2015 CE

2015 was designated by the United Nations as; International Year of Light; International Year of Soil

In the 2010s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 14 - The Haitian Parliament dissolves, causing political uncertainty.Haiti source
January 22 – After Houthi forces seize the presidential palace, Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resigns after months of unrest.source
24 January – Edgar Lungu of the ruling Patriotic Front party wins the Zambian presidential election.Zambia source
January 25 – Legislative elections are held in Greece to elect all 300 members of the Hellenic Parliament and the SYRIZA party, led by Alexis Tsipras, comes out as the largest party winning 149 out of 300 seats.source
5 February - A unity government is approved by the parliament and is formed by members of the secular Nidaa Tounes, two liberal parties and a moderate Islamist party.Tunisia source
February 28 - Early general elections will be held following mediation in the aftermath of the 2014 political crisis.Lesotho source
May 7 – The 2015 UK General Election results in the first Conservative majority government in 18 years.source
May 10 – The first round of the 2015 Polish presidential election is held.source
May 24 – The second round of the 2015 Polish presidential election is held, with Andrzej Duda reigning victorious over then-incumbent president Bronisław Komorowski.source
June 2 – The FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces his intention to resign amidst an FBI-led corruption investigation, and calls for an extraordinary congress to elect a new president as soon as possible.source
June 6 – The governments of India and Bangladesh officially ratify their 1974 agreement to exchange enclaves along their border.source
July 8 — Raimonds Vējonis replaced Andris Bērziņš in post of President of Latvia.Latvia source
July 14 – Iranian nuclear deal: Iran agrees to long-term limits of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.source
July 20 – Cuba and the United States end 54 years of hostility between the nations, reestablish full diplomatic relations.source
August 1 – 161 exclaves of Bangladesh within India or vice versa are ceded to the country that contained them.source
September 14 – Malcolm Turnbull defeats Tony Abbott in a Liberal Party leadership ballot. Turnbull becomes Prime Minister of Australia, being sworn in the following day.source
September 20 – Snap legislative elections are held in Greece, following the resignation of prime minister Alexis Tsipras, to elect all 300 members of the Hellenic Parliament and the SYRIZA party, led by Alexis Tsipras comes out as the largest party winning 145 out of 300 seats.source
17 October: The Guinea electoral commission reports that the President of Guinea Alpha Conde has won the election with 58 per cent of the vote.Guinea source
October 25 – The 2015 Polish parliamentary election is held for the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, with the election being won by the largest opposition party, the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS).source
25 October – A general election is to be held.Tanzania source
November 7 – CCP general secretary Xi Jinping and ROC president Ma Ying-jeou formally meet for the first time.source
December 12 – A global climate change pact is agreed at the COP 21 summit in Paris, committing all countries to reduce carbon emissions for the first time.source
2015 Trinidad and Tobago general electionTrinidad and Tobago source

