2013
24 March 2013: The Bersani-Berlusconi-Grillo conflict proving unresolvable even by President Napolitano, he decides to hold new elections.
26 March 2013: Cardinal Peter Turkson was elected to succeed Benedict XVI as the next Catholic Pope. Despite some indications earlier that he might keep the name Peter, he took the Papal name of Innocent XIV.
1 April 2013: Alameda High School Teacher Kaitlin Hart decided to create the First Dance and Drill Team to allow Singing to it's routines
7 April 2013: Danica Patrick became the first woman to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Race when she took the Checkered Flag at Martinsville Speedway to win the STP Gas Booster 500.
8 April 2013: KTSF in San Francisco, CA has announced to Expand the California Music Channel by putting an Overnight Block which will air from 12:30-7 AM, KTSF will also pickup live simulcasts of Lori Rosales 9-11 AM, Mary Diaz 1-3 PM and Expand Chuy Gomez to 5:30 PM on the Weekdays except on Fridays, CMC Will Scale Down the Golden Getaway Weekends to the Mornings for new DJ's which will only play Videos from the Early 1990's to the Present.
14 April 2013: The new elections are held with Grillo having withdrawn his ticket, being rather glad that he didn't have to become PM. Berlusconi wins out over Bersani with 50,17 to 47,91 %.
Justin Trudeau, son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is elected the new Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, replacing interim Leader Bob Rae. Trudeau would win on the second ballot, defeating the only last remaining candidate Marc Garneau by a large margin. In his victory speech, Trudeau promises to rebuild the party,which has been in decline for decades, and return them to power in the next federal election. Congratulations come in from both Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and NDP Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair, both saying they look forward to “discussions” with the new leader.
15 April 2013: NFL Announces that they should move the Pro Bowl back after the Super Bowl.
27 April 2013: The 2013 NFL Draft is held as the Kansas City Chiefs took their first pick and selected Luke Joeckel (OT) of Texas A&M.
30 April 2013: Ascension of King Willem-Alexander to the throne of the Netherlands after the abdication of his mother Queen Beatrix.
7 June 2013: Whose Line Is It Anyway returns to television on The CW, hosted by Aisha Tyler, and starring original US television stars Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, and Wayne Brady.
8 June 2013: Scientists at the GSI in Darmstadt, Germany publish their results concerning the discovery of 296-Uue, 298-Uue and 299-Uue. The experiments were done in 2010-11.
9 June 2013: The 2013 Miss USA Pageant took place in Miami, Florida with a reboot of allowing all contestants to sing the Opening Number for the First Time since after the 1996 pageant in the end Kristen Girault (representing Louisiana) won the Crown coincidentally Louisiana won in the last year that Contestants Allowed to Sing the Opening Number (Ali Landry in 1996) and the First Year that Contestants allowed to Sing the Opening Number Again.
11 June 2013: At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Microsoft announces their next-generation console, the Xbox Realm, which places an emphasis on enhanced motion control technology, with a new version of the Kinect included in each box, the system is said to integrate new Windows Mobile technology that will allow certain smartphones to be used to stream game content (similarly to the PS4's Vita function and the Wii U tablet). The system will be launched in March 2014, with a new Halo game, Halo: Sol, a sidestory game with a heavy emphasis on multiplayer. Other launch games include a new Panzer Dragoon game (made by Platinum Games) and a new Conker game, which was announced to wild applause.
12 June 2013: Nintendo's press conference sees a new 3-D Mario game announced for the Wii U (Super Mario Adventure), which will incorporate the Wii U tablet to control Mario and Luigi at the same time. A new Starfox game, Starfox U, is also announced that returns the series to its rail shooter roots (similar to the SNES game and Starfox 64). Both games are announced for the holiday season. A big surprise announcement is made for the Nintendo 3DS, with a Mother trilogy remake scheduled for worldwide release, Japan in the holiday season and North America and Europe sometime in 2014. The Playstation press conference sees two big announcements from Square Enix, Final Fantasy Versus XIII is announced for a Spring 2014 release date for the PS3, while Final Fantasy XV is revealed and announced for a late 2014 release for the PS4 (though Square Enix also announces an Xbox Realm release quietly during their own presser).
16 June 2013: The Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, 100 to 97 on a last second three-pointer by Finals MVP Kevin Durant.
