On December 8th, 2024, Syrian rebels led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani took over the city of Damascus, ending the Assad Regime in the nation and a 13 year civil war. This comes soon after the surprise takeover of Aleppo on November 30th, 2024. The rebels swiftly took city after city; after Damascus fell, Bashar Al-Assad, the previous ruler, fled to some country.

Israeli strikes on Monday killed 492 people and wounded 1645 people. This has caused many residents to try to flee away from southern Lebanon to Beirut or out of the country to Syria. On Wednesday, another 72 people were killed in more Israeli strikes, and the death toll from the past 3 days is around 636 with over 2,000 wounded (as of September 25, 2024). 

Narendra Modi won the recent Indian election, making it his third term as India’s prime minister. 

Many attended the ceremony, including Bollywood stars and leaders of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). Modi did not win an outright majority for the first time in his career. This asks the question: Will Modi change the government seats and exchange key positions with partners in his NDA (National Democratic Alliance) coalition?

On May 19, 2024, an Iranian air force helicopter crashed in a small village in northwestern Iran, which was carrying five passengers and three crew members. All occupants died, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and the Governor-General of East Azerbaijan Malek Rahmati.

On February 13th, 2024, Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov was shot to death in his apartment building’s parking garage. This follows his dramatic defection to Ukraine through his helicopter. He was found dead after being shot several times and ran over.

As of March 10th, a US military ship is setting off for the Middle East, specifically towards Gaza. This comes after the UN warned that food shortages are inevitable in Gaza and children are starving.

On December 21, 2023, a shooter opened fire at a university in the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague, killing 14 and injuring 25 people before killing himself, according to AP news.

After the Hamas attack on October 7th that took many Israelis hostage and killed many more, Israel bombed Gaza violently with the backing of many countries.

On Friday June 2nd, 2023, a huge train crash killed hundreds and injured many more.

On March 27, 2023, another school shooting took place, this time killing 3 9-year-olds and 3 adults. 28-year-old Audrey Hale was the shooter who opened fire at the Covenant School in Nashville. According to NPR, Hale was a former student of the school.

Turkey and Syria faced a terrible earthquake reaching 7.8 magnitude. The death toll continues to rise as volunteer helpers try to rescue people trapped under fallen buildings. The white helmets, rescuers who are used to saving people from bombings, say that they have never seen something quite like this before.

Queen Elizabeth II, the queen of England, passed away at 96 on Thursday, on the 8th of September, 2022. She reigned for over 70 years. Her coronation was the first to be broadcast on television.

The U.S. is saying that a drone strike killed the al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. The missile was launched from a drone in Afghanistan and it killed the al Qaeda leader.

In recent months, inflation has ruined Sri Lanka’s economy. People are lining up to get what is most likely going to be their only meal for the day.

I think that this is a terrible thing for the South African people. This has severely damaged many citizens’ areas. Also, the biggest port in South Africa was affected.