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Pope Francis visits Iraq. This is the first papal visit to this country. In Baghdad he meets President Barham Salih. Then he flies to Najaf (where he meets the Shiite Ayatollah Al-Sistani), Mosul, Erbil (where he meets the president of the Iraqi Kuridtan Nechirvan Barzani),

Rome. The former governor of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, dissolves the reserve and presents his new government, in broad agreement.

Burma (Myanmar). The Burmese armed forces carry out a coup d’état and arrest Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party, the National League for Democracy, had just swept the legislative elections, against the Union of Solidarity and Development Party, close to the army. A few days

Joe Biden, takes office as the 46th president of the United States. In the following 2 days he signed 25 executive orders. Trump had signed 25 in 90 days, Obama in several months. George W Bush took even longer. Biden intends to carry out a

Moscow. Alexei Navalny, one of Putin’s main opponents, was arrested at the Sheremetyevo airport by riot police forces after his hospitalization in Berlin following his poisoning in Russia, and was immediately tried in a station. police.

United States. The House calls for President Trump’s impeachement for inciting the assault on Congress the seventh earlier. This is the first time in the history of the United States that a president has been “impeached” twice in his presidential term.

United States. In a dramatic session at 3 am, after having suspended the session for the entry of pro-Trump protesters, Congress, chaired by VP Pence, formalizes the victory of the elections by Joe Biden. The Democrats also win the two seats in Georgia, and thus

United States. In the hours in which on Capitol Hill takes place the ceremony of formalization of the vote count that ratifies the election of Democrat Joe Biden, and while the Democratic Party also wins the majority of the Senate by winning the two seats

United States. The American Congress reaches an agreement for a mega package of 900 billion USD to help against the pandemic from Covid-19, for business, for unemployment. A following step of 1400 billion USD to finance the following 9 months of government remains under discussion.

Iran. The Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam is hanged for posting on a social network a few years earlier posts inciting the anti-government protest.

Israel, after having normalized relations with the Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, is also doing so with Morocco.

At the age of 64, Paolo Rossi, nicknamed “Pablito”, the main author of Italy’s world success at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, dies, against all odds.

At the age of 60, Diego Armando Maradona dies, nicknamed “El pibe de oro”, he is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.

The almost definitive results of the American elections see Democrat Joe Biden win at least 279 of the 270 minimum electoral votes to win the presidency, against the 214 acquired by the outgoing president, Republican Donald Trump. Georgia and Arizona (both with Biden leading) and

Presidential and partisan elections of the Senate and House of Representatives in the United States. A record percentage of the population entitled to vote go to the polls.

Israel, after having normalized relations with the Arab Emirates and Bahrain, is also doing so with Sudan.

Germany. Alexei Navalny, one of Putin’s main opponents, is diagnosed as having been poisoned with Novichok by German military experts after being taken to Germany for medical checks after an illness. Novichok is a set of related molecules, which falls into the category of nerve

Israel and the United Arab Emirates conclude an agreement to normalize diplomatic relations. This is the third case in relations between Israel and the Arab countries, after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994).

Beirut, Lebanon. Over one hundred people lose their lives, thousands are injured, and hundreds of thousands lose their homes, following a terrible explosion in the port. It appears 2700 tons of ammonium nitrate were stored.

The European Parliament approves the agreement for the issuance of EUR 750 billion of common debt, to finance a package of EUR 360 billion of loans and EUR 390 billion of grants, to address the recovery after the Covid-19 emergency.

Salerno. The Guardia di Finanza seizes a record quantity of 14 tons of amphetamines in the port, 84 million tablets with the “captagon” logo, produced in Syria by ISIS to finance terrorism, for a market value of over 1 billion euros.

Minneapolis, Minnesota. An officer on duty, Derek Chauvin, chokes by pressing his knee to his neck to immobilize him, George Floyd, black. Protests break out across the United States against racism.

North Macedonia (former Macedonian state that changed its name to avoid Greece’s veto on joining NATO) formally joins the Atlantic Alliance. It is the 30th state to do so.

Doha, Qatar. US sepial envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sign an agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan.

Washington DC, United States. President Donald Trump is acquitted by the Senate of impeachment charges.

