January 20: A new era
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America. The Presidential Inauguration on this day marked the beginning of his four-year term, with Mike Pence as Vice President.
February 17: Discovery
Discovery of a new, mostly underwater continent, Zealandia, two-thirds the size of Australia, lurking beneath the waves in the South Pacific; announced in research journal GSA Today.
March 29: Brexit
The U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggered the two-year process of leaving the EU. In a letter to EU President Donald Tusk, she outlined her negotiations and notified him of the UK’s intention to leave the EU.
May 7: French elections
Independent centrist Emmanuel Macron wins France’s presidential election, defeating the President of the National Front Party, Marine Le Pen; becomes the country’s youngest-ever president.
June 2: Withdrawal
President Donald Trump announces that the US is withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation.
June 18 : Pakistan vs. India
Pakistan defeat India to win cricket’s ICC Champions Trophy at the Oval in London by 180 runs.
G-20 summit, July 7 G-20 summit The summit of world leaders including PM Narendra Modi, and Chancellor Merkel, begins in Hamburg, Germany amid violent protests.
July 4: Display of power
North Korea tests first successful intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwasong-14 .
August 22: No more
India’s Supreme Court outlaws instant divorce (triple talaq) for Muslim men.
August 27: Mayweather vs. McGregor
Former five-weight world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., defeats MMA fighter Conor McGregor in his debut match in the 10th round in Las Vegas.
September 13: Catastrophic
UN Secretary-General António Guterres says Rohingya refugee crisis now “catastrophic”, as the ethnic group continues to flee Myanmar, in the face of violence.
September 15: End of a mission
The Cassini-Huygens mission completes its 20-year journey, after a fateful plunge of the Cassini spacecraft into Saturn’s atmosphere. The mission was a collaboration between NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency.
October 26: Fresh starts
Jacinda Ardern, 37, is sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand, becoming the world’s youngest female head of government, and the country’s youngest leader in 161 years.
November 7: Medical Emergency
Extreme smog in Delhi leads Indian Medical Association to declare “a state of medical emergency”.
December 5: Olympic ban
The International Olympic Committee bans Russia from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, citing state-sponsored doping in the previous games at Sochi.
December 6: Statecraft
US President Donald Trump officially recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, by announcing plans to move the US embassy there, from it’s current location in Tel Aviv.
