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| Photo: AFP |
As the Heisei era is now completely well and truly over and the world prepares for the arrival of the Reiwa era, let's slow things down and jot down the top 30 world news that defined the Heisei era.
30) The SARS Outbreak - SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a contagious and sometimes fatal respiratory illness caused by a coronavirus. The outbreak began in southern China in November 2002, causing 8,098 cases and 774 deaths reported in 37 countries, with the majority being in China, according to the WHO.
29) South Sudan - At the dawn of the year 2011, South Sudan was form as a result of the referendum to decide if the region will separate from the North and become an independent nation. With those in favor of the separation, it took six months for the transition to begin, thus forming a new independent nation still torn by conflicts. The Republic of South Sudan was born on the 9th of July, 2011, and it became the 193rd nation in the world to join the UN.
28) Gulf War - When Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait in 1990, US President George H. W. Bush ordered his troops to defend Kuwait and warned the Saddam Hussein-led Iraq to leave Kuwait or face war. With that, in February 1991, the Gulf War began and the UN ordered Iraq to disarm and imposed economic sanctions that caused civilian suffering for the rest of the decade but Hussein remained as well as the large number of American military establishment in Saudi Arabia, to the outrage of Islamic fundamentalists.
27) Sarin gas attack - On March 20th, 1995, there was a sarin gas attack occurred on the subways of Tokyo, Japan which killed 13 people. The nerve gas attack was led by a religious cult known as the AUM Shinrikyo.
26) Oakwood Mutiny - On the 27th of July, 2003, a group of soldiers raided Oakwood, Makati, for a plot to oust Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Known as the Magdalo group, they railed against alleged anomalies of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as demanding Arroyo to step down from her presidency. The mutiny lasted for 20 hours until an endgame bringing a halt to this. They were charged with coup d'etat.
25) Great Hanshin Quake - On January 17, 1995, a magnitude 6.9 quake struck the southern part of the Hyogo Prefecture. The quake lasted for 20 seconds. Over 6,400 people were killed, the worst since the 1923 Great Kanto quake.
24) Paris attacks - The November 2015 terror attacks in Paris left 130 people dead and hurt 494. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.
23) Mt. Pinatubo eruption - On June 15, 1991, Mt. Pinatubo massively erupted and spewed over 5 cu km of material. The ash cloud from the monstrous eruption rose to about 35km into the air. Thankfully, over 5,000 people managed to survive the monster eruption as well as $250 million of property.
22) Brexit - It was June 2016 when the majority of Brits voted in favor of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. This populist decision led to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and to be succeeded by his successor, Theresa May. So far, the Brexit scenario has been proven to be very chaotic in British politics and with the deadline extended, it's hard to predict the fate of the United Kingdom on the verge of breakdown because of the Brexit vote.
21) First nuke test in North Korea - The first nuclear test in North Korea, since Kim Jong-Il's dictatorship, began on the 9th of October, 2006. Experts believed that the Korean Peninsula is honing its nuclear technology with each test. The first test said to have had an explosive yield equivalent to less than one kiloton of TNT. The recent test is estimated at 10 to 12 kilotons.
20) Death of Princess Diana - The end of August 1997 saw the untimely death of Princess Diana in a car accident. It was in the 30th of August following the Princess' breakup with Dr. Hasnat Khan, she and her new beau Dodi Fayed left Paris' Ritz-Carlton Hotel after dinner to spend the night at his apartment. Their intoxicated driver, who was later found to be three times over the legal limit, speeds through the Pont de l'Alma tunnel to escape the paparazzi and by midnight, their Mercedes crashed through the cement pylon, killing himself and Fayed instantly. Diana took to the hospital and she was pronounced dead at age 36.
19) Marawi siege - It was the 23rd of May, 2017, when the Maute-ISIS group took control of Marawi City, prompting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in the Mindanao region. For 148 days, Philippine troops unleashed the offense against the terrorist groups until the 17th of October, where news broke that government forces successfully killed the terrorist leaders and the President declared Marawi liberated. However, the Martial Law is still in place due to potential threats just like the Maute-ISIS.
18) MV Princess of the Stars tragedy - June 2008 saw the second worst maritime disaster in Philippine history as the Sulpicio Lines-owned MV Princess of the Stars sank 3km/2 miles from Sibuyan island in central Philippines, caused by Typhoon Frank (Fengshen). Of the 849 people onboard the ill-fated ferry, about 32 survived, 227 killed, and 592 remained unaccounted for.
17) Mamasapano clash - On January 25th, 2015, a PNP-SAF operation codenamed Oplan Exodus ended in a disaster where 44 Special Action Force members were wiped out during an encounter with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters at Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
16) Chilean mine rescue - The 33 miners who got trapped from a collapsed mine in the Atacama region of northern Chile became one of the most world-changing news in 2010 when the mine collapsed in August 5, 2010, leaving all 33 miners trapped and it didn't took until the 13th of October where all 33 miners were freed from the rubble. This struggle inspired a 2015 film about the said Chilean miners who got trapped in the mine for over two months.
