HISTORICAL TIMELINE
This timeline contains links to notable news events affecting MSGs on post.
2015
January
January 1 – (Lithuania) officially adopts the euro
January 3–7 – (Nigeria) A series of massacres in Baga,
January 7 – (Yemen) Two gunmen belonging to Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch kill 12 people and injure 11 more .
January 12 – (Cameroon) A Boko Haram and Islamic State assault on Kolofata
January 22 – (Yemen) After Houthi forces seize the presidential palace,
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resigns
January 25 – (Greece) Legislative elections are held in Greece .
February
February 12 - (Ukraine) Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France reach an agreement on the war in eastern Ukraine that includes a ceasefire
February 14–15 - (Denmark) A lone gunman leaves 2 dead in a terrorist attack in Copenhagen, Denmark.
February 14 - March 29 – (Australia - New Zealand) The 2015 Cricket World Cup
February 16 – (Egypt) The Egyptian military airstrikes against ISIL in Libya
March
March 5–8 – (Iraq) The ancient city sites of Nimrud, Hatra and Dur-Sharrukin in Iraq are demolished by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
March 12 – (Iraq) The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant becomes allies with fellow jihadist group Boko Haram, effectively annexing the group
March 24 – (France) An Airbus A320-211 operated by Germanwings is deliberately crashed in the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
March 25 – (Yemen) A Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab countries starts a military intervention in Yemen in order to uphold the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis' southern offensive.
March 29 – (Austrailia) Australia wins the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
April
April 2 – (Kenya) 148 people are killed, the majority students, in a mass shooting at the Garissa University College in Kenya, perpetrated by the militant terrorist organization al-Shabaab.[29]
April 25 – (Napal - India - China - Bangladesh) A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal and causes 8,857 deaths[30][31] in Nepal, 130 in India,[32] 27 in China[33] and 4 in Bangladesh[34] with a total of 9,018 deaths.
May
May 1–October 31 – (Italy) Expo 2015 is held in Milan, Italy.
May 7 – (England) The 2015 UK General Election results in the first Conservative majority government in 18 years.
May 8 – A prison break occurred in the Iraqi town of Al Khalis, resulting in over fifty escapees.
May 10 – (Poland) First round of the 2015 Polish presidential election is held.
May 12 – (Napal - India - China - Bangladesh) A second major earthquake in Nepal, measuring 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale, results in 153 deaths in Nepal, 62 in India, 1 in China and 2 in Bangladesh with a total of 218 deaths.
May 21 – (Syria) ISIS captures the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.
May 24 – (Poland) Second round of the 2015 Polish presidential election is held, with Andrzej Duda reigning victorious over then-incumbent president Bronisław Komorowski.
May 29 – (Tonga), the Mata ʻo e Laʻa Solar Facility is officially opened by King Tupou VI.
June
June 6 – (India - Bangladesh) The governments of India and Bangladesh officially ratify their 1974 agreement to exchange enclaves along their border
June 12–28 – (Azerbaijan) The inaugural European Games are held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
June 25–26 – (Syria - Tunisia - Kuwait) ISIL claim responsibility for three attacks around the world during Ramadan:
Kobanî massacre: ISIL fighters detonate three car bombs, enter Kobanî, Syria, and open fire at civilians, killing more than 220.
Sousse attacks: 22-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui opens fire at a tourist resort at Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia, killing 38 people.
Kuwait mosque bombing: A suicide bomber attacks the Shia Mosque Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq at Kuwait City, Kuwait, killing 27 people and injuring 227 others.
2014
January
January 1 – (Latvia) adopts the euro as its currency and becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone.
February
February – The West African Ebola virus epidemic begins, infecting at least 28,616 people and killing at least 11,310 people, the most severe both in terms of numbers of infections and casualties.
February 7–23 – (Russia) The XXII Olympic Winter Games are held in Sochi, Russia.
February 22 – (Ukraine) Revolution of Dignity: The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) votes to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from office, replacing him with Oleksandr Turchynov, after days of civil unrest leaving around 100 people dead in Kyiv.