Kerman, Iran. 52 people lose their lives in the crowd for the public funeral of General Soleimani, in his hometown.

Baghdad, Iraq. Parliament votes to expel all foreign troops from its territory.

Ukraine. The Russian company Gazprom agrees to pay the Ukraine of 3.9 billion USD for the transit of Russian gas in Ukrainian territory.

Calabria. 334 people, including national and local politicians, members of the police and justice, are arrested as part of the largest operation against the Calabrian Ndrangheta.

Washington DC, United States. The House of Representatives (with a Democratic majority) votes positively for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, on the basis of the two counts. He thus becomes the third American president to be impeached, after Bill Clinton in 1998, and Andrew

Washington DC, United States. The House of Representatives (with a democratic majority) votes to continue with the impeachment of President Donald Trump, in the case of pressure on Ukraine to investigate the son of presidential candidate Joe Biden.

The European Union and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay) sign a historic free trade agreement, after 20 years of negotiations.

Notre Dame, Paris. The cathedral’s wooden ceiling ignites and burns completely within hours. The walls of the cathedral (from the 12th century) are not affected. The wooden ceiling is mostly of 13th century oak, while the wooden spire was rebuilt in the 18th century.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, sentences two Khmer Rouge representatives to life imprisonment. They are the Cambodian head of state Khieu Samphan, 87, and Nuon Chea, 92, his right hand. They are sentenced on charges of genocide for the extermination of Cham

Mid-Term elections in the United States. Democrats gain control of the House of Representative, the biggest gain since 1974 (just after the Watergate scandal), while Republicans retain control of the Senate.

American President Donald Trump announces the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the INF Treaty (Intermediate range Nuclear Forces) stipulated with the Soviets in 1987 by Reagan and Gorbachev, due to the repeated violation of this treaty by the Russian side, in recent years

After the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognizes the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church cuts off relations with that of Constantinople. The move obviously has a political reason, as the Russian Orthodox Church works side by side with Russian

The Vatican and China sign an epochal agreement for the appointment of bishops: the Pope will have to approve the appointments. For the first time, China recognizes and accepts papal authority on its territory.

Aretha Franklin, “the Queen of Soul” dies.

During a torrential rain, a 210m stretch (one of the arches) of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa collapses, dragging 35 cars and 3 trucks down. The cause is hypothesized in the corrosion of the steel cables inside the compressed concrete of the stays that support

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA, Ferrari, CNH dies. With the merger of Fiat and Chrysler, he is credited with saving both companies.

Helsinki. Summit meeting between American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with more than two hours of private conversation.

Venezuela. The socialism of the Chavez-Maduro era brings the catastrophic ruin of the economy, accompanied by the human suffering of the population, despite the enormous wealth of oil (Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world). GDP collapsed by 35% from 2013 to 2017.

Singapore. Meeting between North Korean President Kim Jong Un and the American Donald Trump. It is the first time since the 1950 Korean War.

South Korea. Kim Jong-un crosses the border (first time for a North Korean head of state since 1953) and has an official meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Moon Jae-in

Catalonia. The referendum for independence, considered outlawed and opposed by Madrid even by force, obtains 91% of the vote, with over 2.3 million voters out of 5.3 million registered.

Ferrari double in Montecarlo, where he hadn’t won for 16 years: Vettel Raikkonnen.

Emmanuel Macron becomes president of France. Only three years ago he was not in politics. His movement En Marche! he was just born. It is a centrist, pro-European, who wins over the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who still wins 35% of the votes.

Republican Donald Trump surprisingly wins the American elections, with 290 voters against Hillary Clinton’s 232.

The US Department of Justice is asking Deutsche Bank for a refund of USD 14 billion for the toxic derivatives traded between 2005 and 2007. For a similar cause, Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay USD 5.1 billion. JP Morgan and Citigroup have also already

Brazil. The Senate, with 61 votes in favor and 20 against, has made definitive the removal of the former Brazilian president after the start of the impeachment procedure: Michel Temer is the new president of Brazil. Rousseff has been in trouble since at least 2014,

The European Union asks Ireland to recover EUR 13 BLN from Apple, of unpaid taxes. This is an old agreement between the multinational and the island government to pay extremely low taxes on their profits, which is deemed unlawful by the European Union. The Irish

After the recent attacks and especially the last one in Rouen, tens of thousands of Muslims take up the appeal to participate together with Christians in Sunday mass.

