Key events in 2024, from Trump’s triumph to Assad’s fall in Syria and more

One of the most symbolic moments of the fall of Damascus was the freeing of inmates from the infamous Sednaya prison.

The jail north of the capital was a symbol of the Assad clan’s torture and executions over their 50 years of rule, especially since the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011.

The country’s new Sunni militant government has sought to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that they will protect all Syrians.

Syrians rejoice as Assad flees, ending brutal rule

Donald Trump once again stunned the world and wrong-footed pollsters who had projected a very tight race to win the US presidential election.

He won all seven swing states on November 5, keeping control of the House and winning back the Senate. He also became the first Republican president in 20 years to win the popular vote.

He beat his Democrat rival Kamala Harris, who had been parachuted into the process just 100 days before the election after the 81-year-old outgoing President Joe Biden pulled out.

That was just one twist in a particularly tumultuous campaign that also included two failed assassination attempts.

Trump, 78, has faced four indictments and a criminal conviction. He returns to the White House on January 20, 2025. Among the personalities he has chosen for his team is billionaire Elon Musk, who helped finance his campaign.

The 2024 Summer Olympics in the French capital brought a welcome break. In particular, the Games was a relief for its host country, gripped by bitter political back and forth for weeks caused by snap parliamentary elections.

For three sunny weeks, Paris and its world-famous monuments and sites – from the Eiffel Tower to Versailles – welcomed a spectacular display of sport kicking off with an extravagant opening ceremony along the Seine.

Records tumbled, and stars were crowned, from home crowd darling and swim sensation Leon Marchand to US gym genius Simone Biles, who made a joyful return to glory.

Team Hong Kong gave its best performance to date, bringing home two gold – the territory’s third and fourth ever – and two bronze medals.

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2024 saw temperature records soar during what will undoubtedly be the hottest year on record.

Relentless global warming provoked heatwaves, droughts and deadly flooding, with the wet weather proving particularly drastic.

An unusually intense rainy season in West and Central Africa killed more than 1,500 people, according to the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).

In September, wild weather included Hurricane Helene, which pounded the southeast United States; Typhoon Krathon, which slammed into Taiwan; and Storm Boris, which brought floods and devastation to central Europe.

Typhoons Yagi and Bebinca also left their own trails of destruction in Asia.

In October, a devastating Mediterranean storm lashed eastern Spain, triggering its worst floods in decades and killing more than 230 people.

In December, Cyclone Chido devastated the French overseas territory of Mayotte.

After Bangladesh’s high court reinstated the country’s job quota system that favoured descendants of the 1971 liberation war, about 500 students gathered at Dhaka University to demand its repeal.

Two months later, a coalition of Bangladeshi students, political opponents and ordinary citizens marched on prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s residence, who had governed the country for 15 years.

The crackdown on students resulted in at least 300 citizen deaths and included nationwide curfews. After weeks of protests and state violence, the army turned on the prime minister, giving Hasina no real choice. She abdicated power and fled for India as an interim government formed behind her.