2017 News Map: Faces of June

World
Europe

As 2017 comes to an end, CGTN has put together a twelve-episode special series "News Map 2017" to review the monthly events of the past year.

From December 18 to 29, review the most stirring events, relive the most touching stories and remember the most influential faces of 2017.

Here are some faces that grabbed world attention in June 2017.

On the doorstep of the White House, a group of protestors gathered to show their anger and frustration towards President Donald Trump. His decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord continued to make waves.

United States President Donald J. Trump makes a statement regarding the Paris Accord in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 1 2017, Washington, DC, United States. The President announced the US will withdraw from the accord. /VCG Photo

“I was pretty shocked by it; Trump got me again on this one,” said Lily, a communications worker.

“I wasn't surprised but I'm angry about it because we've come so far in fighting climate change,” added Dominic, a political science student.

Their stance was echoed around the world.

“One can only hope that his term will be short, and then everyone comes back to the table and will be able to continue,” Berlin resident Christian Schottstaedt commented.

Laurence, a Paris resident, said, “Trump is a crazy, provocative, silly man, and we need to be very, very cautious and very strong in front of his decision.”

Their fury is not baseless. A growing number of extreme weather events have forced people to reconsider what should be done to curb climate change.

This year, 17 tropical cyclones, including 10 hurricanes, were recorded. They displaced millions of people and caused damage worth tens of billions of US dollars.

But in Kenya, the atmosphere was cheerful.

A new China-built railway was put into service, replacing parts of the century-old "lunatic express" that linked Lake Victoria with Mombasa, the country's second-largest city,.

A China-built railway links Mombasa with Nairobi. /VCG Photo

It previously took businesswoman Eunice Sein more than 10 hours to travel from Nairobi to the port city, but now it takes her only four hours.

“It is going to change so many things, it's economical, it's fast, so people will not get stuck on the road. It even means from Mombasa to Nairobi you can go and then you can come back the same day again,” said Sein.

Michael Kennedy, a farmer, is also excited because the new line would mean more money in his pocket.

“When the cost of transportation will be cut to the port of Mombasa for export then the farmer, at the end of the day, the price of the product is going to increase, the farmer is going to benefit,” said Kennedy.

For many others, the railway simply means more places are now within their reach.