December 2010 thru January 2011 - Australia - Floods estimated damage at $1 billion. Three quarters of the state of Queensland (size of Texas) was disaster zone.
- January -
12th - US - Tucson, Arizona shooting where US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was critically shot in the head. This tragedy shocked the nation. The President gave an amazing speech a couple days following. Giffords is still undergoing rehabilitation in Texas.
14th-ish - Arab Spring I - Revolution in Tunisia where their dictator eventually fled to Saudi Arabia after several days of riots and uprising. Beginning of the "Arab Spring" or "Jasmine Revolution" where peoples in the Arab world showed (and still showing) the rest of us their thirst for democracy by standing up to their dictators and monarchs.
9th thru 15th - Sudan - A referendum was passed, establishing southern Sudanese independence from the north, which concluded after a week of voting. This was an unusual, peaceful change in Africa, possibly because Sudan had the whole world's attention (at the time of transition and voting). A new country will be formed in July of this year.
25th thru Feb 11th - Arab Spring II - Weeks of uprisings and international diplomacy in Egypt which led to revolution and regime change. The domino effect really began taking off around this point with major democratic protests and uprisings in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Iran, and Jordan.
- February -
14th - US - Dispute and protests between government unions and governor Scott Walker over the Wisconsin state budget allocations. The primary issue of contention was the stripping of collective bargaining rights from the unions.
22nd - New Zealand - 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch (2nd one in the last year). Over a hundred people killed and city infrastructure was devastated.
- March -
11th - Japan - Triple-headed natural disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred about 75km off the northeast coast, sending large tsunamis to Japans shores. The earthquake and flooding from the tsunami disabled safety mechanisms at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Fukushima's 6 reactors leaked radiation for weeks and this nuclear accident is being considered the worst since Chernobyl.
17th thru 19th - Arab Spring III - Allied forces began enforcing no-fly zone over Libya after Security Council resolution was passed. It was led by the US, France, and the UK and now NATO is running the operation. Libya is now in a state of civil war.
- April -
11th - Ivory Coast - Former president Laurent Gbagbo arrested after the crisis where Gbagbo refused to step down after free elections ousted him nearly 6 months before. Internationally legitimized president Ouattara takes power.
27th - Alabama - Tornadoes kill hundreds of people. Here's a crazy video of an F4 that rolled through Tuscaloosa.
29th - UK - Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate (Catherine) Middleton. Thought to be one of the most watched (2 billion guessed) and anticipated events of all time.
- May -
1st/2nd - US/Pakistan - US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden during a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Obama made a really good speech as hundreds of students were celebrating outside the White house. Aftermath involves several issues: narrative by Washington from the details of the raid - bin Laden not armed, no woman as human shield, Navy SEALs kill due to threat - to releasing proof to the public; Pakistan dealing with embarrassing questions - incompetence or complicity - and heavy internal and external criticism for sole-US operation; domestic debate over torture and Patriot act; questions of legality of killing; and public divided over morality of celebrating a human death.
Late April to now - US - Flooding of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, affecting several states. Worst flooding in nearly a century after a winter with huge snowfall and several storms leading up to it.
22nd - Missouri - Tornado killed over 100 in Joplin.
- Ongoing -
Syria - Uprisings are still receiving international attention - in spite of the regime banning foreign journalists - in the midst of the regime's crackdown while violence and death ensue.
Mexico - heightened violence along US-Mexican border over last year in the "war on drugs".
Libyan civil war; War in Afghanistan; Iraq insurgency; Charles Taylor trial at the Hague
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