Conflict & Security

January 3–7 – A series of massacres in Baga, Nigeria and surrounding villages by Boko Haram kills more than 2,000 people.source
6 January – Anti-government protests begin with a demonstration by "Thirrjet e nënave" ("The call of mothers") at the Serbian Orthodox Church in Gjakova.Kosovo source
January 7 – Two gunmen belonging to Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch kill 12 people and injure 11 more at the Paris headquarters of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, prompting an anti-terrorism demonstration attended by over a million people and more than 40 world leaders.source
January 12 – A Boko Haram and Islamic State assault on Kolofata in the Far North Region of Cameroon is repelled by the Cameroonian Army, who kill 143 Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgents.source
January 17 - The Bahraini government clashes with the protesters.Bahrain source
February 2 - A shootout between the Lesotho Defence Force and two former bodyguards of Prime Minister Tom Thabane, leaves one bystander killed and three wounded.Lesotho source
February 12 – Leaders from Russian Federation, Ukraine, Germany and French Republic reach an agreement on the war in eastern Ukraine that includes a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons. However, several days later, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels claim that, within its first day, the ceasefire was broken 139 times, as both sides failed to withdraw their heavy weapons and fighting had continued.source
February 12 – The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2199 to combat terrorism.source
February 16 – The Egyptian military begins conducting airstrikes against a branch of the Islamic militant group ISIL in Libya in retaliation for the group's beheading of over a dozen Egyptian Christians.source
March 7 – A suspected terrorist attack in Bamako kills five people.Mali source
March 25 – A Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab countries starts a military intervention in Yemen in order to uphold the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis' southern offensive.source
3March - Assassination of French-Mozambican lawyer Gilles Cistac, which led to several protests and marches.Mozambique source
April 25-September 6: The 2015 Guatemalan protests take place, leading to the resignation of president Otto Pérez Molina.Guatemala source
May 8 – The 2015 Al Khalis prison break occurs in the Iraqi town of Al Khalis, resulting in over fifty escapees.source
May 21 – ISIS captures the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.source
June 8 - 2015 Ecuadorian protests: Public protests escalate against the government of Rafael Correa.Ecuador source
Sousse attacks: 22-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui opens fire at a tourist resort at Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia, killing 38 people.source
Kobanî massacre: ISIL fighters detonate three car bombs, enter Kobanî, Syria, and open fire at civilians, killing more than 220 people.source
Two hotels are attacked in Sousse by unknown gunmen, killing 38 people and injuring 36. This was on the same day as attacks in France, Kuwait, Syria and Somalia.Tunisia source
July 24 – Turkey begins a series of airstrikes against PKK and ISIL targets after the 2015 Suruç bombing.source
August 23 – A UAE military intelligence operation in the country of Yemen frees one British hostage.source
September 30 – Russia begins air strikes against ISIL and anti-government forces in Syria, in support of the Syrian government.source
October 10 – A series of suicide bombings kills at least 100 people at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey, and injures more than 400 others.source
November 4 – Romanian prime-minister Victor Ponta resigns amid calls from the people angered by the Colectiv nightclub fire, marking the end of an almost four years period of unrest in Romania. Peaceful protests would continue until November 9.source
November 13 – Multiple terrorist attacks claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Paris, France, result in 130 fatalities.source
November 13 – The United States begins airstrikes in Libya.source
November 24 – Turkey shoots down a Russian fighter jet on the Turkish–Syrian border in the first case of a NATO member destroying a Russian aircraft since the 1950s.source
November 30 – The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) is held in Paris, attended by leaders from 147 nations.source
December 15 – The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition is formed in order to fight terrorism.source

Exploration & Expansion

January 5 - A Czech archaeological team discovers the tomb of formerly unknown Ancient Egyptian queen Khentakawess III who lived during the Fifth Dynasty.Egypt source
14 January – The government says it will extend a controversial fence along its border with Turkey by 80 km to help stem the flow of illegal immigrants.Bulgaria source
11 February – The Greek Coast Guard rescues all 22 crewmen from a Cyprus-flagged vessel Good Faith that ran aground on the Greek island of Andros during a storm in the Aegean Sea.Cyprus source
February 11 – The Greek Coast Guard rescues all 22 crewmen from a Cyprus -flagged vessel Good Faith that ran aground on the Greek island of Andros during a storm in the Aegean Sea.Greece source
18 February – The Irish Naval Service donated the patrol boat LÉ Aoife to the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta.Malta source
3 March - An archaeological expedition finds the legendary White City in northeastern Honduras, with artifacts that date to A.D. 1000 to 1400.Honduras source
9 April - Lithuania was invited to start accession talks with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.Lithuania source
May 1–October 31 – Expo 2015 is held in Milan, Italy.source
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Djibouti as part of his African visit.Djibouti source

Religion & Belief

January 15–19 – Pope Francis visits the country for a five-day state and pastoral visit. The pope also visits the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in Leyte. This is the first papal visit to the Philippines in the 21st century.Philippines source
January 16 — Latvia to the European Commission was transfer 1.2 billion euros from the 2009 loan.Latvia source
16 January - second honorary consulate of Estonia in Lithuania was opened in the city of Kaunas.Lithuania source
March 19 – Bishop Richard Williamson consecrates Father Jean-Michel Faure as a Bishop in the Mosteiro da Santa Cruz.source
1 April - The Executive Council of Hong Kong announced that Asia Television's television licence will not be renewed, the first time this has happened. Meanwhile HK Television Entertainment is awarded a new television licence.Hong Kong source
15 May – Singapore Botanical Gardens gets ICOMOS nod to be the first UNESCO World Heritage Site.Singapore source
May 29 - The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for another attack on a Shia mosque in Dammam.Saudi Arabia source
June 18 – Pope Francis releases the encyclical letter Laudato si, dated May 24, 2015.source
25 July – Jacob Chang (張大同) takes over as the ROC Representative to Singapore.Taiwan source
18 October – 2015 Swiss federal election held for the National Council and the first round of elections to the Council of States.Switzerland source

