2024 CE

The 2024 Summer Olympics are held in Paris, France; Flooded bridge in Kłodzko, Poland, as part of the European floods, which left at least 337 people dead; Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik signing the resolution to impeach South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol following the latter's declaration of martial law; Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei leading the funeral prayer for Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was assassinated in Tehran by an Israeli attack; Donald Trump, winner of the U.S. presidential election, pays respect to Corey Comperatore, who was killed in an assassination attempt on Trump; People cheering after the resignation of Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, ending the first ever successful Gen Z revolution; Krasnogorsk's Crocus City Hall music venue after a terrorist attack that killed 151 people and injured 609, the deadliest in Russia since the Beslan school siege in 2004; Syrians celebrate the fall of the President Bashar al-Assad's regime at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

In the 2020s, the 21st century.

2024 at a glance

United States: Joe Biden (president) Wikipedia rev. 1381278678
United Kingdom: Charles III (king); Rishi Sunak, then Keir Starmer (prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1381278678
Russia: Vladimir Putin (president); Mikhail Mishustin (prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1381278678
China: Xi Jinping (general secretary and paramount leader); Xi Jinping (president); Li Qiang (premier) Wikipedia rev. 1381278678
France: Emmanuel Macron (president); Élisabeth Borne, then Gabriel Attal, then Michel Barnier, then François Bayrou (prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1381278678
Germany: Frank-Walter Steinmeier (president); Olaf Scholz (chancellor) Wikipedia rev. 1381278678
$1 in 2024: $1.07 in September 2026 dollars BLS CPI-U
Gallon of gas (U.S. average): $3.45 ($4.48 in September 2026) BLS
Most weeks at No. 1 in 2024: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, 19 weeks Wikipedia rev. 1346104219

Who led every country in 2024 →Born in 2024? What it cost, who led, what was No. 1 →

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 1 – The Republic of Artsakh is formally dissolved following the recapture of the Nagorno-Karabakh region by Azerbaijan.source
January 1 – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates become BRICS members.source
9 January - President José Ramos-Horta makes the first-ever visit by an East Timorese president to India, attending the 10th biennial Vibrant Gujarat summit with Foreign Minister Bendito Freitas.East Timor source
January 15 – Following a brief political crisis in the aftermath of the 2023 elections, Bernardo Arévalo is inaugurated as the 52nd President of Guatemala.source
January 22 – Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha: The Ram Mandir is inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.source
February 4 – 2024 Salvadoran presidential election: Incumbent President Nayib Bukele wins the election with over 80% of the vote, becoming the first president to be reelected in El Salvador since 1944.source
February 8 – 2024 Pakistani general election: Independent politicians, most of whom are members of the banned political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, win a plurality of seats in the National Assembly.source
March 7 – As the final Nordic country to join the alliance, Sweden officially joins NATO, becoming its 32nd member after Finland a year earlier.source
March 15–17 – 2024 Russian presidential election: Incumbent Vladimir Putin is reelected for a fifth term.source
18 March – Indian Prime Minister visits Bhutan. Both nations signs MoUs to strengthened ties, energy, infrastructure, and development.Bhutan source
April 10 – 2024 South Korean legislative election: The Democratic Party and Democratic Alliance wins 176 seats, while the People Power and People Future, to which President Yoon Suk Yeol belongs, wins only 108 seats.source
