The year 2022 soon draws to a close after being marked by extraordinary upheaval caused by war in Ukraine, the impacts of climate change and pressures of rising inflation.

Towering figures like Queen Elizabeth II and Mikhail Gorbachev as well as film icons such as actor Jean-Luc Godard were among notable deaths.

It was also a year where Elon Musk's chaotic Twitter takeover pushed the phrase "blue tick" into headlines and UK prime minister Liz Truss's tenure was measured by the shelf-life of a head of lettuce.

Here are a series of stories AFP is re-publishing looking back on the past year and what may be coming in the next:

 

Year2022-politics-conflict-climate-economy,FACTS

PARIS

From the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the overturning of abortion laws in the United States, AFP revisits the biggest events to mark 2022.

1,100 words by Emilie Bickerton. File picture

 

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PARIS

AFP looks back at the most notable deaths in 2022, which included Britain's longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II and the Soviet Union's last leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

850 words. File Picture

 

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PARIS

From roasting temperatures to rocketing energy prices and millions of refugees fleeing Ukraine, AFP charts some of the records smashed in 2022.

600 words by Olivier Thibault and Emilie Bickerton. File Picture

 

Year2022-words,FACTS

PARIS

A year of extraordinary upheaval, from the war in Ukraine to catastrophic natural disasters, AFP looks at some of the words and phrases that have defined 2022.

950 words

 

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PARIS

Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur, Britain's Prince Harry -- AFP picks out 10 people expected to make headlines in 2023.

800 words by Clare Byrne. File Picture

 

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WASHINGTON

With nuclear war being openly brandished and the devastation linked to climate change becoming plainly visible, 2022 was a year in which doomsday scenarios for the planet suddenly became plausible for some.

700 words by Shaun Tandon

 

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PARIS

The James Webb Space Telescope lit up 2022 with dazzling images of the early universe after the Big Bang heralding a new era of astronomy and untold revelations about the cosmos in years to come.

700 words by Pierre Celerier and Lucie Aubourg in Washington. File picture. Graphics

 

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WASHINGTON

From the United States to Brazil and Israel, a barrage of election-related misinformation hammered voters around the world, but many pushed back against the conspiracy-laden Trumpian tactic of sowing distrust in the democratic process.