The year 2020 went down as the most traumatic in the history of mankind with nearly two million deaths from the deadly COVID19. The destructive nature of this pandemic has impacted the world in an unprecedented way. The internet emerged as the biggest connector as the world adjusted to the work-from-home paradigm – making massive corporate spaces look superfluous. The pandemic also pushed the online-shopping to unparalleled levels – generating 100s of billions of dollars all over the world, with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and AliBaba raking in most of the dividend. COVID-19 indeed redefined the way the world works, making mask a popular sight and santizers as the neo-normal.
Beginning with a rampant spread of global pandemic – COVID 19, 2020 imposed World health emergency for the first time in global history all the way from North American to the Australian continent.
Corona virus has engulfed nearly 2 million lives globally so far. Countries including Italy, Germany, France, Russia and US have had a very high rate of deaths and destruction.
Work from home became the notion to put in practice, whereas global travelling was paused for unpredictable durations, leaving all trade markets in unforeseen circumstances. This had hard hit the aviation industry resulting in loses of jobs and revenues.
The fire-breakout in Amazon rainforest of Brazil, Australia on 9 March burnt an estimated area of 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres; 186,000 square kilometres; 72,000 square miles), destroying over 5,900 buildings (including 2,779 homes) and killing at least 34 people still remains green down the memory-lane of 2020.
The tragic Beirut explosion in August 2020 is again a huge setback for International trade marketing caravans enrouting via warm waters of Mediterranean Sea to different sites in world. This explosion occurred due to ignition of 2790 metric tons of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut port. A loss of almost over 200 human lives in this blast was devastating. It left 7000 injured and over 300,000 internally displaced.
Some valuable people amidst of all these crises, departed from this planet Earth. The sudden death of famous retired Basketball players Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California while boarding along with his 13 year old daughter, Gianna and nine others was a real shock not only for the basketball admirers, but the people all across the world payed homage to his humble rendered services.
Moreover, Amanullah from Pakistan the super star of comedy breath his last this year on March 6. Not only this, Tariq Aziz the master mind behind popularity of Bazm e Tariq Aziz show, also passed away on June 17th this year.
In addition to this, the tragic deaths of Mir Zafar Ullah Khan Jamali, the former prime minister of Pakistan, Shamim Akhtar ( Nawaz Sharif’s mother) and Khadim Hussein Rizvi, a radical Pakistani religious scholar also occurred in 2020.
Moving forward to socio-political nostalgia, we come across George Floyed’s murder which gave rise to serious serial civil disobedience movements under the banner of famous slogan “Black lives matter” in US. He, a 46-year-old black man, got killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota
2020 was also the year of US elections which brought Joe Bidden and Kamala Harris, on November 7 to the office as elected president and vice-president of US.
Sports although after facing abandonments across the world were played at different instances in various parts of world. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Frances Tiafoe were among the winners of the ATP’s top awards for this year. International Kabadi World cup 2020 which was held in Qaddafi stadium Lahore, earlier this year was won by Pakistan against India. Furthermore, Karachi kings won Pakistan Super League 2020.
This year brought glad accomplishments as the appointment of Nigar Johar as first ever Women officer in Pak Army as lieutenant General and of Raina Khan winning Lady Diana award, bringing laurels to the country.
Many famous Pakistani celebrities tied knots of marriage this year including Sadaf Kanwal and Shehroz Sabzwari, Sajal Ali and Ahad Raza Mir, Saad Qureshi and Misha Chaudhary. Famous Pakistani cricketer, Aisam ul haq also got married in 2020 while some famous divorces of 2020 include divorce between Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Hussain.