May 5 – 2024 Panamanian general election: José Raúl Mulino is elected president.source
May 15 – Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore since 2004, is succeeded by former Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as prime minister, ahead of the next general election to be held by 2025.source
May 29 – 2024 South African general election: The ANC party fails to win a majority of the vote for the first time in South Africa's democratic history.source
June 1 – The 2024 Indian general election, which began on April 19, concludes. In the Lok Sabha, the BJP party loses its outright majority, but its electoral alliance, the National Democratic Alliance, retains its majority.source
June 6–9 – The 2024 European Parliament election is held. The EPP, of incumbent Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, retains its status as the largest group in parliament amid notable gains by far-right political groups.source
June 14 – 2024 South African general election: The ANC and other opposition parties agree to form a national unity government, with Cyril Ramaphosa being re-elected President of South Africa.source
June 14 – July 14 – UEFA Euro 2024 is held in Germany, and is won by Spain.source
1 July – Ketikoti (Emancipation Day – end of slavery)Suriname source
July 4 – 2024 United Kingdom general election: Sir Keir Starmer leads the Labour Party to victory, returning the party to government for the first time in 14 years.source
July 7 – 2024 French legislative election: The left-wing New Popular Front wins the most seats in the National Assembly, upsetting a first-round victory by the far-right National Rally, but fails to achieve a majority.source
August 14 – The Constitutional Court of Thailand dismisses the Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for illegally appointing a minister to his cabinet who had a prison sentence. Paetongtarn Shinawatra succeeds him as Prime Minister of Thailand.source
17 September – The Taliban announces the reopening of the Afghan embassy in Muscat.Oman source
September 29 – 2024 Austrian legislative election: Far-right Freedom Party secures a historical victory, but does not reach a majority in the National Council. The results are deemed the first far-right win since World War II.source
October 1 – The Japanese parliament elects Shigeru Ishiba as the new prime minister of Japan, with members from the Liberal Democratic Party forming the majority. Following his appointment, he reveals his cabinet and calls for a snap election on October 27, securing a national mandate.source
3 October: The United Kingdom agrees to relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius in exchange for the UK and the United States retaining control over their joint military base in Diego Garcia.Mauritius source
9 October – Benin is elected to a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term beginning in 2025.Benin source
November 5 – 2024 United States presidential election: Former U.S. President Donald Trump defeats incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris to win a second nonconsecutive term. Trump became the second person in American history to win a second nonconsecutive term, after Grover Cleveland in 1892.source
14 November – Lesotho is granted World Rugby Full Member status by the World Rugby Council.Lesotho source
2 December – Barbados completes the world’s first debt-for-climate resilience swap, freeing $165 million for water, agriculture, and environmental projects.Barbados source
December 14 – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's powers and duties are suspended after MPs vote to impeach him, following his martial law declaration the previous week.source
December 27 – Acting President of South Korea Han Duck-soo is impeached by MPs for failing to promulgate two bills related to president Yoon's legal proceedings. He is succeeded by deputy prime minister Choi Sang-mok.source

