If 2020 was a ride, it was a riveting one. It took a 180-degree turn when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world. The public health crisis became the reference point of all political activities, scientific and medical endeavors, businesses, and cultural dynamics. There was also some good news, which people consider as the silver lining. But there were headlines that have moved us to the edge of our seats. These are the Top 10 Breaking News Stories of 2020.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the Royal Family
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, issued a statement in January saying they will step back as senior members of the Royal Family and become financially independent. It was reported that the royal couple did not consult any senior royal before making the statement.
In their statement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said: “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.”
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” it continued.
Kobe Bryant's death
Retired National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in California in January.
He was on his way to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks with his daughter Gianna, who also died in the accident, for a basketball game.
Bryant was scheduled to coach his daughter’s basketball team in that game. Following his retirement from the NBA in 2016, he said he had watched little basketball but Gianna’s love for the game sparked his interest in coaching her team. During a memorial service for Bryant, Michael Jordan cried remembering his interactions with the Lakers star. “Maybe it surprised people that Kobe and I were very close friends,” Jordan said. “But we were very close friends. Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother.”
Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752
Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, which was bound to Kyiv, crashed after the plane took off at the Iran airport and killed all passengers. The majority of the passengers from the crash, which happened at 06:12 local time, were from Iran and Canada.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, the passengers were 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians including all nine crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Britons and three Germans. As a result of the crash, Ukraine International Airlines decided to suspend flights to Tehran indefinitely. It also said that the Boeing 737-800 was built in 2016 and had its last scheduled maintenance was on Monday.
Bushfire in Australia
The state of New South Wales in Australia has declared a state of emergency as deadly bushfires continue to rage in the area. NSW has also declared a state of emergency for seven days in November and December 2019 that granted extraordinary powers to the Rural Fire Service (RFS). According to the RFS, 17 people have died from the fires across the country that time, with most damage concentrated in NSW. It destroyed almost 1,300 homes in the state and damaged 442 more.
Trump issued order ban on TikTok
In August, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to ban TikTok and WeChat in the U.S. in 45 days if sold by their Chinese-owned parent companies. The orders state that the video-sharing app and the group chat app will be prohibited from operating in the U.S. if their Chinese-owned parent companies fail to sell them in 45 days. He also warned that he would ban Chinese tech firm ByteDance’s video-sharing app if no deal has been signed by September 15. ByteDance is being pressured to sell its U.S. business after Trump declared a possible ban on Chinese tech companies.
Coronavirus pandemic
In January, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreaks a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020. However, in March, the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic since there were over 118,000 coronavirus infections in over 110 countries and territories at that time. Lockdowns were imposed all over the world to contain the virus. Movement restrictions halted travel, businesses, jobs, outdoor activities, and public gatherings. In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. Today, 2.9 million doses of that vaccine are being shipped out by FedEx and UPS.
New U.S. president
Joe Biden won the U.S. presidential elections in 2020. President Donald Trump refused to concede the election but he eventually acknowledged the transition process. For his first 100 days as US president, Biden said he plans to get at least 100 million Americans vaccinated, sign a mandate asking people to wear face masks and get the children back to school safely. One of the most critical issues he could face is the U.S.-China trade issues.
U.S.-China tension
Under Joe Biden's presidency, analysts say the U.S.-China tension will ease. US-China tension is rooted in several areas, such as their trade imbalance and competition in technology. This sparked a tariff war that may damage the world economy. US and China have fought over a wider range of issues, including the origin of the coronavirus and Hong Kong’s autonomy. According to analysts, a Biden administration would be able to negotiate with U.S. allies more effectively than Donald Trump to come up with a more unified plan regarding its relations with China. “The United States does need to get tough with China,” Biden wrote earlier this year in a “Foreign Affairs” article titled “Why America Must Lead Again: Rescuing U.S. Foreign Policy After Trump.”
Hong Kong's national security law
China passed the national security law for Hong Kong in June 2020. According to the Chinese government, the legislation aims to prevent secession, terrorism activities, subversion of state power, and foreign interference. The legislation was proposed during China’s annual parliamentary meeting in late May and sparked protests in Hong Kong over fears that the city’s liberties would wane.
Premier Li Keqiang, the country’s second-in-command, previously said that the decision to carry out the law was “designed for steady implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ and Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.”
In her statement in May, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said that the rights and freedoms of the public will still be intact. She explained that the national security law “aims to prevent, curb and sanction an extremely small minority of criminals who threaten national security, safeguarding the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and maintaining ‘One Country, Two Systems.’”
E-commerce boom
The coronavirus pandemic accelerated e-commerce growth. U.S. e-commerce sales during the pandemic increased by more than 30%, according to quarterly figures from the US Department of Commerce. Data showed that consumers spent $211.5 billion online during the second quarter, a 31.8% increase from the previous quarter. This is an important step up from the first quarter, which reported US e-commerce sales of $160.3 billion, a 2/4% increase from the fourth quarter of 2019. E-commerce now makes up for 16.1% of all US sales, up from 11.8% in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, China’s e-commerce is booming as more consumers shop online and businesses attempt to digitize, including food delivery giants.
“Post COVID-19, the pace of digitization continues to accelerate and the shift from offline to online, in particular for individual shopping, is becoming a habit for consumers,” Jefferies said in a note explaining Alibaba’s June quarter earnings.
Meituan Dianping, China’s biggest on-demand delivery services firm, saw a net profit of 2.2 billion yuan ($319.5 million), a more than 152% year-on-year rise and compared with a loss of 1.58 billion yuan in the March quarter of 2020.
These are the Top 10 Breaking News Stories of 2020.
