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Nurses holding newborn babies wearing face shields, in an effort to halt the spread of Covid-19, at Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 9, 2020. AFP
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Nurses and healthcare workers gesture hearts in celebration of Nurse Week and International Nurses Day outside Mt. Sinai Oueens in the Queens borough of New York City, US, on May 12, 2020. AFP
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Xiong Daiki, 22, teaches dance at a studio, almost a year after the global outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, on December 13, 2020. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/XNAM4A5JFVGKHSBFLC3EVJSRTQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=1ba7347042c3fb1e103bb7bb92d2dbce7dee7f57d4ef77bbd4bf726b25038a20&width=400&height=225)
Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded by staff as she returns to her ward after becoming the first person to receive the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, England, on December 8, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IEKUMYBNDXM5RROCGPEZYNWYHY.jpg?smart=true&auth=9a4321fb132c7c374b880abba6e24f4ac9ba77754a9812d20788408dbc507456&width=400&height=225)
Captain Tom Moore walking and fundraising in his garden. AFP
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An H-2A rocket carrying the Hope Probe known, developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in the UAE to explore Mars, blasts off from Tanegashima Space Centre in southwestern Japan on July 20. AFP
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Residents with Italian flags in the Garbatella district of Rome take part in a Liberation Day flashmob with people singing Italian partisan song 'Bella Ciao' from their window or balcony on April 25, 2020, during the country's lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. AFP
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A black man and a white woman hold their hands up in a front of police officers in downtown Long Beach on May 31, 2020 during a protest against the death of George Floyd. AFP
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Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence erect a Christmas tree by Lebanese artist Hayat Nazer, decorated with uniforms of firefighters, as a way to pay tribute to colleagues who were killed in the August 4 port explosion, in the Lebanese capital Beirut's harbour, on December 18, 2020. AFP
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This picture taken on March 23, 2020 shows Uruguayan cellist Karina Nunez playing on the balcony of her apartment in Panama City, during the mandatory isolation from 5pm to 5am as a preventive measure against the spread of Covid-19. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DPNJPXHFOOFBCX73542GXZ2YSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=3a5d54150a5d037edcfefe3540547552c2edf9e8832e1d0eaa250c606e840fe6&width=400&height=225)
Dancer Antonia Exertzi performs choreography by Patricia Apergi, wearing a protective face mask, at a deserted Iroon Polytechniou Avenue, outside the Piraeus Municipal Theatre, in Piraeus, Greece, on December 4, 2020. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4KDH3WDM7B3R3GOCYBDS6QH4EY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e427c78c23d964e297a73ea3ab166e1c4a163b2c75820be61c5df98138ff7c15&width=400&height=225)
Audience members including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Penelope Cruz and Brad Pitt react to "Parasite" winning best picture as see at the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Members of the Tempero de Criola band perform a small concert to the residents of Turano favela, most of whom remain quarantined to curb the spread of Covid-19, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 19, 2020. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YGJDC3SB2A6UT7O2K7TMU7XZPI.jpg?smart=true&auth=5c758f6b8531f14943f77219ce6f6d45fc29e7e3dfd3f6f8f0b10690c32a923b&width=400&height=225)
Choristers from the St Paul's Choir pose for photographers at St Paul's Cathedral on December 14, 2020 in London, England. The cathedral live-streamed its Christmas concert for free on Thursday, December 17. Getty Images
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Prime Minister and Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern meets supporters at Otara Market on October 10, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. Getty Images
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Ahmet Celik, right, and Ibrahim Topal from Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation rescue and search team embrace after rescuing Ayda Gezgin, a 3-year-old survivor from a collapsed building in Izmir on November 3, 2020. AFP
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Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2020. AFP
