From Trump's return to Hasina's ouster: Top events of the world in 2024

A dramatic campaign, a comeback, and peace efforts amid attacks & counterattacks - 2024 redefined global relations. Diplomacy was tested, power disrupted, and the world watched as history was made

  Back to the White House: After surviving two apparent assassination attempts — one at a Pennsylvania rally in July and the other near his Florida golf course in September — Donald Trump was voted back to power in the US. The campaign had its share of twists, with Indian-American biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy suspending his bid and backing Trump. Elon Musk, too, put his money on Trump. And while America again missed a chance to elect a woman, Kamala Harris, to the White House, it will soon have its first Indian-American Second Lady in Usha Vance (left), wife of vice-president-elect 

 

JD Vance 

  Nuclear allies: Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June, marking his first visit to North Korea in 24 years. The meeting underscored the deepening relationship between the two nuclear-armed nations. Later, on Putin’s 72nd birthday in October, Kim congratulated him, calling him his “closest comrade”. In November, Nato confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia 

  Diplomatic double act: In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Ukraine since diplomatic ties were established between the two countries in 1992. The visit came weeks after a high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Veteran investor Mark Mobius praised Modi’s efforts, dubbing him an “important peacemaker” and suggesting he is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize 

  A democracy shaken: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a surprise move, citing “the threat of North Korean communist forces”, but was forced to revoke the order within hours following a fierce backlash from lawmakers across political lines and mass protests. A week later, the South Korean Parliament voted to impeach Yoon, while the country’s former defence minister was arrested for his alleged collusion in the act 

  Fatal crash: In May, Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, and its foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, died in a helicopter crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, amid dense fog. Two months later, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won the presidential election, defeating ultraconservative Saeed Jalili 

  Upheaval: A student-led movement against Bangladesh’s government reached its peak in August, resulting in the ouster of its Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. Protesters vandalised a statue of her father, Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and stormed Hasina’s residence, forcing her to flee to India amid violence. Nobel Peace Prize awardee Muhammad Yunus was later appointed to head the interim government 

  Regional power play: Anura Kumara Dissanayake (top) was elected Sri Lanka’s President after the country’s economic collapse. In Nepal, K P Sharma Oli was appointed Prime Minister for a third time in July. Meanwhile, Pakistan saw the election of Shehbaz Sharif as Prime Minister and Asif Ali Zardari as President 

  West Asia on edge: In Syria, rebels from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted President Bashar al-Assad, ending five decades of Assad family rule (above). Israel seized buffer zones in Syria’s Golan Heights, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted approving Hezbollah’s deadly September attack in which hundreds of pagers exploded across Lebanon, killing 40 (below right). In November, Iran launched 180 missiles at Israel, while Hamas-Israel ceasefire talks continued 

 

Legacy of resistance: Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in a Moscow penal colony in February, reportedly after collapsing during a walk. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, vowed to continue his struggle against Kremlin, intensifying global condemnation of 

Russia’s political repression 

  It all came crashing down: Cargo ship Dali slammed into Baltimore’s iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending the 2.4 km bridge into the cold waters of the Patapsco River, killing six crew members. US President Joe Biden commended on the alertness of the 22 Indian-origin personnel aboard for preventing further casualties with their mayday call 

  What a catch! In October, Elon Musk’s SpaceX achieved a historic feat by successfully catching a returning booster with mechanical arms following the launch of its Starship rocket — setting a new standard for reusable space technology 

 

Free, finally: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from British custody in June after he agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge in a deal with the US Justice Department. He later flew to his native country, Australia 

  Platform penalty: In August, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was charged in France with a wide range of crimes for failing to prevent illicit activities on his platform 

  Stuck in space: Since June, astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the International Space Station, initially an eight-day mission. Nasa cited safety concerns over Boeing’s capsule as the reason for delaying their return, which will not be possible until late March 2025