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2024: Adrenaline in politics, culture, sports, environment...

2023-12-24 21:08:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

2024: Adrenaline in politics, culture, sports, environment...

With wars continuing and new ones breaking out, 2023 was a difficult year on the world stage.

It was also traversed by major geopolitical changes, record temperatures and the boom in artificial intelligence. Many of these events will continue into 2024, and probably beyond.

But the pace and direction of some may be changed by the outcome of one of the most important elections next year - those in the United States.

Described by the New York Times as the most important election in the US since 1860, the chances are high that the current president, Joe Biden, will be challenged by his predecessor, former president Donald Trump, in the November 5 election.

During his presidency, Trump has pursued an America First policy that has been characterized by disregard for traditional allies, has threatened to withdraw from NATO and, on several occasions, has spoken admiringly of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump, who is high in the polls, has hinted that if he returns to the White House, he will continue with the same.

"Joe Biden is not a defender of American democracy. Joe Biden is the destroyer of American democracy. He and his people are the destroyers of the American dream. The American dream has died with them in office," he said in a meeting with supporters last month.

Another pair of elections that will attract attention next year will be the presidential elections in Russia, on March 17.

"It is time for decisions. I will run for president of the Russian Federation", announced the Russian president, Putin, on December 8.

For Putin, who has led Russia since 1999, sometimes as president, sometimes as prime minister, the race in March is expected to look like a free ride, since he has suppressed the opposition in the country.

What will increase the attention around him will be the war in Ukraine, which he started in 2022.

This war is expected to be at the center of European politics, even more so when in 2024 there will be a new composition of the European Parliament, changes among the existing EU commissioners, possibly a new president of the European Commission and undoubtedly a president new of the European Council. There are estimates that the extreme right can take off in the elections that will take place from June 6 to 9 in Europe.

"Anti-immigrant sentiment has seen the far right win in bastions of social liberalism, including the Netherlands, and shape the debate from Germany to Italy and Britain. In 2024, it will be a stimulus for elections in Europe", wrote the Washington Post.

Outside of the elections, a big event will be "The Steadfast Defender". The NATO military exercise, the largest since the Cold War, will take place in February and March and will involve more than 40,000 troops, air combat missions and naval exercises.

After the start of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, NATO has constantly made efforts to stand out as a united organization.

"It is Putin who continues to escalate the war. "He thought he could destroy Ukraine and divide us, but he underestimated the determination of the Ukrainian people to defend themselves and underestimated our unity," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

But emotions, adrenaline, and news headlines will not be found only in the ballot boxes or decision-making tables.

There will be at least two major sporting events among the dozens of eyes that will keep fans glued: the Euro 2024 European Championship and the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Germany already seems to be ready for one of the most important football tournaments that will take place from June 14 to July 14.

"We have ten beautiful host cities, with ten big stadiums. We will also have 18 fan zones throughout the tournament, to bring people together, to promote our European idea, our European values ??and our European way of life", said the director of the Euro 2024 tournament, Philipp Lahm.

In Paris, the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games will return after 100 years, from July 26 to August 11. The last time the capital of France organized them was in 1924. According to the organizers, now almost everything is ready. They have also revealed the food menu, which will be more than 60 percent meat-free, while 80 percent of all dishes will be prepared with local products.

In Italy, from April 20 to November 24, the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, the world's longest exhibition of contemporary art, will be held. This time with the theme "Foreigners everywhere".

Meanwhile, on February 23 and 24, Bangkok will host the Seventh International Conference for Women, with the theme: Empowering Women - Shaping Tomorrow.

For those of you who are intrigued by eclipses, get your glasses ready and on April 8 watch the total solar eclipse that will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the USA and Canada. No matter where you are, you can download NASA's SunSketcher 2024 app and stream it.

And, obviously, climate change is no longer a future threat - it is already a reality. New analyzes show that in 2024, the global warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius will be exceeded. The first week of July this year has been declared the planet's hottest week in history and there are warnings that in 2024 it could be even hotter.

"Sea level rise has doubled in the last 20 years. We had 2.3 millimeters a year of sea level rise 20 years ago, and recently we've seen 4.6 millimeters. This increase comes largely from the melting of large glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica", said the secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas.

Russia's war in Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the arms race, artificial intelligence - all of these, and not only, are expected to make headlines even in the 23rd year of this third millennium.

And, until the time of fireworks and clinking glasses approaches, Radio Free Europe wishes you all a happy new year./ REL





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