United States --- Occupy Wall Street protests
The Occupy Wall Street movement began inSeptember 17th2011 as a protest intended to highlight income inequality in the United States and the rest of the world. The movement was best known for its slogan "We are the 99%", in reference to income inequality.
More information and timeline for Occupy Wall Street
1. September 17 - Protesters "occupy" Zuccotti Park in New York's Wall Street financial district as part of a demonstration against income inequality and the greed of the financial sector. It was originally organized by Canadian activist group Adbusters. Protests quickly spread to other US cities such as Chicago and Oakland.
2. October 1 - Seven hundred protesters were arrested while trying to cross the Brooklyn Bridge. Controversy arose over whether or not the police tricked protesters into violating their orders not to walk in the street. With the noise and confusion of so many people, many protesters said police were guiding them into the street to cross the bridge, while police said they warned protesters to remain on sidewalks.
3. October 15 - Global protests began as part of the Occupy movement, with people gathering in cities around the world in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street protesters. Up to 3,000 people gathered outside St. Paul in London and thousands joined demonstrations in other cities including Sydney, Toronto, Tokyo, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Zurich, Hong Kong and Paris.
4. November 2 - Occupy protesters in Oakland, California closed the port of Oakland with thousands of people marching through the city and gathering at the port.
5. November 15 - Police remove demonstrators from Zuccotti Park in New York due to unsanitary conditions and the need to clean up the area. Protesters are told they will be able to return without sleeping bags or tents. Police swept the park with riot gear to dislodge protesters and arrested around 200 people, including journalists.
6. December 12 - Occupy protesters along the US West Coast successfully blockade three ports in California, Oregon and Washington after workers were sent home for safety. The protesters intended to hurt the profits of the companies that run the ports, but many argued that they were actually hurting truck drivers who were unable to complete deliveries.
7. December 31: Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York try to reoccupy Zuccotti Park, but are forced out by police after a night of conflict.
8. 2012 - The "Occupy" movement loses strength after many cities closed camps and expelled protesters through bans and police presence. Protesters tried to gather on March 17, May 1 and September 17, 2012, but their numbers were not as strong as when the movement began.
Small demonstrations continue around the world in support of the movement.
Burma's move towards democratization
Burma (Myanmar) has taken some significant steps towards democracy with the introduction of several democratic reforms after having been a strictly military controlled government for several decades before.
More information and timeline for the democratization of Burma
1. 1948 - Burma becomes independent after being controlled by Great Britain since 1885.
2. 1962 - Military general Ne Win carries out a coup and begins a period of military control of the country that lasts until 2011.
3. 1988 - Economic unrest and political oppression lead to pro-democracy demonstrations by the population. General Saw Maung staged a coup and declared martial law in the country.
4. 1990 - The government holds free elections for the first time in thirty years and the National League for Democracy (the party of activist Aung San Suu Kyi) wins eighty percent of seats in parliament. The military junta refuses to relinquish power.
5. 2007 - More anti-government protests over fuel prices break out, but are repressed by the government. The protests later turned into a non-violent resistance campaign led by Buddhist monks called the Saffron Revolution, which was also violently suppressed by the government.
6. 2008 - A constitutional referendum was held, the result of which promised some democratic reforms.
7. 2010 - The country held relatively peaceful general elections, but the military party claimed to have won 80% of the vote, a result that pro-democracy groups consider fraudulent.
8. 2010: Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after being held for fifteen of the previous twenty-one years.
9. 2011 - OJanuary 31stthe Burmese Parliament convened for the first time in over twenty years. This event marked the end of fifty years of military rule and the creation of a new constitution.
10. 2011 - President Thein Sein signs a law that would allow peaceful protests in the country for the first time on December 3.
11. 2012 - Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi wins a seat in the Burmese parliament on April 1 and theJuly 9he attended his first parliament as a member of the governing body.
Burma continues to progress towards a more democratic system, while the military still has a strong grip on the country.
