South Sudan Becomes a Nation (July 9): After more than 50 years of struggle, the Republic of South Sudan declares its independence and becomes Africa's 54th state. Thousands celebrate in the streets of South Sudan's capital, Juba. Salva Kiir, South Sudan's president, signs the interim Constitution.
Two Related Terrorist Attacks Shock Norway (July 22): Norway is hit with consecutive terrorist attacks. First, a bomb explodes in Regjeringskvartalet, the government quarter of Oslo. The explosion happens right outside the prime minister's office, killing eight people and wounding several others. Two hours later, a gunman disguised as a policeman opens fire at a camp for young political activists on the island of Utoya in Tyrifjorden, Buskerud. The camp is organized by the youth organization of the Norwegian Labour Party. The gunman kills 68 campers, including personal friends of Prime Minister Stoltenberg. Police arrest Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian who has been linked to an anti-Islamic group and may be connected to other terrorist groups and extremists.
Crackdown Continues in Syria (Aug. 1): For the second day in a row, the uprising against President Assad's government is met with bombing attacks by Syrian forces in the west-central city, Hama. (Aug. 3): Despite global condemnation, the Syrian government orders its military to march into Hama after three days of bombing. Tanks and soldiers seize the central square. Even Russia, a Syrian ally, gives its support to possible Security Council Action against Syria. (Aug. 4): Syrian military kill more than 100 people in 24 hours in Hama, bringing the civilian casualties to more than 200 since the bombing began. (Aug. 7): Still ignoring international condemnation, the military in Syria initiate another attack, this time in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour. Thousands of people flee and dozens are killed as tanks roar into the city. Hama and Deir al-Zour have been the setting for mass protests in recent weeks and have been the most defiant in the uprising. (Aug. 15): The Syrian government sends navy vessels along with tanks and soldiers to the port city of Latakia. At least 25 people are killed, including three children. The attack sparks renewed outrage, partly because they occur during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. (Aug. 18): Britain, France, and Germany release a joint statement stating that President Assad has lost legitimacy as a leader and that he must step down. For the first time, President Obama calls for Assad to leave office. Obama also announces new sanctions against Syria including freezing all Syrian assets. (Aug. 22): President Assad says American and European calls for him to step down are "meaningless" and suggests that the military in Syria will continue its crackdown. (Aug. 26): Inspired by the fall of Col. Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, thousands of protestors take to the streets in Syria, demanding that President Assad leave. Security forces continue to fight the protestors, including severely beating Ali Farzat, Syria's best-known political cartoonist. The attack on him comes just days after Farzat published a cartoon showing President Assad hitching a ride out of town with Qaddafi.
Violent Riots Spread Throughout Britain (Aug. 6): A protest over the police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old local man, turns violent. Rioters with makeshift weapons fight police in Tottenham and set fire to two police cars and several buildings. (Aug. 8): Over two days, riots breakout in Enfield, Lambeth, Camden, Walthamstow, Oxford Circus and Islington. Rioters smash storefronts and burn cars. Two officers are hit by a car in Walthamstow. (Aug. 9): Several hundred rioters burn cars and fight with police in several London neighborhoods. A man in south London is shot and killed, becoming the first fatality in the riots. (Aug. 10): Ten thousand police officers patrol London. Residents are strongly advised to stay home and businesses close early. Prime Minister David Cameron pledges in a speech to "fight back" against the rioters, describing them as "groups of thugs."
Protesters Attack Israeli Embassy in Cairo (Sept. 9): Thousands of protestors attack the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, demolishing a protective wall while Egyptian security forces watched. Two dozen protestors break into the offices and throw documents into the street. The Israeli flag is ripped down. When riot police attempt to stop the attack, protesters fight back with Molotov cocktails and stones. At least two protestors die in the attack and at least 1,200 are injured. The attack in Egypt comes just one week after Turkey expels Israel's ambassador.
