2011's TOP 5 news !

How was 2011 for you ? What did happen in your life ?
In any case, this year was filled with very important events all over the world. Some were very sad and tragic, others more positive but one thing is clear, the world in 2012 will not be the same as it was in 2011.

Now I would like to look back upon the major events that occurred in 2011 and that have and will continue to influenced the lives of millions of people all around the world.　

To start off, let's reflect back upon the tragic accident that hit Japan and changed the philosophy of life of certainly the majority of Japanese people : the northeast pacific earthquake.

On Friday, 11 March 2011 at  14:46, a massive 8.9-magnitude quake hit northeast Japan and causes more than ten thousand of deaths, many people to be injured or missing, more than 80 fires, and a 10-meter tsunami along the country's coastline.
It is recorded to be the most powerful earthquake ever to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world overall since modern record-keeping began in 1900. 
One hour after the quake, a Tsunami hit the coast and caused severe damage.
Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan suffered a power cut, many people had their houses destroyed and lost precious friends and relatives.
Several nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture, equipped with a total eleven reactors, were shut down following the tsunami. Then Japanese government declared a state of emergency following the failure of the cooling system at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, which resulted in the evacuation of nearby residents.
It was of course a catastrophe that occurred locally in Japan and impacted directly only a small pourcantage of the Japanese population but the dire consequences of it shocked and saddened the entire world making many people sympathize with Japanese people. It made everybody remember that regardless of your nationality or the country you live in, human beings are equal in front of Mother Nature.




Almost at the same time, in January, an important piece of news surprises the world, especially Japan, and will change political and economical international relations. It is announced that 2010 Chinese GDP has surpassed that of Japan to become the world's second largest economy for the first time. It was a shock for Japanese people because although still suffering from the (Asset Price) bubble's collapse that happened in the early 90's and the more recent Subprime Crisis, it had managed to remain the second economic power just behind the US so far.

In 2012, it will surely be interesting to see the changes that will and have started to occur in the political and economical relations between, of course, Japan and China but also China and the rest of the world.

On the same month , January 2011, an uprising breaks out in Egypt. This was a campaign of non-violent civil resistence featuring demonstrations , marches, acts of civil disobedience and labor strikes involving millions of protesters who demanded the overthrow of the Hosni Mubarak's (Egyptian President) regime. Soon, the demonstrations and protests spread across the Middle East and North Africa and became an issue that concerned not only Egyptians or Middle-East countries but the western worlds as well.
Of course, the movement was a revolt against issues that mainly those Middle-East countries have had but also against other issues that many countries in the West share such as unemployment, decreasing wages, inequalities etc...

It is in this context that an other important event starts, in America this time, that will soon spread across Europe and at the time of my writing, it has yet to come to an end : "occupy wall street".

It is said to have began on September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's's Wall Street financial district, and spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1500 cities globally. 

The protesters brought up issues such as social and economic inequality, high unemployment, corruption, and the undue influence of corporations on government.

Now some movements in Europe have declared to be the European's Occupy Wall Street and it is not too much to say that it has now become a global movement.

But another big issue, or should I say one of the biggest issue many countries on the world share and have been facing over the last half-century have been terrorism. In 2011, a symbolic event will shake the entire world.  Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, (2001) terror attacks and the leader of the world's biggest terrorist organization Al Quaida is killed on May 5 in his hideout in Pakistan in a firefight with U.S. forces.

President Barack Obama declares "Justice has been done" and hundreds of American celebrated it waving American flags at Ground Zero in New York where the twin towers were brought down by Bin Laden's hijackers 10 years ago. This was also applauded by many countries' leaders all over the world. Of course, this only fact has not put an end to global terrorism but the death of the mastermind of the biggest terrorist group in the world will certainly have an impact to the way  international society deals with terorism going forward.

Some months after, an other important person who has influenced the world, in a positive way this time, will pass away : Steven P.Jobs,  at the age of 56 on October 5 after a long battle with cancer. He was the Apple Inc.chairman and co-founder and pioneered the personal-computer industry. He is the man behind the first personal computer and was considered as a visionary and creative genius and certainly changed the way people think about technology. He was himself describing his philosophy as trying to make products that were at "the intersection of art and technology" and turned Apple the world's most valuable company.

  
     

To finish on a more positive note, let's give a quick overview of the Japanese sport athletes who cheered up people all over Japan.


The Japanese golf prodigy, Ishikawa Ryo. On 2007, He becomes the youngest winner ever of a men's regular tournament on the Japan Golf Tour at the age of 15. Since then he has been dominating the Japanese golf world. In 2011, he announces that he will be donating all of his 2011 tour earnings to the Japan earthquake relief efforts.

Mao Aada is a very popular figure skater. She is the 2010 Winter Olympic silver medalist and 2008 & 2010 World Champion. In 2011, she is still in the spotlight and places 3rd at the NHK trophy and first at the Cup of Russia.

At the end of 2011, Japan women's national soccer team, called  Nadeshiko Japan, will surprise the entire country by defeating the US in the 2011 FIFE Women's World Cup Final and becoming the first Asian team to win the FIFA Women's World Cup.


Now, I would like to wish everybody a merry Christmas, and a happy new year (even though a little in advance) ! Hoping that 2012 will be a fulfilling year for each and everyone of us !

Benji


Tweet