From a spy drama that poisoned ties between Russia and the West to major US turnarounds under President Donald Trump, here are some of the major events that marked 2018.
Russian spy poisoning saga
On March 4, Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter are discovered unconscious and poisoned by a highly toxic nerve agent, Novichok, on a bench in Salisbury, England.
London points the finger at Moscow and in September issues arrest warrants against two Russian operatives. Moscow rejects all charges.
Angry exchanges between the two capitals bring in other Western nations behind London. Dozens of Western and Russian diplomats are expelled in tit-for-tat reprisals, and new sanctions are brought against Russia. The Skripals survive but in June a British woman dies after coming into contact with Novichok in a village outside Salisbury. Her partner falls gravely ill.
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.
The same day the United States, Britain and France carry out pre-dawn strikes against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in response to a suspected chemical attack on the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma that killed scores of civilians. The regime denies the allegations.
Backed by Russia’s military might, Assad’s forces go on to notch up a series of victories against rebels and jihadists, regaining control of two-thirds of the ruined and divided country.
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.
One of his complaints is the “one-sided deal” does not go far enough in preventing Iran from creating a nuclear bomb.
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.
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.
Trump, Kim meet-up
On June 12, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in Singapore, the first-ever meeting between sitting leaders of the two countries.
They sign an agreement reaffirming Pyongyang’s commitment to the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”.
So far however, North Korea has taken few concrete steps to abandon its nuclear weapons, and the two sides have argued over the meaning of the vaguely worded agreement.
Yemen war reaches aid port
On June 13, the war in Yemen escalates 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 Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
The war, which started in 2014, has already killed about 10,000 people with 20 million at risk of starvation, according aid agencies.
On December 18, after UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden, a ceasefire takes effect. Observers are sent to oversee its implementation and the withdrawal of both warring parties from Hodeida city.
Thai cave boys
On July 10, the last of 12 young football players and their coach are extracted safe and sound from a flooded cave in northern Thailand, 17 days after they were trapped there.
The fate of the junior football team was followed around the world, with US and British diving experts joining the rescue effort and former Thai navy diver losing his life.
Saudi journalist murdered
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 what it says was a brawl.
It fires various officials and arrests others, finally acknowledging that the journalist’s body had been dismembered. On December 13, the US Senate adopts a resolution holding crown prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible, despite vehement denials from Riyadh.
Midterm boost for US Democrats
November 6 midterm elections see the Democrats win control of the House of Representatives while the Republicans bolster their majority in the Senate.
The final days of campaigning are rocked by the worst anti-Semitic attack in US history, when a gunman kills 11 people in a synagogue in Pittsburgh; and the mailing of pipe bombs to high-profile Democrats including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Published in Daily Times, December 31st 2018.