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This picture taken on December 17, 2020 shows an aerial view of children standing together holding hands in a rainwater pond at the flooded Mukhayyam Al Khair camp near the village of Kafr Uruq in the north of Idlib province, housing Syrians displaced from Saraqib and Maaret Al Numan following heavy rain in the previous days. AFP
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Muslims, keeping a safe social distance, perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque after Saudi authorities eased restrictions in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on October 4, 2020. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DZTQ2467NOE67PT56Q6SBOTNKA.jpg?smart=true&auth=0747a88c7bb2aeec28618313c1d4c9980fb493e87024f80a9cb953bd586ed91f&width=400&height=225)
A motorcyclist from a group of Harley Davidson owners hands a basket of Christmas gifts to a medical worker on December 19, 2020 at a drive-through testing site in Rome, Italy. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FPAPX2PBLY4OPJOJH4LUVOLHJ4.jpg?smart=true&auth=58963da8fbec544342706a6113e338003b2d0d4593a980137e7531e69eaaedfa&width=400&height=225)
Bride Pelsin Akkoyun and groom Nizamettin Bingol, wearing protective face masks, walk following their civil wedding ceremony, amid the spread of Covid-19, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on July 2, 2020. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/AANDRVDJEPXSVZTQNW76VVHLXA.jpg?smart=true&auth=f6500ed4a28cbd22006ad7826d41c10b7b6906c69f014f47b77b9bdff59b0aed&width=400&height=225)
Nurses holding newborn babies wearing face shields, in an effort to halt the spread of Covid-19, at Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 9, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/XFLDJJUQ7NVZTCUD7TNFYDGYWY.jpg?smart=true&auth=7299f77bc5c76fd7051e3f3b38777334331c0e8d3ff9b80eee336b9025056887&width=400&height=225)
Nurses and healthcare workers gesture hearts in celebration of Nurse Week and International Nurses Day outside Mt. Sinai Oueens in the Queens borough of New York City, US, on May 12, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/VXOORZXGU654O76LN5SMQCC2SI.jpg?smart=true&auth=051d46bcbb7db7787ccaa68e72c6797d456c927e0e77b2f0b0b0b1830502ad90&width=400&height=225)
Xiong Daiki, 22, teaches dance at a studio, almost a year after the global outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, on December 13, 2020. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/XNAM4A5JFVGKHSBFLC3EVJSRTQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=1ba7347042c3fb1e103bb7bb92d2dbce7dee7f57d4ef77bbd4bf726b25038a20&width=400&height=225)
Margaret Keenan, 90, is applauded by staff as she returns to her ward after becoming the first person to receive the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, England, on December 8, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IEKUMYBNDXM5RROCGPEZYNWYHY.jpg?smart=true&auth=9a4321fb132c7c374b880abba6e24f4ac9ba77754a9812d20788408dbc507456&width=400&height=225)
Captain Tom Moore walking and fundraising in his garden. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WGOM2S7DYNFD7JLG2A4GY3MPIE.jpg?smart=true&auth=a6e465729918d6c65e48fc6813585d8725790d4f126a66d831f1e4d3faf1fd35&width=400&height=225)
An H-2A rocket carrying the Hope Probe known, developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in the UAE to explore Mars, blasts off from Tanegashima Space Centre in southwestern Japan on July 20. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/52HKHIMAUA76FMFTDL2C373BMA.jpg?smart=true&auth=f29553620e0a0900e3fb91d9e82fc93d0eca537d67c6864bfa9dfc3d1bf90b50&width=400&height=225)
Residents with Italian flags in the Garbatella district of Rome take part in a Liberation Day flashmob with people singing Italian partisan song 'Bella Ciao' from their window or balcony on April 25, 2020, during the country's lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YTDRLSHVRH2KVHHBIZAGREM2AE.jpg?smart=true&auth=da83d3a5d610dfbf95bc04d43dae6c1fd1dd4551b4f6c18960c10f95468edf87&width=400&height=225)
A black man and a white woman hold their hands up in a front of police officers in downtown Long Beach on May 31, 2020 during a protest against the death of George Floyd. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/76EMMNCNRWSGIVMZFO6ZWM7G3M.jpg?smart=true&auth=26d6372f90964a39eb86fc2f48d44a3a49e6c4afe4b79023de5c250a82f37d5d&width=400&height=225)
Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence erect a Christmas tree by Lebanese artist Hayat Nazer, decorated with uniforms of firefighters, as a way to pay tribute to colleagues who were killed in the August 4 port explosion, in the Lebanese capital Beirut's harbour, on December 18, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WFVCMIQWMTQN3X3W32JLPMRLSM.jpg?smart=true&auth=52115312869be992f8e1802c3a0adeeb6640278bb644c7fdb009ad914bcfe02d&width=400&height=225)
This picture taken on March 23, 2020 shows Uruguayan cellist Karina Nunez playing on the balcony of her apartment in Panama City, during the mandatory isolation from 5pm to 5am as a preventive measure against the spread of Covid-19. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DPNJPXHFOOFBCX73542GXZ2YSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=3a5d54150a5d037edcfefe3540547552c2edf9e8832e1d0eaa250c606e840fe6&width=400&height=225)
