February 3 — International Issues
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reports that world food prices rose again in January for the seventh month in a row. Increases were especially high on such commodities as cereal, dairy products, and sugar. High food prices sparked violent protests in many countries in 2008, and have been one of the reasons of recent anti-government uprisings throughout the Middle East and northern Africa.
April 26: United Nations
A United Nations special panel report says that there are credible allegations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels in the final phase of the country’s civil war in 2009. Tens of thousands of civilians lost their lives when the rebels used them as human shields and the government troops deliberately targeted them. The Sri Lankan government rejects the accusations.
May 4: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
The European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approve $116 billion bailout for Portugal. Under the deal, Portugal has agreed to cut its deficit to 3 percent by 2013 and implement severe austerity measures, including spending cuts and increase in sales tax on some items. Portugal is the third country after Greece and Ireland to ask the EU and IMF for help to deal with its budget deficit.
May 26: International Criminal Court (ICC)
A former Bosnian Serb military leader, General Ratko Mladic, who has been accused of committing war crimes during the Yugoslav war in 1990s, is arrested in northern Serbia, where he was hiding for the last 16 years. Mladic faces charges over the Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 7,500 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed. He is expected to be extradited to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. The Mladic arrest removes one of the conditions for Serbia to obtain candidate status in the European Union.
May 31: NATO
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemns the NATO air strike in southern Helmand province that targeted insurgents but instead killed a couple dozens of civilians. NATO apologizes for the strike, but it says these strikes are coordinated with the Afghan forces.
June 15: United Nations
The United Nations report presents evidence that Syrian government has used live ammunition and tanks against mostly unarmed civilians during the recent pro-democracy protests. It is believed that more than 1,100 people have been killed and more than 10,000 detained. The injured have been denied medical care. More than 8,000 people have fled into Turkey. So far, attempts to draft a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its crackdown on the protesters have been opposed by Russia and China.
June 27: International Criminal Court (ICC)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants for Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and the head of intelligence, Abdullah al-Sanussi, accusing them of crimes against humanity. The court says they ordered attacks against civilians during the popular uprising that started a few months ago.
July 20: United Nations
The United Nations (UN) declares a famine in two regions in southern Somalia. Although Somalia is the worst hit, other countries in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti, are also affected. All together, about 10 million people are at risk of starvation. The famine was caused by a combination of drought, conflict and soaring food prices. (July 27): The UN’s agency, World Food Programme (WFP), starts delivery of emergency food to Somalia. In the meantime, tens of thousands of Somalis have fled the areas controlled by al-Shabab to other areas in Somalia as well as neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia.
July 28: NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deploys peacekeepers to northern Kosovo in response to the violence caused by ethnic Serbs after the Kosovo police attempted to impose control over the border with Serbia. The Serbs in Kosovo do not accept Kosovo’s independence.
September 23: United Nations
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas officially asks the United Nations Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state and grant it a full membership at the United Nations. He seeks recognition based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The request comes after months of stalled peace negotiations over Israel’s continued expansion of settlements in the occupied territories. Currently, Palestinians have permanent observer status at the UN. In response to the bid, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel disagrees with the Palestinian proposal and urges them to come back to the negotiations table. The United States says it will veto the request.
October 5: United Nations
China and Russia veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. The two countries say the resolution did not include guarantees against outside military intervention. Since the beginning of the unrest in March, more than 2,700 people have been killed.
October 31 — International Issues
A baby girl named Nargis, who was born in India on October 31, is symbolically declared the world’s seven-billionth person. Nargis was born in the most populous Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
November 3: World Trade Organization (WTO)
Georgia and Russia sign a Swiss-brokered agreement, which ends Georgia’s opposition to Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Georgia has been blocking Russia’s entry into the trade organization since the two countries went into a brief war in 2008. Russia is the only major economy outside the WTO.