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What Happened in 2012: Fourteen Highlights

Sabina Peycheva — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:00:40 +0000

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The year 2012 is already behind us, but for many, some events will leave lasting imprints – both in the positive and negative ways. So what happened in 2012?

At the beginning of the year, the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia became one of the largest commercial shipping disasters in modern time. Thirty-two people died and thousands were evacuated when the ship started to sink near the coast of Italy. With half of the ship under water, there was a real danger of the complete sinking of the luxurious vessel. The salvage of the ship is said to be the most expensive one ever.
One of the most remarkable singers in modern times died at the age of 48. Whitney Houston was found dead on February 9, 2012 in her hotel room in Beverly Hills, California. The unexpected news distressed her family, friends, and fans all around the globe.
The people of France chose a new president. François Hollande won the 2012 Presidential elections in the European country in April. With 51.64% of the votes, it was evident that the former president Nicolas Sarkozy was not to continue as the most powerful man in France.
North Korea tried to launch its first rocket on the anniversary of the birth of the nation’s founder, Kim Il-Sung. However, it was not until December 17, 2012, days before the the end of the year, when the North Koreans managed to successfully send their satellite into space, a move which sparked tension between the already isolated nation and its neighbors.
Vladimir Putin was once again elected President of Russia on March 4, 2012. He was preceded by Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently Prime Minister. Having been allegedly “pulling the strings” in the country while Medvedev was officially in power, Putin’s return to power was seen as a power play both inside and outside the country. The whole pre-election campaign and the aftermath of the elections were marked by controversy. In February, five of the members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot made a provocative performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow as a part of a protest against the re-election of Putin. However, their act landed three of the young activists in a penal colony in Russia, guilty of ”hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” The actions against Pussy Riot created a discontent among people in- and outside the country. In October, one of the girls – Yekaterina Samutsevich, was cleared, but Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are still serving their two-year sentences.
In March, the sedition in Syria grew into a civil war between the leader of the Ba’ath Party government and its opponents. The people fight oppression, but the price they are paying is excessively high. More than 50,000 people lost their lives last year and thousands were wounded every day in the battle that continue to rage into 2013.
The most democratic election in the history of Egypt were held in May. For the second time, two candidates were fighting for the presidential chair in the North African republic. Mohamed Morsi took 51.73% of the votes and thus won against his opponent Ahmed Shafik. Legal actions were then taken against the former President Hosni Mubarak and twelve other politicians from his government, including the Minister of the Interior Habib al-Adly. They were put on trial for the killing of protesters and for corruption. Mubarak and Adly were both sentenced to life in prison.
On July 15, the Korean singer Psy released his single ‘Gangnam Style‘ that conquered international hit lists and has become the most watched video on YouTube. The popular song is about life in the Seoul Gangnam District, and popular culture quickly joined the dance steps – although for most of us, the lyrics are incomprehensible.
The release of the new Batman movie ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in July gave rise to another tragic event in the United States. A masked gunman killed 14 and wounded more than 50 spectators at a cinema in Denver during the premiere showing of the 2012 Batman production. In the middle of December, international news was again challenged by another US massacre, this time in Connecticut. A heavily armed gunman killed 26 innocent people including 20 children, and then committed suicide. It is one of the most appalling mass shootings in the States.
Among the most memorable events of was the Olympic Games, held in London from July 27 to August 12. More than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries measured swords in the fight for the golden medals. The participants from China, Great Britain, and the United States of America achieved the largest number of medals. Although many records were set during the Games in August, Usain Bolt’s achievement will stay as the most remarkable in the history of the Games. The Jamaican athlete became the first person to achieve a “double double” after he won 100m and 200m titles at consecutive Olympic Games; 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London.
NASA’s Curiosity rover landed successfully on Mars in August, 2012. Scientists believe that it will be able to study the history of the Red planet for at least two billion years.
October brought some more horrific news. The teenage Pakistani girl Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head by the Taliban because she promoted girls’ education in her country. Malala was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth hospital in London, where she has later recovered. The incident put international focus on the hardship of women in the war-torn nation.
President Obama was reelected by the American voters, winning the elections on November 6, 2012. His opponent, Mitt Romney, took 47.27% of the votes, against Obama’s 50.96% which showed that it was a close battle to the end. The election was marked by the devastating power of Hurricane Sandy and according to specialists, the support that Obama showed in the hour of crisis played a major role in his re-election.
The end of the world did not come. Again! The Mayan Long Count calendar definitely marks the end of something, but fortunately it is not our existence.

