2014 'global' News Makers

They've been newsmakers in 2014 for various reasons and with 2015 just around the corner it's time to take a look at the people and personalities who made headlines and caused quite a stir in the year gone.

 Here are the top 15 newsmakers across the world:

(01) Ukraine crisis and Russia (Crimean Crisis):

          The Crimean crisis is an ongoing dispute resulting from an international crisis in 2014 involving Russia and Ukraine over the control of the Crimean Peninsula, which culminated in its annexation by Russia. The crisis is part of the wider 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine which also includes the Donbass region of Ukraine. There has been a range of international reactions to the crisis. A U.N. General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution 100 in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions in the 193-nation assembly that declared invalid Crimea's Moscow-backed referendum.

          Result: Russia removed from G8

          At the end of the year: Ukraine Parliament decided to participate in NATO – irks Russia

(02) Ebola Virus:

WHO alerts on Ebola virus in Guinea. It soon becomes the largest epidemic in history, affecting multiple countries in the Western Africa. Ebola has killed more than 7500 people. Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea are the three nations that are worst-hit by the outbreak.

WHO declared Ebola Virus as International Health Emergency (so far, 2 diseases declared as International Health Emergency – H1N1 / Swine flu & Polio; now Ebola added to this category)

(03) Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 (Boeing 777):

Scheduled international passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that crashed on 17 July 2014, having been shot down, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. Airliner lost contact about 50 km (31 mi) from the Ukraine–Russia border and crashed near Torez in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 40 km (25 mi) from the border, over territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

According to American and German intelligence sources, the plane was shot down by pro-Russian separatists using a Buk surface-to-air missile fired from the territory which they controlled. The Russian government blamed the Ukrainian government

The Dutch Safety Board is currently leading an investigation into the incident and issued a preliminary report on 9 September 2014; a final accident report is expected in August 2015

(04) 25 years – German unification:

          The year 2014 is a year of remembrance, marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall - a monumental day in history that led to Germany's reunification. This year is filled with events and ceremonies commemorating the fall of the wall, as well as reflections on a formerly divided Germany.

(05) 100th anniversary of Panama Canal:

The Panama Canal is a 77.1-kilometre (48 mi) ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. The Canal turned into 100 years in 2014. Celebrations are in the country of Panama. The Panama Canal was first used on Aug 15, 1914. The Panama Canal, continues to serve more than 144 of the world's trade routes and the majority of canal traffic comes from the "all-water route" from Asia to the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts via the Panama Canal

 

(06) 100 years of World War I:

          The First World War Centenary is the centenary of World War One which started with commemorations of the outbreak in 2014 and will last until 2018. Almost all the European countries celebrated the event.

First World War happened during 28 July, 1914- Nov 11, 1918 between Triple Entente (UK + France + Russia) Vs Triple Alliance (Germany + Italy + Austria-Hungary).

 

(07) Kenya legalises Polygamy:

          In March 2014, Kenya's Parliament passed a bill allowing men to marry multiple wives. Polygamy is common among traditional communities in Kenya, as well as among the country’s Muslim community. In parliament, the proposed 2014 polygamy bill had initially given a wife the right to veto the husband's choice, but male members of parliament overcame party divisions to push through a text that dropped this clause. The passing of the bill caused angry female members of parliament to storm out of the vote on the polygamy legislation in protest. The Bill was made legislation on the 1st May 2014. The Kenyan President described the act as one "which consolidates various laws relating to marriage – provides procedures for separation and divorce. It also regulates the custody and maintenance of children in the event of separation and divorce".

(08) UN panel on Lankan War Crimes & Gaza War Crimes:

          UN names 3-member Panel to Probe Gaza Conflict War Crimes

(i) British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin

(ii) Professor of international criminal law William Schabas and

(iii) Doudou Diene from Senegal

          UN panel to probe war crimes in Sri Lanka

(i) Former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari

(ii) Former Governor-General and High Court judge of New Zealand Silvia Cartwright and

(iii) Former president of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jahangir

 

(09) Mystery of Malaysian Airlines missing:

          Malaysian airlines flight 370, en route to Beijing form Kuala Lumpur, disappeared over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board. The cause for disappearance is still a mystery

By Dec end, Malaysian bound Air Asia airlines which was travelling with 166 persons from Indonesia to Singapore gone missing

(10) ISIS:

          Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. A Sunni extremist, jihadist terrorist rebel group. The United Nations has held ISIL responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, and Amnesty International has reported ethnic cleansing by the group on a "historic scale". Countries affected due to this terrorism: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Libya.