15) Most powerful nuclear test in North Korea - Early September 2017, North Korea detonated their sixth and most powerful nuclear test, according to Japan and South Korea, hours after Pyongyang said it had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses “great destructive power”. Meteorological officials said an earthquake detected near the North’s test site – measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 6.3 – was around 10 times more powerful than previous detonations.
14) Typhoon Ondoy - Ondoy, known worldwide as Ketsana, was the second most devastating typhoon to hit the Philippines during the 2009 Pacific typhoon season when it struck the country in the 24th of September, 2009, causing $1,09 billion in damages and 747 fatalities.
13) World Financial Crisis - In the fall of 2008, the year when Obama and McCain clashing for the presidency, the free market ethos caused the collapse of the Lehman Brothers, created a domino effect where stock prices of other banks and investment houses collapsing. This is known as the World Financial Crisis, where companies from around the world are feeling the huge pinch from the Lehman shock.
12) The fall of the Berlin Wall - The ninth of November, 1989 saw people trespassing through the Berlin Wall, which since 1961 had stood as the Cold War's most prominent symbol. As the communist governments agreed to surrender their powers, the year 1990 saw the Berlin Wall shattered in what was known as the "velvet revolution" a world-changing moment that saw the West and East Germany united as one German nation.
11) Tiananmen Square - The year 1989, the first year of the Heisei Era, saw one of the most dramatic events of the late 20th century when in April, tens of thousands of student demonstrators occupied Tiananmen Square in Beijing, demanding greater democracy in China.
10) The fall of the Soviet Union - The Soviet Union was feared as the military superpower in the history of the Cold War which saw a heated rivalry between this and the United States for global military presence but the end of 1991 saw the end of the Soviet Union as the republics of this once mighty military superpower were officially declared themselves sovereign states. The collapse of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War.
9) Sewol Tragedy - On April 16th, 2014. over 260 students and teachers from that school died when the ferry capsized in waters off Korea's southwestern coast, making it the worst maritime disasters in Korean history.
8) Indian Ocean quake and tsunami - The Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 is known to be the deadliest tsunami in history, killing over 230,000 people across 14 countries. The Magnitude 9.1 quake struck off the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia, causing this monstrous tidal wave to occur. The waves were so powerful, it even managed to struck parts of Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, among many others.
7) The war in Iraq - In early 2003, US Secretary of State Colin Powell claimed that Saddam Hussein, who was the leader of Iraq from that time, possessed numerous weapons of mass destruction, which claimed to be false. Following the address, the Bush administration decided to go to war against Iraq, with or without UN approval. Known as Operation Iraqi Freedom, American troops seized Baghdad within a month and after several months, Hussein was captured by American troops. In 2006, Hussein was pleaded guilty of ordering the killing of many Iraqis during his reign and was sentenced to death.
6) Hurricane Katrina - August 29, 2005 saw a powerful Hurricane named Katrina struck New Orleans. The hurricane destroyed the leeves and nearly the entire city of New Orleans was flooded. Nearby areas of the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast were also hard hit. About 1,500 people were killed and left $80 billion worth of damages.
5) Syrian uprising - The Syrian war has been the most complicating conflicts to emerge from the 2011 Arab uprising. In the spring of 2013 to mid-2015, the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad almost collapsed. The war in Syria has evolved through five stages and it forever shifted the balance of world powers dramatically.
4) 1990 Luzon quake - Over the years, many Filipinos are worried about an imminent powerful quake known as The Big One may strike the Philippines very soon but back in July 16, 1990, there was a Big One occurred. A Magnitude 7.8 quake struck Northern and Central Luzon. Nueva Ecija is the epicenter and the shaking lasted for a minute, causing an estimated 369-million dollars of damages and a total of 2,412 people killed in the powerful tremor.
3) Superstorm Haiyan - Super typhoon Haiyan (known as Yolanda in PH) struck the Philippines in November 2013, days after the Visayas quake. It is one of the most powerful storms ever tracked with sustained winds of over 150mph. Leyte was heavily battered by sustained winds of 195mph and gusts up to 235mph. Over 14 million people were affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
2) The March 11 disasters - On March 11, 2011, a powerful magnitude 9 earthquake struck 130km (80miles) east of Sendai, Japan, causing a tsunami that killed thousands of people and causing the second worst nuclear accident in history.
1) September 11 terror attacks - It was morning at that time when hijackers seized control of four jet airliners filled with passengers. Two were crashed at the World Trade Center in New York, a third plane struck the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in a field near Pittsburgh. Around 3,000 people were killed and the Bush administration blamed the terrorist organization Al Qaeda for the attacks
There are many events took place during the Heisei era and as this era came to a complete end, a new era will rise but what awaits the world in the Reiwa era? Only time will tell how will the world moves in this new era.
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