Beyond the Headlines: Stories from 2020 of Covid-19 and beyond

As we look back on 2020, it is undeniable that there is one story that defined the year.

But The National's newsroom has been busy coving stories from around the world that go well beyond the coronavirus.

So, on this week's Beyond the Headlines, host Suhail Akram brings you the defining moments of 2020 from some of our correspondents from Iraq to the US. Iraq had a tumultuous year as it slid into economic despair after a year of anti-establishment protests.

Lebanon sank deeper into economic crisis only to be hit with a blast that left 250,000 people homeless, at least 190 dead and more than 6,000 injured.

Ethiopia and Egypt nearly came to blows over the Great Nile Dam, while fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

A brutal conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh killed more than 5,000 soldiers and 144 civilians.

And then there was the simmering tension between Iran and the US, as well as what was described as the most crucial election in America's history. This is 2020 as seen by The National.

Gifts exchanged

King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag

Three ways to boost your credit score

Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:

1. Make sure you make your payments on time;

2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;

3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.