Conflict & Security

January 3 – 2024 Kerman bombings: An Islamic State double bombing kills 94 people during a memorial event commemorating the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in Kerman, Iran. The bombing was carried out using two briefcase bombs placed at the entrance that were detonated remotely.source
January 8 – Ecuadorian conflict (2024–present): Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declares a state of emergency following the escape of Los Choneros drug cartel leader José Adolfo Macías Villamar from prison. The military was deployed onto the streets and into prisons, while setting a national nighttime curfew.source
January 12 – Operation Prosperity Guardian: A U.S.-led coalition launches airstrikes at Houthi militant locations in Yemen, marking a retaliation to the Houthis' attacks on ships in the Red Sea.source
January 26 – Gaza war: The UN's International Court of Justice rules that Israel must take all measures to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza, but stops short of ordering an immediate halt to operations.source
2 February – King Tupou VI withdraws confidence from Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni, removing his Armed Forces portfolio, and dismisses foreign minister Fekitamoeloa ʻUtoikamanu.Tonga source
February 29 – Gaza war: Soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces open fire on a crowd of civilians in Gaza City, killing more than 100 people, as the Palestinian casualties of the war exceed 30,000.source
Allies of former President Horacio Cartes in the Senate expel opposition Senator Kattya González over alleged administrative misconduct, prompting protests in Asunción.Paraguay source
March 11 – Haitian acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry announces his pending resignation from both offices amid an ongoing crisis marked by gang warfare in the country.source
March 14 – The United Nations estimates that at least 56% of Palestinian civilians killed in the Gaza war were women and children.source
March 22 – Islamic State-affiliated gunmen attack concertgoers at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Russia, killing at least 151 people and injuring 609.source
March 25 – The UN Security Council passes a resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza war and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.source
April 13 – Iran launches retaliatory strikes against Israel after an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus earlier in the month.source
April 17 – Gaza war protests at universities escalate across the globe and allege Israel is committing genocide.source
28 April – National Heroes' DayBarbados source
The Government extends the temporary ban on all martial arts groups by six months, citing violence linked to some groups.East Timor source
May 15 – Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is shot and hospitalized while meeting with supporters at an event in Handlová.source
May 19 – A coup d'état attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reportedly led by Christian Malanga leads to unrest in Kinshasa. Government soldiers quickly intervene, arresting the coup leaders and reportedly restoring calm.source
19 May - Several people are injured after a shell fired from neighboring Kinshasa during the 2024 Democratic Republic of the Congo coup attempt flies across the Congo River and lands on a neighborhood of Brazzaville.Republic of the Congo source
May 24 – The UN's highest court, the ICJ, rules that Israel must halt its military offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza.source
The government invokes the Internal Security Act, bans 12 Famo music groups linked to deadly rivalries and deploys the Lesotho Defence Force.Lesotho source
July 13 – While campaigning for the 2024 United States presidential election, former President Donald Trump is shot in the right ear in an assassination attempt at a rally he held near Butler, Pennsylvania.source
August 5 – Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina announces her resignation and flees to India following nationwide protests.source
August 11 – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces that the Ukrainian military is conducting a cross-border offensive inside Russia's western Kursk Oblast. Russia says that 76,000 people have been evacuated from the region.source
13 August - The Supreme Court upholds a controversial provision of the 1938 Sedition and Subversive Activities Act.Eswatini source
August 25 – The Israel Defense Forces begin a series of preemptive strikes against targets in the south of Lebanon.source
September 15 – Ryan Wesley Routh is accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump in Florida. Routh is later captured and arrested, and a trial date has been set for 2025.source
24 September – The United States Navy vessel USNS Big Horn runs aground and is damaged off the coast of Oman after replenishing the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.Oman source
October 1 – The Israel Defense Forces invade southern Lebanon, escalating its conflict against Hezbollah.source
November 21 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif on accusations of war crimes committed during the Gaza war.source
November 30 – Syrian civil war: Opposition forces seize control of most of Aleppo, Syria, prompting the first Russian airstrikes on the city since 2016.source
December 3 – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law during a late-night address broadcast live on YTN television, accusing the country's main opposition Democratic Party of sympathizing with North Korea and engaging in anti-state activities.source
December 8 – Syrian civil war: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad flees from Damascus to Moscow after being overthrown, ending his presidency and the Ba'athist Syria regime after a total of 61 years. The Syrian opposition forms the Syrian transitional government as a provisional government.source
8 December – 2024 Syrian opposition offensives: The city of Homs and the capital Damascus fall to rebel forces, marking the end of the regime of president Bashar al-Assad, who flees the country and receives asylum in Russia.Syria source

Exploration & Expansion

11 January – Researchers discover the Upano Valley sites, a network of ancient cities that is the oldest known settlement in the Amazon.Ecuador source
24 February – At a summit in Abuja, ECOWAS lifts sanctions on Niger, however still wanting the release of Mohamed Bazoum and his family.Niger source
March 31 – Bulgaria and Romania become members of the Schengen Area through sea and air routes.source
August 1 – 2024 American–Russian prisoner exchange: 26 individuals are released from Ankara Esenboğa Airport in the largest prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia since the Cold War.source
August 6 – The skeletal remains of 14 individuals believed to be from Senegal and Mauritania are found on an abandoned boat off the coast of Río San Juan.Dominican Republic source
9 August - Indian President Droupadi Murmu makes the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to Timor-Leste, as part of a tour of Pacific region countries.East Timor source
7 October: The government announces the resumption of imports at border crossings with Serbia after they had been halted in June 2023 due to security issues.Kosovo source
9 October – Entrepreneur Jin Davod is awarded the Nansen Refugee Award by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, citing her work in connecting trauma survivors to therapists.Syria source
October – Archaeologists announce the discovery of the Silk Road-era cities of Tugunbulak and Tashbulak.Uzbekistan source
12 December – Papua New Guinea receives a licence to have a local team play in the Australian National Rugby League beginning in 2028, as part of efforts to strengthen ties and counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.Papua New Guinea source