March
March 16 - (Ukraine - Russia) Crimean status referendum: Referendum on the status of the Crimean Peninsula .
The fifth ICC T20 World Cup in cricket is held in Bangladesh.
March 21 – Russia formally annexes Crimea after President Vladimir Putin signs a bill formalizing the process.
March 24 – (Ukraine - Russia) During an emergency meeting, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada temporarily suspend Russia from the G8, recognizing Crimea within Ukraine's international borders and rejecting the validity of the 2014 Crimean referendum
April
April 7 – (Ukraine) The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic statelet unilaterally declares its independence from Ukraine.
April 14 – (Nigeria) Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping: an estimated 276 girls and women are abducted from a school in Nigeria and held hostage.[24]
April 27 – (The Vatican) The Catholic Church simultaneously canonizes Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.
May
May 5 - (Nigeria) Boko Haram militants kill approximately 300 people in a night attack on Gamboru Ngala in Nigeria.[29]
May 12 – (Ukraine) The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic statelet unilaterally declares its independence from Ukraine.[30]
May 20 – (Nigeria) 2014 Jos bombings: Terrorists in Nigeria detonate bombs at Jos, killing 118 people.
May 22 - (Thailand) Thai coup d'état: The Royal Thai Army overthrows the caretaker government of Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan after a failure to resolve the political unrest in Thailand.[32]
(China) A terrorist attack in Ürümqi, China leaves 43 dead and more than 90 injured.
(Ukraine) The Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic declare the formation of Novorossiya, also referred to as the Union of People's Republics.[33]
May 26 – (India) Narendra Modi succeeds Manmohan Singh as the 14th prime minister of India.
June
June 5 – (Iraq) A Sunni militant group now calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) begins an offensive through northern Iraq, aiming to capture the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and overthrow the Shiite government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
June 12 –(Iraq) In the Camp Speicher massacre in Iraq, ISIL kills 1,566 Shia Iraqi Air Force cadets.
It is the second deadliest terrorist attack in history and the deadliest attack conducted by ISIL.
June 13 – International military intervention against ISIL begins.
June 19 – (Spain) Felipe VI becomes King of Spain upon the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I.
June 29 – (Iraq) The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant declares itself a caliphate.
July
July 8 – (Brazil), 014 FIFA World Cup, are beaten 7–1 by Germany in the semi-finals.
July 8–August 26 – (Israel) Amid growing tensions between Israel and Hamas following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June and the revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager in July, Israel launches Operation Protective Edge against Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip starting with numerous missile strikes, followed by a ground offensive a week later. In seven weeks of fighting, 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis are killed.
July 17 – (Malaysia) Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes in eastern Ukraine after being shot down by a missile. All 298 people on board are killed.
July 18 – (China( Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in Hainan, China as a category 5 super typhoon, killing 88 and causing $7.14 billion in damages.
July 21 – The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2166 in response to the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
July 23–August 3 – (Scotland) The 2014 Commonwealth Games takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.
July 24 – (Mali) Air Algérie Flight 5017, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, crashes in Mali, killing all 116 people on board
August
August 3 – (Iraq) Sinjar massacre, beginning of ISIS attacks resulting in massacre of over 4,000 Yazidis in Iraq's Sinjar District.
August 7 – (Cambodia) Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are found guilty of crimes against humanity and are sentenced to life imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
August 8 – (Iraq) American-led intervention in Iraq: The United States military begins an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIL militants.
September
September 15 - (Syria) Siege of Kobanî, during the Syrian civil war. ISIS militants launched an offensive to capture the town of Kobanî which the battle lasted for 6 months.
September 18 – (Scotland) In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Scotland votes against independence from the United Kingdom.
September 21 – (Yemen) The Battle of Sanaa leads to the start of the Yemeni Civil War, as Houthi forces capture the capital city Sanaa, followed by a rapid Houthi takeover of the government.
September 22 – (Syria) American-led intervention in Syria: The United States and several Arab partners begin their airstrike campaign in Syria.