27 June 2013: With the first pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards select Marcus Smart out of Oklahoma State University. Ben McLemore goes second to the Orlando Magic and Nerlens Noel, despite still suffering from an ACL tear, goes third to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The biggest trade of draft day involves the Indiana Pacers, who trade Danny Granger and their first round draft pick (25th) to the Phoenix Suns for Michael Beasley and their first round draft pick (8th), which they use to select Victor Oladipo.
28 June 2013: The Chicago Blackhawks win their second Stanley Cup in four years (the last time they won was in 2010), capping a amazing season for the franchise in which they also won the President's Cup trophy. The Blackhawks win the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a spectacular seven game series. Team Captain Jonathan Toews would win the Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP of the playoffs, the second time he has won the trophy.
1 July 2013: Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to a son. He is named Nicholas Arthur Charles Albert (soon christened Prince Nick by the media).
Croatia enters the European Union becoming the 28th member.
9 July 2013: The NHL Board of Governors and the NHL Player's Association come to an agreement and approve the new realignment system for the league. The new plan calls for two conferences containing two divisions each. The playoff format calls for the top three teams in each division to earn post-season berths. The remaining four spots would go to wild-card teams, the top two records remaining in each conference.The fact that the Western Conference has two teams less than that Eastern Conference has some people speculate that expansion may be possible in the future.
16 July 2013: The 84th MLB All-Star Game took place as Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants got 2 Home Runs as the NL All-Stars beat the AL All-Stars 6-5 at Citi Field in Queens, NY
11 August 2013: After 40 Years of Waiting, Olivia Culpo (Miss Universe 2012) passed her crown to Nicole Donesa (Bb. Pilipinas 2013) to capture Philippines their First Miss Universe Title after 40 Years, Coincidentally Janine Tugonon almost crowned Miss Universe representing Philippines to Olivia Culpo last year, Now Philippines done it for the First Time in 40 Years in which the Pageant is held in China.
20 August 2013: Former child star Lindsey Lohan is found dead in her Los Angeles apartment after suffering a drug overdose. Several hours previously, she and her girlfriend (who remains unnamed to this day per request) had a particularly violent argument that drove the other woman out of her apartment.
24 August 2013: The publication of evidence implicating Romanian President Traian Basescu and politician Emil Boc in a widespread corruption scandal causes massive protests in University Square in Bucharest.
26 August 2013: Protests spread throughout Romania with violent rioting in Bucharest, Sibiu, Timisoara against the corrupt Republic. President Traian Basescu resigns and flies into exile in Rome as protesters demand the return of ex-King Michael (b. 1921) whom they consider the only honest power broker in the country. The head of the Romanian military, Lieutenant-General Stefan Danila takes temporary charge of the government.
27 August 2013: Ex-King Michael of Romania returns to a hero’s welcome in Bucharest and asks Romanian Senate Speaker Crin Antonescu to head an interim government until elections can be held.
September 5, 2013: The 2013 NFL Season Opens at M&T Bank Stadium as the Baltimore Ravens (Super Bowl XLVII Champions) defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-24, Joe Flacco took 2 TD Passes to Torrey Smith in the 4th Quarter to Give a Comeback Victory in Opening Night at Baltimore.
7 September 2013: 125th IOC Session; in Buenos Aires, the International Olympic Committee announces that the 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Istanbul, Turkey.
13 September 2013: Mexicans celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Congress of Anáhuac and the declaration of full independence by José María Morelos.
14 - 23 September, 2013: Australia holds a federal election, which sees a significant increase in informal and protest votes widely attributed to the disdain in which all major parties are currently held. The 2013 election again returns a hung parliament, only the third in the past century. Rumours of a lack of internal cohesion in the Coalition and of Tony Abbot's imminant fall from power allow the Gillard government to again negotiate supply with the independants. The Australian runs several editorials bemoaning “back-room dealing” and “the decline of Australian democracy”, while international news casters note that this is the first time since 1910 that one hung parliament has been followed by another.
16 September 2013: CBS Revives Press Your Luck hosted by Ryan Stiles in Order to Retweak It's CBS Daytime Lineup which consists of Let's Make A Deal, The Price Is Right and Press Your Luck, However ABC Is Considering to bring it's Daytime Lineup by Reviving Wheel of Fortune coming Next Year.
22 September 2013: German federal election takes place. Thanks to perceived good management of the Eurocrisis, Angela Merkel is swiftly re-elected. However, the electoral decline of the FDP (which just barely managed to stay above the 5% threshold), and Merkel is forced to form a new grand coalition with the SPD. European left-wing leaders are particularly happy, hoping that the new government will be less stringent on demanding harsh austerity measures.
