21st century

====2024====
* [[January 1]]:
** [[Egypt]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Iran]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and the [[United Arab Emirates]] become [[BRICS]] members.
** The [[Republic of Artsakh]] is formally dissolved as [[Nagorno-Karabakh]] unifies with [[Azerbaijan]].
** A 7.5 [[Seismic magnitude scales#Mww|M<small>ww</small>]] [[2024 Noto earthquake|earthquake strikes]] the western coast of [[Japan]], killing at least 100 people and injuring 392 others. A further five are killed the next day when a [[Japan Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] aircraft carrying [[humanitarian aid]] [[2024 Haneda Airport runway collision|collides]] with a [[Japan Airlines]] passenger jet, destroying both aircraft. All 379 people aboard the passenger jet are evacuated safely.
** [[Ethiopia]] announces an agreement with [[Somaliland]] to use the port of [[Berbera]]. Ethiopia also says that it will eventually recognize Somaliland's [[Somaliland Declaration of Independence|independence]], becoming the first country to do so.
** Disney's copyright protection on [[Steamboat Willie]] and the original [[Mickey Mouse]] expires as they [[2024 in public domain|enter the public domain]].
* [[January 2]]:
** [[President of Harvard University]] [[Claudine Gay]] announces her resignation following a contentious house [[2023 United States Congress hearing on antisemitism|hearing on antisemitism]] and allegations of [[plagiarism]] in her earlier academic career.
* [[January 3]]: An Islamic State [[Kerman bombings|double bombing]] kills 89 people during a memorial event commemorating the [[assassination of Qasem Soleimani]] in [[Kerman]], Iran.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-03 |title=At least 103 dead in bomb blasts near Iran general Qasem Soleimani's tomb – state TV |language=en-GB |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67872281 |access-date=2024-01-03}}</ref>
* [[January 8]]:
** [[Astrobotic Technology]] alongside [[NASA]] [[Peregrine Mission One|launch]] the first commercial Lunar Lander. Seven hours after launch, an anomaly prevents stable orientation due to propulsion issues, resulting in critical fuel loss and the abandonment of the moon landing.
** [[President of Ecuador|Ecuadorian President]] [[Daniel Noboa]] [[2024 conflict in Ecuador|declares]] a [[state of emergency]] following the escape of Los Choneros drug cartel leader [[José Adolfo Macías Villamar]], from prison.
* [[January 11]]:
** [[2024 Papua New Guinean unrest|Riots]] break out in [[Port Moresby]] and [[Lae]], [[Papua New Guinea]], after an alleged rounding error causes pay cuts in police officers and soldiers.
** [[Operation Prosperity Guardian|A U.S.-led coalition launches air strikes]] at Houthi militant locations in Yemen, marking a retaliation to the Houthi’s [[Red Sea crisis|attacks on ships in the Red Sea]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/11/us-strike-yemen-houthis-red-sea/ |title=U.S.-led coalition strikes Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] }}</ref>
* [[January 13]]: [[2024 Taiwanese presidential election|2024 Taiwanese Presidential Election]]: [[Lai Ching-te]] of the ruling [[Democratic Progressive Party]] wins with 40% of the votes. 
* [[January 14]]:
** [[Margrethe II]] formally [[Abdication of Margrethe II|abdicates]] as [[Queen of Denmark]] on the 52nd anniversary of her accession, with her eldest son Frederik succeeding her as [[Frederik X|King Frederik X]].
** [[2024 Comorian presidential election|2024 Comorian Presidential Election]]: Amid an opposition boycott, incumbent president [[Azali Assoumani]] wins re-election with 62.9% of the vote and only 16.3% voter turnout.
* [[January 15]]: Following a brief political crisis in the aftermath of the [[2023 Guatemalan general election|2023 elections]], [[Bernardo Arévalo]] is [[Inauguration of Bernardo Arévalo|inaugurated]] as the 52nd President of Guatemala.
* [[January 19]]: Japan becomes the fifth country to successfully [[Soft landing|soft land]] on the Moon, with its [[Smart Lander for Investigating Moon|SLIM]] mission. 
