2024 has been a year of twists and turns. Over 50 countries held elections. The war in UkraineA country in Eastern Europe. It was invaded by Russia in February 2022. carried on. AIA computer programme that has been designed to think.  grew more powerful. And the world faced huge floods.

Here are five of the year's biggest stories.

1. All change. In July, the British people chose a new prime ministerA prime minister is the head of government in a country with a parliamentary system.  at the general electionIn the UK, when an election is held for all 650 members of the House of Commons. One must take place every five years. . Rishi Sunak and the ConservativesA traditionally right-wing or centre right political party in the UK. Members are sometimes called Tories. were out and Keir Starmer's LabourBritain's main left-of-centre political party. were in. It is the first time Labour have been in charge for 14 years.

2. Big bang. IsraelA country in the Middle East, and the only Jewish nation in the modern period. It is seen by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the Holy Land.'s war on HamasA militant Palestinian organisation, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. carried on.  By the end of February, the GazaThe smaller of two Palestinian territories, home to two million people. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, bordered by Israel and Egypt. death toll was 30,000  and 1.1 million people were starving. The war also spilled over into LebanonA small country on the eastern Mediterranean coast that has been in the grip of an economic crisis for over a year. It has a native population of just 4.7 million, but migrants and refugees have brought its total population up to almost 7 million..

3. With a vengeance. Before the 2024 American presidential election in November, Donald TrumpAn American television personality who became US president from 2016 to 2020, and will become president again in January 2025. survived two attempts to kill him and Joe BidenThe president of the USA, elected in 2020. was forced to stand down so Kamala HarrisUS Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate. If elected, she will be the first female vice president of the USA. could run. In the end, Trump won.

4. Arab winter. On Sunday 9 December, rebels overthrew SyriaA Middle Eastern country that was the site of much of the fighting during the Crusades.'s governmentThe group of people who govern - or lead - the country.. President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia. Half a century100 years. of rule by his family ended overnight. No-one knows what will happen next.

5. New heights. The final big story is yet to come. 2024 is "almost certain" to be the first year on record where average temperatures are more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Did the world change forever in 2024?

Yes! The world changes forever all the time. Yet 2024 was major. From Trump's win to Assad's fall, the world has set on a different course.

No! We think we live in interesting times - but that is just because we have forgotten the past. What seems like big news today will probably be forgotten in 100 years time.