29 September 2013: The first of 2 NFL International Series Games occured as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 29-27 as Ben Roethlisberger got 3 TD Passes.
19 October 2013: Tony Kanaan won his 2nd IRL Championship after winning the American Real TV 500 IndyCar World Championships at Auto Club Speedway
21 October 2013: Further fossils of the dinosaur Bruhathkayosaurus matleyi are unearthed in India and Sri Lanka. They confirm the massive weight estimates and yield the size to be underestimated. The new data makes a length of 48-54 m more realistic, comparing to Argentinosaurus.
3 November 2013: A referendum is held in Nicaragua on a constitutional amendment that would change it's system of government. Passing by a mere 50.88% of the popular vote, Nicaragua is slated to transition from a presidential system to a parliamentary system of government. Political analysts both within and outside Nicaragua decry the results, stating that the amendment is a ploy for former President Daniel Ortega to retain power via the newly created office of Prime Minister.
5 November 2013: The United States 2013 off year elections take place.
Of particular note are the two gubernatorial elections which take place: Virginia, in which then state attorney general Ken Cuccinelli narrowly wins against ex-DNC chair Terry McAulliffe (52-47), and New Jersey, where incumbent governor Chris Christie defeats his opponent Barbara Buono in a landslide (59-39).
7 November 2013: The Google Glass is released to the general public and consumers, becoming a major hit during the holiday season. Despite being highly popular with consumers, the device his heavily parodied by many for looking “goofy”.
16 November 2013: Referendum on the restoration of the monarchy in Romania and approval of a new monarchist constitution occurs. King Michael is restored with 61% approval of the electorate. The constitution passes with only 51.8% approval by voters.
17 November 2013: Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Title after finishing 8th at Homestead-Miami Speedway
24 November 2013: The Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup as they defeat the Toronto Argonauts 38-28, Darian Durant is the Game MVP as he got 3 Touchdown Passes and got 395 Passing Yards, It is also the year that CMC (California Music Channel) picked up the Grey Cup in anticipation of the California Music Channel (including KTSF Channel 26 in San Francisco) to televise a selection of CFL Games beginning in 2014.
5 December 2013: During Winter Meetings, MLB will expand 2 More Teams to 32 and will still continue Interleague Play with 1 Each from the American & National Leagues.
6 December 2013: The Indian Space Research Organisation launches the Mangalyaan space probe to Mars. It is a complete success. Days later, ISRO unveils plans to launch humans to space by 2020.
12-14 December 2013: In Equatorial Guinea, significant unrest rocks the country after a oil-drillers strike is crushed by police. The country's main opposition group, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (PARSOGE) began protests in Bata and Malabo which at their height had 100,000 people (1/6 of the total population). Protestors demand that the country's significant oil wealth is shared equally. A study in 2013 found that although the average per-capita income was highest in Africa, more than 75% of the population lived on less than two dollars a day. Dictatorial President Teodoro Obiang is able to crush the protests after calling in the Army to intervene. Human Rights Watch estimates that upwards of 112 protestors were killed.
15 December 2013: In a surprise announcement, MLB commissioner Bud Selig states the MLB's intention to expand the league instead of moving to two 15-team leagues. The AL will instead gain two teams (in to-be-decided locations) to have two 16 team leagues. Additionally, Selig announces the relocation of the Oakland Athletics to San Jose, CA. Both the expansion and relocation are expected to be completed for the 2017 season so the Athletics are going to Play at Cisco Field in San Jose, CA.
22 December 2013: Fidel Castro, the 86-year old former Communist leader of Cuba, passes away as a result of a massive heart attack at his home in Havana, Cuba.
25 December 2013: Following recent unrest by socialist opposition party PARSOGE, dictatorial President Obiang of Equatorial Guinea outlaws all socialist parties. He legalizes the existence of the National Democratic Union of Equatorial Guinea, making them the “official opposition.” The leader of PARSOGE, 32-year-old Rolan de la Cruz, goes into hiding in the wild east of the country.
30 December 2013: At 92 years of age, King Michael of Romania resumes the throne he was forced to give up exactly 66 years before. Elections are held the same day for the new Romanian Parliament.
2014
2 January 2014 – Newly elected Romanian Prime Minister Crin Antonescu drives to Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest where he is asked to form a government by newly restored King Michael.