September 24 – (India) The Mars Orbiter Mission, popularly known as Mangalyaan, which was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation, reached Martian orbit, making India the first Asian country to successfully reach Mars.
September 26 - (South Africa) The 2014 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, to be held in Cape Town from 13 to 15 October, is suspended after a boycott of Nobel Laureates to protest the third time refusal of a visa to the 14th Dalai Lama by a South African Government "kowtowing to China".(Mexico) Forty-three male students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College are forcibly abducted in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. They were allegedly taken into custody by local police officers in collusion with organized crime. The mass kidnapping caused international protests and social unrest, leading to the resignation of Guerrero Governor Ángel Aguirre Rivero.
September 27 – (Japan) Mount Ontake, in Japan, erupts, killing several climbers on the slopes of the volcano.
September 28 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong protests: Benny Tai Yiu-ting announces that Occupy Central is launched as Hong Kong's government headquarters is being occupied by thousands of protesters. Hong Kong police resort to tear gas to disperse protesters but thousands remain.
October
October 3 – (Sweden) Stefan Löfven replaces Fredrik Reinfeldt as Prime Minister of Sweden.
October 19 – (The Vatican) The Roman Catholic Church beatifies Pope Paul VI.[56]
October 20 – (Indonesia) Joko Widodo is inaugurated as the 7th President of Indonesia.[57]
October 31 – (Burkina Faso) Longtime Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré resigns after widespread protests in response to his attempts to abolish presidential term limits.
November
November 1 – (Bangladesh) nationwide blackout.
December
December 3 – (Japan) The Japanese space agency, JAXA, launches uncrewed spaceprobe Hayabusa2 from the Tanegashima Space Center on a six-year round-trip mission to Ryugu to collect rock samples.
December 15 – (Australia) Two hostages and terrorist Man Haron Monis are killed in the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney, Australia.
December 16 – 2014 Peshawar school massacre: The Pakistani Taliban carry out a mass shooting at an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 145 people, mostly schoolchildren.
December 17 – (Cuba) U.S. President Barack Obama announces the resumption of normal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.[
December 24 – (Portugal) A fire ignited in the chapel of the Convent of Santa Cruz do Buçaco, in Portugal, destroying A Sagrada Família, a XVII century painting by famous female baroque painter Josefa de Óbidos.[68][69]
December 28 – (Indonesia) Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore crashes into the Java Sea just southwest of Borneo, killing all 162 people on board.
December 31 – A stampede occurred on New Years' Eve in Shanghai, China, resulting in the deaths of 36 people and leaving 49 injured
2013
WAR ON TERROR
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Operation Enduring Freedom
January 11 (BAMAKO, Mali) – The French military begins operations in the Northern Mali conflict against Islamists (Wikipedia)
January 16–20 (ALGIERS, Algeria) – In a hostage crisis and subsequent raid by Algerian forces, 39 international workers and one security guard die at a gas facility near In Aménas, Algeria (Wikipedia)
February 12 – North Korea conducts its third underground nuclear test, prompting tightened sanctions by the international community (Wekipedia)
February 28 (VATICAN CITY, Vatican)– Benedict XVI resigns as Pope, the first to do so since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294
- March 13 – Jorge Mario Bergoglio is elected the 266th pope, taking the name Francis. (Wikipedia)
March 24 (BANGUI, Central African Republic, KINSHASA, Dem Rep of Congo)– Central African Republic conflict: Central African RepublicFrançois Bozizé is overthrown after he flees to the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the onset of the rebels capture the nation's capital (Wikipedia)
April 24 (DHAKA, Bangladesh) – An eight-story commercial building collapses in Savar Upazila near the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, resulting 1,127 deaths, 2,500 injured and scores more trapped. The accident is the world's deadliest structural collapse and the third worst industrial disaster
in history. (Wikipedia)
April 30 (AMSTERDAM, Netherlands)– Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicates, and Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, ascends the throne as King of the Netherlands. He is the first king of the Netherlands since the death of his great-great-grandfather William III in 1890 (Wikipedia)
2012
WAR ON TERROR
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Operation Enduring Freedom
