Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media Network

Dec 31: Life is full of ups and downs and no one can predict what is in store for us tomorrow. Every year we begin New Year with new hopes, aspirations, dreams, ideas, promises, resolutions, goals, fresh starts and new beginnings. Every year we hope and pray we will have promising days ahead and the world would be a better place to live in. Every year we are faced with events good and bad, happy and sad, memorable and forgettable, gory and civilized, honourable and shameful, events that make us bow our heads in shame or that makes us walk with our heads held high. Even then there is no dearth for new hopes and newer goals because not all the good or bad things man-made.

The year 2014 has been quite significant for India in many aspects. It was the year of the general elections that saw a major upheaval in the largest democracy of the world. It is the Narendra Modi wave swept across India from North to South and East to West virtually annihilating the opposition including the Congress. 2014 will also go down in our history as India achieved a milestone in its space programme by becoming the first country to reach Mars and enter the planet’s red orbit in its maiden attempt. This success has put India into the world centre stage of success in space programme and given a big boost to space research. There have been achievements and failures, change of guards in some states that went for assembly elections. The country also faced some worst tragedies both natural and man-made. But it is the resilience of our people that help come to terms with all the challenges coming in their way.

As the people get set to welcome 2015 with new hopes and aspirations here is a peek into the major events that made headlines in 2014 in Mangaluru, Karnataka, and at the national and international levels.

Mangaluru

• The year began in Mangaluru with a major furore over the alleged kidnap and forced sex case reported at Deralakatte that took place in late December 2013. Several groups led massive rallies demanding action, but with time, the case stopped grabbing attention.
• Communal tension flared up in Ullal on February 5 after miscreants went about pelting stones at houses and damaging vehicles and boats. Section 144 was imposed in the area to bring the situation under control.

• On February 1 Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate for 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi addressed a huge election rally in Mangaluru. 
• Chief Minister Siddaramaiah laid the foundation for the controversial Yettinahole project in Chikkaballapur on March 3, despite widespread criticism in Dakshina Kannada. 
• After almost a year, the city got a mayor on March 13, with the election of Mahabala Maarla of the Congress.
• Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi addressed an election rally in Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru on April 5. The event proved costly for Congress candidate Janardhan Poojary as he was asked to pay the rally expenses from his campaign fund, after Congress leaders on the dais urged people to vote for him.
• With barely a few days left for elections sitting MP BJP Lok Sabha candidate from DK Nalin Kuman landed in a controversy when it was reported that he had made continuous calls to a young woman from Adyar for the last three years. This was followed by another incident where a man filed a FIR in Bunder police station alleging an affair between his wife and Nalin Kumar. The BJP termed the allegations as politically motivated.