2 February 2014: With a Cinderella run, the Carolina Panthers secure their first Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos.
8 February 2014: Cuban President Raúl Castro, in a speech to the Central Committee of the Communist Party, calls for a Seventh Party Congress to be held in 2014, in order to enact more economic reforms. Castro's announcement, following the death of his elder brother Fidel Castro, comes at a time when he is slowly introducing economic reforms. However, there have been no political developments, and Cuba continues to be known for its repression.
9 February 2014: Super Bowl MVP Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers led the NFC by scoring 3 TD passes to beat the AFC 45-37 in the 2013 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, HI.
27 February 2014: The British Parliament in concert with other Commonwealth legislatures that acknowledge Elizabeth II as their monarch, modifies royal succession laws. Adopting the principle of absolute cognatic primogeniture, first-born children will in the future inherit the throne regardless of sex.
3 March 2014: The British Parliament, together with other Commonwealth legislatures, alters the 1701 Act of Settlement repealing provisions that forbid members of the Royal Family from marrying Roman Catholics. It also limits the 1772 Royal Marriages Act by requiring only the first six heirs in the royal succession be required to obtain permission from the monarch before marrying.
8 April 2014: Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey, the 21st century spiritual successor to Carl Sagan's original Cosmos, begins airing. The show has the curious side-effect of turning narrator Neil deGrasse Tyson into the most well known science communicator since Bill Nye.
21 April 2014: The Syrian opposition triumphs over the Syrian government, bringing an end to the Syrian Civil War. Their victory came after the so-called “April Storm”, in which opposition forces began an offensive which brought a swift end to the ongoing Battles of Damascus and Aleppo. Following the victory, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is reported missing. The circumstances of his disappearance remain debated, and a popular subject for conspiracy theorists.
23 May 2014: Elections are held in Malawi, generally judged by international observers to be free and fair. President Joyce Banda is elected to a full five-year term in her own right, and her People's Party takes 72 seats in the National Legislature, although it will need support from older parties to pass legislation effectively. President Banda has made Malawi a Western and Indian aid darling, leading the country to 9.2% economic growth in 2013. However, many observers worry she may overreach, citing as an example broad-based opposition to her efforts to destigmatize and decriminalize homosexuality, which have thus far failed.
24 May 2014: Valve Software and modular computer company Xi3 jointly announce the Piston, one of many “competitor consoles” to the Wii U, Xbox Realm, and PS4. The Piston becomes famous for it's integration of gaze tracking, and its excellent screen cast capabilities. Long awaited Valve product, Half Life 3, is also announced after 7 years of silence.
2 June 2014: The New Jersey Democratic and Republican Primaries were held. In the US Senate race, Newark Mayor Cory Booker won the Democratic Primary while Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno won the Republican Primary.
8-12 June 2014: The Communist Party of Cuba holds its Seventh Party Congress in Havana. The conference produces a range of economic reforms, including two significant steps lauded by international observers. Firstly, international firms will be allowed to invest directly in the Cuban economy and employ Cuban workers. Secondly, broad financial reforms will open up the money supply and modernize Cuba's antiquated financial system. Chinese and Canadian investors and financial advisors are sought to help develop both aspects of the reform.
11 June 2014: The Indiana Pacers beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win their first NBA Championship. Victor Oladipo scores 31 points in the final game, though Paul George is named the Finals MVP for his performance throughout the series.
24 June 2014: The SpaceX CRS-8 mission is launched from Cape Canveral aboard a Falcon 9.1.1 rocket, ferrying the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module to the International Space Station.
5 July 2014: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully docked the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module to the Tranquility module's aft berthing station and successfully expanded it to its full size, adding an additional 565 cu ft (16 m3) to the spacecraft. It was scheduled to remain attached to the station for two years, during which time NASA and Bigelow Aerospace would test the durability, structural integrity, temperature, and radiation levels of the module.
16 July 2014- The IOC announces it's three candidate cities for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics. Harbin (China), Oslo (Norway), and Munich (Germany) are named as the candidates, and one of them will win the right to host the games. The winner will be announced following the voting process to take place next year.
18 July 2014: Uruguay beat Italy in the 2014 World Cup Final in football. Their young and energetic squad delivers on the day and beats a rather slow Italian team. This concludes a great World Cup with many firsts: Uruguay's first win of the competition for a long time, the first African team in the semi-final, and the first World Cup to use goal-line technology.