The world is not ending at least for now and let the new 2013 be full of more happiness, joy, and good news.

Image Courtesy : KOREA.NET – Official page of the Republic of Korea

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London Olympics Leads Businesses to Evaluate their Visibility

TP Newswire — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:20:25 +0000

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Oxford, England — With the Games well under way this summer, businesses have been given a unique opportunity to evaluate the way they communicate internally and externally in the face of challenging outside influences. It has been reported that some of the busiest commercial districts in London have been unrecognisable during the last week – not because of increased footfall but because they are so much quieter than usual.

This is down to an improvement in the way companies in the capital have dealt with important communications in adverse conditions – such as the hosting of a major international sporting event. A large number of businesses trading in the capital have made full use of the technology supplied by telecommunications experts like MeetingZone Ltd.

In the run-up to the Games inquiries came flooding in to meetingzone.com from companies eager to assess how their in-house communications systems could be enhanced using cutting edge technology in preparation for a testing time in the capital. The solutions supplied have enabled many businesses to keep operating at the optimum level in spite of the forecast difficulties many have had to face in terms of travel and logistics.

Improved communications in the form of web conferences and telephone conference calls make it possible to gather a team in order to solve problems, meet with partners, clients and suppliers and discuss strategies, even when external conditions make it very difficult for businesses to succeed in this capacity, especially when they are limited to less up-to-date modes of communication.

How well businesses have dealt with the unique conditions supplied by London’s hosting of the Games is likely to determine how they move forward with their own communications strategies in the future.

In order to deliver solutions to more businesses in need of advice in the field of communications, Meeting Zone has teamed up with Cheshire SEO agency Just Search – the aim being to enhance the online presence of the company so that more enterprises can make use of their individually-tailored packages and services.

Image Courtesy of Bikeworldtravel / Shutterstock.com

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Israel Fears Another Olympic Terrorist Attack

Sabina Peycheva — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:27:48 +0000

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Israeli officials have announced they expect a terrorist attack during the 2012 Olympics. Tel Aviv expressed fears that Iran will target the Israeli athletes and visitors.

This year’s Summer Olympic Games will be held from July 27 to August 12 in London, where more than 10,000 participants from 204 countries will measure swords.

More than 500,000 tourists are expected to visit the British capital to become part of the magic of the Games. However, the question that hangs over some of them is whether they have to fear for their security during the Olympics, especially after the bomb attack against the International Airport of Burgas in Bulgaria on July 18 which was targeting Israeli citizens.

Recently, Israeli officials cautioned that the next target of the unknown terrorists in Europe may be the thirty-seven athletes from the Southwestern Asian republic and the thousands of Israeli visitors who will come to support them. “We are vigilant that Iran and its agents would attack elsewhere, but I can’t give specific details,” the Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Natanyahu, declared on CBS television.

In the meantime, the Foreign Israeli Minister, Avigdor Liberman, met ten of his European counterparts to ask for increase of the safety measures surrounding airports and places which are often visited by Israeli tourists. The inquiry was mainly directed to his British colleague, because Israel’s officials expect another terrorist attack during the Olympic Games in London.

The Islamic military organization Hezbollah, supported by Iran and Syria, is believed to stand behind the bloody outrage in Bulgaria earlier this month. Tehran has denies these rumors, calling them ridiculous and baseless.

Security forces around the world are tracing a group of Europeans who are said to be working together with Hezbollah and the Iranian Quds force after converting to Islam.

The organizers of the Olympics assured that serious measures had been taken and more than 170,000 troops, 125,000 policemen, and 7,000 private guardians will secure the event of the year. Tornado fighter jets of the Royal Air Force are roaming the sky above and around London in order to prevent possible aerial threats. Helicopters from the Royal Navy with heavily armed snipers will also be hovering above the British capital. Representatives claim that there is no reason for the participants or the tourists to worry about their safety.

Meanwhile, the head of the British MI5 intelligence agency, Jonathan Evans, explained that the 2012 Olympic Games are likely to become a target of enemy attacks. “There is no such thing as guaranteed security… The dog you haven’t seen may turn out to be the one that bites you,” he commented.

In 1972, during the Summer Games in Munich, Western Germany, the Israeli team was taken hostage and killed by the Palestinian group Black September. So far, we cannot predict if this year will be equally bloody.

Image Courtesy of muzsy / Shutterstock.com

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