Protests, wars, earthquakes, famine and celebrity weddings; the world was indeed a happening place in the year 2011. Here is an account of the major events that took place around the world in 2011.
YOUNG LEADERSHIP: In July 2011, Hina Rabbani Khar became the first woman Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Soon after assuming charge, she visited India and resumed the peace talks that were stalled after the Mumbai terror attacks. Image show Ms. Hina speaking at the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing. With sectarian violence and terrorism threatening the stability of the country, Pakistan is now facing a difficult time in its history.
CUTE AND CRUCIAL: Danica Camacho, the world's ‘symbolic’ seven billionth person, at the Government's Fabella Hospital moments after she was born on October 31, in Manila. According to reports, India will overtake China to become the world's most populous country by 2025.
Turkey Earthquake: Around 604 people were killed and approx 4000 injured in the Turkey (Oct 23, 2011). At least 11000 buildings destroyed. Another earthquake jolted Turkey on Nov 09, 2011 in which 40 people dead.
THE WHISTLEBLOWER: Here is the man who revealed U.S.'s secrets to the world. When the spectacular disclosures of U.S. cables exploded onto the scene, much of Washington's anger coalesced around Julian Assange, the silver-haired globe-trotting founder of WikiLeaks, whose outspoken defiance riled politicians on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Assange now stays in London where he is fighting a legal battle to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex crimes allegations. His supporters say he is being targeted by the U.S.
THE PROTESTER: It was the protester who made news in 2011. The 2010 uprising in Tunisia against police corruption and ill-treatment ignited the hidden resentment of people in the Arab world and gradually resulted in mass protests in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Algeria and Jordan. Image shows an anti-government protester in Yemen.
HISTORIC SPEECH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a letter requesting recognition of Palestine as a state as he addresses the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Tens of thousands of Palestinians erupted into cheers of victory on September 23
MOVING FORWARD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, delivers his speech at the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, Germany, on December 5. In this conference, the international community discussed the future of its engagement in Afghanistan. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the war against terror by the United States and allies after the 9/11 terror attacks were the two crucial developments that changed the destiny of this Islamic country located in the centre of Asia.
ROYAL WEDDING: Britain's Prince William kisses his wife Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, as Grace van Cutsem, a little bridesmaid covers her ears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The royal wedding attracted much media attention because of Kate’s commoner status.
FREEDOM AT MIDNIGHT: In July, South Sudan became the world's newest nation, officially breaking away from Sudan after two civil wars over five decades that cost millions of lives. In the image, Southern Sudanese celebrate their freedom at their capital Juba.
THE LAST MISSION: Space shuttle Atlantis makes a landing for one last time at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral. It marked the end of NASA’s space shuttle programme.
OCCUPY LONDON: A businessman sticks his tongue out in jest as he walks past tents erected by protesters from the Occupy London Stock Exchange group as they continued their demonstration outside St. Paul's Cathedral.
MASS KILLER: On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik (in the image), armed with assault weapons and an IED sprayed death in Norway by killing 92 people, most of whom were attending a youth wing camp of the of the ruling Labour Party on the island of Utøya. However, for a country that presides over the annual Oslo Freedom Forum Conference on human rights every year, the Breivik incident came as a shock.
DEATH OF A LEADER: Kim Jong-il, North Korea's ‘Dear Leader’ who ruled the country for 17 years, leading it through a devastating famine and taking it to nuclear power status, died on December 19.
BIG LOSS: A trader reacts after the close of trading in the NASDAQ 100 Index pit, on the floor of The CME Group in Chicago. Stocks plummeted at the close after anxiety overtook investors on the first trading day since Standard & Poor's downgraded American debt on August 7.
OTHER LIVES: Millions of people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia were hit by famine and drought in 2011. Thousands have died. Image shows Minhaj Gedi Farah, a seven-month-old child with a weight of 3.4kg, is held by his mother in a field hospital of the International Rescue Committee, IRC, in the town of Dadaab, Kenya.
BACK TO MAINSTREAM: The year 2011 saw Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi rejoining mainstream politics by registering her party, the National League for Democracy, for the upcoming elections. Her party had boycotted last year’s polls protesting against military rule. Here, she visits a market in Nyaung U village as part of a political campaign.
YEAR OF DISASTER: For Japan, 2011 was the year of the earthquake and tsunami. A 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the country on March 11 devastated much of its northeast, resulting in loss of lives and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Fukushima brought back memories of Chernobyl in 1986. Image shows sea waters pounding the coastal city of Miyako.
BATTLING RADIATION: Workers dressed in protective suits and masks wait outside a building at J-Village, a soccer training complex that served as an operation base for those battling Japan's nuclear disaster, in Fukushima prefecture, Japan.
GAME CHANGER: If bin Laden's death ended one headache, Bradley Manning (in picture) brought another to the U.S. The American soldier is suspected of leaking classified diplomatic cables to whistleblower website WikiLeaks. In India, "The Hindu" joined hands with WikiLeaks to publish these valuable documents that threw light on American policies on India and the world.
HAND OF TERROR: This image may not have a direct connection with Islamic world and its politics. Yet, the 2001 World Trade Centre attacks planned by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (in picture) and carried out by terrorists, pushed it to the centre of world debate. This photograph was released by the U.S. Department of Defence after a secret operation in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in May, 2011, 10 years after the attacks.
REMAINS OF ATTACK: The wreckage of a helicopter next to the wall of the compound in Pakistan's Abbottabad where, according to officials, Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces, transforming Islamabad's ties with Washington forever.
GREAT FALL: The body of former Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi lies on a mattress in a commercial freezer at a shopping centre in Misrata, Libya. Qadhafi, who went into hiding after rebels toppled his regime in Arab Spring's most violent uprising, was killed on October 20. It was not clear how he died.
CHANGE OF DESTINY: Former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak, his former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly, and six top police officers were charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with the protesters killed during the 18-day uprising. Image shows Mr. Mubarak lying on a bed while he was taken to a court room for a session of his trial in Cairo.
MASS UPRISING: Protesters gathered at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, forced President Hosni Mubarak to quit and made the landmark a symbol of revolution. Image shows pro-government demonstrators clashing with anti-government demonstrators at the Square, as a soldier observes the scene from rooftop.
REBEL FORCE: Libya’s change of guard came after a civil war that saw the West's intervention and the violent end of its ruler Muammar Qadhafi. Image shows a Libyan rebel fighter during fighting with government forces.
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