In some ways, a good year

This has been a rough year for the world. Autocrats seized control; terrorism and hate crimes are on the rise; and scientists say climate change is now almost certain to have catastrophic effects. And then there’s Yemen. Even so, there were some bright spots.

1. Europe’s now got a really strong data protection plan in place. Privacy advocates quibble with some parts of the framework. But in general, they hail it is the most significant data protection ever.

2. Ethiopia and Eritrea came to a groundbreaking peace. Oh, and Ethiopia appointed a female president.

3. After six decades, the remains of more than 50 US service members were returned to the United States from North Korea. Nearly 8000 US troops are still unaccounted for from the Korean War.

4. The #MeToo movement went global. A little more than a year ago, stories emerged about Harvey Weinstein, the powerful Hollywood producer. That story sparked an international movement.

5. The price of solar panels fell –- a lot. It may be one of the only bit of good news in the fight against climate change this year.

6. After two weeks and an ambitious international effort, 17 Thai teenagers and their soccer coach were rescued from a cave.

7. The royal wedding made us forget. Even with all the distractions, it was hard to look away.