Your Favorite Stories Of 2024
Don't miss out on your favorite stories of 2024!
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the stories that caught your attention the most this year on @almost.co.
From everyone’s favorite baby hippo Moo Deng to acts of activism against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, these headlines are a snapshot of the year that was 2024 — one marked by chaos, resistance and pure, unadulterated joy.
1. The Olympics Have Apologized After It Played Sudan's National Anthem For South Sudan
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war.
Instead of hearing "South Sudan Oyee!" , players and fans heard the national anthem of Sudan being played ahead of South Sudan’s Olympic debut in men’s basketball.
An announcer can then be heard apologizing for a “technical error.”
2. A Zoo In Thailand Has Welcomed A Baby Hippo Named “Bouncy Pork” Who Looks Distressed All The Time
On July 10, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand's Chon Buri province welcomed a female pygmy hippopotamus, Moo Deng.
Moo Deng has since taken social media by storm, going viral on X for looking distressed all the time.
The zoo has taken to sharing videos and photos from her daily life, and people online are enjoying watching her grow.
3. Ireland's Women's Basketball Team Refused To Shake Hands With Israel's Team Before Their Game
The Ireland women’s basketball team refused to shake hands with Israel’s team before their EuroBasket 2025 qualifier match after an Israeli player accused them of anti-Semitism.
Israeli player Dor Saar had said the Irish team was anti-Semitic in an interview with the Israeli Basketball Association.
True to their word, the Irish players stood on the sidelines during the national anthem ahead of the match, rather than at the center of the court as is customary, and did not shake hands with the Israeli team.
4. These Philippine Security Guards Hired A Stray Cat To Join The Team And Now They Can’t Function Without Him
Meet Conan, a six-month-old stray cat hired to keep a mall in the Philippines safe. Conan works on the security team of the Worldwide Corporate Center in the capital, Manila.
He was hired when he was just a few weeks old after being scouted by a housekeeper at the building’s parking lot.
“If Conan isn’t around then I’m not motivated,” 30-year-old security guard Aljon Aquino said. “He takes away my stress.”
5. This UK Anchor Yelled At A Palestinian Politician On Air And Said Maybe He’s "Not Used To Women Talking”
Julia Hartley-Brewer, an anchor for British channel TalkTV, was interviewing Palestinian politician Dr. Mustafa Barghouti after Israel assassinated deputy Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri.
In the interview, Barghouti condemned Israel and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relentless attack on Gaza and the war spilling over into the wider Middle East, according to the New Arab.
However, Hartley-Brewer said Israel was a democratic country and became annoyed at Barghouti as he tried to talk.
“For the love of God, let me finish a sentence, man! Maybe you’re not used to women talking, I don’t know, but I’d like to finish the sentence!,” she then proceeded to shout at him.
6. These Taiwanese People Dressed Up As Cockroaches For Halloween And Chased A Rubbish Truck
The cockroaches appeared during the annual Halloween party in the capital, Taipei, on the evening of Saturday Oct. 26.
In a video that has since gained more than 1.8 million views on Threads, the people cockroaches were seen swarming a rubbish truck as it stopped on the side of the street, followed by two men dressed as flies, as well as a third person dressed as a box of cockroach repellent.
7. This British Lawyer For South Africa Explained Why It Did Not File A Case Against Hamas At The ICJ
British lawyer Vaughan Lowe, who is part of the international team of lawyers representing South Africa in its case against Israel committing genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has explained why South Africa did not bring forward a legal case against Hamas.
“Hamas is not a state and cannot be a party to the Genocide Convention and cannot be a party to these proceedings,” Lowe said.
The Genocide Convention is an international treaty created in the aftermath of the Holocaust that has been signed by 152 states, including both Israel and South Africa.
South Africa says Israel has committed the first four acts of The Genocide Convention and is calling on the court to issue an emergency order, also known as provisional measures, which could be done in a few weeks.
8. Israel Accused The Japanese Nobel Winner Of "Distorting History" After He Compared Gaza To Hiroshima
Israel has criticized the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize winner, 82-year-old Toshiyuki Mimaki, a Hiroshima nuclear bomb survivor, for comparing the suffering of children in Gaza to what happened in Japan 80 years ago.
“The images of the children in Gaza covered with blood held by their parents remind me of Japan 80 years ago,” Mimaki said.
“Children lost their fathers and lost their mothers with the nuclear bomb. They became orphans,” he added.
Israel's ambassador to Japan strongly condemned Mimaki, calling his remarks "outrageous and baseless" and saying that such comparisons "distort history and dishonor the victims."
9. China’s Foreign Minister Said Taiwan Is Not A Country And Independence "Will Never Be Possible”
One day after Taiwan elected a president who favors independence, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, has said that Taiwan is a part of China and independence “will never be possible”.
Wang made the comments on Sunday Jan. 14 during a joint news conference in Cairo after meeting with Egyptian preident Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
“No matter what the election results are, it cannot change the basic fact that there is only one China in the world. Taiwan is part of China,” he said.
10. These Two Hero Taiwanese Dogs Helped Discover Earthquake Victims And Then Gave Very Good Interviews
Two search and rescue dogs in Taiwan have won the hearts of many after they not only helped to identify and rescue three people trapped in the rubble after the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck on Wednesday, April 3.
The two dogs, Wilson and Roger, were sent to Taroko National Park in Hualien, which was severely affected by the quake, and led a rescue team of 12 humans to look for injured and dead victims on a hiking trail.
Speaking later at an interview with a local TV station,Wilson excitedly bit onto the microphone, prompting his human rescuer to instruct him to leave it.
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