Yearender 2022: Most-read stories from across the world this year

A month later, the death of Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8 made a mark on Express‘s readers, with the ceremonies and the state funeral capturing the public imagination.

Without further ado, here is a list of the 10 most-read global stories on indianexpress.com in 2022.

1) The live blog chronicling the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Vladimir, 70, and his wife Tamara, 80, sit in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP)

Indian Express’s live blog reporting the start of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war was the most-read global story of 2022. Chronicling the early moments of the invasion, the response of the West, and India’s attempts to ensure the safety of its citizens stuck in Ukrainian cities, the blog took the readers through key moments of the battle and its consequences. Read here.

2) Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

One of the tenser moments of 2022 was US Democrat Nancy Pelosi’s short visit to Taiwan in August. The trip had angered China, who considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory though Taipei rejects it.

Then-US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi attends a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, August 3, 2022. (Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters)

In the run-up to the visit, China had issued dire threats to Washington and President Xi Jinping had told US President Joe Biden to “not play with fire”. Pelosi, who was serving as the Speaker of the US House of Representatives at the time, became the highest-level American official to visit the island in recent history. Read here.

3) Queen Elizabeth II’s demise

On Sept. 8, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 96, after 70 years on the throne. She had been the queen of Britain since 1952, ascending to the throne at the age of 25 after her father’s death. The Queen had been unwell for days, but had appeared in public sporadically till the very end of her time.

In this Oct. 14, 2019 file photo, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, with Prince Charles, delivers the Queen’s Speech at the official State Opening of Parliament in London. (Victoria Jones/Pool via AP, File)

She was laid to rest at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle after a state funeral which was attended by the Royal Family and leaders from around the world, including President Draupadi Murmu. Elizabeth’s son, King Charles III, succeeded her on the throne. Read here.

4) Shinzo Abe, former Japan PM, dies after being shot in Nara

People gather to offer flowers during the private funeral ceremony of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Reuters)

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in Nara, western Japan on July 8, during an election campaign. The suspect, who shot Abe twice with a homemade gun, was apprehended from the spot and is believed to have acted alone, enraged by Abe’s association with the Unification Church. Abe’s funeral took place in Tokyo on September 27, and was attended by world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Read here. 

5) Elon Musk’s father revealed he had child with his stepdaughter

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk’s father claimed that he fathered a second unplanned child with his stepdaughter, reported an American tabloid. The 76-year-old Errol Musk also said that he felt that the only reason for being on Earth is to reproduce.

Elon Musk’s father Errol Musk. (Twitter/@mbindwane)

In the 2015 book Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, author Ashlee Vance wrote that while Elon’s family were “in agreement that he [Errol] is not a pleasant man,” they seemed determined not to badmouth him. Read here. 

6) Sri Lankan economic crisis and protests

In April 2022, Sri Lankans came out in vast numbers to protest against a slew of issues, including corruption and the economic crisis that had hiked up the prices of essential goods to unprecedented levels. Protesters set fire to buses, clashed with the police and breached the grounds of the Presidential Palace in Colombo.

Police use water canon and tear gas to disperse the protesters in Colombo. (AP)

The protests, which were informally referred to as ‘Aragalaya’ or ‘Struggle’, led to the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and several members of the powerful Rajapaksa family. Ranil Wickremesinghe, an ally of Rajapaksa, was sworn in as the new President on July 21. Read more.

7) India cancelled orders of Russian jets, weapons: US official at Senate hearing

Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, India’s relationship with Russia had been under scrutiny by the West. This was underlined by a remark a US official made in early March on the difficulty faced by nations in buying military hardware from Russia in the light of US sanctions.

Russia has been a major supplier of military hardware to India. (File)

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that in the “last few” weeks, “what we’ve seen from India…is the cancellation of MiG-29 orders, Russian helicopter orders and anti-tank weapon orders.” Read more.

8) Indian-American doctor files lawsuit against PM Modi, Andhra CM Reddy, Gautam Adani

An Indian-American doctor filed a lawsuit in Washington on May 24 against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and business tycoon Gautam Adani on a host of issues, including corruption and Pegasus spyware.

The lawsuit is against PM Modi, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Gautam Adani (File Photos)

9) Texas school shooting 

An 18-year-old former student of a Texas school shot and killed 21 people and injured 18 others, including his grandmother, on May 24 morning. The mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde was one of the third-deadliest school shootings in the US, with the grief compounded by the fact that most of the victims were around 10 years old.

People react outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting in Uvalde. (Reuters)

The shooting revived debates around gun laws in the US, with the views being largely split into partisan lines. As per a report in Education Week, there have been 50 school shootings in America in 2022 in which 28 people, including students, have been killed and at least 139 others injured. Read more.

10) Brooklyn subway shooting

On April 12 morning, a 62-year-old man set off smoke bombs and sprayed fellow passengers with gunfire aboard a New York City subway car. As many as 29 people were injured in the incident which triggered panic in the city nearly two decades after the 9/11 terrorist attack. . The suspect wore a gas mask before setting off the smoke bombs and fired 33 shots, before escaping. He was arrested a day later after an extensive manhunt.

A person helps an injured man after a shooting at a Brooklyn subway station, in New York City as people run away after a shooting at a Brooklyn subway station in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. (Will B. Wylde/via Reuters)

Initial videos from inside the smoke-choked subway car showed commuters pulling their collars, sleeves and hoods across their faces in an attempt to breathe. Panicked screams were heard before the train car doors opened, punctuated by moans of pain and shouts of “There’s been a shooting!” Read here.