News review of 2011
- 1/19
Egyptians rose up against the authoritarian regime of President Hosni Mubarak, who had been in power since 1981 on January 25. The bloodshed and protests drove the leader to step down 18 days later. After the success of Tunisia’s and Egypt’s uprisings, the Arab Spring spread to Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Syria, and beyond. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)
- 2/19
After the success of Tunisia and Egypt’s uprisings, Libyans began their protest on February 15, to oust dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi out of power. On September 16, the National Transitional Council was formed and recognised by the UN as the legal representative of Libya, replacing the Gaddafi government. Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed on October 20, while attempting to escape from his hometown Sirte, ending the tyrant’s 42-year reign over Libya. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
- 3/19
A man stands in the remains of a building that was struck by the 6.3 magnitude earthquake on February 22, in Christchurch, New Zealand. The powerful earthquake - an aftershock of the 7.1 magnitude quake on September 4, 2010 - struck 20km southeast of Christchurch at around 1pm local time, killing a total of 181 people. (Martin Hunter/Getty Images)
- 4/19
Space shuttle Discovery took off on February 24, on its final voyage to carry the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module, or PMM, to the International Space Station. The shuttle had flown 238 million km in 39 missions, completed 5,830 orbits, and spent 365 days in orbit over 27 years. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
- 5/19
A woman reacts amidst debris caused by the massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake-triggered tsunami on March 13, 2011, in Natori, northern Japan. The earthquake struck Japan’s offshore on March 11, at 2:46 pm local time, triggering a tsunami wave of up to 10 metres which engulfed large parts of the north east and also damaging the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing the worst nuclear crisis in decades. The current number of dead and missing is estimated to be 22,900. (AP Photo/Asahi Shimbun, Toshiyuki Tsunenari)
- 6/19
On April 29, Britain’s Prince William (L) married his university sweetheart Kate Middleton (C). (Dominic Lipinski/AFP/Getty Images)
- 7/19
Draped in the American flag, Pedro Valerio, of Elizabeth, N.J. (R), and others react to the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death on May 2, in Times Square New York, US. The Al Qaeda kingpin was shot dead in a compound deep inside Pakistan in a night-time helicopter raid by US Navy SEALs on May 1, ending a decade-long manhunt for the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
- 8/19
The President of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir waves the newly signed constitution of his country for the crowd to see during a ceremony to celebrate the county’s independence from Sudan on July 9, in the capital Juba. South Sudan is the world’s newest nation and will be the newest member of the United Nations. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)
- 9/19
The Norway massacre was two sequential terrorist attacks against the government, the civilian population and a summer camp by Anders Behring Breivik on July 22, in Oslo. Breivik staged a car bomb explosion at government buildings and opened fire at a summer camp meeting of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s ruling Labour Party on a remote island outside the capital, killing a total of 77 people. (Roald Berit/AFP/Getty Images)
- 10/19
Yemeni Tawakkul Karman was awarded the global Nobel Peace Prize for her actions during the Yemen uprising and is often called the ‘mother of Yemen’s revolution’. Karman became the first Arab woman, the youngest person ever to become a Nobel Peace Laureate and the category’s second Muslim woman. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)
- 11/19
Between August 6 and 10, riots broke out across England. The world watched live footage on global news channels as gangs looted and set businesses and buildings ablaze. The violence started after a protest march on August 6, reacting to the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by Metropolitan Police two days earlier, in the London district of Tottenham. The violence spread across the nation, lasting a week. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
- 12/19
Indian social activist Ana Hazare (C) left jail on August 19, to begin a two-week fast, as he led a campaign for a new anti-corruption law. The diminutive 74-year-old ended his on fast August 28, after forcing a weakened government to agree to his demands. (Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images)
- 13/19
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City’s Wall Street financial district. The protests are against social and economic inequality, high unemployment, greed, as well as corruption, and the influence of corporations - particularly from the financial services sector - on government. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
- 14/19
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) is greeted by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on September 19, at UN headquarters in New York City, US. The Palestinian attempt to claim a moral victory in its bid for UN security council recognition of a Palestinian state appears on the brink of collapse as European nations look likely to back Washington’s opposition to the move. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
- 15/19
(L-R) Freed hikers Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd wave from the door of an airplane before leaving for the US on September 24, at Muscat airport in Oman. The three were taken into custody by Iranian border guards on July 21, 2009, for allegedly crossing into Iran while hiking near the Iranian border in Iraqi Kurdistan. Sarah Shourd was released 14 months later on ‘humanitarian grounds’ while Fattal and Bauer were released on September 21, under a $1 million bail deal. (AP Photo/Sultan al-Hasani)
- 16/19
A pro-communist protester throws a stone during clashes with other demonstrators and police on October 20, at Syntagma square in Athens, Greece. Similar scenes have broken out across Europe as the single currency falls under growing pressure from the national debts of member states. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images)
- 17/19
With the collapse of the discussions over extending the stay of any US troops, on October 21, President Barack Obama announced the full withdrawal of soldiers from Iraq. All US forces are mandated to withdraw from Iraqi territory by December 31, under the terms of a bilateral agreement signed in 2008. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
- 18/19
The year had been a tough one for Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz who had undergone surgery on his back. On October 22, the king’s brother Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz died in the US after a long battle with colon cancer. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images)
- 19/19
Protesters storm the security gates to the British Embassy during an anti-British demonstration on November 29, in Tehran, Iran. More than 20 Iranian protesters stormed the embassy, removing the mission’s flag and ransacking offices. The British government evacuated its staff and expelled those from the Iranian embassy in London soon after. (FarsNews/Getty Images)