The shocking events of 2022 have stunned us so much that we are now painting everything in black. The war in Ukraine, the economic crisis, climate disasters - this year has clearly not spoiled us. However, we should not forget that 2022 was also the year of an unprecedented unification of Europe around Ukraine, a year of courage, bravery and struggle for freedom.

That’s not enough to cheer you up? Then Media Loft together with the "Chitania" project has prepared

Top news - 2022

1. Hope for a cure: revolutionary medical discoveries

Alzheimer's disease, which affects around 55 million people worldwide, seems to have a cure! According to the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists are now investigating a drug that slows the cognitive decline of patients by 27 per cent.

Photo: Getty Images

More good news from the world of medicine: in February, scientists announced that a third person - the first woman - had been cured of HIV through a stem cell transplant.

Finally, there are hopes that mRNA vaccines, originally developed against Covid-19, could be a viable tool in the fight against cancer.

In August, a team of US researchers announced the development of a cancer vaccine that had given very good results in laboratory studies on mice.

2. They're back! Endangered animal species spotted in the wild again

There are frequent headlines about the disappearance of various kinds of wildlife in the press, which is frustrating for animal conservationists. However, in 2022, scientists noticed the opposite phenomenon: some endangered species are making a comeback.

Almost 50 years after researchers lost track of the Anatolian leopard, one was spotted in Turkey in May. Worldwide numbers of wild tigers have turned out to be 40% higher than previously thought, and their population appears to be on the rise. The same is true for grey wolves: in France, where they are listed as a protected species, their numbers have increased by 138 individuals in one year.

Photo: M. Dupuis

The end of 2022 marked another piece of good news for nature: at the UN summit in Montreal on 19 December, an agreement was reached that participating countries would commit to protecting 30 percent of the planet as a protected area by 2030.

3. Modern technology rushes to the rescue

More than 2,000 schools in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, but charities have not stopped looking for new ways to rebuild the country.

A non-profit tech start-up, Team4UA, has begun developing a project that aims to build schools using 3D printers in partnership with city authorities.

Photo: ICE Industrial Services

The foundations have already been laid for the world's first 3D-printed school to be built in a war zone in a street in Lviv, which is home to many people displaced by the war.

Jean-Christophe Bonis, founder of Team4UA, says his aim is to first create a pilot project, "something relevant, and the school is the best way to meet the needs here locally. Of course, then we will help build hospitals and houses, because a lot of people have lost everything, but that is the next stage."

4. Girl power: the new conquests of feminism

In May, the United States Soccer Federation announced a landmark agreement guaranteeing equal pay for male and female national teams.

Players will now receive the same fees and bonuses for "friendly" or competitive matches, regardless of gender.

"This is a truly historic moment. This agreement has changed the game forever here in the US and could change the rules around the world," US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Kone said on 18 May.

This is not the only women's victory in the world of football.

Referee Stephanie Frappart of France made history this year as the first woman to take charge of a men's World Cup match when she refereed Costa Rica vs. Germany on December 1. Her assistants were Brazilian Noiza Buck and Mexican Karen Diaz Medina, making them the first female refereeing team in football history to take part in a men's World Cup tournament.

Referee Stephanie Frappart at work during the Costa Rica vs. Germany match
Photo: Moises Castillo / AP

Only six women have been selected as referees for the World Cup in Qatar.

They earned the position by passing the same fitness tests as their male counterparts and adhering to the same standards of performance.

5. World celebrities are pro-Ukraine

In the 10 months of war, Ukraine's fight against the Russian invasion has been supported by a huge number of stars.

Benedict Cumberbatch along with Jude Law performed at a charity dinner in the UK and helped raise 90,000 pounds (4 million hryvnias). The money went towards buying ambulances for Ukrainian medics.

Mark Hamill, who played Jedi Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars universe, has become an ambassador for the UNITED24 fundraising platform. To date, Ukraine has received more than 500 drones with its help.