Religion & Belief

16 May: Foreign minister Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz writes to the Council of Europe for member nations to consider Kosovo entry into the council.Kosovo source
24 May – Saints Cyril and Methodius' DayNorth Macedonia source
June 30 - Daniil Nikolov is elected as the 29th Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.source
10 July – First Sermon of Lord BuddhaBhutan source
15 August – Founding of AsunciónParaguay source
15 September – Day after The Prophet's BirthdayIvory Coast source
9-11 September - Pope Francis makes a visit to Timor-Leste, becoming the first pope to do so since 1989 and the first since the country gained independence in 2002.East Timor source
8–15 September – 53rd International Eucharistic Congress at QuitoEcuador source
Welsh jurist Malcolm Bishop is appointed Tonga’s chief justice and president of the Land Court; a petition is filed for his removal over his sexuality but he remains in office.Tonga source
November 12 – Justin Welby announces his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury following the publication of a report critical of his handling of the abuse of children within the Church of England by John Smyth.source
December 7 – The Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens to the public after previously being damaged by a structural fire in 2019.source

Economy & Finance

February 2 – Economy minister and concurrent deputy prime minister Alejandro Gil Fernández is dismissed by First Secretary Miguel Díaz-Canel amid an ongoing economic crisis. Díaz-Canel subsequently announces a criminal investigation against Gil for unspecified offenses.Cuba source
The Employment Rights Tribunal dismisses a gender discrimination complaint from a transgender woman, ruling that transgender people are not legally recognized and recommending legislative action.Barbados source
September 2 – The Brazilian Supreme Court upholds a decision to block the social media platform X (also known as Twitter) over what the Brazilian government determined to be rampant disinformation and Elon Musk's failure to name a legal representative to the country.source
2 October – President Chan Santokhi announces a $10 billion project titled GrandMorgu between the French energy firm TotalEnergies, the US-based APA Corporation and the state oil company Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname to extract an estimated 700 million barrels of the coast of Suriname.Suriname source
3 October – Francisco Morazán BirthdayHonduras source
4 October – The European Court of Justice strikes down a trade agreement between the European Commission and Morocco allowing the exports of agricultural products from the Western Sahara to the EU, citing failure to account for the rights of the region's inhabitants to self-determination.Morocco source
November 5 – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismisses FDP leader Christian Lindner from his position as finance minister, leading to two other FDP ministers resigning and the collapse of the governing coalition.source
4 December – Clayton Fernander resigns as commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police Force amid an investigation by the United States into the force's involvement in drug trafficking.Bahamas source
30 December – Maysaa Sabreen is appointed by the caretaker government as governor of the Central Bank of Syria, the first woman to hold the post.Syria source
List of 2024 box office number-one films in ParaguayParaguay source

Technology & Infrastructure

14 February – Airbus C-295MW officially entered service with the Royal Brunei Air Force.Brunei source
February 22 – American company Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander becomes the first commercial vehicle to land on the Moon.source
March 13 – The Artificial Intelligence Act, the world's first comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, is passed by the European Union.source
28 March – Russiagate: The Security Information Service reveals that Russia paid via the "Voice of Europe" hundreds of thousands of euros to European politicians aimed at influencing the European elections.Czech Republic source
10 May - TV3 moves its operations online after becoming unable to continue to afford broadcasting traditionally.Samoa source
13 June – PayChangu is granted a payment service provider license by the Reserve Bank of Malawi, allowing it to operate as a regulated digital payment platform.Malawi source
26 June - Eswatini hosts the Sustainable Cooling Summit 2024 in Manzini, highlighting climate action, sustainable cooling, a partnership with Italy, and plans for a plastic bag ban.Eswatini source
September 30 – The UK becomes the first G7 country to phase out coal power for electric generation, after 142 years of using the energy source.source
2 October – The Ambatovy mine shuts down its ore pipeline to a processing plant after damage is reported, with operations under assessment by majority shareholder Sumitomo Corporation.Madagascar source
November 9 – A suicide bombing at the Quetta railway station in Balochistan, Pakistan kills at least 26 people. The bombing was orchestrated by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and is the first time that the organization had attacked the center of Quetta.source
13 November – The 6th SADC Groundwater Conference on regional groundwater management, technology, and governance is held.Lesotho source
20 December – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a formal protest to Venezuela over the completed bridge to Ankoko Island, stating that the military base is partly on Guyanese territory.Guyana source
December 29 – A truck carrying passengers falls off a bridge over the Ganale Doria River in Bona Zuria, Sidama Region, Ethiopia, killing 71 people and injuring 4 others.source

