Patchy recovery: How 2022 swung from despair to hope to caution

Even as it grappled with new viruses, the human race hit another milestone

An A4-size blank paper became the symbol of a rare Chinese protest against the Xi Jinping government’s harsh curbs in keeping with its zero-Covid policy. Mass protests, which erupted across the country in late 2022, gathered momentum after at least 10 people were killed in an apartment fire in November in Xinjiang, where many residents were under lockdown. The ‘White Paper Revolution’ also