2024 in Review
2024 in Review
We have collected information about the events that marked the year 2024 in the world.
Numerous earthquakes occurred in the first week of January in the western Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa and on the coast of the Noto Peninsula in this region. While more than 240 people died as a result of the earthquakes, an area of 1.9 square kilometers was flooded throughout the region due to the tsunami that occurred after the earthquakes.
Two explosions occurred on the road leading to the cemetery in Kirman, where a memorial ceremony was held on January 3, dedicated to the 4th anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a result of the US attack on Baghdad in January 2020. The attacks killed 89 people, including women and children, and injured 284 people. The Iranian authorities announced that the explosions were determined to have occurred as a result of suicide bombings, and the ISIS terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the attacks.
On December 29, 2023, the Republic of South Africa filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice on the grounds that Israel violated the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide by its actions in Gaza as of October 7, 2023, and requested a temporary injunction. The hearing on applications for preliminary injunctions began on January 11 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Photographs of the Anadolu Agency (AA) proving Israel's use of phosphorus bombs in Gaza were presented as evidence at the trial. In the genocide case filed by South Africa, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must refrain from any actions related to the killing, attacks and destruction of Gazans and take all measures to prevent genocide, demanding that "the State of Israel immediately cease its military operations in Gaza."
The SpaceX spacecraft, which includes the first Turkish space traveler Alper Gezeravci, was successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 19. Thus, the first word of Gezeravcı, who received the title of the first Turkish astronaut, in space was "The future is in heaven." The Dragon spacecraft with the Axiom-3 (Ax-3) crew successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on January 20. The Dragon capsule landed in the ocean off the coast of the American state of Florida on February 9.
Musk, the founder of the American neurotechnology company Neuralink, announced on January 30 that a brain chip had been implanted in humans for the first time. About a month later, Musk announced that the person they had implanted a brain chip with was able to control a computer mouse with his mind. Then, on March 21, Neuralink recorded that the person they had implanted with a brain chip was playing chess with a thought.
On February 16, Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) announced that imprisoned dissident Alexei Navalny had died in prison. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a credible and transparent investigation into Navalny's death in a Russian prison.
On the evening of March 22, armed men attacked the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Moscow. Footage posted on social media shows the attackers randomly firing automatic weapons in the hall. The roof of the building housing the concert hall collapsed after the fire. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 11 people were captured, including four terrorists who committed a terrorist attack. 144 people were killed in the attack.
The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which is under intense Israeli attacks.
A mass grave has been discovered in the courtyard of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where the Israeli army raided hundreds of Palestinians, killing and reducing them to rubble.
The administrations of Barbados, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Norway, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Armenia have decided to recognize Palestine as a State.
Iranian President Ibrahim Reisi and Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian were killed in a helicopter crash.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has applied for an "arrest warrant" for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In addition to Netanyahu and Gallant, Khan requested an "arrest warrant" for the chairman of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Heniya, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed al-Dayf, the leader of the military wing of Hamas, the Izeddin al-Qassam Brigades.
On July 14, during Trump's election campaign in Pennsylvania on the eve of the presidential election, when he was speaking at the podium, explosions similar to gunfire were heard. After the first explosion showed Trump holding his right ear on the podium, he was surrounded by bodyguards. Before descending from the podium, Trump was captured on camera raising his fist as blood flowed from his right cheek.
On July 24, as Israel's attacks on Gaza continued, Netanyahu delivered a nearly hour-long speech at a joint session of Congress at the invitation of U.S. Congressional leaders. Netanyahu, who was applauded 56 times during his speech to the U.S. Congress, said in his speech that not a single civilian was killed in the Rafah area of Gaza.
The residence of Ismail Heniye, the head of the Hamas political bureau, who was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian, was hit by an air missile at about 02:00 on July 31. Heniye died as a result of the assassination attempt. Funeral prayers in absentia were held for Heniya, whose murder was protested in many countries.
The world's first "Artificial Intelligence Law", which aims to ensure that artificial intelligence systems used in EU countries work in a way that does not compromise fundamental human rights and security, entered into force in the EU member States on August 1 after its publication in the official gazette.
Mass protests broke out in Bangladesh after the decision to allocate quotas in the public sector to children of participants in the War of Independence in 1971. As violence continued to escalate during the demonstrations, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left her official residence on August 5 and traveled to India by military helicopter, while demonstrators stormed the Prime Minister's official residence.
On September 17-18, Israel infiltrated pagers and radio stations used by Hezbollah militants, and the devices, which were discovered by their owners as they sent a signal, exploded. As a result of the explosion of pagers and radio stations, 37 people were killed and more than 3,000 people were injured.
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Ajemoglu, Johnson and Robinson on October 14 for their work on the formation of institutions and their impact on well-being.
On October 21, FETO and its members announced Gulen's death on their social media accounts. On the same day, Foreign Minister Fidan said at a joint press conference after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sibiga in Ankara: "Our intelligence sources also confirm the death of the leader of the FETO organization." Stating that determination in the fight against terrorism will remain, Fidan said, "The leader of this dark organization is dead."
On November 21, the ICC announced that it had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The Court also rejected Israel's objections to the ICC's jurisdiction and ruled that it has jurisdiction over crimes committed in the Palestinian territories.
On November 5, Americans went to the polls to participate in the presidential election. Trump won the election in which Republican candidate Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris competed. Trump, who won almost 5 million more votes than his rival Harris, said in his victory speech: "I thank the American people for my election as the 47th president."
On November 27, clashes between anti-government armed groups and the forces of Bashar al-Assad intensified in Syria. Between November 30 and December 7, anti-government armed groups gained the upper hand in the largest provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, Hama and Homs. The 61-year rule of the Baath Party, which came to power in Syria in 1963, collapsed on December 8, when the capital Damascus was liberated from regime control during the civil war. which broke out in 2011 with the brutal suppression of popular movements demanding freedom. The leader of the Bashar al-Assad regime fled the capital on December 8 to Russia, which decided to provide shelter for himself and his family.
In a televised speech on the night of December 3, South Korean President Yun declared martial law on the grounds that "the opposition is involved in anti-state activities." On the same evening, at an extraordinary meeting of the National Assembly, 190 deputies adopted a bill on the abolition of martial law. The Office of the President of the National Assembly announced that martial law had become "invalid" after the vote. Yun then convened the Council of Ministers and announced the end of martial law after approval by the Cabinet.
In France, Prime Minister Barnier's center-right minority government, which failed to get a vote of confidence in parliament, fell on December 4 after 3 months in power. In France, opposition leftist and far-right lawmakers have welcomed the fall of Michel Barnier's center-right minority government, appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron 3 months ago, after it failed to win a vote of confidence. Macron supported the resignation of Prime Minister Barnier. Francois Bayrou, who was appointed prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron on December 13 after the fall of Barnier's government, has formed a new government.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has requested a vote of confidence in the Bundestag in accordance with article 68 of the German Constitution. Scholz failed to get a vote of confidence in the Bundestag on December 16. The process of early elections has begun in the country.
Foreign Minister Fidan met with the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus, the Syrian capital. Fidan became the first foreign minister to make an official visit to Syria.