In Pictures: Women at the Frontlines of international protests in 2022 that no one expected
The year 2022 was undoubtedly a rollercoaster ride, as a record number of incidents took place that nobody saw coming. So, honouring this rollercoaster year, here are the world’s most talked about crises and iconic moments that made huge headlines.
STRAP – Stories about women and how they drive change are often silenced but in 2022, they took centerstage and came on the front lines of every crisis and conflict specially this year whether it is Abortion law, Anti Hijab protest, or education rights. In all these protests, women’s bid to reclaim their rights has earned widespread international support and prompted solidarity protests in India too.
International issues that were widely reported in 2022
HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER TALIBAN RULE
The entire world saw when the Afghanistan’s military forces and government surrendered to the Taliban without giving a fight. Taliban took control in August 2021, and since then, the nation is still facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The country’s economy has no cash to pay salaries or buy food and women are still protesting against the education ban and they feel like ‘caged birds’.
CANADA’S NEW IMMIGRATION POLICY
Canada announced in February 2022, that it will increase its proposed intake of immigrants into the country, by targeting as many as 475,000 in 2024. Indians will be among the major beneficiaries of the plan as they represent the single largest source country for immigrants to Canada.
SRI LANKA’S ECONOMIC CRISIS CONTINUES
The ongoing economic crisis in the island state did not begin this year but has definitely worsened in 2022. It is said to be Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948 in which the crisis has forced people across the nation to cut back on food and other vital items due to shortages of money and high inflation.
ABORTION BAN IN THE UNITED STATES
Six months after the Supreme Court of the United States of America overturned its Roe Wade ruling (1973), the state of abortion rights throughout the country remains unsettled.
THE FIFA WORLD CUP
The 2022 World Cup which was held in Qatar, was the country first for the Middle East and also the first such kind of event to take place in the winter in the northern hemisphere. The event became the most expensive football World Cup ever in which the country spent a whopping $300 billion to organise the tournament.
Not only this, a parade of celebration for the World Cup champions Argentina was abruptly called off as millions of people gathered on thoroughfares, and highways in a chaotic attempt to catch just a glimpse of the national team that won the greatest World Cup finals of all time.
A YEAR OF BRUTAL INFLATION
Inflation has been unusually high in countries around the world in 2022 which has resulted in a cost-of-living crisis, with many families, even in some of the world’s wealthiest nations, being forced to live without food.
THE OMICRON CORONAVIRUS VARIANT SPREADS
The highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 spreading around the world and it was found that the overall risk related to this variant remains very high. The new variant is said to be very dangerous and a variant of concern to WHO which is spreading faster than any previous variant.
WORLD POPULATION 8 BILLION NOW, INDIA TO SURPASS CHINA IN 2023
The world population touched 8 billion, with India being the largest contributor to the milestone, according to the United Nations (UN). India added 177 million to the final score and is expected to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation in 2023.
JOHNNY DEPP AND AMBER HEARD TRIAL
Following the bitter divorce in 2016, Amber Heard filed a domestic violence restraining order against Depp in April 2022, and brought photographic evidence of the alleged abuse she suffered which didn’t go well for her. The highly-publicized defamation case was ended and the verdict was in favour of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp.
THINGS THAT HAPPENED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2022
FIRST COMPANY TO REACH STOCK MARKET VALUE OF $3 TRILLION
Apple’s value hit the $3 trillion milestone, making it the first publicly traded company to do so in the very first month of the year.
VICTORIA’S SECRET FEATURES MODEL WITH DOWN SYNDROME
The Puerto Rican model Sofía Jirau became the first woman with Down syndrome to feature as a Victoria’s Secret model and appeared in the fashion company’s Love Cloud ad campaign, which emphasizes diversity and inclusivity.
AN ICE SHELF THE SIZE OF NEW YORK CITY COLLAPSES IN EAST ANTARCTICA
An ice shelf the size of New York City has collapsed in East Antarctica, an area long thought to be stable and not hit much by climate change, concerned scientists said. It is the first such collapse in the eastern part of Antarctica since satellites started recording activity there in 1979.