* [[January 24]]: [[2024 Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash]]: A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane carrying (according to Russia) 65 Ukrainian [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]], six crew members, and three guards, crashes in Russia's [[Korochansky District]], near the [[Russia–Ukraine border|Ukrainian border]], killing everybody on board.
* [[January 26]]: 
** [[Israel–Hamas war]]: The UN's [[International Court of Justice]] rules that Israel must take all measures to prevent [[Genocide|genocidal acts in Gaza]], but stops short of ordering an immediate halt to operations.
** [[2024 Tuvaluan general election]]: [[Kausea Natano]], the incumbent Prime Minister of Tuvalu, loses reelection to Parliament. A month later, [[Feleti Teo]] was elected prime minister.
* [[January 31]]: [[Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor|Sultan of Johor Ibrahim Iskandar]] ascends to the throne as the 17th [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong]] of [[Malaysia]]. 
* [[February 2]] – The US launches [[February 2024 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria|airstrikes]] on 85 targets in Iraq and Syria in response to a deadly [[Tower 22 drone attack|drone attack]] on a US military base.<ref>{{cite web |title=CENTCOM Statement on U.S. Strikes in Iraq and Syria|url=https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/3665602/centcom-statement-on-us-strikes-in-iraq-and-syria/ |access-date=4 February 2024 |date=2 February 2024 |work=CENTCOM }}</ref>
* [[February 4]]
** [[President of Namibia]] [[Hage Geingob]] dies at the age of 82, and is succeeded by his vice-president [[Nangolo Mbumba]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petersen |first=Shelleygan |date=2024-02-04 |title=President Hage Geingob is dead |url=https://www.namibian.com.na/president-hage-geingob-is-dead/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204053823/https://www.namibian.com.na/president-hage-geingob-is-dead/ |archive-date=4 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=The Namibian |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-04 |title=Hage Geingob, Namibia's president, dies aged 82 after cancer treatment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/04/hage-geingob-namibias-president-dies-aged-82-after-cancer-treatment |access-date=2024-02-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref>
** [[2024 Salvadoran general election]]: Incumbent President [[Nayib Bukele]] wins the election with over 80% of the vote, becoming the first president to be reelected in [[El Salvador]] since [[1944 Salvadoran presidential election|1944]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-05 |title=El Salvador's Bukele is already claiming a big election win, but a troubled count delays results |url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-president-reelection-ef04e20d901908099f4f787b841aca89 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=After Nayib Bukele's crushing, unconstitutional victory, what next? |url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/02/05/after-nayib-bukeles-crushing-unconstitutional-victory-what-next |access-date=2024-02-05 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>
*[[February 6]] – Former [[President of Chile]] [[Sebastián Piñera]] [[Death and state funeral of Sebastián Piñera|dies in a helicopter crash]] at the age of 74.<ref>{{Cite web |work=BBC |title=Sebastián Piñera: Former president of Chile dies in helicopter crash|first1=Patrick|last1=Jackson|first2=Vanessa|last2=Buschschlüter |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-68223520 |date=6 February 2024 |access-date=7 February 2024 |archive-date=7 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207003816/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-68223520 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[February 7]] – [[2024 Azerbaijani presidential election]]: Amid an opposition boycott, President [[Ilham Aliyev]] is reelected to a fifth term.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-07 |title=Azerbaijan's president is likely to win election after a blitz offensive reclaimed Karabakh region |url=https://apnews.com/article/azerbaijan-election-ilham-aliyev-39a3b0811de492afdcc96e2f17b6f797 |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>
* [[February 8]] – [[2024 Pakistani general election]]: [[Independent politician|Independent]] politicians, most of whom are members of the [[PTI intra-party elections case|banned]] political party [[Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf]], win a plurality of seats in the [[National Assembly of Pakistan|National Assembly]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Imran Khan loyalists win shock victory in Pakistan election |url=https://www.ft.com/content/35a6dd5b-2924-40ad-a650-004ec6379e00 |access-date=2024-02-09 |website=www.ft.com}}</ref>
* [[March 26]]: [[Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse]]: The container ship [[MV Dali]] strikes one of the [[Pier (architecture)|piers]] of [[Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)|Francis Scott Key Bridge]] in [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], causing [[Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse|the bridge’s collapse]] and 6 presumed deaths.