From Australia's bushfires to COVID-19, news that shook the world in 2020

From bushfires which devastated wildlife in Australia, coronavirus which shook the entire human race, locust attacks to other natural disasters, the year 2020 has been an unforgettable year. It won't be remembered only for the pandemic. Check out the big events that marked 2020.

Australia bushfires

The bushfire in Australia started in late 2019 but continued devastation till January 2020. Nearly 3 billion koalas, kangaroos and other native Australian animals were killed or displaced by bushfires in 2019 and 2020, as per a study by the World Wildlife Fund. (WWF). The fires destroyed over 11 million hectares (37 million acres) across the Australian southeast, equal to about half the area of the United Kingdom.

Iranian general Soleimani killed in a drone strike

The killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike at Baghdad's international airport on January 3 triggered tensions between the US and Iran. The situation turned so bad that Iran retaliated with a rocket attack on an Iraqi air base where U.S. forces were stationed. Hours later, Iranian forces on high alert 'mistakenly' shot down a Ukrainian passenger airliner taking off from Tehran.
Iran, then, also issued an arrest warrant for U.S. President Donald Trump and 35 others over Soleimani's killing.

Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna, die in helicopter crash

Kobe Bryant along with his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash on January 26 while the group was heading to the girl's basketball tournament.  Their chopper crashed just northwest of Los Angeles. Kobe was 41 and Gianna was 13. The deaths shook the sporting world and  the nation alike. Tributes started pouring in from all corners of the world soon after the news of him passing was confirmed.

WHO announces news about novel coronavirus

On January 9, 2020 the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced news about the deadly novel coronavirus for the very first time. On March 12, the WHO declared the virus a global pandemic.

Lockdown spooks Indian stock market

Indian benchmark indices suffered their biggest one-day selloff on March 24, 2020 as several states in India went into lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 spread in India. Within less than one hour of market opening, trading on BSE and NSE halted as Sensex hit the 10 per cent lower circuit breaker. The rupee also weakened past 76 level per dollar for the first time at that point. The selloff was so severe that it shaved off a record Rs 14 trillion of market capitalisation.

Karachi plane crash

In May, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane carrying 99 people  on board crashed into a densely populated residential area near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. The crash claimed the lives of over  97 people while two passengers survived miraculously. Flight PK-8303 carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members from Lahore was about to land at Karachi airport when it crashed in Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, just a minute before its landing.

Locust attacks

In June, millions of locusts swarmed to Gurgaon, in the Delhi-NCR region. In May, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were severely affected by locust swarms measuring a kilometre. This was the worst locust attack in 27 years. The locusts entered India from Iran and Pakistan and were first spotted in January in Gujarat's Banaskantha district, which shares its border with Pakistan's desert areas.

Air India plane crash

The Air India Express flight from Dubai with 190 people on board, at the Kozhikode airport, broke into two and killed over 18 people, including both pilots.
The incident took place on August 7, 2020. The impact was more on the front of the Air India plane when it landed. The front few rows including the cockpit were crushed due to the impact.

Black lives matter movement

Thousands of citizens in US cities came onto the streets, marched, stopped traffic and lashed out violently at police as protests erupted following the killing of George Floyd. He was killed by a white officer. Floyd's death triggered a nationwide "Black Lives Matter" movement in the US and a global outcry for justice for the people of different colours.

The Beirut blast

A mammoth blast in a port warehouse district shook Beirut in Lebanon in August this year. The massive explosion at Beirut port killed 190 people, injured thousands, and damaged property not just near the blast site but also many kilometres away. So many people took to social media and posted visuals of the blast calling it "a never seen before" incident.

Bollywood drug connections

Bollywood experienced its share of misfortunes too. The death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput triggered mass debate on nepotism and drug tales in Bollywood. Rhea Chakraborty, the late actor's girlfriend, was also taken into custody by NCB. Many big names from the industry were flashed and questioned by NCB over drug consumption. Bollywood's big names like Deepika Padukone, Rakul Preet Singh, Karan Johar were also questioned in connection with the matter.

Year of disasters including cyclones, floods, factory explosions

Various cyclones-Amphan, cyclone Nisarga, cyclone Nivar also hit the country hard. Hyderabad experienced 32 cm of record-breaking rainfall, flooding the city. The oil and gas leak in Assam also resulted in two deaths and environmental damage.

President elect Joe Biden

Argentina and the entire world mourned after the passing away of legendary footballer Diego Maradona. The Argentine hero died of a heart attack on November 25, aged 60. Maradona's attorney confirmed the passing away of the football icon, saying he suffered the attack at his home oin the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Before the world could even say goodbye to existing coronavirus, another mutant strain of the virus was discovered.  The new coronavirus strain, which is said to be more transmissible, and therefore more dangerous, has so far been found in the UK, Sweden, South Africa and also in India.