2022’s Biggest News Stories, as Told by Michael Ainomugisha.

Britain has been under 3 prime ministers in 2022 (Image: Skynews)

2022 has been a year like no other. Economic, environmental and geopolitical turmoil have defined the past 12 months, in a year that saw the death of Queen of UK Elizabeth II, invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a few presidents have been elected, MPLA has maintained its dominance in Angola despite the death of its longest serving president Eduardo Dos Santos and many more that you might have missed .

Here are the top stories around the world per month that transpired in this unpredictable year.

January 

2 January – 2022 There was a fire outbreak at the parliamentary complex in Cape Town, South Africa

On 10th January Flooding in Eastern Cape left at least 14 dead and displaced hundreds more in the region.

24th January 2022 there was a coup to oust president Marc Christian Kaboré, he was sacked from office by soldiers. Junta chief Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was installed as interim president.

February 

Russia invades Ukraine: Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, leading to global crises for both food and energy, as well as displacing millions of people.

February 3 – The share price of Meta falls by 26.4%, with Facebook losing $230bn in its market value, the biggest one-day loss in history for a US company.

March

3 March – The High Court in Kuala Lumpur dismissed an application by Najib Razak and former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah for them to be given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) on six counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) amounting to RM6.6 billion involving the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC)

10 March - After Russia was suspended from the Council of Europe at the beginning of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and subsequently announced its intention to withdraw from the organization, former President (2008-2012) and Prime Minister (2012-2020) Dmitry Medvedev endorsed restoring the death penalty in Russia.

25 March – North Korea tested its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missile ICBM

April 

In April, Prime Minister Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, continuing a streak in which no Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term. Khan, however, did not go quietly into retirement. Was replaced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

May 

6 May - French Prime minister Jean Castex resigns and president Macron appoints Minister of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion Élisabeth Borne to replace him.

June 

US Supreme Court overturns abortion rights: In a controversial ruling on 24 June, the US Supreme Court revoked women’s constitutional right to abortion, restoring the ability of individual states to determine a woman's reproductive rights.

Flooding in Pakistan: Flooding in Pakistan from June to August killed more than 1,391 people and caused an estimated $30 billion in damage as houses, crops and key infrastructure were swept away.

On 5 June 2022, a mass shooting and bomb attack occurred at a Catholic church in the city of Owo in Ondo State, Nigeria. At least 40 people were killed, with the highest estimates being around 80.

July

7 July

Boris Johnson announces his pending resignation as Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader as a result of the resignations from his ministry, prompting a leadership election which will finish in September.

On 8 July 2022  Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Japan.

August 

2 August - US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her congressional delegation arrived in Malaysia as part of the second-leg of their Indo-Pacific tour.

9th Kenya went to polls for a general election that was won by Former deputy president Waliam Ruto won with 50.49% under the UDA against his counterpart Raila Odinga 48.85% of  Azimio La Umoja 

24 August - 2022 Angolan general election: Angolans vote to elect their president in a tight race between incumbent leftist candidate João Lourenço and center-right candidate Adalberto Costa Júnior. The electoral commission announces that President João Lourenço's MPLA has won the general election.

The election happened a few days after the death of ex and longest serving president José Eduardo dos Santos, 79, on 4th July.

30 August – Mikhail Gorbachev, the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union, Nobel Peace Prize recipient was announced dead.

September.

5th September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election: Liz Truss is elected as the leader of the Conservative Party, beating Rishi Sunak, winning 57.4% of the members' vote to Sunak's 42.6%.

Queen Elizabeth II passes away: Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on 8 September and was succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. She died at 96 years of age after 70 years on the throne, making her the world’s second longest-ever reigning monarch.

16 September - Guidance Patrol officers in Iran beat a 22-year old Mahsa Amini to death in Tehran for not wearing her hijab properly, sparking major protests across the country.

October

About 130 people were killed during clashes and crush-stampede between rival football supporters in Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang Regency, East Java. Indonesia

 On  30 October – Second round of general election. Brazilians elected Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party as president, with 50.9% of the vote, in the second round of the presidential election

24 October Conservative Party leadership election: Rishi Sunak becomes the new Leader of the Conservative Party, and the Prime minister–designate, after Penny Mordaunt, the only other contender, drops out of the leadership contest. Upon taking over from Liz Truss, he became the UK's first British Asian Prime Minister, and at 42 the country's youngest leader in over 200 years.

October 27 Elon Musk completes his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter.

30 October - Government in Democratic Republic of Congo expelled Rwandan ambassador to Congo after alleged Rwandan government support for M23 rebels.

November 

World population exceeds 8 billion: The world reached its first landmark of 1 billion people in 1803. Over 200 years later, on 15 November 2022, the world surpassed 8 billion people.

Teodoro Obiang Holds a record of the longest serving President. (Courtesy Photo)

November 26th Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was relected for a sixth term with 94.9 percent of votes, making him the longest-ruling head of state in Africa and the world, excluding monarchs.

December

Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland hold the biggest strike in NHS history, as they demand a 19% pay increase. (Refer to last To November podcast ⤵️

WorldNews Weekly

20th December 2022 FIFA World Cup ended in dramatic fashion with Argentina beating France through a penalty shootout in the final and winning the trophy for the first time in 36 years.

20th December— The Bank of England unveils a new look to the Series G banknotes featuring King Charles III. No additional changes will be made to the existing designs of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, which will enter circulation from mid-2024.

29th December Football great Edson Arantes do Nascimento known by his nickname Pelé was announced dead at 82. He is regarded as greatest football player of all time, due to his contribution to the sport in the 20th-century.

Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI dies at 95 (Photo: BBC)

31st December Former Pope Benedict XVI died at his Vatican residence, aged 95, almost a decade after he stood down because of ailing health.

He led the Catholic Church for less than eight years until, in 2013, he became the first Pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

The writer is a student of Journalism, podcaster of WorldNews Weekly