The year is equal parts exhilarating and exhausting, but as Aragorn says in ‘LOTR’: There is always hope.
Another year comes to a close. And with it a slew of highs and lows, triumphs and defeats, conflicts that tear people apart and a few precious moments when humanity comes together as one.
The world is burning. Literally. Prolonged wars and record-breaking temperatures are scorching the earth. In many instance, relief and respite seem out of reach. The global economy is stabilizing, but weaknesses remain. The rest of the world is caught in the crossfire of an intensifying trade war between the two largest economies, exacerbated by the comeback of a most volatile American president. All of us are standing on shaky ground, always teetering on the brink of something worse.
Here at home is no different. Every day Filipinos wake to rising cost of living, bickering politicians, worsening commute, among many other reasons that make us wonder why we stay—and if it’s still worth it.
2024 is equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. The present is grim, the future even bleaker. But as what Aragorn says in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: There is always hope.
As the curtains close on this year, The POST gathers some of the biggest, most consequential headlines both here and beyond our shores. It has been yet another tumultuous chapter in human history, with but a few bright spots here and there—so here goes nothing.
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From raging wars to deepening global hunger
On the world stage, wars continue to rage on all fronts. From the seemingly interminable Russia-Ukraine conflict, with North Koreans now joining Russian ranks, to the worsening conflicts in the Middle East, which seem with each passing day, to be on the edge of a full-blown regional war.
There are less covered yet no less deadly ones. There is the prolonged war in Sudan, which experts say may have the highest death toll of all the ongoing conflicts so far at over 61,000 as of September. The civil war wreaking havoc across Myanmar has also intensified, with its ill-effects spilling into border towns in Thailand and Bangladesh. Refugee numbers are skyrocketing as a result.
With wars come not only the loss of lives but misery for the living. On Christmas Day, Reuters released a report on how global hunger is on the rise “while the amount of money the world’s wealthiest nations are contributing toward helping them is dropping.” UN officials see few reasons for optimism at a time of widespread conflict, political unrest, and extreme weather (more on this later), all factors that stoke famine.




While internal and external strifes continue to pound several nations, there were but a few iron-fisted, notorious regimes that saw a dramatic fall from grace. There’s the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year increasingly autocratic rule over Bangladesh, thanks to the collective action of its people, led mostly by students—but not without the loss of hundreds of lives. The event, which saw the nation’s capital Dhaka thrown into chaos for several days before crescendoing to the late-night escape of the former dictator, is reminiscent of one which happened here at home almost four decades ago. Recently, The Economist named Bangladesh its 2024 Country of the Year, for “toppling a despot and taking strides towards a more liberal government.”
Then most recently is the fall of the over two-decade rule of Bashar al-Assad over Syria. Nobody expected the regime to fall in such a swift and astounding manner, given how Assad wielded such huge and terrifying power, thanks in no small part to allies such as Russia and Iran. In the past 13 years of civil war and state violence, it’s estimated that about 600,000 were killed by the brutal regime. Assad’s regime is known to have used chemical weapons and mass torture against perceived opponents, and resorted to industrial-scale drug-dealing to raise cash.
Though not a dictatorship, South Korea’s impeachment of its deeply unpopular president Yoon Suk Yeol, who dug his own political grave after declaring a short-lived martial law on Dec. 3, shows how democracy is alive and well in the country. The road to renewed political stability is far from paved, but experts have faith in the strength of South Korea’s democratic institutions and are optimistic that democracy will prevail.
The world also saw the largest global population in history voting in over 60 national elections. Among the most crucial ones include those in major economies such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and ultimately the United States, which of course, saw Donald Trump in what many described as a “stunning” political comeback. Prior to his electoral victory, the 45th POTUS and the would-be 47th had a well-documented assassination attempt wherein a bullet allegedly grazed his ear. This year saw Europe leaning farther to the right as well.
Also worth mentioning is our Southeast Asian neighbor Indonesia, who elected former defence minister Prabowo Subianto as its eight president. Analysts say Prabowo’s team seemed to have taken a few pages from the playbook of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’s campaign to much success.
2024 is a year of monumental elections and political change. Whether the changes are for the better, remain mostly to be seen.




