Hasina’s ouster, Trump return, South Korea’s impeachment: Top 10 global events that made headlines in 2024

Bangladesh students’ protest and Hasina ouster

In 2024, Bangladesh was plunged into chaos as anti-government protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India. Weeks of deadly demonstrations, fuelled by anger over civil service job quotas, culminated in protesters storming Hasina’s residence.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India. (File Photo)

At least 91 people were killed in clashes on a single day, the highest toll in recent history. The military, led by General Waker-uz-Zaman, declared an interim government and pledged peace. Opposition leader Khaleda Zia and detained protesters were released while student leaders called for democratic reforms. The UN and the US urged restraint as the nation faced an uncertain future.

Trump back to White House

Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election, securing both the Electoral College with 312 votes and the popular vote — a rare feat for Republicans since 1988. He swept all seven battleground states, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris by a margin of 1.62%. However, his victory margins were historically narrow, with only 2.5 million more votes than Harris.

Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election. (File Photo)

Down-ballot Republicans saw limited gains, as Democrats retained key Senate seats and made inroads in some state legislatures. Experts described Trump’s win as significant but not an overwhelming endorsement of the Republican Party, suggesting potential challenges for the GOP in future elections.

Assad’s ouster

Syrian rebels, backed by Turkey, entered Damascus unopposed, overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad and ending over five decades of his family’s rule. Assad fled to Russia, where he was granted asylum. The fall of Assad’s regime marked a turning point in the Middle East, disrupting Iran and Russia’s regional influence and raising hopes for the return of millions of displaced Syrians.

President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has reportedly come to an end after over five decades, with Assad allegedly seeking refuge in Russia, where he’s been granted asylum. (File Photo)

Celebrations erupted in Damascus, with freed prisoners and jubilant crowds taking to the streets. Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani declared a new era, while global leaders acknowledged the challenges ahead in rebuilding Syria after its devastating 13-year civil war.

South Korea impeachment

In December 2024, South Korea experienced a political crisis marked by the impeachment of two presidents in quick succession. The turmoil began on December 3 when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, prompting parliament to impeach him. Acting President Han Duck-soo then took over but was also impeached two weeks later.

South Korea Presidential Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea. (AP/ File Photo)

The National Assembly voted 192-0 to remove Han, with ruling party lawmakers boycotting the vote after the speaker reduced the threshold for impeachment. Han was accused of stalling Yoon’s impeachment trial by refusing to appoint judges. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is now serving as acting president amid the instability.

France political bizarre

In 2024, France faced political upheaval after snap elections left the Assemblée Nationale split into three almost equal blocs —left, center, and far-right— without a clear majority. President Emmanuel Macron refused to appoint a prime minister from the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), which won the most seats.

President Emmanuel Macron refused to appoint a prime minister from the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), which won the most seats. (File Photo)

Despite days of talks aimed at resolving the deadlock, Macron rejected the NFP’s candidate, warning that their government would face an immediate no-confidence vote. His decision provoked outrage from the left, with threats of impeachment. The political stalemate highlighted the challenges of governing a deeply polarised France.

Hezbollah’s ‘war of support’ – a catastrophe

The year 2024 was marked by new escalation of armed conflict across the Middle East, with Israel expanded operations into Lebanon to target Hezbollah, whose militants have fired hundreds of rockets into Israel in what it calls a “war of support” for Hamas.

An Iranian demonstrator holds up a poster of the leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group Hassan Nasrallah in a gathering to support Hezbollah. (AP photo)

From, decade-long Mossad infiltration leading to remotely detonating explosives hidden in thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah in mid-September, a missile strike in July, that assassinated senior commander Fuad Shukr, to the killing of Hezbollah’s feared leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who for decades commanded a Lebanese militia in its fight against the Israeli state, as well as multiple withering aerial bombardment in the three main Shia strongholds: southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Beirut, with the aim of destroying thousands of missiles and rockets capable of hitting Israel, every day of year marked a catastrophic culmination for the group.

