2011: Top Ten Stories

Who could have imagined some of the events that have unfolded in 2011? In chronological order, here are what I consider to be the top 10 stories for 2011.

...I wonder what 2012 has in store for us?

1). The Japanese Tsunami - March 11

The magnitude 9.0 undersea mega-quake rocked the island nation of Japan. The damage to Japan was unprecedented as estimates of the damage range well into the tens of billions of U.S dollars. From ports, to dams, oil and other industrial refineries, and notably the nuclear plants were destroyed. The Fukushima meltdowns effectively left many areas out of power, and resulted in the evacuations of many as radiation levels began to rise around the area.

A massive wave striking the city of Miyako.

2). The death of Osama bin-Laden

The operation codenamed Operation Neptune Spear was ordered by U.S President Barack Obama and carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Within minutes of the release of his death, large crowds had formed by Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Times Square as people cheered. However, it has put U.S-Pakistan relations under tension, as Osama was "right under the nose" of Pakistan's army.

3). NASA calls it Quits - July 5

NASA had decided to end the 30-year shuttle programme. The era of space exploration had come to an end - and quite silently too, I might add. American astronauts will now be doing what would have been almost unthinkable 20 years ago - hitching a ride to the International Space Station with the Russians (with their Soyuz capsule). Why did the programme end? Budgetary constraints - it costs roughly $500 million per launch and President Obama's directive for NASA changed. He believes they should send manned spacecraft's to Mars and allow private industries to control the shuttle business.

4). S&P lowers U.S Credit Rating - August

The Standard & Poor's Friday (S&P) bond rating agency had downgraded U.S debt from the triple-A rating to AA+, a move one government official called "amateur". Why? The S&P believed that government officials had fallen short of what they considered to be an adequate plan. Another reason being that Republicans refused to allow a deficit reduction deal. The New York Times reported that the S&P had over projected the debt, and the S&P acknowledged "its numbers [were] wrong". Both Moody's Investor Services and Fitch Ratings kept their credit rating at triple-A.

5). U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan - August

President Obama, along with much of the country, felt their time in Afghanistan was up. After almost 10 years since the September 11th attacks, and 7 weeks after the death of Osama bin-Laden, President Obama announced that the U.S would withdraw from Afghanistan. By 2014, the evacuation will be complete. The war has cost the United States close to $1 trillion, and President Obama announced, "Now, we must invest in America's greatest resource -- our people."

6). The death of Moammar Gadhafi - August 23

Moammar Gadhafi was captured and beaten to death by NLA fighters (National Liberation Army of Libya). His three-and-a-half decade reign had come to an end. The major democracies across the world responded with positivity, as the toppling of the Gadhafi regime meant the rise of a new and free Libya. This became the catalyst for further Arab-Spring uprisings.

7). Occupy Wall Street Movement and the Spread - September

2011 may just be remembered as the year of the revolution. What seemingly began as a concentrated movement soon exploded. Countries such as Canada, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Britain and Chile all exhibited some form of protest as the people took a stand against their broken economies and political situations.

8). U.S Unemployment remains at 9% - October

The unemployment dipped to a staggering 9% and remained there. Jobs were being created, however, at a rate that would have offered little comfort to the 14 million unemployed Americans. The fear remains that the labour market will be unable to employ this backlog of nearly 14 million people sufficiently.

9). European Economic Crisis grows - November 16

The Euro-Crisis seemed to have been on a rampage. So much so, that the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was replaced with 'Super Mario', i.e. Mario Monti. Hopes remained that he would use his expertise to help end the economic crisis as countries such as Greece, Ireland and Spain had been shaken.

Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti.

10). The death of Kim Jong-Il - December 17

The mysterious North Korean dictator passed away and was replaced by his youngest son, Kim Jong-Un. Little is known about the man, except that his regime has driven the country into chaos. Famine and poverty remain widespread, and even the most basic necessities are in short supply. CNN's Wolf Blitzer described Korea as the United States, as it was in the 1950's and 60's. What remains certain at this point is that Korea has become even more mysterious, as the motives and thinking of the new successor, Kim Jong-Un, have yet to be unveiled.

Kim Jong-Il