• In a shocking incident on April 19, Mohammed Kabeer, a resident of Mangaluru was shot dead by Anti Naxal Force trooper in a case of mistaken identity at Sringeri. The incident occurred when Kabir and a few others were allegedly transporting animals in their pick up vehicle. 
• On May 11, four members of a jeweller's family allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at a hotel room in the temple town of Kukke Subramanya in Dakshina Kannada District.
• Nalin Kumar Kateel became MP for the second time on May 16. Congress candidate Janardhana Poojary lost for the 5th time. 
• In Udupi BJP candidate Shobha Karandlaje gave a surprise by defeating Congress candidate Jayaprakash Hegde. 
• On May 28, The Forum – city’s largest mall was opened at Pandeshwar. 
• Congress leader Ivan D'Souza’s name was among the five persons nominated to the Karnataka Legislative Council on June 25. 
• On June 26, a controversy erupted after St Aloysius College got a house demolished at Patrao Lane in Karangalpady, alleging that it had been illegally occupied by John Baptist Lewis, said to be the adopted son of Alice D'Souza who was the owner of the property while she was alive.
• Tense situation prevailed in the campus of St Raymond’s College, Vamanjoor, when the students of the college held a protest alleging sexual harassment of a PU student by a lecturer on July 21. While some of the students accused the management of shielding the lecturer, some others defended him. The missing lecturer reportedly appeared, and the case was settled through compromise, as per sources.
• Many youngsters especially college students in the coastal region lost their lives due to two-wheeler accidents in 2014. If it was Andrea Patrao on July 31, it was Nayana, Deepak Shetty, Nikhil Raj, Henil Mathias and Lathish at the fag end of the year, to name a few.
• A 27- year old youth involved in chit fund business was murdered in broad day light by miscreants in Gorigudde on September 22. 
• In a bizarre accident on September 29, an Engineering student was killed and her classmate had her hand cut off after a train hit them in Puttur. The girls were students of Vivekananda College of Engineering Puttur and were on the track to click mobile photographs. The veil of the deceased girl got entangled in the railway track and a passenger train hit them. 
• On October 24, Mangaluru Coast Guard added a new vessel “Amartya” to its existing fleet of three vessel giving a boost to coastal surveillance and security in the coastal region.
• On November 1 Mangalore becomes Mangaluru. 
• On November 22, the Dakshina Kannada District administration banned kambala, the traditional buffalo race on slush tracks. The department of animal husbandry and vetgerinary sciences imposed the ban following the Supreme Court order of May 7, 2014. 
• On November 30, thousands of people from across Karnataka held a protest rally in Mangalore protesting the ban on Kambala. Protestors representing various organisations brought along buffaloes and took out a march from Shanti Nilaya ground to the DC’s office. 
• The presence of mind shown by the driver of a private bus saved the lives of nearly 26 passengers plying by the Seabird Bus from Bangalore to Manipal on December 2. The driver stopped the bus and evacuated the passengers near Sannarpady in Uppinangady soon after noticing smoke from the engine. The bus was reduced to ashes minutes after the passengers were evacuated safely. 
• On December 2, the family of young Soumya who was murdered in Baltila village of Bantwal in 2013 finally got justice with the conviction of the accused Satish. On Decmeber 9, the court sentenced him to life term till death.

• On December 5, Mangaluru once again witnessed communal flare up. The argument over a new road in Ulaibettu between two communities developed into a tense situation. The communal flare up created a tense situation but timely action by the police helped bring the situation under control. 
• On December 23, two mentally ill sisters were rescued from their house in Bannanje in Udupi after 10 years of confinement by their mother.
• People of the coastal region have expressed their anguish against recommendations of K Kasturirangan committee declaring several villages as ecologically sensitive. Sullia observed a bundh on December 30, protest against the recommendations declaring many areas in Taluk as ESA.

Karnataka

• On January 31, Union Cabinet approved the second phase of Bangalore Metro Rail Project (Namma Metro) to improve public transport system in the city.
• Following the death of more than 50 people in two fire accidents involving Volvo buses, the Karnataka government asked the bus manufacturer to make changes in the design of the vehicle. 
• On March 3, Bengaluru Metro Green lines starts operation. 
• On May 28, P Ravindranath, Additional Director General of Police of Karnataka State Reserve police was allegedly caught clicking clandestine pictures in his mobile of two young girls in a coffee shop in Bengaluru. FIR lodged against him for voyeurism. Accused ADGP alleged that it was a conspiracy by Bangalore Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar and other IPS officers to defame him. On March 30, the charge against ADGP Ravindranath acquires caste colour.

• In a tragic incident on April 16, a bus travelling from Davanagere in Karnataka caught fire killing six people. 
• Actor and Housing Minister Ambareesh returns to Bangalore on April 11, after spending 40 days in a hospital in Singapore. His whopping medical bills stir a controversy.
• On May 13, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah completed one year in office. 
• The results of the May 16 general elections was a big letdown for the ruling Congress headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Congress could win only 9 Lok Sabha seats as against the BJP’s 17 seats. It was an embarrassment for the Congress as the party had come to power just a year back with a thumping majority. 
• On June 12, Vishal Sikka was named Infosys CEO and MD after its founder Narayan Murthy quit as Chairman.

