages and rising costs of goods from March until the last month of the year.
2. Many central banks hike interest rates
FED on December 14 once again raises its basic interest rate by 0.5%, the seventh time in 2022. In 2022, FED raised interest rates from nearly 0% to a range of 4.25-4.5% - the highest in the past 15 years, in an effort to control inflation, which hits 40-year record high. In the photo is FED’s headquarters in Washington DC. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) The US Federal Reserve (Fed) on March 16 approved its first interest rate increase in more than three years. In 2022, Fed raised interest rates for seven times to a range of 4.25-4.5%. On July 21, the European Central Bank (ECB) also raised interest rates for the first time in 11 years and then increased the rates thrice more in the year.
The adjustments by Fed, the ECB and many other central banks aimed to control inflation and keep financial markets stable, but put some economies at risk of recession.
3. The world copes with COVID-19 and monkeypox
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on December 2 said he is hopeful that the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is coming to an end, but this could not be realised due to errors in COVID-19 prevention strategies in 2022 have created “ideal conditions” for a new deadly variant to emerge. In the photo: A hospital in Hong Kong (China) is overloaded due to a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, February 16. (Photo: AFP/VNA) The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over due to the Omicron subvariant of the coronavirus which continues to spread through many countries. On July 23, WHO declared the escalating global monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The epidemics continued to cause concern and normal activities have yet to be fully restored globally.
4. The Communist Party of China successfully holds 20th National Congress
On October 23, at the first meeting of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping (C) is re-elected as Party General Secretary for the third consecutive term. The Central Committee also elects the Politburo with 24 members and the Standing Committee of the Politburo with 7 members. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) The Communist Party of China (CPC) successfully held its 20th National Congress in Beijing from October 16-22. Xi Jinping was re-elected as Party General Secretary for the third consecutive term.
The congress approved adjustments to the Party statutes, and set out strategic tasks for the next five years and beyond, towards the successful implementation of the Second Centenary Goal of building a comprehensively modern socialist country by 2049.
5. UK experiences successive political changes
On October 19, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss apologises to the House of Commons for reversing large parts of her proposed tax cuts. She also takes responsibility for policy "mistakes" that caused investors’ confidence to drop and people to face a severe cost of living crisis. (Photo: AFP/VNA) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned on July 7. His replacement Liz Truss also quit her post just 45 days into the job, making her the shortest-serving PM in the country’s history. 42-year-old Rishi Sunak, who took office on October 25, is the youngest British PM in more than 200 years.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96 after her 70-year reign. Prince Charles becomes King Charles III.
6. Agreement on “loss and damage” fund reached at COP27
Plastic waste pollution is growing increasingly alarming in the world. Microplastics have been found in the stomachs of fish that live in the deepest parts of the ocean, or in ice cores in the Arctic. Plastic pollution is said to be the cause of the death of more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals every year. In the photo: About 200 pilot whales die after being stranded on Ocean Beach in western Tasmania, Australia on September 22. (Photo: AFP/VNA) At the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt on November 20, countries reached a breakthrough agreement on a compensation fund for developing nations suffering impact of climate change.
The event was of great significance in the context of climate change causing more severe consequences on humans and the environment.
7. World population reaches 8 billion
November 15, 2022 becomes a milestone in human development when the world's population officially reaches 8 billion. In the photo: Newborn babies inside a hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 19. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Baby girl Venice Mabansag born in Tondo, Manila, on November 15 was considered the symbolic eighth billion person in the world.
The hallmark created a development impulse while posing challenges to the world regarding the environment, the ecosystem, natural resources, food security and water resources security.
8. Stampedes in RoK, Indonesia
Bodies of victims in a Halloween celebration stampede in Seoul's Itaewon district, the Republic of Korea on October 29, 2022. (Photo: AFP/VNA) At least 158 people died in a stampede during Halloween festivities in Seoul's Itaewon nightlife district on October 29. Earlier, another at a soccer match in Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang (Indonesia) on October 1 left more than 130 people dead and hundreds injured.
The two disasters within a month raised the alarm of safety at crowd gatherings after the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. NASA reports smashing success with asteroid redirection test
The image provided by the Italian Space Agency's Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIAC) shows that DART is approaching the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26. (Photo: AFP/VNA) The Double Asteroid Redirection Test successfully changed the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos after the NASA spacecraft intentionally slammed into the space rock on September 26, according to the agency.
This marks humanity’s first success in purposely changing the motion of a celestial object and the first full-scale demonstration of asteroid deflection technology.
10. FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar with special points
Argentina is crowned the 2022 World Cup champion on December 18, 2022, ending the 36-year wait for the glory. This is also the third time "La Albiceleste" has won the FIFA World Cup (Photo: AFP/VNA) For the first time, a men’s football FIFA world cup was held at the end of the year (mid-season), in an Arab country, with female referees, using semi-automated offside technology, the FIFA Player app that made tracking data available to every participant in the game, and a football data ecosystem.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball, becoming the first player in the history of the tournament to have won the award twice. Morocco made history as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal./.