Science & Discovery

January 19 – Japan becomes the 5th country to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, with its SLIM mission.source
April 8 – A total solar eclipse is visible across North America.source
April 23 – Jamaica becomes the 140th UN member state to recognize the State of Palestine.Jamaica source
25 April – The State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus says that it had thwarted drone attacks on Minsk launched from Lithuania, which the latter denies.Belarus source
30 April – The National Council approves in the first reading a legislative amendment introduced by the Slovak National Party requiring non-profit organizations (NGOs) which annually receive more than €5,000 from outside Slovakia to register as "organizations with foreign support".Slovakia source
June 5 – Starliner Crewed Flight Test launches atop an Atlas V rocket to the ISS.source
29 June - The yearly Danish royal visit begins. King Frederik and Queen Mary land at Pituffik Space Base and are greeted by Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede.Greenland source
23 July: Vanuatu leads a diplomatic effort at the International Court of Justice to rule that states must protect human rights and phase out fossil fuels to address climate change.Vanuatu source
22 August – The world's second largest diamond, measuring 2,492 carats, is discovered at the Karowe mine owned by Lucara Diamond.Botswana source
September 12 – The first commercial spacewalk is conducted by entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as part of the Polaris Dawn mission, which also includes the highest altitude orbit by a human crew since the Apollo program.source
October 12 – The long-period comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS), described as the "comet of the century", makes its closest approach to Earth.source
October 13 – SpaceX achieves the first successful return and capture of a Super Heavy booster from Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever to fly.source
October 14 – The Europa Clipper spacecraft is launched to investigate Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.source
23 October – A UN helicopter is shot at shortly after taking off from Port-au-Prince, forcing it to land again with no injuries recorded among the 18 people on board.Haiti source
November 15 – The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) Is rediscovered in the Elba Protected Area of Southeast Egypt, 5,000 years after the species was believed to have been extirpated from the region.source
November 21 – Researchers using the Very Large Telescope announce the first-ever "close-up" image of a star outside the Milky Way Galaxy, WOH G64.source
9 December – The MongolZ esports team reaches 7th place in HLTV’s global CS2 rankings, becoming the highest-ranked Asian team.Mongolia source
December 24 – The Parker Solar Probe breaks the previous record set in 2018 for the closest artificial object to the Sun by 6.1 million kilometers (3.8 million miles), becoming the closest and first man-made object to approach and "touch" the Sun.source

Health & Medicine

11 January – Latvia announces it will ban the sale and use of tobacco and nicotine products for those under 20 years of age, effective from 1 January 2025.Latvia source
13 March - The Ministry of Health announces the arrival of mpox in the country, with 43 cases reported in nine out of 12 departments.Republic of the Congo source
A United Nations Independent Expert on persons with albinism reports discrimination in Lesotho, including limited access to healthcare and education.Lesotho source
July 19 – Global IT outages impact a variety of businesses and organisations across the world.source
August 14 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares mpox a public health emergency of international concern for the second time in two years, following the spread of the virus in African countries.source
21 August – Honduras reports five suspected cases of the new mpox clade.Honduras source
22 August – Burundi reports 171 new mpox cases, raising the total case count in the country to 572 cases.Burundi source
19 October – A case of bird flu of the H5N1 variant is detected in a deceased goose at the Skopje Zoo, prompting its closure for three weeks and the culling of several birds.North Macedonia source
October 24 – The first case of the 2024 Kwango province disease outbreak is reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.source
1 November: The government blocks access to social media until 11 November, citing issues of public safety and threats to national security. The ban is lifted on 2 November following public uproar.Mauritius source
5 December – A nationwide vaccination campaign is launched against Ebola.Sierra Leone source

