Goodbye 2021: A look at the most powerful images from this year — the early months
Goodbye 2021 and hello to 2022! As we turn the page of the calendar, it’s time to take a look at some of the most memorable events and images of 2021.
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No one image sums up the horror of the US Capitol Riot that took place on 6 January as this one does. Richard Barnett, a supporter of US President Donald Trump sits inside the office of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as he protests inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. AFP
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Police with guns drawn face off against rioters trying to break into the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington on 6 January 2021. Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes. Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. According to reports, the riot caused an estimated loss of $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol building. AP
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Anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny has long been the most prominent face of Russian opposition to President Vladimir Putin. In January of 2021, he was arrested for 30 days. Navalny, whose organisations have been banned as “extremist” in Russia, nearly died in August 2020 when he was attacked with a Novichok nerve agent in Siberia. AFP
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On 20 January, Joe Biden was formally inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. Biden pledged to be a president for all Americans — even those who did not support his campaign. “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation,” he said in his inaugural address. What was even more talked about of Joe Biden’s inauguration was the fact that Donald Trump chose to skip it. AFP
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Former presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders was one of the biggest talking points at Joe Biden’s inauguration. Donning oversized mittens and a practical brown coat, sitting socially distanced on a folding chair with crossed legs and arm, Bernie Sanders broke the internet and quickly became a meme to remember. AFP
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In January 2021, Sriwijaya Air Flight 182, a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, Indonesia, crashed into the Java Sea off the Thousand Islands, killing all 62 people on board. Investigators later determined that the crash was caused in part by a malfunctioning auto-throttle lever system. The crash led to several questions over the safety of the 737 airplanes, leading to the Boeing planes being grounded. AFP
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On 26 January, India celebrates Republic Day with much pomp and vigour. However, this year, the day descended into chaos and violence when thousands of farmers protesting the government’s agricultural reform bills rode tractors past police barriers and clashed with officers. The ordeal culminated with this image of protesters entering New Delhi’s historic Red Fort and raising the Nishan Sahib flag. AFP
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A demonstrator representing a patient without oxygen participates in a protest against Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and his management of the coronavirus disease crisis in Brasilia, on 31 January. - The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,219,793 people worldwide, including 223,945 in Brazil, since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources. AFP
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A train passes a railroad crossing surrounded by floodwaters from rain and melting snow in Nidderau near Frankfurt, Germany, on 3 February. The European giant witnessed extreme flooding this year, which has killed more than 200 people. At the time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had described the scenes as terrifying, as residents tried to pick up the pieces of their destroyed towns and villages. AP
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The year 2021 could be remembered for its protests. From Spain, to the US, to India – most countries witnessed violent protests. Spain witnessed violent protests in February when singer-rapper Pablo Hasel was arrested for glorification of terrorism in his songs. This image was taken then when a couple chose to kiss in front of a barricade set on fire by the demonstrators. AP
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Italy’s Mount Etna throws up lava on 24 February in its latest eruptive episode. Tall lava fountains were seen pouring down from the north-east side of the Mt Etna volcano near Milo, Sicily, wowing onlookers. AFP
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Police beat a woman participating in a protest over the death in prison of Mushtaq Ahmed, a writer who was arrested on charges of violating a sweeping digital security law, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 26 February. Ahmed, 53, was arrested in May 2020 for making comments on social media that criticised how the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was handling the coronavirus pandemic. AP
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Police march with a resident arrested during a crackdown on protesters holding rallies against the military coup in Yangon on 26 February 26. A week earlier, the country’s military seized power in a coup and anti-coup protesters were met with deadly force. AFP
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This was the interview of the year! Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are pictured during their 7 March bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. It was their first sit-down appearance since leaving Britain last year. It also became the most searched interview in Google Trends history. AP
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Pope Francis, surrounded by the remains of destroyed churches, attends a prayer in Mosul, Iraq. Francis called for the “harmonious coexistence” of people from different backgrounds and cultures. “Here in Mosul, the tragic consequences of war and hostility are all too evident,” he said. The Pope was in Iraq for four days. It was the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, and it was Francis’ first trip outside Italy since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. AP
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On 8 March, International Women’s Day, Tashnuva Anan Shishir broke glass ceilings and paved a new path by becoming the first transgender news anchor in Bangladesh. Going live for a Bengali channel, Boishakhi News to present their 4 pm bulletin, she said on air: “This could be revolutionary and create a new dimension in people’s thinking.” AFP
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A Palestinian man carries an olive tree as he crosses illegally into Israel from the West Bank, through a gap in the separation barrier, south of the West Bank town of Hebron, on 8 March. AP
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Medical students grieve and some flash the three-fingered salute during the funeral of their fellow student Khant Ngar Hein in Yangon, Myanmar, on 16 March. Khant Ngar Hein, 18, was shot in the chest two days earlier by security forces during a protest against the military takeover of the country. AP
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Stephen Mudoga, 12, tries to chase away a swarm of locusts on his farm as he returns home from school, at Elburgon, in Nakuru county, Kenya, on 17 March. Farmers were badly hit when desert locusts swarmed Kenya in Africa in mid-March. AP
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In March 2021, the Suez Canal was blocked for six days after the grounding of Ever Given, a 20,000 TEU container ship. The 400-meter-long (1,300 ft) vessel was buffeted by strong winds on the morning of 23 March, and ended up wedged across the waterway with its bow and stern stuck in the canal banks, blocking all traffic until it could be freed. AFP
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This one image stood out the most from Britain’s Prince Philip’s funeral in April. After passing away on 9 April, Queen Elizabeth II’s fortitude came to the fore when she sat alone in the quire of St George’s Chapel during the funeral of Prince Philip, the man who had been by her side for 73 years. AFP
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On 20 April, civil rights activists and people belonging to the Black Lives Matter movement heaved a sigh of relief and cried tears after former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty in the death of George Floyd. The murder of African-American George Floyd was a pivotal point in American politics and also raised questions on police brutality in the country. AFP
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India witnessed a ferocious second wave of the coronavirus in April, with hospitals forced to turn patients back as families scrambled to arrange oxygen cylinders for their loved ones being treated at home. Indian social media was replete with accounts of people dying for lack of oxygen. In such a scenario, gurdwaras took on the challenge and arranged “oxygen langars” to provide free oxygen to the COVID-19 patients who need it. AP
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India witnessed horrific scenes of mass cremations as the second wave of coronavirus swept through the country. Media all over the country and the world wrote off the dreadful time when workers at crematoriums worked overtime as bodies piled up faster than they could be cremated. Families had to wait hours before being allowed to cremate their dead. AFP
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A gravedigger walks among buried Covid-19 victims at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery in Manaus, Brazil. Brazil had just passed 400,000 deaths due to Covid-19, which at the time was the second-highest death toll behind the United States. It’s now over 600,000. AFP
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