At the end, Hezbollah’s capitulation came in form of a US-brokered November ceasefire, which forced the group to retreat north of the Litani River, weakening their southern Lebanon operations and straining ties with Iran.

Iran: President Raisi’s death, new entrant in war

In a shocking turn of events, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024. The crash occurred in Azerbaijan and claimed the lives of eight individuals, including Raisi’s foreign minister. While some Iranians celebrated his death due to his controversial presidency marked by repression and economic turmoil, it sparked immediate concerns about potential power struggles within the Iranian regime. However, reports suggest that Raisi’s death is unlikely to significantly alter Iran’s foreign policy or internal governance, as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei maintains tight control over these areas.

People lay flowers near the pictures of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, during a vigil to pay tribute to him and other victims who died in a helicopter crash. (REUTERS)

In parallel, tensions between Tel Aviv and Tehran escalated significantly, with both nations engaging in reciprocal strikes targeting each other’s military installations. While these strikes did not result in major casualties, they marked a sharp increase in hostilities. Israel intensified its military operations in Syria and Iraq, focusing on Iranian military infrastructure in those regions

The incidents has implications for Iran’s geopolitical stance amidst ongoing tensions with United States, particularly regarding its support for proxy groups like Hezbollah.

Russia-Ukraine: No endgame!

In 2024, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has become a war of attrition. Russia gained the upper hand after Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive faltered, capturing Avdiivka and opening a new front in Kharkiv. Despite ammunition shortages and slowed foreign aid, Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, gaining leverage in ceasefire talks. Both sides rely on external support, with Russia receiving drones from Iran and ammunition from North Korea, while Ukraine seeks long-range missiles and continued Western backing.

Ukraine’s attack in Kursk, which began early on August 6, came after months of steady gains by Russia on the battlefield. (AP Photo)

Militarily, Russia’s vast manpower and superior equipment outweigh Ukraine’s defenses, but the risk of internal discontent limits further Russian mobilization. While, Russia has faced increasing pressure from Western nations through sanctions and military aid to Ukraine.

The war’s future increasingly hinges on US policy under a prospective Trump administration and its impact on negotiations.

Hamas’ likely demise: Haniyeh, Sinwar death

The man dubbed by Israel a “dead man walking” is dead in 2024.

As calendars in 2024, marked a year of deadliest terror attack in the Israel’s history, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the man believed to be the mastermind of the October 7 attack in 2023 was killed in October 2024, following a year-long manhunt — a year of pounding by Tel Aviv, which has left swathes of Gaza flattened, killed more than 42,000 people, and left Hamas greatly weakened.

Ismail Haniyeh, center left, and Masoud Pezeshkian raised their hands together after Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran’s president in Tehran. (The New York Times)

However, this wasn’t the only blow Hamas experienced this year, the series started with killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of the political bureau, in an Israeli assassination operation at the end of July in the heart of Tehran. Reports indicate that he was killed by an explosive device planted in his guesthouse in Tehran attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

While, the reports highlighted the leadership of the Palestinian armed group has been left in “a state of shock” by the assassination of its two  biggest political leader, the group still stress that the Resistance will continue and will follow in the path.

Pakistan: Air pollution top charts

While, air pollution can be story of every year for the south-east Asia now, Pakistan in 2024, experienced some of the worst air quality in November. In November, Lahore recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) over deadly mark of 2,000 making it the most polluted city in the world.

A fruit seller arranges his stall in early morning as smog envelopes the area of Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

However, amid worsening air quality in Lahore, Pakistani minister Marriyum Aurangzeb cited winds from India as a contributing factor to the pollution. When India’s Met department disputed the claim providing their own analysis of wind patterns post-Diwali, Islamabad promptly clarified it is not blaming India for Lahore’s pollution, attributing the AQI spike to crop residue burning, industrial emissions, and the annual October-November pollution crisis in Pakistan. Additionally, Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Raja Jahangir Anwar said that there is a need to acknowledge climate diplomacy as a “regional and global issue.”

Meanwhile, Lahore toped global pollution charts, prompting school closures and a “green lockdown.” The health crisis impacted residents as smog envelops the city, leading to severe health warnings and government measures.