• On July 14 rape of a six year old girl in a Bangalore school came to light following a complaint filed by the parents of the girl. The incident which had occurred on July 2 inside the school premises has sent shock waves across the country. The skating instructor of the private school accused of rape was arrested by the police. This was followed by a spate of rape incidents brining infamy to Bangalore as the rape capital. In August complaint was filed against a retired government employee who taught in a private school for molesting young girls. In October a 3 year girl was raped in the school campus and barely 10 days after a six year old girl of a private school was raped by her teacher. 
• On July 18, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to sanction Rs. 1.16 crores to actor and Housing Minister Ambareesh towards his medical re-imbursement trigger wave of anger and disbelief. 
• On August 7 Karnataka Government quashed recruitment of KPSC final list of 362 Gazetted Probationers of 2011 following a decision taken by the state cabinet. The list was rejected following rampant corruption in the selection of candidates. 
• On August 27, Sri Raghaveshwara Bharathi of Ramachandrapura Math landed in a soup after a woman accused him of raping her mother. After CID probe was ordered into the case, the court ordered the Swamiji to undergo medical tests. The case is still on.
• On August 28, a small time Kannada actress created a flutter after she filed a rape case against Union Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda’s son Karthik Gowda, which was a major embarrassment to the BJP leader and Union Railway Minister. The case was finally quashed as she failed to provide substantial evidence to support her claims.
• On September 27, a special court in Bangalore pronounced judgment convicting Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalitha in the 18 year old disproportionate asset case. Jayalalitha was sentenced for four years of simple imprisonment and also fined Rs. 100 crores. The verdict also ;meant she stood disqualified as a legislator. The judgment was eagerly awaited as it had widespread political implications. It was the first instance when a ruling chief minister had to step down on following a court sentence. On September 27, Jayalalitha and the three others convicted of disproportionate case were sentenced by a special court were lodged in the Parappana Agrahara central jail in Bengaluru. On October 17, Jayalalitha was granted bail by the Supreme Court. 
• On October 15, IAS officer Rashmi Mahesh, Director General of the Administrative Training institute was attacked by a mob after an employee was found dead. Nineteen people were arrested in this connection. 
• Communal tension gripped Thirthahalli following the death of 14 year old Nanditha a class VIII student on October 31, who allegedly believed to have consumed poison. The case was handed over to CID which in its report on December 10 concluded that Nanditha committed suicide by consuming poison. . 
• In November 19, the Karnataka High Court allowed continuation of Made Snana ritual in its traditional form at Kukke Subramanyaswami temple at Subramanya until further orders. 
• Uproar in Karnataka assembly over BJP MLA gazing at Priyanka Gandhi’s picture and another MLA of the same party playing games on his mobile phone during assembly proceedings on December 10. 
• On December 8 President Pranab Mukherjee launched Karnataka Mobile One App in Banguluru for m-governance. Karnataka state became the state to launch multi-mode mobile governance in the country. 
• On December 12 actor-turned politician and Housing Minister Ambareesh enjoying music in a bar and a picture of his kissing a young ‘mysterious’ girl on the cheek began to circulate on social media. The mysterious girl turned out to be Vaibhavi, daughter of actor Jai Jagadeesh, family friends of Ambareesh. 
• A homemade bomb exploded in Bangalore outside a restaurant on Church street killing one woman and injuring five others on December 28. The blast which occurred on a busy road on a Sunday was described as a terrorist attack. Following the blast the entire country was put on terror alert in view of the approaching new year celebrations.

