Mar: Russian spy poisoning Mar: Gun control Apr: Facebook May: Royal wedding Jun: U.S.-China trade war Jun: U.S.-North Korea summit Jul: Thai cave rescue Aug: Genoa bridge collapse Sep: Sulawesi earthquake Oct: Migrant caravan Nov: California wildfires Dec: France protests JAN 9 Iran arrests over 3,700 demonstrators after days of protests that claim at least 21 lives 20 Turkey launches a military offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria’s Afrin region FEB 6 SpaceX launches its Falcon Heavy rocket on its maiden flight, carrying Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster as a dummy payload 9 Delegates from North and South Korea march under a united flag at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang 14 Cyril Ramaphosa (left) becomes president of South Africa after Jacob Zuma resigns amid corruption claims MAR 4 Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are poisoned by a nerve agent in Salisbury, England. Moscow denies involvement but many countries expel Russian diplomats in response 19 Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhinoceros, dies in Kenya 24 Mass protests across the U.S. call for tighter gun control after a school shooting in Florida kills 17 APR 10 Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress over Facebook’s massive data privacy scandal 14 The U.S., Britain and France strike multiple government targets in Syria following a chemical weapons attack by Assad forces 18 Miguel Diaz-Canel (left) succeeds Raul Castro as President of Cuba, ending almost 60 years of Castro rule 27 Korean leaders Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in hold a historic summit aimed at formally ending the Korean War MAY 8 U.S. President Donald Trump quits the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimposes economic sanctions 10 Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad, 93, becomes the world’s oldest head of government after a shock election victory 19 Britain’s Prince Harry and U.S. former actress Meghan Markle marry at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle JUN 3 Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego volcano erupts without warning, killing at least 190 people 12 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a historic summit in Singapore 15 President Trump’s trade war hots up with tariffs on China, after hits on steel and aluminium imports from U.S. allies in Europe and North America 24 A decades-old ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia is lifted JUL 10 A cave rescue in Thailand successfully extracts 12 boys and their soccer coach, trapped for 17 days after heavy rains flooded narrow passages 23 Extreme summer heat causes wildfires in Greece that claim 99 lives. A heatwave in Japan also causes multiple casualties 25 Former cricketer Imran Khan becomes prime minister of Pakistan after an election marred by violence AUG 2 Apple becomes the first public company valued at $1 trillion 8 Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, is declared entirely in drought after one of the driest winters on record 14 A 200m section of a motorway bridge collapses in Genoa, Italy, killing 43 people 22 The exodus of Venezuelans continues as an economic and humanitarian crisis worsens SEP 3 Fire ravages Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro 28 A major earthquake in Sulawesi, Indonesia, kills over 2,200 people OCT 2 Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, is murdered inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul 12 An ever-growing migrant caravan sets out from Honduras with hopes of reaching the U.S. 15 As famine looms, the UN calls for a halt on Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen 15 Right-winger Jair Bolsonaro is elected president of Brazil, pledging to clean up politics and crack down on crime NOV 6 Democrats win control of the House of Representatives but the Republicans extend their Senate majority in the U.S. midterm elections 8 California’s deadliest wildfire kills at least 88 people and destroys the town of Paradise 16 An Argentinian submarine lost a year ago with 44 crew, is found in the South Atlantic 25 Russian forces seize three Ukrainian naval ships in the disputed Kerch Strait 26 NASA’s InSight probe lands on Mars to study the deep interior of the Red Planet DEC 1 “Yellow vest” protests against high living costs spark violent unrest in Paris 1 Left-winger Andrés Manuel López Obrador is sworn in as president of Mexico after a landslide election victory 10 UK prime minister Theresa May postpones a crucial Brexit vote ahead of a near certain defeat in parliament Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS