Flashback 2018
2018 was the year when conventional wisdom and international norms and rules were set upside down by one of the most divisive yet charismatic of leaders US has ever produced: Donald Trump. He has torn apart a number of international treaties with friends and foes alike, sparking remarkable confrontations with foreign leaders and even with his own cabinet members. It has seen many remarkable and shocking events, ranging from natural disasters to wars and protests, but Trump and his unorthodox foreign and domestic policies dominated the news all round the year.
Trump, Kim meet-up
On June 12, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in Singapore in the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries. They sign an agreement which reaffirms Pyongyang's commitment to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". But so far North Korea has taken few concrete steps to abandon its nuclear weapons, and the two sides have sparred over the meaning of the vaguely worded agreement.
G7 mayhem
Annual G7 summits, which group the world's seven richest democracies, are usually cozy affairs. But the June G7 summit in Quebec, Canada, ended in unprecedented acrimony after Trump attacked allies for using the US as a "piggy bank." With a final flourish, Trump torpedoed the traditional joint communique -- usually a dull document reaffirming common values, suddenly turned into the hottest controversy around.
Brexit impasse
On November 25, after 17 months of negotiations, the European Union and Britain agree on an accord covering Britain's exit from the bloc by March 2019. But British Prime Minister Theresa May on December 10 postpones a parliament vote on the deal set for the following day, acknowledging it would be rejected. She survives an internal party no-confidence vote on December 12.
Khashoggi murder
On October 2, dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, enters his country's consulate in Istanbul and is never seen again. After more than two weeks of denials and contradictory statements, Riyadh admits that he had been killed inside the consulate after a brawl. It fires various officials and arrests others, also acknowledging the journalist's body had been dismembered. The murder tarnishes the kingdom's image and notably that of its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, amid questions over whether he had ordered the killing, which the country vehemently denies.
Italy, Brazil turn right
On June 1, a populist coalition government takes power in Italy formed by the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and far-right anti-migrant eurosceptics. On October 28, Brazil elected Jair Bolsonaro as president. He has exalted the country's military dictatorship, threatened to jail or drive into exile his political opponents.
Trump quits Iran nuclear deal
On May 8, President Donald Trump pulls the United States out of the hard-won 2015 accord that limits Iran's nuclear weapons programme in exchange for an easing of sanctions against the Islamic republic. The "one-sided deal" does not go far enough in preventing Iran from creating a nuclear bomb, Trump says, among other criticisms. The remaining parties to the accord -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- insist Iran has abided by its commitments and vow to keep the deal intact. In August Washington reimposes a first wave of sanctions on Iran; in November there is a second.
Thai cave boys
There is a global sigh of relief on July 10 when the last of 12 young football players and their coach are extracted safe and sound from a flooded cave in northern Thailand where they had become trapped 17 days earlier. The fate of the junior football team had captured world attention, with US and British diving experts joining the rescue effort and former Thai navy diver losing his life.
Syria regime victories
On April 14, the Syrian army declares that all anti-regime forces have been forced out of the Eastern Ghouta area adjoining Damascus after a blistering two-month offensive that leaves more than 1,700 people dead. It is a major victory in the government's effort to reassert control after the 2011 uprising that pulled the entire country into a devastating conflict. Backed by Russia's military might, Assad's forces go on to notch up a series of victories against rebels and insurgents, to be back in control of two-thirds of the ruined and divided country.
Spy poisoning saga
On March 4, Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter are discovered unconscious and poisoned on a bench in Salisbury, England. London points the finger at Moscow. Moscow rejects all charges. Angry exchanges between the two capitals bring in other Western nations behind London. Eventually dozens of Western and Russian diplomats are expelled in tit-for-tat reprisals, and new sanctions are brought against Russia.
US moves embassy to Jerusalem
On May 14, the United States opens its new embassy in Jerusalem, infuriating the Palestinians -- who also claim the holy city as their capital -- and flouting years of international policy. Clashes erupt on the border with Israel and the Palestinian territory of Gaza: after the bloodiest day in the dragging conflict in years, around 60 Palestinians are dead, killed by Israeli gunfire.
Heat and fire
In July-August Europe swelters in a heatwave which approaches the continent's record 48 degrees Celsius (118.4 Fahrenheit), as deadly forest fires rage in Greece, Portugal and Spain. In November, California is ravaged by its deadliest fire ever, with 85 people dying before it comes under control after two weeks. The UN's World Meteorological Organization announces in November that 2018 is set to be the fourth hottest year on record.
US midterm polls and migrant caravan
Midterm elections on November 6 see the Democrats win control of the House of Representatives while the Republicans bolster their majority in the Senate. An approaching caravan of thousands of Central Americans draws headlines away from the campaign. The migrants started arriving at the heavily patrolled Mexico-US border from mid-November.
Yemen war and famine
On June 13, the war in Yemen steps up a notch when pro-government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, launch an assault to wrest back control of the vital aid port of Hodeida from Huthi rebels, backed by Iran. The war, which started in 2014, has already killed about 10,000 people with 20 million at risk of starvation.
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