India

• On January 8, Facebook acquired Indian start up Little Eye labs that builds mobile app analysis tools for a price believed to be between $ 10 to 15 billion. 
• On January 9 Devyani Khobragade an IFS officer serving as Indian Deputy Consul General in New York made international headlines when she was arrested by US law enforcement on charges false statements on visa application of her housekeeper. 
• On January 29, Nido Taniam a student from Arunachal Pradesh died after he was beaten up by locals in Lajpat Nagar in New Delhi. This resulted in protests all over the country and highlighted the discrimination faced by the people of North Eastern states. 
• On January 15, AAP minister Somnath Bharathi headed a group that assaulted African women in a midnight raid conducted in Delhi. This attack on women was quite an embarrassment to the newly formed AAP government in Delhi. 
• A stampede broke out in Mumbai on January 17, 2014 resulting in the death of 18 people. The stampede broke out at the residence of Dawoodi Bohras Syedna Mohammed burhanuddin, a religious leader. 
• Sundanda Pushkar, a businesswoman, better known as the wife of Minister Shashi Tharoor died under mysterious circumstances in her hotel room in Delhi on January 17, 2014. It was revealed that Sunanda died due to poisoning. But the truth of her death still remains a mystery as there are conflicting reports about her death though grapevine has it that she knew many secrets about IPL. 
• The first 8.9 km long Mumbai monorail was inaugurated on February 1, 2014.
• On February 5 Microsoft Corp appointed Indian Sathya Nadella as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Nadella is the first Indian to head the world’s largest software firm in its 38-year history. 
• On February 15, Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi Chief Minister after being in power for merely 49 days dashing hopes of all those who elected him to power. 
• Flamboyant businessman and Sahara India Chairman Subrato Roay was arrested in Lucknow on February 28, 2014, following Supreme Court of India’s non- bailable warrant against him. He still languishes in the jail. 
• The 'dirty old man' of India Journalist and Novelist Kushwant Singh died on March 20, 2014 at the age of 99. 
• On March 25 former Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal announced his decision to take on Narendra Modi from Varanasi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. 
• On March 25, Supreme Court of India told BCCI chief N Srinivasan to step down to enable fair investigation in illegal betting cases. 
• On April 7, Phase I of the General Elections 2014 was held in Assam and Tripura, and on May 12, the 9th and the last of the 9 phase general elections were held in Bihar. 
• In a major boost to India’s efforts to eradicate Polio on March 27, WHO declared India and the entire South East Asia region as polio free.

• On May 16, the results of the much awaited general elections were declared. The BJP created history by winning majority for the first time in the history of independent India by winning 282 seats. The Congress gave its worst ever performance winning only 44 seats. The BJP led NDA alliance swept the elections under the Modi wave and formed the government giving hopes of “ache din” to millions of Indians. 
• On May 26, New Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India along with other ministers from his council of ministers. In an historical first, the swearing in ceremony was attended by the heads of all SAARC countries. 
• On May 25, the production of Hindustan Ambassador car, the very name associated with that of India, was stopped by Hindustan motors. 
• The newly sworn in Narendra Modi government received a major jolt on June 3, 2014 when the newly appointed Union Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde was killed in a car accident in Delhi. 
• On June 2, 2014 Telengana became the 29th state of India and Chandrashekar Rao was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the state. 
• On July 5, the first of the evacuees from strife-torn Iraq landed in Hyderabad. 
• On July 30, heavy rainfall caused landslide in Pune district killing about 200 people and destroying about 44 houses.
• On June 8, 24 Hyderabad students who were on an excursion to Himachal Pradesh were washed away in the Beas River following the discharge of water by a hydropower plant without warning. 
• On August 3, S K Jain, Syndicate bank Chairman was arrested by the CBI in a bribery case. 
• On August 11, bitter political rivals Laloo Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar ended their two decade enmity and came together on a common platform with a view to put a united fight and stop the Modi wave engulfing Bihar. The state is facing assembly polls in a few months from now. 
• Irom Sharmila the “iron lady of Manipur” who has been fasting since November 2000 was released from jail following a Session’s court order on August 17, 2014. However, she was rearrested as she continued her fast even after her release. 
• On August 21, Kerala government announced that it would close down 700 bars in a phased manner. However, on November 1st, this year a division bench of the Kerala High court stayed the earlier decision of the single bench to close down 250 bars belonging to two-star, three-star and unclassified hotels. 
• On August 25 all the 218 coal block allocations made between 1993 and 2011 were declared illegal by the Supreme Court. 
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana launched on August 28 throughout the country. It aims to open 15 croes bank accounts by August 2015.