March 4 (BRAZZAVILLE, Congo) – A series of explosions are reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, with at least 250 people dead (Wikipedia)
March 22 (BAMAKO, Mali)– The President of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, is ousted in a coup d'état after mutinous soldiers attack government offices (Wikipedia)
April 12 (BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau) – Mutinous soldiers in Guinea-Bissau stage a coup d'état and take control of the capital city, Bissau. They arrest interim President Raimundo Pereira and leading presidential candidate Carlos Gomes Júnior in the midst of a presidential election campaign (Wikipedia)
April 26 (MONROVIA, Liberia) – Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is found guilty on 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone Civil War I(Wikipedia)
May 12 SEOUL, South Korea)– August 12– The 2012 World Expo takes place in Yeosu, South Korea. (Wikipedia)
July 27 (LONDON, England) – August 12 – The 2012 Summer Olympics are held in London, England, United Kingdom. (Wikipedia)
July 30–31 NEW DELHI, India) – In the worst power outage in world history, the 2012 India blackouts leave 620 million people without power (Wikipedia)
September 11 (KARACHI, Pakistan)– Garment factory fires in the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Lahore kill 315 and seriously injure more than 250 (Wikipedia)
September 12 - (TRIPOLI , Libya) Attack on US Compound in Benghazi, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and Seal Team security team killed (Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training)
September 11–27 (BERLIN,Germany BERN, Switzerland LONDON,England)– A series of terrorist attacks are directed against United States diplomatic missions worldwide, as well as diplomatic missions of Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the US, opinions are divided over whether the attacks are a reaction to a YouTubeInnocence of Muslims. In Libya, among the dead is US ambassador J. Christopher Stevens (Wikipedia)
November 25 – December 9 (MANILA , Philippines)– Typhoon Bopha, known as "Pablo" in the Philippines, kills at least 1,067 with around 838 people still missing. The typhoon caused considerable damage in the island of Mindanao (Wikipedia)
2011
January 4 (TUNIS, Tunisia) – Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi dies after setting himself on fire a month earlier, sparking anti-government protests in Tunisia and later other Arab nations. These protests become known collectively as the Arab Spring. (Wikipedia)
January 11 (RIO de JANEIRO , Brazil) – Flooding and mudslides in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro kills 903 (Wikipedia)
January 14 (TUNIS, Tunisia) – Arab Spring: The Tunisian government falls after a month of increasingly violent protests; President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali flees to Saudi Arabia after 23 years in power (Wikipedia)
January 24 – 37 (MOSCOW, Russia) people are killed and more than 180 others wounded in a bombing at Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow, Russia (Wikipedia)
February 11 ( CAIRO, Egypt) Arab Spring: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns after widespread protests calling for his departure, leaving control of Egypt in the hands of the military until a general election can be held (Wikipedia)
March 11 (TOKYO, Japan) - A 9.1-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the east of Japan, killing 15,840 and leaving another 3,926 missing. Tsunami warnings are issued in 50 countries and territories. Emergencies are declared at four nuclear power plants affected by the quake (Wikipedia)
March 15 (QATAR, Bahrain) - Arab Spring: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain declares a three-month state of emergency as troops from the Gulf Co-operation Council are sent to quell the civil unrest (Wikipedia)
April 11 (ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast) Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo is arrested in his home in Abidjan by supporters of elected President Alassane Ouattara with support from French forces thereby ending the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis and civil war. (Wikipedia)
April 29 ( LONDON, England) wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London. (Wikipedia)
May 1 (KARACHI / ISLAMABAD , Pakistan) Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda, killed during an American military operation in Pakistan
June 4 ( SANTIAGO, Chile) - Chile's Puyehue volcano erupts, causing air traffic cancellations across South America, New Zealand, Australia and forcing over 3,000 people to evacuate.
June 5 ( SANAA, Yemen) Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh travels to Saudi Arabia for treatment of an injury sustained during an attack on the presidential palace. Protesters celebrate his transfer of power to his Vice-President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi.