26 July 2014: CRS-8 returned to Earth, the unmanned space capsule splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.
18 August 2014: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announces the discovery of a new element, Ubq and its alpha decay daughter products Ubb and Ubn.
19 August 2014: Several Serbian army brigades led by men with extreme nationalistic views attempt to seize power in Belgrade. Crown Prince Alexander goes into hiding but via Twitter, Facebook and other social networking websites mobilizes hundreds of thousands of Serbian citizens who pour into the streets of Belgrade to protest the coup attempt. The attempt fails and the plotters are forced to surrender. The son of the last Yugoslavian monarch is lionized as a hero of democracy.
1 September 2014: The Montenegrin parliament restores Prince Nikola II Petrovic Njegos to the newly reconstituted Montenegrin throne.
9 September 2014: While on his way to a fundraising event for Senator Mark Udall (D-CO), President Barack Obama is the object of an assassination attempt in Denver, Colorado. Andy Terrance Saunders, the would-be assassin, fires two bullets, which both miss. Later, despite the scare, Obama would remark “I'm still shaking, but better than ever” in a press conference following the attack.
King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia (b. 1924) falls at one of his residences in Riyadh and suffers a severely fractured femur. He dies in surgery. He is succeeded by his half-brother Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz (b. 1935).
22 September 2014: Motions are approved by the Serbian parliament proposing a referendum on restoring the monarchy.
1 October 2014: Dilma Rousseff is reelected as the President of Brazil, winning 59% of the vote. Her share of the vote makes unnecessary a runoff round, and she is inaugurated on January 1st, 2015. Her campaign was buoyed by the strong economy, and reduced crime rates in major cities like Sao Paolo and Rio de Janiero. Her opponent, Teotonio Vilela Filho, the governor of Alagoas, was reduced to attacking her foreign policy, which he said was “too close to international pariahs like Iran.”
15 October 2014: Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky announce that they are pregnant, much to the delight of former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. The Clinton-Mezvinsky baby is due to be born in June 2015.
23 October 2014: The people of Scotland reject Scottish independence. (Yes: 44%. No: 55%)
Also on this day, a 6.1 earthquake strikes with an epicenter about 20 miles north of Nairobi, Kenya. 148 people are killed.
27 October 2014: Princess Victoria of Sweden gives birth son named Carl Gustav Bertil Oskar.
4 November 2014: U.S. Midterm Elections; Republicans gain six seats in the House, less than expected due to several Tea Party candidates losing to Democrats in lean-Republican districts. Democrats suffer a net loss of one seat in the Senate, with Mary Landrieu losing to Jay Dardenne in Louisiana and Shelley Moore Capito picking up Jay Rockefeller's seat in West Virginia; they score a highly symbolic victory in Kentucky with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell losing to Allison Grimes.
In California, Jerry Brown is overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term by a 67-33 margin over Republican candidate Tim Donnelly.
19 November 2014: Final Fantasy XV is released in North America for the PS4 and Xbox Realm.
1 December 2014: The referendum on the restoration of the Serbian monarchy passes with 64% of the vote.
9 December 2014: In an interview with MSNBC, former First Lady Hillary Clinton states that she won't run for President in 2016. She states, “I have been enjoying retirement, and I am looking forward to watching my grandchild come into this world,” referencing her daughter Chelsea Clinton's recently announced pregnancy.
10 December 2014: Former Brazilian presidential candidate Marina Silva wins the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy for the poor and indigenous tribes of her nation.
28 December 2014: Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill becomes the first person since Chuck Hughes to die on the field during a professional football game. After suffering a severe helmet-to-helmet blow during a crushing sack, Tannehill lay motionless on the field until being placed onto a stretcher, but was declared dead by EMTs before being loaded into the ambulance. The autopsy reveals he died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage and a massive investigation into violent hits in football ensues, while the debate will be the focal point the entire 2015 offseason. While the start of the NFL playoffs is pushed back a week due to the tragedy, they resume as normal the following week and there are no major incidents during the playoffs themselves.
2015
17 May 2015: Fossils of the dinosaur Amphicoelias fragillimus are once again unearthed in the Morrison Formation. They do confirm a vast length, but the estimate has to be reduced to 47-51 m and 88-104 metric tons.