• In the first week of September, the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir faced its worst ever floods in more than 60 years. Many districts of the stated were ravaged by floods killing hundreds of people, rendered thousands homeless and destroying property worth crores. Lakhs of people were stranded and were evacuated by armed forces that were pressed into service to help the people affected. 
• On September 11, Union Government decided to wind up HMT watches in a phased manner. HMT the iconic brand invokes nostalgic memories in most Indians and with its closure it is curtains down to HMT with whom most Indians identify closely just like the good old Ambassador cars whose production is stopped recently. 
• On September 24, India created history with the successful launching of Mangalyaan, ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). With this India became only the fifth nation in the world to have entered the Mars orbit in the first attempt. It is also the first Asian country to do so. US, Russia and other European countries have managed in this mission only after several attempts. MOM is also the cheapest such mission till now. Time magazine names Mangalayaanam as the best among the 25 inventions of 2014. 
• On 26th September at least 85 people died due to flash floods and mudslides in North East Indian state of Meghalaya following heavy rains. Property worth several crore of rupees was destroyed
• On September 26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his six day tour of US. It was a historic event for Modi because US government had earlier treated him like a pariah by denying him visa under the pretext that he did not do enough to prevent 2002 Gujarat riots. 
• On September 27, Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Jayalalith was convicted by a special court of Bengaluru in the disproportionate assets case and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. 
• On September 29, AIADMK leader O Paneerselvam was sworn in as Tamilnadu Chief Minister after Jayalalitha was forced to step down following her conviction.
• On October 2, the Union government launched Swatch Bharath Andolan to mark the 145th birth anniversary of father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. It aims at making Indian clean by the 150th birth anniversary in 2019. 
• On October 2, an explosion occurred in a house in Khagragarh locality of Burdwan in West Bangal. Two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists were killed. Arms and explosions were seized. The incident garnered national headlines because of allegations that a Bangladesh militant organisation which had got political patronage, was linked to the blast. 
• On October 4, 33 people were killed and another 50 injured in a stampede shortly after Dussera celebrations in Patna. It is believed that the stampede was triggered by rumours that some people had come in contact with a live wire. Those died were mostly women and children. 
• Veteran journalist and author M V Kamath died on October 9, 2014 at the age of 93. 
• On October 12 cyclone Hudhud made landfall in Vishakpatnam in Andrapradesh. Though due to precautionary measures taken in advance loss of human lives was restricted to only about 110, the cyclone caused extensive damage to the cities of Vishakapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. The damages caused by the cyclone are estimated at Rs. 70,000 crores. 
• On October 18, AIADMK chief Jayalalitha walks out of jail after spending 22 days in prison after a Special Court issued her release order in accordance with the Supreme Court order granting her bail. 
• On October 29, the government submitted a list of 627 Indians holding accounts in foreign banks to the Supreme Court which in turn directed the Special Investigating Team to examine them and take appropriate action. 
• 11 women died and more than 20 were hospitalised on November 8 following a state funded mass sterilization driver in Bilaspur district of Chattisgarh. 
• On November 13, Indian batsman Rohit Sharma became the first man to hit 250 in a one-day international. He scored 264 in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka to beat the previous record of 219 held by Verender Sehwag in 2011 against West Indies. Rohit also became the first player to hit two double centuries in ODI’s. 
• In a major setback in its fight against Maoist, 14 CRFP including 2 officers were killed and an equal number of men were injured in an attack carried out by Maoist in Sukma district of Chattisgarh on December 1. 
• On December 5, militants attacked an army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir killing 11 security personnel including eight soldiers. 
• On December 5, 15 people lost their sight after a doctor had used infected equipment in a cataract eye surgery camp conducted in Amritsar. 
• On December 8 an Uber can driver allegedly raped a passenger in New Delhi once again highlighting that capital city Delhi is not safe for women. 
• On December 9 the right wing groups Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag and Bajrang Dal claimed converting 57 Muslim families into Hinduism in Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Since then the country is rocked by the conversion issue.

