Thread by @ReutersGraphics

1/9 As the year draws to a close, here are a few highlights from Reuters Graphics’ 2019 coverage graphics.reuters.com

2/9 Police and protesters in Hong Kong have been locked in a spiraling cycle of violence since early June. @SimonScarr, @TmarcoH, @GurmanBhatia and the team counted the crowds and examined the tactics used by demonstrators and law enforcement tmsnrt.rs/2ZEZsnH

3/9 Since the 2016 referendum, #Brexit has divided the UK and fueled soul-searching about everything from immigration to modern Britishness. @samugranados, @OvaskaOvaska and @basilesimon explain Britain’s messy divorce from the EU tmsnrt.rs/2QAfZoP

4/9 The Amazon rainforest saw record high levels of deforestation this year while facing the worst spate of forest fires since 2010. @allyjlevine, @juledurg and @jakespring explain how roads that run deep into the Amazon accelerate deforestation tmsnrt.rs/2st9KLE

5/9 The U.S. retreat from northern #Syria created a void and opened the Kurdish-controlled region to new powers. @OvaskaOvaska, @Da_Pacific and the team show how Turkey has seized a number of towns from Kurdish-led militias along its border. tmsnrt.rs/2QcYyf7

6/9 @SimonScarr, @TmarcoH and @anandkatakam visualize the world’s addiction to plastic bottles tmsnrt.rs/2QbQeMs and the amount of microplastic that goes into a person’s diet tmsnrt.rs/2rJ4DGB

7/9 After a Brazilian dam storing mine waste collapsed and killed over 240 people, the @churchofengland, an investor in mining firms through its pension funds, requested data on these dams. @heysamhart and the team examined their public responses: tmsnrt.rs/2txMcW3

8/9 With the release of #RiseOfTheSkywalker, the final film in the Star Wars Skywalker Saga, the team takes a close look at every major duel involving the #lightsaber , the franchise’s iconic weapon tmsnrt.rs/2FatAOm

9/9 And finally, as governments and private companies rush to launch missions to low-earth orbit and beyond, @allyjlevine, @im_siruizhu, @juledurg, @Da_Pacific and the team detail the ongoing space race. tmsnrt.rs/37ntLBW