Krakow, World Youth Day. Pope Francis declares that, yes, there is a war going on but it is not a war of religion. All religions want peace.

Brexit. 51.9% of Britons voting in the referendum are in favor of Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Brazil. The Senate votes for the impeachment of President Dilma Roussef for 180 days. The request is based on some elements including Dilma’s manipulation of public accounts to hide a hole in the state budget and thus ensure re-election in 2014. In addition to the

Sadiq Kahn officially became the first Muslim mayor of London by winning the elections with 56.8% of the vote: his victory marks the return of Labor after eight years in the capital. The son of Pakistani immigrants and a human rights lawyer, Khan, 45, a

Havana, Cuba. First historic visit by an American president in 88 years. Barack Obama meets Raul Castro.

Colombia. Peace agreement between the Marxist FARC forces and the Colombian government, after decades of guerrilla warfare.

Libya. The first post-Gaddafi government of national unity asks for trust.

New York. David Bowie dies.

Venezuela. The right wins two-thirds of parliament in the elections, defeating Chavez’s party in power for 16 years. The country has an inflation of 200% and the economy in ruins, also due to oil at 40 USD per barrel, the lowest price in 6 years.

Regional elections in France: the populist far right of Marine le Pen’s Front National is the first party in France.

The IAAF, the body that governs light athletics worldwide, suspends Russia as it was found guilty of altering thousands of test tubes of its athletes in past competitions. In a WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) report, a repentant inspector from Rusada (the state anti-doping agency,

Iraq. Following the arrival of ISIS, Christians drop from about one million in 2003 to less than 250,000 in 2015.

Singapore. People’s China Presidents Xi Jinping and Tai Wan (Nationalist China) Ma Ying-Jeou have met for the first time since 1949.

A flood of immigrants from the Middle East, hundreds of thousands in a few weeks, especially from the conflict in Syria, pours into Central Europe, via the Balkan Peninsula. The route starts from the landings on the Greek islands and winds through Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary,

Emilio Bianchi, the last of the fantastic 6 of the Decima Mas (X Mas), died at the age of 103, the underwater raiders of the Royal Italian Navy who on the night of 18 December 1941 sank two English battleships (the Queen Elisabeth and Valliant)

Tianjin Port. Northern China. Two gigantic explosions, separated by about 30s, shock the city. The victims are more than 100 and hundreds injured. The scene is upset for a large area and hundreds of containers are lying crumpled up everywhere. Someone has suggested that the

The EU and Greece agree on aid of € 86bn as long as Greece makes the much-requested reforms, in forced stages in a few days.

Greece. The referendum on the possible agreement with the European Union sees the victory of the no with 61% of the votes.

The Supreme Court of the United States of America makes same-sex marriages legal nationwide.

The American FBI has several senior executives of the world football organization FIFA arrested in Switzerland. Even Blatter himself, the only one in the management initially not affected by the investigation, will have to resign a few days after his umpteenth re-election.

Great Britain. David Cameron’s Conservative Party wins elections and an absolute majority of seats.

Inauguration of Expo 2015 in Milan.

A boat of illegal immigrants, with between 750 and 950 people on board, capsizes and sinks. Most people get stuck in the cargo hold and drown. The intervention of the means of the Italian Navy saves 28 people. Witnesses report the presence of 950 people

Sergio Mattarella is the new Italian president after Giorgio Napolitano’s resignation. Mattarella was the candidate proposed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. He was elected on the fourth ballot, with a majority of nearly two thirds foreseen for the first three.

Paris. Over 40 heads of state march through the streets of Paris in a demonstration in favor of freedom of expression.

General Al-Sisi, the new Egyptian president, on a visit to the University of al-Azhar argues that we must decide to reform Islam, recognizing that the problem is not in the belly of the Koran, but in the eyes of those who read it and treats

Following the Western sanctions for the invasion of Crimea, but above all for the sudden drop in the price of oil, the ruble collapses vertically, losing half of its value.