Analysis: 2020 was a terrible year for Europe. 2021 is unlikely to be much better

You'd struggle to find anyone in Europe who will be unhappy to see the back of 2020.
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How 2020 saw Hong Kong change forever

The past year has changed Hong Kong forever. From crushing pro-democracy protests and dissent to the implementation of the National Security Law and ousted lawmakers, for many China's tightening grip is choking the city. CNN's Ivan Watson looks into what the future holds for the semi-autonomous city.
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Mob attacks and sets ablaze a Hindu temple in northwestern Pakistan

A mob in northwestern Pakistan attacked and set ablaze a century-old Hindu temple on Wednesday, officials said, prompting condemnations from the Muslim-majority country's Hindu community.
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11 people missing after landslide strikes southern Norway, leaving large crater

Ten people were injured, one of them critically, and 11 were classified as missing after a landslide in southern Norway swept away more than a dozen buildings in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
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What happened when two virtual strangers booked an Airbnb together

The prospect of finding true love during a global pandemic seems almost impossible, especially if you're stuck in lockdown and hate dating apps.
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Top Palestinian DJ detained as party at Muslim holy site sparks angry scenes and scapegoating claims

A leading female Palestinian DJ has been remanded in custody for 15 days after she was arrested by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces for performing at a party at a Muslim holy site, leading to claims of official over-reaction to an event that sparked furious scenes over the weekend.
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2020 was meant to be the year of climate action. Instead, it crowned a wasted decade

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CNN correspondent: Here's why the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is exciting

The United Kingdom has become the first country to approve the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine. In a statement, the UK government said the country's regulator had authorized the vaccine after it met "strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness." The approval comes weeks after the UK became the first country in the world to start inoculating its citizens with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
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Argentina's Senate approves historic bill to legalize abortion

Argentina's Senate approved a bill to legalize abortion Wednesday in an historic vote seen as a major victory for abortion rights advocates in the Catholic-majority country.
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China's Sinopharm says its coronavirus vaccine is 79% effective

China's state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm has announced its coronavirus vaccine is 79.34% effective.
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11 days of drama as pleasure cruising turned into a nightmare

As the calendar turned over to January 1, 2020, out on the world's oceans, it looked set to be another glorious year for cruising.
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Ten Hong Kongers who tried to flee to Taiwan jailed in China for up to 3 years

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Sydney Christmas beach party sparks 'backpacker' deportation threat

Australia's Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs has threatened to cancel the visas of any visitors caught breaking rules designed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country, after hundreds of people attended a beach party in Sydney's Bronte Beach on Christmas Day.
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Lebanon's caretaker PM calls Beirut port explosion 'suspicious'

A probe into hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate left at Beirut's port began just hours before a massive blast rocked the site, leaving more than 200 dead and devastating the Lebanese capital, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab told CNN on Tuesday.
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Police investigating suspected poisoning of billionaire game tycoon Lin Qi after Christmas Day death

A billionaire Chinese gaming tycoon died on Christmas Day, his company announced, with police now investigating whether the 39-year-old was poisoned.
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Tesla will start selling cars in India next year, government says

Tesla may finally be coming to India.
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2020 has been particularly hard for Lebanon. Here's what happened

The euphoria of Lebanon's October revolution evaporated in 2020. Economic collapse and the coronavirus pandemic mortally wounded hopes for change, and the final nail in the country's coffin seemed to come with the Beirut port blast. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports from Beirut.
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Homeless man rushes into animal shelter after it catches fire

A homeless man risked his life to save several cats and dogs trapped at an Atlanta animal shelter after it caught fire, the facility's founder said.
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A mailman, two little sisters, and weeks-long games of Tic-tac-toe

Adam Finley loves his job as a mail carrier for USPS.
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7-year-old boy goes back into a burning home to save his baby sister

A 7-year-old boy named Eli saved his baby sister's life when he jumped into her room through a window to rescue her from a fire that destroyed his family's home.
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Study says nearly half a million may have had Covid in Wuhan -- far beyond the official figure

Nearly half a million residents in the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus first emerged may have been infected with Covid-19 -- almost 10 times its official number of confirmed cases, according to a study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Forced marriage survivor: A big part of me died during those two years

Trapped at home, isolated from the outside world, and prevented from returning to school -- this is life under lockdown for forced marriage victims in the United Kingdom. But with lockdown making it even harder for charities to identify victims there are concerns that hundreds of young people could be trapped at home with nowhere to escape. CNN's Nada Bashir reports.
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Analysis: The battered UK economy faces some major challenges in 2021

The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed on a trade deal, closing the book on more than four years of uncertainty over how the country would conduct business with its biggest export market following Brexit.
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This might be the most valuable Hot Wheels car

You can buy most Hot Wheels cars for about a dollar at Target, Wal-Mart or pretty much any local drugstore. But for Bruce Pascal, a nearly lifelong obsession with the tiny cars has turned into a collection of mind-boggling value.
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It's OK if you've used your phone too much this year

