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RetrospectiveInflation, fires, Elizabeth II: the year 2022 in ten records
From soaring prices to fires and the reign of Elizabeth II, a look back at the year 2022 in ten records.
After a long reign of more than 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II of England died on September 8, 2022.
AFP
Price spike
Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine sent energy and food prices soaring: the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index agriculture) reached a historic peak in March, as did the European gas price.
This resulted in a surge in inflation throughout the year, with for example +10.6% in October over one year in the euro zone, i.e. the strongest increase since the start of this index in 1997 .
Influx of refugees
The war in Ukraine has led to the largest influx of refugees into Europe since the end of the Second World War: more than six million to neighboring countries and 8 million internally displaced, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees estimated in May. (UNHCR). On a global scale, the number of uprooted people exceeded the 100 million mark for the first time.
Heat waves and fires
The year was marked by new climatic records: in Europe, the summer was the hottest ever recorded and the areas burned by fires the largest with more than 600,000 hectares destroyed. On a global scale, CO2 emissions of fossil origin have never been as high as in 2022.
Missile Rain
In response to the largest joint air maneuvers ever conducted by South Korea and the United States, North Korea sent a record salvo of missiles into the Sea of Japan in November, including a peak of 23 launches in 24 hours on November 2.
Unconventional reign and funeral
Seventy years of reign, seven years longer than her great-great-grandmother Victoria: the existence of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8 at the age of 96, was extraordinary, as was her funeral in London . Crowds estimated at a quarter of a million lined up for miles to pay their last respects and parade past his coffin in Westminster.
Elon Musk, billions and a fiasco
For a long time the world’s first fortune (only overtaken at the end of the year in the Forbes ranking by the CEO of the luxury giant LVMH Bernard Arnault), the boss of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk distinguished himself by his about-face on Twitter, bought, in fine, in October for 44 billion dollars. It has since put the social network in a perilous position by alienating advertisers, (ex) employees and regulators.
Record auction
The art collection of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen went up for auction in November in New York for a record total of $1.62 billion with paintings by Georges Seurat, Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt. Another sign of strength in the art market, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol became, in May, the most expensive work of art of the 20th century: 195 million dollars.
At the top of world tennis
By winning Roland-Garros for the 14th time in June, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal improved his record of major titles among men’s tennis players: 22 Grand Slam tournaments, ahead of the Serbian Novak Djokovic (21 titles) and the Swiss Roger Federer (20), who ended his career in September.
American player Serena Williams, who also bowed out in September, surpasses these three champions with 23 Grand Slam titles.
Fins for Taylor Swift
The release of Taylor Swift’s tenth album ‘Midnights’ in October caused blackouts on Spotify and broke the record for ‘most listened to in a single day’. Ten songs from the album made it to the top ten spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a first.
The American singer also won the prize of “the most polluting celebrity of the year” because of her numerous private jet flights, according to the marketing agency Yard.
eight billion people
The world’s population passed the 8 billion mark in mid-November, according to the United Nations. An “unprecedented growth” when there were only 2.5 billion humans in 1950.
(AFP)