Economy & Finance

January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes the 19th Eurozone country.source
1 January - Cambodia achieves a lower middle-income status, with a GDP of USD 31.77 billion and GDP per capita of USD 1,875.Cambodia source
January 15 – The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets.source
February 21 - Currency value temporarily falls in face of military threats.Ukraine source
28 February - Lithuania signs a trade agreement to buy liquefied natural gas from the United States in a move aimed at reducing heavy dependence on Russian gas deliveries.Lithuania source
13 March – Politicians in Cyprus demand the resignation of the governor of the central bank there, Chrystalla Georghadji, raising concerns about a conflict of interest.Cyprus source
1 May – Establishment of Ulaanbaatar Securities Exchange.Mongolia source
July 1 – Greek government-debt crisis: Greece becomes the first advanced economy to miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund in the 71-year history of the IMF.source
July 5–13 – Greek government-debt crisis: After six months of clashes and futile negotiations between Greece's newly elected, leftist government and the country's creditors, over the austerity measures imposed through bailout programmes, tension peaks as Greece votes in a referendum to reject the terms offered in a third programme; however, the government eventually proceeds to concur to harsher terms than those offered before, in what was widely characterized as a coup on the creditors' part.source
July 9 - The first coins of the South Sudanese pound were released into circulation. They are 10, 20, and 50 PiastersSouth Sudan source
On August 24, President Deby replaced Abderahim Bireme Hamid, his Interior Minister, with former Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir. He replaced the Finance Minister, Bedoumra Kordje, with Ngarlenan Docdjengar.Chad source
December 11 – OpenAI, a non-profit artificial intelligence research company, is founded.source
Forbes estimated that Dan Gertler's wealth is $1.26 billion.Democratic Republic of the Congo source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 5 - Introduction of separate buses for women.Nepal source
13 January – Construction of the Vinarium Tower commencedSlovenia source
1 February – Testing of the Addis Ababa Light Rail, the first light railway in Sub-Saharan Africa, begins.Ethiopia source
March 25 – The BBC refuses to renew the contract of Top Gears main presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, resulting in the end of his run on the 2002-format show.source
Aeropuerto Juan Santamaría reanudó operaciones a las 4 a.m. de este viernes La Nación, 2015-04-24.Costa Rica source
15 May - district heating plant opened in Elektrėnai, that is operating on biofeuls.Lithuania source
May 29 – In Tonga, the Mata ʻo e Laʻa Solar Facility is officially opened by King Tupou VI.source
July 29 – Microsoft releases the desktop operating system Windows 10.source
November 5 – In Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a tailings dam of iron ore collapses, causing 19 deaths and releasing a toxic mudflow to pollute the Doce River.source
4 December – Official opening of Amgalan Thermal Power Plant in Bayanzürkh, Ulaanbaatar.Mongolia source
Opening of the Luau International Airport.Angola source
2015 FINA Men's Water Polo World League ChampionsSerbia source

