A year gone by, a year that was eventful. From geopolitical tensions and toppled governments to unexpected victories, this year was a global battlefield, both inside and outside, in palaces and parliaments. Here's all that went down in 2024.

Rise and fall of nations

Recently, a prolonged family rule ended in Syria after the rise of a radical Islamist-turned-rebel politician Abu Mohammed al-Jolani aka Ahmed al-Sharaa led to the dethroning of now ousted President Bashar al-Assad on December 8. 

Meanwhile, in December, South Korea’s National Assembly voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo, less than two weeks after he took over for President Yoon Suk Yeol who was impeached for his botched imposition of martial law.

As the Israel–Hamas war continued, Israel intensified its military operations, targeting Gaza and engaging Hezbollah in Lebanon. Key figures, including Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah and Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, were eliminated.

Things were not-so-nice in Bangladesh amid the internal unrest which led to the stepping down of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

Hasina fled the country leaving behind a nationwide protest over government job quotas. 

Before the world could process all the fallen kingdoms, the French government also collapsed after Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted in a no-confidence vote this December.

However, India’s other neighbouring country continues to grapple with political instability and protests after the arrest of former PM Imran Khan, an alleged attack on Afghanistan, and in turn, retaliation from the Taliban.

Year of elections

2024 was the year of elections across over 80 countries in the world. While India saw the right-wing saffron party securing less seats than anticipated, the US saw Donald Trump’s comeback after over five years of impeachment trial.

UK ended a 14-year rule of the Conservative Party headed by former Indian-origin PM Rishi Sunak and elected Keir Starmer of the Labour Party, rather abruptly. Meanwhile, Mexico elected its first female President, Claudia Sheinbaum.

Whispers in the castle

2024 was challenging for the British royal family, with King Charles and Princess Kate both diagnosed with cancer — Kate in January and King Charles in February.

While undergoing chemotherapy, Kate announced her recovery in September. These events fuelled speculation about the monarchy's future and Prince William and Kate’s readiness to take on greater royal responsibilities.

Look up!

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) marked a significant milestone with its maiden solar mission Aditya-L1 which reached the L1 point on January 6, 2024. It was launched on September 2, 2023. 

However, the world lauded Space X’s significant success in launching its colossal Starship rocket and catching the returning booster using mechanical arms at the launchpad like chopsticks.

SpaceX created the first-of-its-kind fully reusable rocket stage and, much more importantly, made the reuse economically viable.

End Game

Before India’s daughter Vinesh Phogat quit wrestling to join politics, she went through a tough time at the Paris Olympics. Phogat was disqualified for being 100 gm overweight in the women’s 50kg event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Moreover, India clinched six medals at the Paris Olympics, one silver and five bronze. Although hopes were high for a historic performance, the country fell just short of surpassing its previous best at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when they secured seven medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze.) and ranked 48th.

It was June 29, 2024, when India marked a historic win in the T20 World Cup by defeating SA by 7 runs. However, a test series loss against New Zealand, that too a whitewash, came in as a bitter surprise.

Artificial Intelligence

As the years go by, humans are being challenged by the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI-generated deep fakes posed a threat across India and other countries, the content creators experienced an ease at work. 

As this was the year of elections, AI is believed to have influenced the campaigns by providing insights into demographics, voting history, and behavioural patterns.

It helped to target campaigns addressing concerns, views and preferences specific to the individual voter, according to a digital publication focused on AI.