Crime & Justice

27 March – Don Saunders, the deputy chair of the Free National Movement, is fatally shot in a robbery in Gambier Village, west of Nassau.Bahamas source
The Office of the Ombudsperson releases findings that at least 300 detainees at Maseru Correctional Centre had been tortured by Lesotho Correctional Services officers.Lesotho source
15 May – Former interior minister Ousman Sonko is convicted and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment by a Swiss court for his role in murder, torture and other human rights abuses during the dictatorship of Yahya Jammeh.Gambia source
May 20 – The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar over alleged war crimes.source
May 30 – Former United States President Donald Trump is found guilty on 34 counts in his hush money trial, the first time any American president had been found guilty of a crime.source
June 24 – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves the United Kingdom after being freed from prison in a plea deal with the United States. He returns to his native Australia two days later.source
15 July - Former MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube are sentenced to lengthy prison terms under the Suppression of Terrorism Act and the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act for allegedly inciting unrest during the 2021–2023 Eswatini protests.Eswatini source
July 31 – Moussa Dadis Camara, the former military ruler of Guinea, is found guilty of crimes against humanity in the massacres that occurred in 2009 and is sentenced to twenty years in prison by a Guinean court.source
July 31 - A court in Conakry convicts former military leader Moussa Dadis Camara of crimes against humanity over the killings of 157 people in the 2009 Guinean protests and sentences him to 20 years' imprisonment.Guinea source
August 13 – 2024 Kolkata rape and murder: Thousands of doctors and students take part in protests and rallies against domestic violence in cities across the world after the rape and murder of a 31 year old post-graduate trainee doctor in Kolkata on 9 August.source
August 23 – In Solingen, Germany, a Syrian immigrant stabs three people to death, which leads to the intensification of the debate on migration in Germany.source
16 September – Two police officers are shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Alibori Department.Benin source
A journalist covering evictions of street vendors in Dili is briefly detained, and another journalist’s camera is seized.East Timor source
11 November – Birth Anniversary of Fourth Druk GyalpoBhutan source
December 19 – The Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán has granted political asylum to Polish MP of Law and Justice Marcin Romanowski, who is wanted on the European Arrest Warrant for being accused of defrauding 100 million zł from the Fundusz Sprawiedliwości (Justice Fund) when he was deputy minister of justice during the PiS government.source
December 19 – Mazan rapes trial: The Judicial Court in Avignon, France, finds Dominique Pelicot guilty of the aggravated rape of his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot and imposes the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The 50 other defendants in the case are also convicted of crimes ranging from attempted rape to aggravated rape, and receive prison sentences ranging from three to 15 years.source

Disasters & Accidents

January 1 – A 7.5 M ww earthquake strikes the western coast of Japan (Noto Peninsula), killing at least 504 people and injuring 1,389 others. A further 5 are killed the next day when a Coast Guard aircraft carrying humanitarian aid was involved in a collision with a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 aircraft, destroying both aircraft. All 379 people aboard the passenger jet are evacuated safely.source
11 January – A chartered Air Côte d'Ivoire flight from The Gambia to the Ivory Coast, transporting the Gambia national football team to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, makes an emergency landing in Banjul due to a loss of cabin pressure lasting for more than nine minutes. All passengers suffer some degree of carbon monoxide poisoning including loss of consciousness.Gambia source
January 24 – 2024 Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash: A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane carrying (according to Russia) 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, 6 crew members, and 3 guards crashes in Russia's Korochansky District, near the Ukrainian border, killing everyone on board.source
7 February – The barge MV Gulfstream capsizes off the coast of Tobago, producing an oil spill that affects 15 kilometers of the island's coastline and prompting the declaration of a national emergency.Trinidad and Tobago source
April 1 – Israel attacks the Iranian embassy in Damascus, killing 16 people.source
10 May: Air Vanuatu, the country's flag carrier, is voluntarily placed in liquidation by the Government of Vanuatu.Vanuatu source
June 10 – A plane crash near Chikangawa, Malawi, kills nine people, including Vice President of Malawi Saulos Chilima.source
August 9 – Voepass Flight 2283, an ATR 72, crashes near Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil, killing all 62 people on board.source
August 31 – A helicopter crashed in Kamchatka Krai, Russia, killing all 22 occupants on board.source
September 30 - A minibus plunges into a river near Kissidougou, killing 13 people.Guinea source
1 October – Two boats carrying migrants sink off the coast of Khôr ʽAngar, killing at least 45 people and leaving 61 others missing.Djibouti source
26 October - Czech Airlines ceases operations after 101 years of service.Czech Republic source
5-6 October - The Royal New Zealand Navy specialist dive and hydrographic vessel HMNZS Manawanui sinks after running aground and catching fire near Siumu in Upolu island. All 75 people on board are evacuated.Samoa source
24 November – Two motorboats carrying Somali migrants capsize in the Indian Ocean near Nosy Be, killing 25 passengers.Madagascar source
December 25 – Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer ERJ-190AR, crashes in Kazakhstan. Twenty-nine out of the 67 on board survive the crash.source
December 29 – Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800 passenger flight from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, veers off the runway at Muan International Airport and crashes into a barrier, killing 179 people. Two injured survivors are reported.source