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THINGS THAT NO ONE EXPECTED BUT STILL HAPPENED IN 2022
MASS TECH FIRING
In a massive layoff that took place at Meta, Twitter, and Amazon, thousands of employees were let go as the world’s largest tech giants collectively lost over $3.2 trillion in value. Over 95,000 workers in the United States and across the world’s tech sector have been laid off in mass job cuts so far in 2022.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The most significant world event of this year. It’s been over 300 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the eight-year-old conflict has devastated the country with multiple air strikes, which isolated Russia further from the West and fueled economic insecurity around the world. The total damage to the physical infrastructure of the war that began on February 24, 2022, is estimated at over 127 billion U.S. dollars with countless souls lost their lives and several still missing.
IRAN ANTI-HIJAB PROTESTS IN IRAN
Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s so-called morality police, Iranian women have poured into the streets to protest their government’s decades-long oppression of women.
Thousands of women then started to cut their hair as an act of defiance in a stance against the rules of the hijab being compulsory.
Over 450 protesters, including children and women, have been killed in a violent crackdown by security forces. Iranian women were being shot in their faces, breasts, and genitals, and men were shot in their legs, buttocks, and backs, according to images accessed by the US media.
Meanwhile, Indian activists also joined the protest and started to publicly cut their hair to show solidarity with Iranian women at the forefront of the biggest anti-government protests.
WILL SMITH SLAPS CHRIS ROCK AT OSCARS
The 94th Academy Awards had the audience shocked as actors Will Smith and Chris Rock had an unscripted on-stage altercation. Will slapped Chris on the face when the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wife, actor Jada Pinkett Smith. Will laughed a bit in the beginning but Jada was seen rolling her eyes and then everything changed.
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3 PMS IN 2 MONTHS –RISHI SUNAK– THE FIRST PERSON OF COLOR HEADS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT
Rishi Sunak became the UK’s third prime minister in less than two months – the fifth in six years. The former banker has made history as the first person of color to become prime minister of Britain. He is also the first person of the Hindu faith to sit in that office and may even be the first prime minister who comes to the job with more wealth than the British royal family.
ELON MUSK TAKES CONTROL OF TWITTER & MASS EXODUS ENSUED
Apart from the usual bizarre statements & controversial tweets, one of the world’s richest men, Elon Musk, drew big headlines for the havoc he created after taking charge of Twitter and firing over 70% of its employees.
RONALDO LEAVES MANCHESTER UNITED
In November, Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United by mutual consent following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. In an interview, Ronaldo said he felt “betrayed” by the club and has “no respect” for manager Erik ten Hag.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II PASSES AWAY & PRINCE CHARLES BECOMES KING CHARLES III
The UK had a most dramatic 2022, losing its beloved Queen to having 3 PMs in 2 months. On September 8, Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died aged 96, after reigning for 70 years making her the world’s second longest-ever reigning monarch. In September, Prince Charles ascended the throne upon her death and is now King Charles III.
WOMEN REFEREE AT MEN’S WORLD CUP
Stéphanie Frappart of France became the first woman lead referee at a men’s World Cup match when she officiated a game between Costa Rica and Germany in Qatar in December. Also, it is said to be the first men’s World Cup game to have an all-woman referee team.
FAMOUS PERSONALITIES WE LOST
India also lost two of its most popular artists – singer Lata Mangeshkar, fondly referred to as India’s Nightingale, and music composer Bappi Lahiri aka the ‘disco king’ of the Indian music industry.
The untimely demise of Indian singer KK due to cardiac arrest and the death of an Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds in a car crash left the world shocked.
Popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, aged 28, was murdered.
Shockingly, former President of Japan Shinzo Abe was assassinated while speaking at a public event and the accused was arrested on the scene.
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India lost its own Warren Buffet Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, who is also called the Big Bull. Jhunjhunwala died due to multiple organ failure, aged 62. At the time of his death, Jhunjhunwala was the 438th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $5.8 billion, according to Forbes.
OTHER FAMOUS INCIDENTS
India assumed the G-20 presidency for the next year on December 1, 2022. India will host over 200 meetings in over 50 cities across 32 different workstreams.
The world was sent into the throes of another virus – Monkeypox – a case of which was reported in London.
Sports legend Roger Federer announced his retirement from tennis, leaving behind millions of heartbroken fans and also rivals – like longtime competitor and friend, Rafael Nadal.
Massive floods wreaked havoc in Pakistan from June to August which killed more than 1,400 people and caused an estimated $30 billion in damage as houses, crops and key infrastructure was swept away.