Science & Discovery

January 27 - Australia wins 2–0 against United Arab Emirates to advance to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final for the second consecutive time.United Arab Emirates source
February 2 – Iran's Fajr satellite is successfully placed in the orbit.Iran source
February 7 – North Korea test fires a new "ultra-precision" intelligent anti-ship missile which is to be deployed across its navy.North Korea source
9 February - Aistė Diržiūtė becomes the first Lithuanian actress to win Shooting Stars Award.Lithuania source
March 6 – NASA's Dawn probe enters orbit around Ceres, becoming the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet.source
March 20 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the north Atlantic, Faroe Islands, and Svalbard. It is the 61st eclipse of the 120th saros cycle.source
April 4 – The April 2015 lunar eclipse is visible in Asia, Australia, Pacific and the Americas. It is a shallow total lunar eclipse, with 0.08% of that diameter inside of Earth's umbral shadow, and is the 30th eclipse of the 132nd saros cycle.source
June 30 – An extra leap second (23:59:60) is added to end of June. The last time this occurred was in 2012.source
July 14 – NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performs a close flyby of Pluto, becoming the first spacecraft in history to visit the distant world.source
September 7 - A bolide over Bangkok and other locations flared up for several seconds in early morning.Thailand source
September 10 – Scientists announce the discovery of Homo naledi, a previously unknown species of early human in South Africa.source
September 13 – A partial solar eclipse is visible in southern Africa, the southern Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. It is the 54th eclipse of Saros cycle 125.source
September 14 – First observation of gravitational waves: Gravitational waves are detected for the first time, by LIGO. This is not announced until February 11, 2016.source
September 28 – NASA announces that liquid water has been found on Mars.source
13 October – After two days of fighting for survival, Fransiskus Susbihardayan, the only sole survivor of the crash was found alive from the missing Eurocopter. The others were still missingIndonesia source
December 22 – SpaceX lands an uncrewed Falcon 9 rocket, the first reusable rocket to successfully enter orbital space and return.source
Pakistani cricket team in New Zealand in 2014–15Pakistan source
Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015Serbia source

Health & Medicine

12 January - The death toll from the poisoned beer rises to at least 69, with 169 in hospital. Reports also question whether the poison involved was actually crocodile bile; several studies have indicated that the substance is relatively harmless. The competing theory is that the actual poison may have been cardiac glycosides found in local plants.Mozambique source
13 February - Sierra Leone quarantines 700 homes in the Aberdeen district of Freetown following the death of a fisherman.Sierra Leone source
February – The Ganja Law, or Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act 2015, was passed by Jamaica's Houses of Parliament.Jamaica source
March 30 – The People's Republic of China evacuates its citizens from Yemen due to concerns over declining security and also suspends anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.Yemen source
April 29 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares that rubella has been eradicated from the Americas.source
May 23 - President Thein Sein signs the Population Control Health Care Bill requiring parents to space each child apart by three years.Myanmar source
June 23 - A cholera outbreak is declared after 171 people are infected while 18 people die from it.South Sudan source
June 30 – Cuba becomes the first country in the world to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.source
October 3 – A United States airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Afghanistan kills an estimated 20 people.source
December 24 - At least 25 people have been killed and 107 injured in a fire at a hospital in Jizan, Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia source
29 December: For the first time since March 2014, Guinea is declared free from Ebola virus transmissions by the World Health Organization.Guinea source

Crime & Justice

2 January - Boko Haram militants attack a bus in Waza killing eleven people and injuring six.Cameroon source
10 January – A suicide attack by al-Nusra Front at a café in Tripoli kills at least seven people.Lebanon source
February 9 - Boko Haram launch a raid on a prison in the town of Diffa in Niger. Authorities repel the attack.Niger source
February 14–15 – A lone gunman leaves 2 people dead in a terrorist attack in Copenhagen, Denmark.source
24 February – The Uherský Brod shootingCzech Republic source
March 12 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant becomes allies with fellow jihadist group Boko Haram, effectively annexing the group.source
May 11–12 – Version O of Les Femmes d'Alger by Pablo Picasso sells for US$179.3 million at Christie's auction in New York, while the sculpture L'Homme au doigt by Alberto Giacometti sells for US$141.3 million, setting a new world record for a painting and for a sculpture, respectively.source
May 29 - Cuba is officially removed from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list.Cuba source
Nineteen of the victims are revealed to be from other countries; fifteen from the United Kingdom and one each from Belgium, Portugal, Germany and Ireland.Tunisia source
August 3 - Pierre Claver Mbonima a human right activist was shot in the face and neck in Bujumbura, after facing numerous death threats and fled to Belgium for urgent medical care. On 9 October 2015, unidentified armed persons killed his son in law Pascal Nshimirimana, a month later the son of Pierre, Welly Nzitonda was arrested and later found dead on a roadside.Burundi source
September 18 – Automaker Volkswagen is alleged to have been involved in worldwide rigging of diesel emissions tests, affecting an estimated 11 million vehicles globally.source
2015 C.D. Primeiro de Agosto seasonAngola source