Climate & Environment

April 3 – A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 strikes off the eastern coast of Taiwan, with small tsunamis reaching heights of 20 – 30 cm hitting Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.source
April 29 – Floods in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul cause dozens of deaths and leave thousands homeless.source
May 8 – In North Macedonian elections, the right-wing party VMRO-DPMNE wins in a landslide in the parliamentary elections, while its presidential candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova is elected as the first female president of the country in the second round of the presidential election.source
May 10 – A series of solar storms and intense solar flares impact the Earth, rated G5 by NOAA, creating aurorae at more southerly and northerly latitudes than usual. This was the first G5 storm since 2003.source
12 May: A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes along the Guatemala–Mexico border, causing damage in Quetzaltenango and San Marcos Departments.Guatemala source
May 24 – A major landslide in Papua New Guinea kills 160–2,000+ people, with many more buried.source
May 26 – 2024 Lithuanian presidential election: Incumbent president Gitanas Nausėda wins a landslide victory for a second term in office.source
10 June – The World Bank approves a US$45 million project to boost coastal flood resilience in Guyana under the Low Carbon Development Strategy.Guyana source
June 25: At least 24 people are reported killed following days of heavy rains and floods in Abidjan.Ivory Coast source
July 1 – Hurricane Beryl becomes the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record after devastating the island of Carriacou, Grenada.source
July 22 – Landslides kill 257 people and bury two villages in Geze Gofa, Gofa Zuria, Ethiopia.source
19 August – The African Development Bank announces a $11.2 million grant to Malawi in dealing with drought-related damages caused by El Niño.Malawi source
September 12 – Heavy rainfall in Central Europe triggers the worst flooding in the region since 2010.source
September 26 – Hurricane Helene, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Maria in 2017, makes landfall in Florida as a category four hurricane. It has a death toll of 236 and leaves more than 685 missing.source
October 7 – Hurricane Milton becomes the fourth most intense hurricane in the Atlantic Basin, and the most intense storm in the Gulf of Mexico tying with Hurricane Rita in 2005. Milton is also the first hurricane to reach a pressure below 900 millibars in nearly 20 years.source
October 29 – 2024 Spanish floods: Spain experiences its worst flooding in half a century, with over 200 killed and many more missing, as a year's worth of rain falls in eight hours.source
November 10 – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits near Bartolomé Masó, causing shaking across the east of the country.Cuba source
10 November: 2024 Mauritian general election: The ruling Alliance Lepep loses its majority in the National Assembly to the Alliance du Changement by a landslide.Mauritius source
December 14 – Cyclone Chido makes landfall in Mayotte, causing at least 172 deaths and bringing devastating damage to the island.source
15 December – Cyclone Chido makes landfall over Cabo Delgado Province, killing at least 120 people.Mozambique source
December 17 – The capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila, suffers extensive damage after a Mw 7.3 earthquake. At least 16 people are killed.source
18 December – Eruptive activity begins at Home Reef with thermal anomalies, visible white and gray emissions, and lava covering approximately 75,000 m².Tonga source