United States - Spacecraft launched in June
NASA launches the Juno spacecraft in August 2011. Juno's mission was to conduct a long scientific survey of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, while orbiting its poles. The space probe was set to examine the gas giant planet's magnetic field, composition and gravitational field. It also had the primary mission of studying the atmosphere for evidence of water. Juno arrived at Jupiter in July 2016.
Osama Bin Laden was found and killed by US Marines in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
On May 2, US President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden had been found and killed by US Marines in Abbottabad, Pakistan. This marked the end of the search for the man believed to be responsible for the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks.
Bomb blast hits Oslo
A bomb blast hits the city of Oslo, killing at least eight people, and soon after, Anders Behring Breivik attacks a youth camp on an island, killing another sixty-eight people. The attacks shocked the normally peaceful nation, and Breivik said he orchestrated both attacks for political reasons and held extremist views.
United States Gabrielle Giffords
Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot along with twelve others while making a public appearance in Tucson. The accused shooter, Jared Loughner, killed six of the people shot, one of whom was a nine-year-old girl. Giffords survived the attack but was in critical condition.
United Kingdom Riots in parts of London
Riots in parts of London begin inAugust 7thas Tottenham residents protested the police shooting of a man. The riots lasted for several days and spread to cities across the UK. Protesters burned down shops, looted neighborhoods and attacked people, which observers interpreted as a sign of general unrest.
United States tornado Joplin, Missouri
A tornado cuts a six-mile path and damages nearly 2,000 buildings, leaving a trail of devastation in Joplin, Missouri. The city lost power and at least 115 people were found dead and many more missing. More than 1,000 people reported injuries.
United States "Don't ask, don't tell"
The US Army's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy banning open homosexuality in the military was officially repealed on September 20. President Obama insisted on ending the policy, despite strong opposition from Republicans in Congress. The measure had originally been implemented by the Clinton administration in the early 1990s.
US troops to leave Iraq entered Kuwait
On December 18, the last US troops to leave Iraq entered Kuwait in a convoy of vehicles nearly 9 years after the initial invasion. The war started in 2003 with 150,000 US soldiers and an estimated 4,400 US soldiers died during the war while it is estimated that over 100,000 Iraqi civilians died. Only 157 soldiers remained in the country for training purposes.
Russia World Trade Organization
Russia officially became a part of the World Trade Organization after attending a ceremony in Switzerland. Eighteen years were spent negotiating the country's membership and Russia was finally added to the organization after making a deal with Georgia, which had been trying to block Russia's membership.
Free trade between South Korea and the United States
South Korea's parliament ratified an agreement that would open up free trade between the country and the United States. The highly debated issue has been delayed since 2007 due to opposition from many South Korean workers and farmers who would face potential business and job losses. The deal could potentially increase US imports to South Korea by an estimated $10 billion.
technology 2011
The Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final docking at the International Space Station on February 26, ahead of its impending retirement.
Apple launches the iPhone 4S on October 14, just nine days after co-founder Steve Jobs died.
Google launches version 4.0 of Android, called Ice Cream SandwichOctober 19th.
India manufactures the Aakash tablet which would sell for just $35.00.
The US Department of Defense tests a hypersonic missile that can travel at five times the speed of sound
The world's first synthetic organ transplant was successfully completed in Sweden when surgeons transplanted a fully synthetic windpipe into a patient.
Richard Branson opens the first commercial spaceport in the United States.
Top World Political Leaders and Political Leaders 2011
President of ChadIdriss Deby (re-elected)
Somali Prime MinisterMohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (tempo)
Prime Minister of DenmarkHelle Thorning-Schmidt (first woman elected)
Prime Minister of PolandDonald Tusk (re-elected)
Prime Minister of KuwaitSheikh Nasser al-Mohammad (resigned)
prime minister of italyBerlusconi (resigns) replaced by Mario Monti
President of TunisiaMoncef Marzouki (elected)
Croatia is approved as a member of the European Union inJune 10
Poland assumes the presidency of the European Union inJuly 1stfor a period of six months.
Belgium forms a new government after 541 days without a government.
Kim Jong Il of North Korea dies and is replaced by his song Kim Jong Un.