Dancer Antonia Exertzi performs choreography by Patricia Apergi, wearing a protective face mask, at a deserted Iroon Polytechniou Avenue, outside the Piraeus Municipal Theatre, in Piraeus, Greece, on December 4, 2020. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4KDH3WDM7B3R3GOCYBDS6QH4EY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e427c78c23d964e297a73ea3ab166e1c4a163b2c75820be61c5df98138ff7c15&width=400&height=225)
Audience members including Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Penelope Cruz and Brad Pitt react to "Parasite" winning best picture as see at the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Al Seib / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZB36DMTH66GFEF7ARKCKS2LSM4.jpg?smart=true&auth=f36d29f0759d729dfde9def527ca02b1f34927b972c2ef3db4c4879b37596e9d&width=400&height=225)
Members of the Tempero de Criola band perform a small concert to the residents of Turano favela, most of whom remain quarantined to curb the spread of Covid-19, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 19, 2020. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YGJDC3SB2A6UT7O2K7TMU7XZPI.jpg?smart=true&auth=5c758f6b8531f14943f77219ce6f6d45fc29e7e3dfd3f6f8f0b10690c32a923b&width=400&height=225)
Choristers from the St Paul's Choir pose for photographers at St Paul's Cathedral on December 14, 2020 in London, England. The cathedral live-streamed its Christmas concert for free on Thursday, December 17. Getty Images
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7PQYA4YSEPDX4MA664W45OYWZM.jpg?smart=true&auth=6041daaf6a63fcfe648e6214cb3acbcfafd2f9428adf136657cbc054aa3e2448&width=400&height=225)
Prime Minister and Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern meets supporters at Otara Market on October 10, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. Getty Images
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FZRSHVSXIGT4KLUAIT6NV4WDIA.jpg?smart=true&auth=f2c1ccca4833465f275345e9f881a2c2f0aaff59418881b8042b2c3924123f61&width=400&height=225)
Ahmet Celik, right, and Ibrahim Topal from Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation rescue and search team embrace after rescuing Ayda Gezgin, a 3-year-old survivor from a collapsed building in Izmir on November 3, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IHNOXNQELIN3KO3IU2EFNZPAGI.jpg?smart=true&auth=deb8e302ee5c8a9491980c1b0d023409470466668255c57a632675b7df8137f5&width=400&height=225)
Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2020. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HEI5DIICJV5A3GZZWVYL6BGQ2Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=9555333fa03db28f9db82277221c09683da49f0fd70f3de23480df5914e0bdaa&width=400&height=225)
This picture taken on December 17, 2020 shows an aerial view of children standing together holding hands in a rainwater pond at the flooded Mukhayyam Al Khair camp near the village of Kafr Uruq in the north of Idlib province, housing Syrians displaced from Saraqib and Maaret Al Numan following heavy rain in the previous days. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BVX2YBEI7MIQUNAUUR74U2BPGU.jpg?smart=true&auth=a98ae75a8761836fee685f80ac76b7f5ceeadd4cfed239d922e7b49cc8c0f633&width=400&height=225)
Muslims, keeping a safe social distance, perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque after Saudi authorities eased restrictions in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, on October 4, 2020. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DZTQ2467NOE67PT56Q6SBOTNKA.jpg?smart=true&auth=0747a88c7bb2aeec28618313c1d4c9980fb493e87024f80a9cb953bd586ed91f&width=400&height=225)
A motorcyclist from a group of Harley Davidson owners hands a basket of Christmas gifts to a medical worker on December 19, 2020 at a drive-through testing site in Rome, Italy. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FPAPX2PBLY4OPJOJH4LUVOLHJ4.jpg?smart=true&auth=58963da8fbec544342706a6113e338003b2d0d4593a980137e7531e69eaaedfa&width=400&height=225)
Bride Pelsin Akkoyun and groom Nizamettin Bingol, wearing protective face masks, walk following their civil wedding ceremony, amid the spread of Covid-19, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on July 2, 2020. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/AANDRVDJEPXSVZTQNW76VVHLXA.jpg?smart=true&auth=f6500ed4a28cbd22006ad7826d41c10b7b6906c69f014f47b77b9bdff59b0aed&width=400&height=225)
Nurses holding newborn babies wearing face shields, in an effort to halt the spread of Covid-19, at Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 9, 2020. AFP
10 really good things that happened in 2020: from Captain Sir Tom Moore's NHS walk to the UAE's Hope spacecraft
While 2020 might be the year we’d rather all forget, there were plenty of things worth celebrating, too
Gemma White
30 December, 2020
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