We said 2020 was the longest year ever, but 2021 somehow felt even longer. One year ago today, most of America was still in the grips of a grim, pre-vaccination winter; the Capitol had not yet been stormed, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) had not yet pulled on his little mittens, and no one could have predicted a container ship would become the main character for a week.
But with the U.S. shattering the daily record for COVID-19 cases in the last week of 2021, it also feels a bit like we're back where we began. Here's how we've tried to sum up this rollercoaster of a year.
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The student loans fraud scandalThe Explainer Huge amounts of money may have been fraudulently claimed from the Student Loans Company
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The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
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Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
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Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliamentTHE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
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Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysisIn Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
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Why Assad fell so fastThe Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
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Romania's election rerunThe Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
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Russia's shadow war in EuropeTalking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
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Cutting cables: the war being waged under the seaIn the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
