As the rollercoaster year 2020 comes to an end, let us take some time to revisit seven of the eye-catching and mind-boggling events that took place during the year.
The Unexpected Global Pandemic
Today marks the first anniversary since WHO learned of cases of ‘pneumonia with unknown cause,’ which led to the #COVID19 pandemic.
In his new year message, @DrTedros reflects on the fight against the virus & the road ahead for 2021.
Full message 👇https://t.co/0l42plbKck
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 31, 2020
The pandemic caused by the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) undoubtedly tops the chart. Lockdowns, quarantines, loss of jobs, high mortality rate and various restrictions created uncertainty about what the future holds in store for the people and the economies. The outbreak originated in Wuhan, a city in China, and rapidly spread to other countries. Reports of the very first COVID-19 cases began in December 2019. The virus’s deadly strain is said to have come from bats, though one study indicates that pangolins may be the origin. The virus is easily transferable, especially from person to person in close communities, and it is the most contagious when a person’s symptoms are at its peak. Another matter of concern has been the transmission of the virus from asymptomatic people. This kind of virus is new, and research is still going on. The COVID-19 cases can cause symptoms which can get severe and then lead to death in some instances. Reports have suggested that the coronavirus is deadlier than influenza. Though preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus remain a challenge, a relief as of now would be the testing of various vaccines, which is slowly but steadily being made available to the countries across the globe.
Peace Deal between Israel and the Gulf countries
Peace with the United Arab Emirates.
Peace with the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Peace with the Republic of Sudan.
Peace with the Kingdom of Morocco.After 26 years without a new peace treaty, we've had four new agreements in less than four months. And this is just the beginning.
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 23, 2020
Israel was successful in establishing a peace agreement with the following four Arab nations:-
United Arab Emirates (UAE);
1. the Kingdom of Bahrain;
2. the Republic of Sudan and
3. the Kingdom of Morocco.
This is indeed a historic breakthrough in the Middle East, and these were achieved within a couple of months! The decision to move forward with the ‘Abraham Accords’ was reached with Mr Donald Trump’s help, the USA’s 45th President. Trump can indeed leave the office with his head held high, winning over a foreign policy like no other. Donald Trump has accomplished what his predecessors promised, tried and failed at – he got the Peace Deal that they couldn’t. Currently, Saudi Arabia is also in the talks to sign the peace deal with Israel. No wonder this Peace Deal has been named as the ‘Deal of the Century’!
Ethiopian Jews reach Israel: A surprising return indicating Prophetic Times!
Today, 316 Ethiopian Jews landed in #Israel as part of Operation Rock, which aims to bring 2,000 Ethiopian Jewish immigrants back to their homeland. On Friday morning, another 200 Ethiopian Jews are expected to make aliyah.
Welcome home! 🇮🇱❤️
Via Michal Cotler-Wunsh pic.twitter.com/zSJaIRMHCI
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) December 3, 2020
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, said in a statement, “My wife Sarah and I stood there with tears in our eyes at the welcoming, when we see the immigrants, our Ethiopian Jewish brothers, leave the plane…come down and touch the ground, the land of Israel. You waited so long to realise the dream and today it is being realised.” Mossad, the Israeli spy agency, played a vital role in flying the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. These Jews were first brought to Israel from the Sudanese refugee camps in the early 1980s, again by Mossad on the then prime minister’s instructions, Mr. Menachem Begin, followed by a mass airlift in 1991. A 100 more were expected to land in December 2020 and another 1,700 by the end of January 2021. This is all part of a Biblical prophecy stating the return of the Jews to the Holy Land!
The US Presidential Elections: Trump vs Biden
The 2020 US Elections has been one such event which caught the attention of people across the world. The candidates for this election were Mr Donald Trump, the current US President and the Republican party’s representative, and Mr. Joe Biden, the Democrats’ representative. It was a tough competition between the two candidates, of which Mr Joe Biden emerged victorious as the President-Elect in the race towards the White House.
The United States had more votes than it had people voting, by a lot. This travesty cannot be allowed to stand. It was a Rigged Election, one not even fit for third world countries!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2020
However, Mr Trump refuses to back down, stating the presidential battle as “Rigged Election!”. He exposed the frauds played in the elections, which he consistently updates in his official social media accounts. As both the candidates stand for policies that are opposites, one can only hope that the right person comes into power at the right time.
The Beirut Explosion
BREAKING: Explosion in Lebanon. The speed of the shock wave, the size of the damage, the pulverisation of a building. Doesn't look like fireworks to me. #Beirut pic.twitter.com/JXyRpe5HUZ
— Syrian Girl 🎗️🇸🇾 (@Partisangirl) August 4, 2020
The terrifying blast on 04th August 2020 was highly explosive, and its shockwave was felt for miles. Mr. Marwan Abboud, the Mayor of Beirut, painfully compares the disaster to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hospitals were overwhelmed, over 100 people have been killed, numerous people have been injured, and various buildings within the city have been destroyed. The same blast was detected in Turkey, Syria, Israel, parts of Europe and Cyprus and had a force equivalent to a 3.5 magnitude earthquake. Mr Hassan Diab, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, said that the major blast at Beirut’s port was caused by the detonation of an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse at the dock, ever since it was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014 without any precautionary measures being taken. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, these explosions were preceded by a warehouse fire at Beirut’s port that contained fireworks. The blast’s impact had hit Beirut’s northern, industrial waterfront, little more than a mile away from the Grand Serail palace, where the Lebanon Prime Minister is based. Various landmarks, including hospitals, churches and universities were nearby.
The United Kingdom (UK) officially exits the European Union (EU)
EU agrees to Brexit deadline extension up to 31 January 2020, says Donald Tusk https://t.co/mqPH3Rey1H
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) October 28, 2019
Great Britain withdrew from the EU on 31st January 2020. Upon ‘Brexit’, Economists expect that Brexit will have a damaging impact on the British economy and the other EU member states’ economies. Studies show that Brexit will likely reduce the British real per capita income in the medium and long term. Further, the studies on the effects since the referendum show a reduction in GDP, trade and investment, and household losses from increased inflation. Disruptions were also expected with this particular move of the UK.
Black Lives’ Matter
Racism is the original American pandemic and continues to kill each and every day. #icantbreathe #BlackLivesMatter #imsosickofthisshit https://t.co/rfIfO7j1MG
— rebellewithacause (@bostonbookworm2) May 26, 2020
This protest took the year by a storm and highly violated the COVID-19 protocol in the initial months of 2020. Though the protest existed in the United States of America (USA) since 2013, it gained momentum after the ‘murder of George Floyd’ at Minneapolis on 25th May 2020. Reports state that over 4,700 demonstrations were carried out in the American streets, on an average of 140 per day, in June 2020. Out of this movement evolved ‘All Lives Matter’. This showcased that high importance is given to every life, even as small as an unborn child. No one has the right to take another’s life, intentionally or unintentionally. Human persecutions and animal cruelty of all sorts are happening in several parts of the world which the media fails to highlight, and hence, we are unaware of the same. We must not fail to remind ourselves that ‘Every life is precious!’