• On December 11 Kailash Sathyarthi becomes the first Indian born to win the Nobel Peace prize. 
• In a major victory to India UN declared June 21 every year as World Yoga Day. The declaration was made on December 11 by UN and this is seen as a proud moment for India. 
• On December 13, Bangalore police arrested Mehdi Masroor Biswas, the alleged handler of the most influential pro-Islamic State (IS) Twitter account. Mehdi, an electrical engineer employed with a multinational company in Bangalore, was arrested from an apartment in Bengaluru. 
• On December 13 the government brought 52 new drugs NPPA National Pharmaceutical Pricing authority control with a view to keep check on prices of essential medicines. 
• On December 18, the Lok Sabha passed the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) bill 2014 thus legalizing e-rikshaws by bringing them under the ambit of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988. 
• On December 23, six constituents of Janata Parivar join together to form “Janata Parivar” to counter Modi wave and hold a rally in Delhi. The main agenda of the rally to expose the ‘lies’ of Prime Minister Narendra on issuing ranging from bringing black money and conversion and for ‘drifting’ from its poll planks. 
• On December 24, the much awaited election results of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2014 were declared. The electorate gave a fractured verdict much to the disappointment of all. Hectic parleys continue for the formation of government. 
• On December 24, the government announced Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and to freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously). 
• Violence returned to Assam once again on December 25, resulting in the killing nearly 80 people in a series of attacks and counter attacks. The violence affected districts of Assam are Chirang, Sonitpu and Kokrajhar which were also affected by worst communal violence in 2012. 
• Intense cold wave gripped northern India. Death toll due to cold wave has risen to 100 in UP. 
• Year end shock in the form of Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni bidding goodbye to test cricket.

Global events

• Facebook Buys WhatsApp for $19 Billion – It was a New Year shock when social network Facebook announced in February 2014 that it bought Whatsapp for a whopping $ 19 billion. 
• The Crimean crisis involving Russian and Ukraine over the control of Crimean Peninsula has become a major international crisis. Russia faced sanctions from US led allied forces. The sanctions are working as Russian economy is in dire straits with Rouble Rouble takes a nosedive with falling oil prices.
• Sochi Winter Olympics were held Sochi in Russia from 7-23 February 2014. Russia topped the medal table with a tally of 33 medals including 13 golds closely followed by Norway with 26 medals. Three athletes represented India at Sochi Winter Olympics. India is yet to win a medal at the winter Olympics. 
• Matteo Renzi a young and charismatic prince charming became the Prime Minster of Italy in February 2014. He is seen as Italy’s final hope as the country is witnessing economic slowdown and political instability.
• Thailand is facing political uncertainty after the February 2014 elections were declared null and void because elections were not held nationwide on the same day. Leader of Thailand’s military coup General Prayuthy Chan-ocha has ruled out elections for more than a year which means the political turmoil will continue. 
• The deadly Ebola virus which began to spread in the beginning of 2014 continued to spread in many West African countries causing several deaths in the past several months. The disease created panic even in the USA after nurses who treated Ebola patients got infected.
• In a major sea disaster a South Korean ferry carrying 476 people mostly school children capsized on April 16, 2014 enroute incheon to Jeju. 304 passengers died in the disaster. In a verdict in November this year the captain of the ship was sentenced for 36 years in prison. 
• In July this year there was once again a full scale Gaza war between Israel and Hamas said to be far more deadlier than the 2008-09 war. In response to rocket strike by Hamas Israel launched Operation Protective Edge. The war that lasted 50 days came to an end after a ceasfire in August this year. 
• On May 14, 2014 at least 274 miners were killed when a power distribution unit exploded at a coal mine in Instanbul killing more than 270 people. It is said to be Turkey’s worst mining disaster.

• The Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370 that departed from Kuala Lampur to Beijing with 227 passengengers and 12 crew members on March 8, 2014 disappeared mysteriously after it lost control within an hour of its take off. The mystery of its disappearance is still unsolved. 
• Boko Haram the militant Islamist movement based in Northeast Nigeria kidnapped 276 female students from the government secondary school in Chibok in April 2014. 
• 16 Sherpa guides died in the deadliest Mount Everest avalanche ever when they were fixing ropes for climbers on April 18, 2014. 
• 7-time formula one world champion Michael Schumacher who was in the hospital for more than six months after his skiing accident in French Alps December 2013, leaves hospital after coming out of coma in June 2014. 
• ISIS rebels declare “Caliphate ‘Islamic State’ in Iraq and Syria in June 2014 on the territories it controlled in Syria and Iraq. 
• On July 14, in a major move The Church of England votes in favour of allowing women to become bishops.