Disasters & Accidents

January 2 – The Panama-owned MV Better Trans cargo ship sprang a leak and foundered in the Philippine Sea with the loss of one of her nineteen crew.Panama source
10 January - A mass poisoning at a funeral in Mozambique involves beer that was supposedly contaminated with crocodile bile leaving at least 56 dead and 146 hospitalized.Mozambique source
January 14 - Heavy rains cause 48 deaths. About 70,000 lose their homes.Malawi source
March 5–8 – The ancient city sites of Nimrud, Hatra and Dur-Sharrukin in Iraq are demolished by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.source
March 24 – An Airbus A320-211 operated by Germanwings is deliberately crashed by First officer Andres Lubitz in the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.source
March 31 - India evacuated 348 of its citizens as part of a rescue operation by the Indian Navy, named Operation Raahat.Yemen source
469 Rohingya from Myanmar on two boats reach western Indonesia have been turned away by the Indonesian Navy. Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees also arrive in Malaysia but are detained. The Myanmar Navy rescues two boats with 208 migrants during international pressure to make the Rohingya citizens of Burma to end the refugee crisis.Myanmar source
Kuwait mosque bombing: A suicide bomber attacks the Shia Mosque Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq at Kuwait City, Kuwait, killing 27 people and injuring 227 others.source
23 July – Studénka train crashCzech Republic source
August 5 – Debris found on Réunion Island is confirmed to be that of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, missing since March 2014.source
August 12 and 15 – Large explosions in Tianjin, China kill 173 and injure more than 800 people. The causes of the explosions were found to be an overheated container of dry nitrocellulose and around 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate.source
September 24 – A stampede during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca kills at least 2,200 people and injures more than 900 others, with more than 650 missing.source
October 26 — In Garkalne Municipality on A2 road truck knocked down a children training team of Riga Cycling school, suffered an accident 13 people.Latvia source
October 30 – Colectiv nightclub fire: a fire ignited by a failed fireworks show sets the walls and columns covered in foam of the Colectiv nightclub, located in Romania's capital Bucharest. 27 people die at the scene, including four out the five members of the Romanian metalcore band "Goodbye to Gravity", and 37 would succumb later due to the injuries and intoxication with fumes, but also because of the poor treatment conditions. The event and the poor management of the situation spark a riot in all of Romania, known as the "Colectiv Revolution".source
October 31 – Metrojet Flight 9268, an Airbus A321 airliner en route to Saint Petersburg from Sharm el-Sheikh, crashes near Al-Hasana in Sinai, killing all 217 passengers and 7 crew members on board. Later investigations revealed a bomb was likely responsible for the crash with Islamic State being the primary suspect. *source
November 12 – 2015 Beirut bombings: Two suicide bombers detonate explosives in Bourj el-Barajneh, Beirut, killing 43 people and injuring over 200 others.source
December 2 – Two gunmen open fire at a workplace in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 before dying themselves in a shootout with police. ISIL claimed responsibility.source
Air Jamaica, national airline of Jamaica, ceased all operations.Jamaica source

Climate & Environment

January 12 - The eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano disrupts flights to and from Tonga.Tonga source
15 January - a big storm left 15,000 people without electricity, mostly in Klaipėda county.Lithuania source
January 16 - Flash floods cause at least 176 deaths. Over 110,000 people are driven from their homes.Malawi source
21 January – Heavy rains in Zambia cause delays in voting and counting in the presidential election with announcements to resume the next day.Zambia source
5 March – Flooding kills 42 people near Lake Victoria in the Kahama District.Tanzania source
April 25 – A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal and causes 8,857 deaths in Nepal (including 19 at Everest base cammp), 130 in India, 27 in China and 4 in Bangladesh with a total of 9,018 deaths.source
May 12 – A second major earthquake in Nepal, measuring 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale, results in 153 deaths in Nepal, 62 in India, 1 in China and 2 in Bangladesh, with a total of 218 deaths.source
August 17 – A bombing takes place inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand, killing 20 people and injuring 125.source
In the autumn of 2015 was the largest grain harvest in Latvian history.Latvia source
October 23 – Hurricane Patricia becomes the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere and the second strongest worldwide, with winds of 215 mph and a pressure of 872 mbar.source
October 26 – A magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region and causes 398 deaths, with 279 in Pakistan, 115 in Afghanistan and 4 in India.source
A major landslide in Hpakant, Kachin State, northern Myanmar killed at least 116 people near a jade mine, with around 100 more missing.Myanmar source
Late June 2015 Southeast Asian haze began.Brunei source