Culture & Society

January 31 – Sultan of Johor Ibrahim Iskandar ascends the throne as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.source
2 February – Lesotho at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships: Lesotho competes in Doha, Qatar with one athlete in swimming. No medals are won.Lesotho source
May 7–11 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is held in Malmö, Sweden. Swiss contestant Nemo wins with the song "The Code".source
June 1–29 – The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup is co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States, and is won by India.source
June 20 – July 14 – The 2024 Copa América is held in the United States, and is won by Argentina.source
29 June – The ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final is held at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, where India defeats South Africa by seven runs to win the tournament.Barbados source
22 July – King Father's BirthdayEswatini source
July 26 – August 11 – The 2024 Summer Olympics are held in Paris, France. The controversial opening ceremony and the boxing match of Luca Hámori and Imane Khelif spark international debate.source
9 August – Indigenous People's DaySuriname source
August 28 – September 8 – The 2024 Summer Paralympics are held in Paris, France.source
14-16 August - The Sci-Tech EXPO 2024 takes place in Dili.East Timor source
October 3–20 – The 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup is held in the United Arab Emirates, and is won by New Zealand.source
12 October – Sat Dashain FestivalBhutan source
November 11–22 – COP29 is held in Baku, Azerbaijan.source
December 11 – FIFA announces that Morocco, Portugal and Spain will jointly host the 2030 World Cup, with anniversary matches to be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, while Saudi Arabia is confirmed as the host for 2034.source
December 12 – Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju defeats former world champion Ding Liren in the 2024 World Chess Championship, breaking the previous age record of 22 set by Garry Kasparov by becoming champion at 18 years, 195 days old.source
December 24 – The 2025 Jubilee in the Catholic Church begins.source
26 December – National Day of ThanksgivingSolomon Islands source
28–31 January – 2024 Men's FIH Hockey5s World Cup at Muscat.Oman source

Deaths

February 6 – Former President of Chile Sebastián Piñera dies in a helicopter crash at the age of 74.source
February 16 – Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, dies under mysterious circumstances at the age of 47.source
February 29 – Brian Mulroney, 84, Canadian politician, prime minister (1984–1993) and MP (1983–1993), complications from a fall.source
22 March – Crocus City Hall attack: At least 151 people are killed and 609 are injured in a shooting and arson attack claimed by the Islamic State in the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast.Russia source
March 26 – A container ship collides with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, causing a total collapse of the bridge and the deaths of six people.source
April 16 – 2024 Persian Gulf floods: At least 32 people are killed when heavy rainfall strikes the Middle East, causing flash flooding. This caused many disruptions for the airline Emirates at Dubai International Airport.source
May 19 – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian are killed, along with seven other passengers and crew, in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan–Iran border.source
4 June – Seven soldiers are killed in a gun attack inside Pendjari National Park.Benin source
July 1: Eighty-nine people are killed after a migrant boat sink near Ndiago.Mauritania source
15 July – One sailor is killed and six others are reported missing after the Comoros-flagged oil tanker Prestige Falcon sinks off Ras Madrakah in the Arabian Sea. Nine sailors are rescued.Oman source
July 19 – 75 people are killed during the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. The government of Bangladesh imposes a curfew.source
July 30 – At least 334 people are killed, over 200 injured, and 281 missing following landslides in Wayanad district, Kerala, India.source
July 31 – Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, is assassinated at his residence in Tehran, Iran.source
31 July – Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh: Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated in a missile strike in Tehran, Iran, after attending the inauguration ceremony of the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel admits responsibility for the killing on 23 December.Israel source
August 3 – The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam elects Tô Lâm as the new General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, succeeding Nguyễn Phú Trọng, who died on July 19.source
September 17–18 – Thirty-two people are killed and more than 3,200 are injured after pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah militants and medics explode in two massive cyberattacks. Israel is the presumed perpetrator.source
December 20 – Six people are killed, while over 300 are injured, after a car is driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.source
December 21 – Thirty-nine people died and another seven are injured after a multiple-vehicle collision occurs on the BR-116 highway in Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is the deadliest traffic accident on federal highways in Brazil since 2007, when numbers were first monitored.source
24 December – Dési Bouterse, chair of the National Military Council (1980–1987) and president (2010–2020).Suriname source
December 29 – Jimmy Carter, 100, American politician and humanitarian, president (1977–1981), governor of Georgia (1971–1975) and Nobel Prize laureate (2002).source