• FIFA World Cup Football which was held in Brazil held in great fanfare between 12th June to 13th July, was won by Germany by defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time. Miroslav Klose breaks the World Cup goal scoring record with 16 goals. 
• The NATO forces from 43 countries that assumed the charge of International Security Assistance Force in 2003 following the 9/11 incident left home after more than a decade of war. 
• Actor and Director Richard Attenborough, died at the age of 90. As director he was best known for his movie “Gandhi”, which won him two Oscars. 
• Clashes erupted in Hong Kong since September this year with pro-democracy activists occupying various parts of the territory. The protestors are angry at changes to Hong Kong’s political system that allows directions but only from a pool of candidates agreed by Beijing. 
• The 20th Commonwealth Games were held successfully in Glasgow in Scotland from July 23to to August 3rd. England topped Glasgow medal tally with a total medal tally of 174. India finished among the top five with a haul of 64 medals including 15 gold medals. 
• Malaysia witnessed another aviation tragedy when MH 17 a Malaysian plane was shot down killing all the 283 passengers and 15 crew on board on July 17, 2014. The scheduled international passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kaulal Lampur was shot down on Ukraine-Russia border by pro-Russian separatists. 
• July 28, 2014 marks the centenary of the beginning of the First World War as it was on this day the conflict had begun resulting in the 1st of the two world wars fought on this planet. 
• Panama witnessed the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal - a global trade route, on August 15, 2014 
• The people of Scotland have voted to say in the United Kingdom in a historic referendum vote. Referendum was held on September 19, 2014 in which Scottish people had to vote either to be independent or remain with United Kingdom.
• XVII Asian games were held successfully in Incheon South Korea from September 19 to October 4. China topped the medal tally with 342 medals including 151 golds. India was 8th with a tally of 57 medals including 11 gold medals. 
• On November 11, 20144, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, a Chinese e-commerce company recorded the biggest online sale ever in a single day when it recorded more than $9 billion in sales clearly demonstrating the buying power of the Chinese consumers. 
• Germany celebrates the 25th anniversary of the fall of Berlin War on November 9, 2014. More than 300,000 people had gathered in Berlin to witness a line installation of over 8000 helium balloons stretched over 9 miles to be released in the night sky. 
• European spacecraft from earth Rosetta created history when it landed on the face of a comet speeding through deep space on November 12, 2014. Rosetta became the first ever space vehicle to orbit and land on a comet.
• Destiny dealt a cruel blow to upcoming and promising Australian cricketer Phil Hughes when he was struck by a bouncer from Sean Abbott in a domestic match. He died on November 27, 2014, in a Sydney Hospital after two days.

• On December 16, 2014, history witnessed the tragic slaughter of 145 people including 132 innocent school children in a Army School in Peshawar in a terrorist attack conducted by Tehreek-e-Taliban. This is considered as the most deadly terrorist attack in Pakistan sending shockwaves all over the world. 
• United States is witnessing protests following a decision of the Grand Jury not to indict Wilson who had killed Michael Brown, a Black teenager on August 9, 2014. Brown was killed by white police officer and the shooting prompted protests in many parts of US. Protests still continue in many parts of US after the Grand Jury verdict. 
• The world watched in astonishment when Oscar Pictorious was declared not guilty of murder on October 21, 2014. He was awarded five years in prison for culpable homicide for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. 
• The prices of gasoline are plummeting reaching to a five year low has sent created quite a stir the world over. The oil price crash is now upending the global economy with serious ramifications the world over. It has caused havoc in oil producing countries like Russia and Venezuela impacting their economy. Russina Rouble has nosedived as a result of this crisis. 
• November 2014 witnessed frequent bouts of early-season arctic air and snow setting new records in several states of US. 
• On December 2014 Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan becomes the younger ever recipient of Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17. 
• A major breakthrough in US Cuba relations was achieved on December 17, after almost 50 years of hostility during which time there was little or no contact between them. 
• In a year-end tragedy an AirAsia Indonesia airliner flying from Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board went missing on December 28, sending shockwaves across the globe. On December 30 AirAsia Indonesia confirmed that it found the debris of the missing plane in the Java Sea. A few bodies were recovered.