Culture & Society

February 14–March 29 – The 2015 Cricket World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand with Australia defeating New Zealand in the final.source
18 March - Gunmen attack the Bardo National Museum, adjacent to the parliament building in Tunis, killing at least 19 people.Tunisia source
March 26 – The order of succession to the British throne is changed to absolute primogeniture, in accordance with the 2011 Perth Agreement and the UK Succession to the Crown Act 2013. The change also applies in the Commonwealth realms. Marrying a Roman Catholic no longer disqualifies a person from succeeding to the Crown.source
March 29 – Australia wins the 2015 Cricket World Cup.source
April 10 - Cuba debuts in the Summit of the Americas on its seventh edition.Cuba source
May 19–23 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 is held in Vienna, Austria, and is won by Swedish entrant Måns Zelmerlöw with the song "Heroes".source
May 24 — Aminata Savadogo represents Latvia in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, finishing 6th.Latvia source
May 30-31 - The 2015 South American Junior Championships in Athletics are held in Cuenca.Ecuador source
June 12–28 – The inaugural European Games are held in Baku, Azerbaijan.source
July 31 – The International Olympic Committee awards Beijing the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.source
September 18–October 31 – The 2015 Rugby World Cup is held in England and is won by New Zealand who beat Australia in the final.source
November 16 – The world's second-largest diamond of gem quality, Lesedi La Rona, is found in the Karowe mine located north of Gaborone by the Lucara Diamond Corp.Botswana source
15 December – Kosovo participated in the Bala Turkvision Song Contest in Istanbul, finishing tenth.Kosovo source
20 December – 2015 Slovenian same-sex marriage referendumSlovenia source
Tabuan Muda (English: Young Wasps) were established as a Bruneian football team.Brunei source

Births

2 May – Princess Charlotte, second grandchild of the Prince of Wales (now Charles III)Wales source
12 October – Verry Elleegant, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source
26 October – Self Assured, Standardbred racehorseNew Zealand source
3 November – Kolding, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source

Deaths

January 23 – Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, 90, Saudi royal, King (since 2005), complications from pneumonia.source
13 February – Magnus Mwalunyungu, 84, Roman Catholic bishopTanzania source
February 17 - Carnival festivities are cancelled after at least twenty people are killed in a float accident in Port-au-Prince.Haiti source
March 11: Two journalists are murdered in Mazatenango.Guatemala source
March 12 – Sir Terry Pratchett, 66, British author (Discworld), posterior cortical atrophy.source
March 20 – Malcolm Fraser, 84, Australian politician, Prime Minister (1975–1983).source
March 23 – Lee Kuan Yew, 91, Singaporean politician, Prime Minister (1959–1990), pneumonia.source
April 2 – 148 people are killed, the majority students, in a mass shooting at the Garissa University College in Kenya, perpetrated by the militant terrorist organization al-Shabaab.source
June 11 – Dusty Rhodes, 69, American professional wrestler, booker (NWA, WCW, WWE) and promoter, Hall of Fame (2007, 2010), kidney failure.source
July 11 – Nintendo's president and CEO Satoru Iwata dies.source
July 11 – Satoru Iwata, 55, Japanese game programmer (Super Smash Bros., Pokémon), president and CEO of Nintendo (since 2002), bile duct cancer.source
July 27 – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, 83, Indian scientist and politician, President of India (2002–2007), heart attack.source
July 31 – Roddy Piper, 61, Canadian professional wrestler (WWE, WCW) and actor (They Live), complications from hypertension.source
18 August – Russell Henderson, 91, Trinidad and Tobago-born jazz musician.Trinidad and Tobago source
August 24 – Justin Wilson, 37, British IndyCar Series driver, head injuries from race collision.source
September 16 – An 8.4 earthquake strikes 46 km from Coquimbo (in Chile). 22 people are killed and 34 more injured.source
October 24 – Maureen O'Hara, 95, Irish-American actress (How Green Was My Valley, Miracle on 34th Street, The Quiet Man).source
November 10 – Helmut Schmidt, 96, German politician, Chancellor of West Germany (1974–1982), complications from surgery.source