Shadowing the newsreader

Their fame was down to the Caribbean island recently gaining access to the Internet.

However, while Cuba had dance fever, there was sweltering heat across North America, hitting record highs.

Across the pond, regions of Western Europe were inundated whilst back in the States, Branson and Bezos blasted off into space, inaugurating the space tourism industry.

After having been postponed in 2020, August 2021 saw Japan play host to the Olympics but failed to host spectators who were forced by the pandemic to take in the games from home.

Greece launched its first subaquatic museum, attracting archaeology, history and sub-aqua enthusiasts.

September thrilled Abba lovers globally with the 70s pop icons' comeback album and a futuristic virtual tour.

Meanwhile New York commemorated the 9/11 attacks' 20th year in a solemn candle light ceremony in remembrance of the 2977 fatalities and the resilience of the nation's people as highlighted by the then president George W Bush.

September into October saw the news replete with matters of liberty.

We witnessed Hatian refugees' predicament at the Mexican-US border.

Britney Spears was finally triumphant in her long standing battle over her conservatorship and art installation Little Amal, traversed 2000 kilometres to the UK from Syria, bringing awareness to the child refugee crisis.

In November, the climate and the environment were on everyone's lips as world leaders met to strategise and negotiate, concluding with Glasgow's COP26, where climate activists from around the world were joined by Greta Thunberg to call for alacrity.

As 2021 wound down and Covid remained ever present, we turned our gazes to both traditions and the future.

Teachers in South Korea have been aided by robots in the classroom, the Caribbean island of Barbados has cut colonial ties, becoming a new republic, and in Sweden, gingerbread houses are stirring up the public's curiosity in architecture.

So what has 2022 got in store?