Band Pink Floyd raised €500,000 on the sale of track "Hey Hey Rise Up" (cover of "Chervona Kalina"), recorded together with the leader of "Boombox" band Andriy Hlyvnyuk. The proceeds go to five charities in Ukraine.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have already raised $37 million for Ukrainian refugees through Stand With Ukraine Foundation. Mila herself donated $3 million from her own savings.

At the beginning of the war, Stephen King posted his photo in a T-shirt with the slogan "I stand with Ukraine" in the social networks. In addition, the writer refused to continue contracts with Russian publishers.

Photo: Stephen King / Twitter

Angelina Jolie came to Lviv on an unofficial visit in April. She met the passengers of the evacuation train from Pokrovsk and had lunch with the displaced people, and then visited Ukrainian children at a boarding school.

Ben Stiller came to Ukraine as a UN Goodwill Ambassador to meet with the displaced people and to express support not only on his own behalf but also from the entire United Nations.

Sean Penn has been actively supporting Ukraine throughout the year and in November he presented his Oscar award to President Vladimir Zelenski. The actor called the gift a symbol of hope and belief in Ukraine's victory.

Photo: president.gov.ua

In December, Jean-Claude Van Damme unexpectedly visited Ukraine. In the video, the actor with Ukrainian servicemen shouts "Glory to Ukraine!". Van Damme had not previously spoken publicly about his support for Ukraine, so his visit came as a pleasant surprise.

6. Human life as a core value: three more countries have abolished the death penalty

In 2022, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Papua New Guinea passed laws abolishing the death penalty for all crimes.

Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images via AFP

According to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, based near Paris, 111 out of 200 countries have now completely abolished the practice. In 2021, three countries - Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia - accounted for 80 per cent of executions.

7. Through thorns to the stars

On the 11th of July, six months after its launch into orbit, the James Webb Space Telescope transmitted its first colour image, which is a survey of galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang over 13 billion years ago - "the deepest and clearest infrared image of the distant Universe to date", according to NASA.

Photo: NASA, ESA and M. Montes 

Since then, the "telescope of the century", the most powerful ever sent into space, has provided dozens of stunning images of little-known and even unknown corners of our Universe, from nebulae to exoplanets to galaxy clusters.

And it's not just fascinating photographs - the study of Webb's images is expected to lead to significant advances in astronomy in the coming years.

8. It's never too late to win

Stan Lee, the father of Marvel Comics, created his first superhero at the age of almost 40 when he published Fantastic Four.

Vera Wang didn't create her first dress until she was in her 40s.

Miguel de Cervantes was in his fifties when Don Quixote was finally published, and French painter Paul Cézanne was the same age when his work was recognised.

And in 2022, 95-year-old woman Angela Alvarez became the oldest person to be nominated and win the Best New Artist category at the Latin Grammys.

Angela Alvarez poses with the Latin Grammy award for the press
Photo: John Locher/Invision

Alvarez told Spanish news agency EFE that she started writing songs in 1942 in Cuba and always wanted to be an artist, but it took her eight decades to release her first album.

"What I feel is such a wonderful and beautiful thing, and I can't find the words to express how I really feel. I feel very happy and content and very proud of what has happened in my life," she said.

9. The belief in miracles on New Year's Eve has gone nowhere

Despite the tragic events of 2022, New Year's Eve remains a holiday that, even in the darkest of times, gives people hope for a better future.

We asked our readers what their children would like to ask Santa Claus for.

"A saber-toothed tiger."

"A trampoline."

"A book and a pruner."

"Peace in Ukraine."

"A unicorn cat, very fluffy."

"A trip to Turkey for mum."

"A projector with a starry sky."

"Children want to live in a peaceful Ukraine. An end to the war - one wish for all".

"A candyfloss machine."

"A real invisibility cloak."

"Peace! And no bombs flying at us!"

"A sleigh ride with Santa and see more of my family."

"A stone from a cartoon that can disappear."

To give children the chance to dream and believe in miracles, open up the magical world of reading to them. "Chitania", an application for teaching children to read in Russian, will help you do just that. "Chitania" invites children into a world of fairy tales and adventures, which will help them paint even the darkest reality in bright colours.

Cover photo: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Webb ERO Production Team