Then just as the year is about to end, a cold-blooded assassination turned a charismatic suspect into something akin to an “outlaw-hero,” in what can be seen as a reaction to a perceived oppressive system. The victim: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The alleged assassin: Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League grad who hails from old Baltimore money. Beyond the fascination with Mangione’s looks lies the collective frustration of Americans over a broken healthcare system. This sentiment elevated a possible cold-blooded murderer to a folk hero—one man seen as taking a stand against an unfair system, and diverts attention from a heinous crime where a life was taken.
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While much of the world remains divided—polarized even, if we were to use a certain venerable dictionary’s word of the year—there were rare moments when the world came together as one, showing that humanity is not completely lost—at least not yet.
This global show of unity was in full, glorious display during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Though not without its share of controversies, the world’s biggest sporting event showed the beauty of a world that is able to transcend political and cultural differences.
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Worsening climate woes
The scourge of climate change is ever more menacing in 2024. Scientists say this year is almost certain to take over the top spot as the hottest year on record, with the global average temperature possibly breaching a key threshold, reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial average. The European climate monitoring agency Copernicus has officially declared 2024 as the hottest year in human history and in Europe earlier this year.
China, Southeast and South Asia experienced the destructive force of typhoons that led to record-breaking floods and landslides and the loss of innumerable lives. The Philippines was struck by six typhoons in less than 30 days — between October and November—killing more than 170 people, displacing more than 214,000 people and causing damage worth about P470 million (S$10.8 million).
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In the United States, California struggled to control wildfires while Tropical Storm Helene ravaged the southeastern region, inflicting catastrophic damage and killing at least 234 people. In South America, severe drought caused Brazil’s Madeira River to dry up, while wildfires razed parts of Bolivia and Ecuador battled a bushfire close to its capital.
Largely temperate Europe was not spared from the woes of climate change either. Portugal was faced with widespread wildfires, and towards the end of September, Storm Boris brought heavy rainfall and flooding to Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
But the misery brought about by extreme weather disturbances go beyond environmental damages. In Pakistan, for instance, relentless rains led to a resurgence of “monsoon child brides.” The societal impact of the South Asian country’s unprecedented floods in 2022 continue to this day, with rights workers warning that such weddings are now on the rise due to climate-driven economic insecurity. Over in Africa, The Washington Post released a compelling report on how people are turning from cows to camels as the primary source of their milk due to prolonged droughts.
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Last month in Baku, Azerbaijan, the world’s climate experts and policy-makers came together for the two-week UN Climate Change Conference or COP29. Developed countries agreed to channel US$300 billion (S$402 billion) a year to developing countries by 2035. The amount, however, was criticized as “woefully insufficient” by climate-prone countries and civil society groups, who expected richer countries – who were historical emitters – to commit more.
The fifth round of talks of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), also held last month in Busan, South Korea, similarly ended on a sour note, after countries failed to reach an agreement on a landmark treaty to curb plastic pollution.
A bleak picture at home
Here at home, the biggest news this 2024 perhaps is that of dismissed mayor Alice Guo, whose story of lies, deception, and flight, gripped not just the country but the whole world. Other fugitives—both found and still at large—also made national headlines, among them the self-proclaimed son of God and indicted sex trafficker Apollo Quiboloy, former congressman Arnulfo Teves who is still awaiting extradition in East Timor for murder charges, and ex-presidential spokesman Harry Roque, whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Then there’s Sara Duterte and her unexplained use of confidential funds and late-night meltdowns (which included an assassination threat against the President). Next year will continue to test if the embattled vice president still has the political capital her father once enjoyed, and if she will be able to keep her popularity from plummeting even further. (Results from a Pulse Asia survey released before the end of the year showed a two-digit decline in her approval and trust ratings.)




The specter of China also continues to loom large, both at sea and on land. Worsening maritime tensions with the Chinese persist as its notorious coast guard and militia put the nation’s sovereignty to the test anew. Crackdowns on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs, meanwhile, highlight the authorities’ struggles with criminal activities which have already deeply entrenched themselves in society.
The dismal state of the country’s educational system has sunk to a new low this year. We have once again, ended up among the countries that produced the lowest proficiency for 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science, as indicated by PISA rankings. The country ranked 77th out of 81 countries globally earlier this year.
We are only scratching the surface here, as the vast majority of Filipinos continue to struggle under the yoke of political, economic, and social challenges.
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There are glimmers of hope, however, that put a smile on our face every now and then. Perhaps the biggest source of Filipino pride and joy this year is Carlos Yulo’s historic double gold at the Paris Olympics. Boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas also brought home glory with a bronze medal each. World number 3 and Asia’s best pole vaulter EJ Obiena continues to make us proud not only on the field but also outside of it as he nurtures promising talent across the country.
As the year ends and a new one is about to begin, there’s much reason to feel anxious—fearful even—of what the future holds. But in dark times, we can turn to the wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings for some comfort: “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
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