July 9 (KHARTOUM , Sudan / Juba, South Sudan) South Sudan secedes from Sudan, per the result of the independence referendum held in January
July 22 ( OSLO, Norway) - Anders Behring Breivik kills 77 people in twin terrorist attacks in Norway after a bombing in the Regjeringskvartalet government center in Oslo and a shooting at a political youth camp on the island of Utøya (Wikipedia)
July 31 ( BANGKOK , Thailand) - 12.8 million people are affected by severe flooding. Some areas are still six feet under water, and many factory areas remained closed at the end of the year. 815 people are killed, with 58 of the country's 77 provinces affected. (Wikipedia)
October 20 (TRIPOLI , Libya) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is killed in Sirte, with National Transitional Council forces taking control of the city, and ending the war (Wikipedia)
October 23 (ANKARA / ISTANBUL , Turkey) A magnitude 7.2 Mw earthquake jolted eastern Turkey near the city of Van, killing 604 people, and damaging about 2,200 buildings. (Wikipedia)
December 15 (BAGHDAD , Iraq) - The United States formally declares an end to the Iraq War. While this ends the insurgency, (Wikipedia)
December 16 (MANILA , Philippines) - Tropical Storm Washi causes 1,268 flash flood fatalities in the Philippines with 85 people officially listed as missing. (Wikipedia)
2010
Operation Enduring Freedom
January 3 (SANAA,Yemen)– The United States and the United Kingdom close their embassies in Yemen due to the ongoing security threat by Al Qaeda. (Wikipedia)
January 4 (ABU DHABI,UAE)– The tallest man-made structure to date, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is officially opened (Wikipedia)
January 12 (PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti) – A 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurs in Haiti, devastating the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. With a confirmed death toll over 316,000.It is the second deadliest on record. (Wikipedia)
February 18 (NIAMEY, Niger)– The President of Niger, Tandja Mamadou, is overthrown after a group of soldiers storms the presidential palace[12] and form a ruling junta, the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy headed by chef d'escadron Salou Djibo. (Wikipedia)
February 27 (SANTIAGO, Chile)– An 8.8-magnitude earthquake occurs in Chile, triggering a tsunami over the Pacific and killing at least 525.[14] The earthquake is one of the largest in recorded history (Wikipedia)
March 16 (KAMPALA, Uganda)– The Kasubi Tombs, Uganda's only cultural World Heritage Site, are destroyed by fire (Wikipedia)
March 26 (SEOUL,South Korea) – The ROKS Cheonan, a South Korean Navy ship carrying 104 personnel, sinks off the country's west coast, killing 46. In May, an independent investigation blames North Korea, which denies the allegations (Wikipedia).
April 7 (BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan) – Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev flees Bishkek amid fierce rioting, sparking a sociopolitical crisis. Former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva is placed at the head of an interim government as the opposition seizes control (Wikipedia)
April 10 (WARSAW, Poland)– The President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, is among 96 killed when their airplane crashes in western Russia (Wikipedia)
April 13 (BEIJING, CHENGDU, GUANGZHOU, SHANGHAI, SHENYANG China)– A 6.9-magnitude earthquake occurs in Qinghai, China, killing at least 2,000 and injuring more than 10,000 (Wikipedia)
April 14 (REYKJAVIK, Iceland) – Volcanic ash from one of several eruptions beneath Mount Eyjafjallajökull, an ice cap in Iceland, begins to disrupt air traffic across northern and western Europe (Wikipedia)
May 12 –(TRIPOLI ,Libya) Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes at runway at Tripoli International Airport in Libya, killing 103 of the 104 people on board. (Wikipedia)
June 10 - June 14 (BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan); Ethnic riots in Kyrgyzstan between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks results in the deaths of hundreds. (Wikipedia)
October 10 – The Netherlands Antilles are dissolved, with the islands being split up and given a new constitutional status. (Wikipedia)
October 13 – ( SANTIAGO, Chile)Thirty-three miners near Copiapó, Chile, trapped 700 meters underground in a mining accident in San José Mine, are brought back to the surface after surviving for a record 69 days. (Wikipedia)