As a tech reporter, I've probably spent too much time with devices over the years, but I always tried to put in place some boundaries: no phone at the dinner table, no checking work Slacks after a certain hour and limiting screen time for my kids.
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Sorry, but video meetings are here to stay

Some workers hope to continue the full-time telecommuting life indefinitely, pandemic or no pandemic. Brandon Penn isn't one of them.
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How the pandemic brought a rising tide of hunger to Europe

Life wasn't easy for Patricia, even before the pandemic hit.
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An Australian green energy project could provide nearly all of Singapore's electricity

Deep in northeast Australia's outback, underneath grassy eucalypt woodlands and vast grazing lands scattered with cattle stations, lies one of the world's largest known untapped coal reserves.
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Opinion: How to distribute Covid-19 vaccines fairly around the world

As the number of countries that have authorized the use of a Covid-19 vaccine grows, many are sighing with anticipated relief. Yet now comes another challenge: how do we distribute vaccines safely and equitably to those most in need in our own countries and across the world?
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Chinese journalist who covered Wuhan Covid-19 outbreak jailed

Zhang Zhan, 37, an independent Chinese journalist who reported from Wuhan at the height of the initial coronavirus outbreak, has been jailed for four years by a Shanghai court, her lawyer said. She was found guilty of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," according to one of her defense lawyers. The offense is commonly used by the Chinese government to target dissidents and human rights activists.
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The airplane with beds in overhead compartments

The airplane speeds through the sky on its way to London as you dine on tender beef and caviar.
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Analysis: China's UK envoy leaving after combative tenure

One of China's original "wolf warrior" diplomats is set to resign, ending a combative tenure dominated by controversies over Beijing's policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
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Japan will ban entry to foreign nationals after Covid-19 variant detected in country

Japan will ban foreign nationals from entering the country from Monday through the end of January after several cases of the new Covid-19 variant were recorded in the country, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
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Queen Elizabeth had a rough 2020. But the pandemic gave her renewed relevance.

2020 was a tumultuous year for most people, and that's no less true for Queen Elizabeth II.
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Female jockey makes history in famous Boxing Day steeplechase

Bryony Frost made horse racing history as she became the first woman jockey to win the prestigious King George VI Chase with a "dream" Boxing Day success on 20-1 outsider Frodon.
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Analysis: 2020 derailed even Putin's plans

Russian President Vladimir Putin began 2020 with a surprise, sweeping his entire government aside on January 15 after unveiling a raft of constitutional reforms.
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China turns off the lights in 'Christmas town' as officials race to meet energy targets

For months, factories in the city of Yiwu, known as China's "Christmas town," have been cranking out most of the tinsel, decorations and other festive ornaments now hanging on trees worldwide.
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Boko Haram kills at least seven in Christmas Eve attack in Nigeria, local official says

At least seven people were killed in a Boko Haram attack on the majority-Christian village of Pemi in Nigeria's Borno state on Christmas Eve, a local official said.
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2020 was a terrible year. But the world's in better shape than you might think

In 2020, a devastating virus officially disappeared from the continent it had once ravaged -- a remarkable public health achievement that followed decades of work. But you may have missed it.
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A mailman, two little sisters, and weeks-long games of Tic-tac-toe

Adam Finley loves his job as a mail carrier for USPS.
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The major events that changed the world in 2020

2020 has been an unforgettable year. We've witnessed world-changing, paradigm-shifting events, all under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic. CNN's Clarissa Ward looks back at the major international events of the year.
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EU ambassadors gather to review Brexit trade deal on Christmas Day

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With choir in hard hats, fire-ravaged Notre Dame rings in Christmas

For the first time since a fire that nearly destroyed it, the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris played host to a Christmas Eve choral concert, an annual tradition in France.
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Pakistani court orders release of men previously convicted in Daniel Pearl murder

A Pakistani court on Thursday ordered the immediate release of four men accused of kidnapping and murdering American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002, saying their detention was "illegal."
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Russia claims cyberattack may be plot to hurt ties with Biden

Top Russian officials are attempting to bat down claims that Russia is behind a massive cyberattack on the US.
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UK reaches post-Brexit trade deal with European Union

• Analysis: Is Brexit (really) done and what happens now? • Analysis: Brexit will leave the UK poorer
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Boris Johnson: We have completed the biggest trade deal yet

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that a long-awaited post-Brexit trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union has been reached, just days ahead of the end of the transition period on December 31, 2020.
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Forced out of school during the pandemic, she's now pregnant and can't return

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The view from London as the world turns away

The days are meant to get longer now. Even if many Britons wish they would not.
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Over half of Chinese adults are now overweight. That's more people than the entire US population

As China grows richer, the waistlines of adults in the country are also expanding.
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