1 June 2015: Future Indian Prime Minister Surjaa Chakravorty is elected in a special election for the Bongaon seat in West Bengal. The previus MP, Gobinda Chandra Naskar, had died of a heart attack earlier in the year. Chakravorty wins as a member of the Trinamool Congress Party (a Bengali offshoot of the Congress Party). She is notable for her young age and personal charisma. Only 27, she was elected to the City Council of Bongaon after graduating from Jawarhalal Nehru University.
11 July 2015: King Michael of Romania, after attending official ceremonies associated with the restoration of the kings of Montenegro and Serbia, dies in his sleep at his villa in Switzerland. He is succeeded by his daughter Princess Margarita.
11 September 2015: India's Parliament, under the leadership of Prime Minister Rahul Gandhi, passes the Equality in Donation Act. This act prevents fertility clinics from informing customers of the caste of the donor. Oftentimes, customers will refuse to accept sperm except from donors of specific castes. Some fertility clinics even go so far as to refuse donations from members of certain castes, or segregate the sperm storage facilities. The Equality in Donation Act seeks to end those practices.
12 September 2015: In some parts of India, outrage ensues over the Equality in Donation Act. Furious crowds gather outside of many lawmakers' offices and fertility clinics, demanding their “right” to know the caste of a donor. While most doctors and middle-class Indians support the Gandhi government's law, many lower-class and high-caste upper-class Indians oppose it, believing that it is important for them not to sully the purity of their caste.
20 September - 20 October 2015: In India, a national debate ensues over sperm donation and caste. Six states, including Bihar, pass state laws which require all donors to state their caste and make it more expensive and difficult for low-caste donors to give sperm. Meanwhile, nine state governments, led by Kerala, go in the opposite direction and ban patients from asking about the caste of their donor. Over the upcoming years, these numbers will shift slowly in favor of the Keralese bloc.
17 October 2015: The IUPAC approves Uut and Uup to be discovered, both by Dubna JINR. This Institute puts forward Sacharowium for Uut and, surprisingly Putinium for Uup.
3 November 2015: The Economist reports that agriculture in northern Namibia has become much more profitable since the discovery of the Ohangwena II reservoir in 2012. Farmers have begun growing more water-intensive crops such as maize, sorghum, tobacco. They also grow wheat more intensively, causing a drop in food prices in Namibia. The cost-of-living has dropped more than 12%, as less food must be imported.
20 December 2015: Honolulu and Las Vegas are announced as the expansion sights for the AL, with the team in Honolulu being christened the Hawaii Islanders and the Las Vegas team the Las Vegas Gamblers. The two teams will make the AL West go from being the smallest baseball division for tied as the biggest with the NL Central.
2016
To be compiled.
2017
18 May 2017: African Union forces withdraw from Somalia, declaring that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is now capable of supporting itself with international monetary aid. The TFG is firmly in control of Mogadishu, Juba, Gey, and parts of Puntland (an autonomous region in the northeast, but has not been able to get firm control over the coast or the Ethiopian border. Al-Shabab, after being pushed out of Mogadishu in 2012, regrouped and now rules over approximately sixty thousand square miles from their provisional capitol of Galkayo. Financially supported by piracy, Al-Shabab declared their ideological independence from Al-Qaeda in 2015, refocusing on Somalia rather than international terrorism.
2018
2 May 2018: President Abdulaziz Bouteflika, dictator of Algeria, dies of old age. He is succeeded by Prime Minister Ahmed Hanoune, son of former opposition leader Louisa Hanoune. Hanoune is considered to be something of a reformist. However, this analysis quickly proves false. Concerned by the growing political power of the army, he arrests several generals “on suspicion of a coup attempt”, and shuts down a dozen small political parties. Only 43 years old, he is expected to remain in power for many years.
2019
27 August 2019: General elections are held in Namibia. Elijhah Ngurare of the SWAPO Party of Namibia is reelected to the post of President, and will serve until 2024. President Ngurare has made fighting the chronic unemployment in the country a top priority of his first and second terms.
2020
9 December 2020: Hannah Teteh, leader of the National Democratic Congress Party, wins the Ghanian presidential election with 54.2% of the vote, thus avoiding a runoff. She is the third female African head of state/government, after the venerable Ellen-Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, who had retired 6 years previously, and president Joyce Banda of Malawi. She promises to usher in a new era of development, focusing especially on education. She is opposed on the left by Samia Nkrumah, head of the CPP, with 18 seats, and on the right by Agnes Chigabatia, head of the NPP, with 96 seats. Remarkably, and in a first for Africa, all three are women.