October 25 –(JAKARTA, Indonesia) An earthquake and consequent tsunami off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, kills over 400 people and leaves hundreds missing
November 11 – November 12 (SEOUL , South Korea)– The G-20 summit is held in Seoul, South Korea. Korea becomes the first non-G8 nation to host a G-20 leaders summit. (Wikipedia)
November 20 – (LISBON , Portugal) Participants of the 2010 NATO Lisbon summit issued the Lisbon Summit Declaration.. (Wikipedia)
November 22 (PHNOM PENH , Cambodia) – A stampede during Bon Om Thook (Khmer Water Festival) celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, kills 347. (Wikipedia)
November 23 ( SEOUL, South Korea) – North Korea shells Yeonpyeong Island, prompting a military response by South Korea. The incident caused an escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula and prompted widespread international condemnation. The United Nations declared it to be one of the most serious incidents since the end of the Korean War. (Wikipedia)
2009
WAR ON TERROR
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Operation Enduring Freedom
===============================================================================
September (KARACHI, / ISLAMABAD , Pakistan) , a U.S. Drone strike reportedly killed Ilyas Kashmiri, who was the chief of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, a Kashmiri militant group associated with Al-Qaeda (Wikipedia)
- May 1 – (KARACHI, / ISLAMABAD , Pakistan) Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda, killed during an American military operation in Pakistan. (Wikipedia),
February 11 (CAIRO, Egypt) – Arab Spring: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns after widespread protests calling for his departure, leaving control of Egypt in the hands of the military until a general election can be held. (Wikipedia)
March 11 (TOKYO, Japan) – A 9.1-magnitude[15] earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the east of Japan, killing 15,840 and leaving another 3,926 missing. Tsunami warnings are issued in 50 countries and territories. Emergencies are declared at four nuclear power plants affected by the quake (Wikipedia)
March 17 (TRIPOLI ,Libya)– Arab Spring and the Libyan civil war: The United Nations Security Council votes 10-0 to create a no-fly zone over Libya in response to allegations of government aggression against civilians (Wikipedia)
April 11 (ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast) – Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo is arrested in his home in Abidjan by supporters of elected President Alassane Ouattara with support from French forces thereby ending the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis and civil war. (Wikipedia)
April 29 (LONDON, England)– An estimated two billion people[23] watch the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London. (Wikipedia)
May 26 – ( SARAJEVO, Bosnia) Former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladić, wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, is arrested in Serbia. (Wikipedia)
June 4 – (SANTIAGO, Chile) Puyehue volcano erupts, causing air traffic cancellations across South America, New Zealand, Australia and forcing over 3,000 people to evacuate.. (Wikipedia)
July 22 ( OSLO , Norway) – Anders Behring Breivik kills 77 people in twin terrorist attacks in Norway after a bombing in the Regjeringskvartalet government center in Oslo and a shooting at a political youth camp on the island of Utøya. (Wikipedia)
July 31 ( BANGKOK, Thailand) - over 12.8 million people are affected by severe flooding.
815 people are killed, with 58 of the country's 77 provinces affected. (Wikipedia)
September 5 (NEW DELHI, BOMBAY/MUMBAI, CALCUTTA, MADRAS, India) India and Bangladesh sign a pact to end their 40-year border demarcation dispute. (Wikipedia)
October 4 (MOGADISHU , Somalia) - Mogadishu bombing: 100 people are killed in a car bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu. (Wikipedia)
October 23 ( ANKARA, ISTANBUL Turkey) – A magnitude 7.2 Mw earthquake jolted eastern Turkey near the city of Van, killing 604 people, and damaging about 2,200 buildings . (Wikipedia)
December 15 (BAGHDAD, Iraq) The United States formally declares an end to the Iraq War. (Wikipedia)
December 16 (MANILA , Philippines) – Tropical Storm Washi causes 1,268 flash flood fatalities in the Philippines with 85 people officially listed as missing (Wikipedia)