2017 in pictures
A dozen memorable moments
Editor’s note:
From the arrival of Donald Trump to the departure of Robert Mugabe, 2017 might be described, in the words of the old curse, as “interesting times.” Here are 12 moments of unusual interest:
1. Trump tweets
US President Donald Trump displays his signature on the Tax Cut and Reform Bill at the White House on December 22. By recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, pulling out of UNESCO and climate, free trade, immigration and international agreements, Trump was impossible to ignore.
2. Brexit negotiations
Demonstrators tout flags outside the Houses of Parliament in London on December 21. After months of negotiations, Brussels and London reached a deal on Brexit divorce terms on December 8, opening the way to more talks.
3. French upheaval
Pro-EU centrist President Emmanuel Macron greets people in Paris on May 14. The 39-year-old won a resounding victory over far-right rival Marine Le Pen in the May 7 presi- dential election, with his En Marche movement driving the Socialists and Republicans out of the Elysee Palace.
4. Middle East splits
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attends the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait City on December 5. Saudi Arabia and its allies on June 5 severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorists and being soft on Iran.
5. Venezuela meltdown
President Nicolas Maduro raises a fist during a rally in Caracas on August 14. Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly was elected on July 30 after four months of protests against Maduro.
6. North Korea
North Korean troops attend a parade in Pyongyang marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung on April 15. Leader Kim Jong-un on November 29 declared his country had completed its “state nuclear force” with the testing of a missile able to deliver a nuclear warhead anywhere in the US. The US threatened to “utterly destroy” the North “if war comes.”
7. Myanmar refugee crisis
A Rohingya refugee kisses his child at the Palongkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh on December 21. The military in the Buddhist-majority Myanmar launched a crackdown in the westernmost state Rakhine on August 25 after Rohingya militants ambushed security forces. Nearly 650,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh.
8. Catalonia convulsions
Protesters wave Spanish flags during a pro-unity demonstration on October 29 in Barcelona, Spain. An independence referendum, deemed illegal by the central government, was held in Spain’s wealthy northeastern region on October 1.
9. Weinstein scandal
Harvey Weinstein leaves his New York townhouse on October 6. Weinstein, co-founder of Miramax Films, was accused of sexual harassment by a number of women on October 5. Allegations of sexual misconduct have since been leveled at a long list of personalities in film, television, journalism and politics around the world.
10. Mugabe falls
Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe kisses his wife during the country’s 37th Independence Day celebrations in Harare on November 21. Mugabe, 93, resigned after being abandoned by the military and his own party, ending his 37-year rule. Emmerson Mnangagwa, vice president, succeeded him.
11. Jerusalem a capital city
A US flag is screened alongside Israel’s flag by the Jerusalem municipality on the walls of the old city. Trump recognized the city as Israel’s capital on December 6, sparking global protests.
12. Climate records
A general view of the rift in the Larsen C Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula is seen in February. Defined by Trump’s decision on June 1 to leave the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, the planet suffered record-breaking hurricanes, earthquakes and devastating fires. The year 2017 was set to be one of the three warmest ever recorded.