American Hikers Released From Prison in Iran (Sept. 21): Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, the two American hikers who were imprisoned on espionage charges in Iran for over two years, are released. They are taken by plane from Evin Prison to Oman where they are reunited with family members. Their release comes after a power struggle between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who promised their release and Iran's judiciary which denied that the hikers would be freed. Bauer and Fattal have been in prison since they wandered over the border from Iraq by mistake with a friend over two years ago.
Alleged Assassination Plot Is Exposed (Oct. 11): U.S. Attorney general Eric H. Holder announces from Washington that the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps paid assassins from a Mexican drug cartel $1.5 million to kill Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States. The main suspects are Mansour J. Arbabsiar, an American citizen of Iranian descent who is in custody, and Gholam Shakuri, a member of the Quds Force, who is at large and is believed to be in Iran. American investigators believe that high-ranking Iranian government officials are responsible for the plot.
Prisoner Swap Between Israel and Hamas Begins (Oct. 18): Gilad Shalit, a twenty-five year old Israeli soldier, is released after being held for more than five years by Hamas, a militant Palestinian group. He is exchanged for one thousand Palestinians who have spent years in Israeli jails. Shalit has been held in Gaza since Palestinian militants kidnapped him in 2006. In a televised address following Shalit's release, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, "Today we are all united in joy and in pain."
Greek Leader Calls off Referendum, Agrees to Resign (Nov. 3): Prime Minister George Papandreou calls off a referendum on Greece's new debt deal with the euro zone just days after calling for one. Papandreou calls off the vote after winning support from his opposition. (Nov. 4): Papandreou wins a confidence vote in Parliament after he pledges to form a unity government. The vote is a sign of approval for the deal reached by European leaders in late October to help Greece avoid default and stabilize the euro. (Nov. 6): Papandreou agrees to create a transitional administration which will manage the country's debt-relief deal and to resign after the country holds early elections.
Italy Passes More Austerity Measures, Berlusconi Steps Down (Nov. 11): Italy's Senate passes another round of austerity measures. Italy has no other option with its economy too big for a bail out and no end in sight for its debt crisis. (Nov. 12): Berlusconi, who has somehow managed to weather political and personal scandals that would have ended most political careers, steps down. Mario Monti, an economist and former antitrust commissioner for the European Commission, takes over, leading a cabinet of technocrats to implement the austerity plan
Parliamentary Elections Spark Massive Protests in Russia (Dec. 4): Parliamentary elections spark protests, mainly from middle-class Russians. International and local monitors condemn the election as fraudulent. United Russia, the party led by Vladimir Putin, comes out on top in the elections, receiving nearly 50 percent of the vote, but they lost 77 seats. Monitors say that United Russia would have lost more seats were it not for ballot-box stuffing and voting irregularities. For example, videos, some taken with cellphones, surfaced on the internet showing local authorities threatening subordinates at polling stations. (Dec. 10): Over 40,000 Russians rally near the Kremlin. It is the largest anti-Kremlin protest since the early 1990s and is approved by city authorities, although riot police are on hand. The activists call for Putin's resignation and denounce the election results. Putin accuses the United States, singling out Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, for instigating the demonstrations when she criticized conduct during the parliamentary elections. (Dec. 12): Billionaire industrialist Mikhail D. Porkhorov announces that he plans to run for president against Putin in 2012. Porkhorov owns many businesses in Russia as well as the New Jersey Nets, the NBA franchise, in the United States. In his announcement, Porkhorov says, "I made a decision, probably the most serious decision in my life: I am going to the presidential election." Many observers question if Porkhorov is truly challenging Putin or if he has Putin's approval to run to create an air of legitimacy to the race.
European Leaders Call for Changes to Treaty (Dec. 5): Together German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France make a joint call for Europe's governing treaties to be amended in order to provide better governance on the economic policies of the 17 countries within the euro zone. The proposed amendments include monthly meetings of all European leaders, automatic penalties for nations that exceed deficit limits, and a creation of a European monetary fund.
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