The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, the UAE, and Egypt. Over 60 countries are directly or indirectly waging war against ISIS.

ISIS Executed Almost 2000 People in Syria over the last Six Months - Time Magazine

(11) Legalising Right-to-Die & Child Labour:

          Quebec became first province of Canada to adopt Right-to-Die (voluntary euthanasia). On June 5, 2014 Quebec became the first Canadian province to pass right-to-die legislation. The federal government is expected to challenge this measure.

          Bolivia legalises child labour: While most of the world is trying to diminish child labour, Bolivia has become the first nation to legalise it from age 10.  The bill's sponsors say lowering the minimum work age from 14 simply acknowledges a reality: many poor families in Bolivia have no other choice than for their kids to work. The bill offers working children safeguards, they say.

(12) Germany - dual citizenship for children of immigrants:

          The German government signed off on a draft law that will allow young Germans of foreign origin to have dual citizenship, a move that relaxes some of Europe's strictest nationality laws and will benefit the large Turkish community. Current rules oblige children of immigrants from most non-EU countries to choose at the age of 23 between German citizenship or that of their parents' country of origin.

The dual passport issue has long rankled among the roughly three million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, just under half of whom have taken German citizenship. The draft law approved by the government allows young people to opt for two passports if, at the age of 21, they can prove they have lived in Germany for at least eight years, gone to school in the country for six years, gained school-leaving qualifications here or completed vocational training in Germany.

However, Turkish community leaders have criticised the new law because it applies only to youngsters and does not cover older people who have often spent decades in Germany. Merkel's conservatives had long opposed dual citizenship, arguing it is impossible to be loyal to two countries at the same time. The SPD had been in favour of completely abolishing the obligation to choose between passports.

(13) Peshawar school attack:

The World came to shock, (on Dec 16, 2014), when seven members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. They entered the school and opened fire on school staff and children, killing 145 people, including 132 schoolchildren, ranging between eight and eighteen years of age. This was the deadliest terrorist attack ever to occur in Pakistan, surpassing the 2007 Karachi bombing.

A rescue operation was launched by the Pakistan Army's Special Services Group (SSG) special forces, who killed all seven terrorists and rescued 960 people.

In June 2014, a joint military offensive was conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various groups in North Waziristan which has been the site of a wave of violence. The military offensive, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, was launched in the wake of the 8 June attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, for which the TTP claimed responsibility. Due to the military operation, TTP targeted school children.

          The UN, EU, US, UK and all countries condemned the attack. Nobel Peace Prize winner Ms. Malala (Who also from Pakistan and a victim to the terror attack) condemned the attack.

(14) Ferry accident:

          South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks after an unmanageable cargo shift, killing over 290 people, mostly high school students

          A dramatic rescue operation is under way (Dec 29, 2014) to rescue 478 people from a burning ferry (ANEK Lines Norman Atlantic) in gale-force winds off the Greek island of Corfu.

 

(15) Same sex marriages:

          As of Dec 2014, 16 countries legalised the same sex marriages (SSM). The issue of SSM is now an election issue in Western Countries including US and majority of the European countries. Britain PM spoke about SSM in Parliament and the same with US President. In UK, the first same-sex marriages took place on 29 March 2014. The Scottish Government is in favour of same-sex marriage, it stated that no religious body would be forced to hold such ceremonies once legislation is enacted. U.S. Supreme Court denied review of five writ petitions from decisions of appellate courts finding constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The immediate effect was to increase to 25 the number of states allowing same sex marriage. A poll conducted in 2014 showed a record high of 59% of the American people supporting legal recognition for same-sex marriage.

The countries that legalises SSM are: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay (US excluded – as some provinces not legalised)

See Also the Following links:

2014: Top 15 newsmakers (India)

2014 top Sporting Events 

2014: Disasters across the world