# Article(s) Image Create Expand Arc.
1 Operation Seabight A shipment of cocaine, worth 750 million, is seized off the coast of Ireland in the largest such seizure in the country's history. 9 November 2008
2 Irish pork crisis of 2008 Ireland issues an international recall of its pork products following the discovery of contaminated pig feed. 6 December 2008
3 2009 Gabonese helicopter crash Seven French soldiers are killed and one is reported missing following a helicopter crash off the Gabonese coast. 17 January Jan. 2009
4 Anglo Irish Bank hidden loans controversy The President of Ireland Mary McAleese signs emergency legislation confirming the nationalisation of Anglo Irish Bank. 21 January Jan. 2009
5 Dendermonde nursery attack Three people are stabbed to death and ten more are injured after an attack at a crèche in Dendermonde, Belgium. 22 January Jan. 2009
6 Laurent Nkunda Rebel leader Laurent Nkunda is arrested by the Rwandan military on its country's border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 22 January Jan. 2009
7 2009 Buachaille Etive Mòr avalanche Three people are killed and one is seriously injured following an avalanche on Buachaille Etive Mòr in the Scottish Highlands. 24 January Jan. 2009
8 2009 Nakumatt supermarket fire A massive fire at a supermarket in downtown Nairobi, Kenya kills at least 14 people. 30 January Jan. 2009
9 2009 Malagasy protests At least 68 people are killed in anti-government protests in Madagascar. 29 January Jan. 2009
10 2009 Kenyan oil spill ignition Over 50 people are killed and 82 critically injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, Kenya. 1 February Feb. 2009
11 Patriarch Kirill of Moscow Kirill of Moscow (pictured) becomes the 16th Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. 1 February Feb. 2009
12 Enten controversy The chairman of a Tokyo bedding supplier is arrested by Japanese police following the exposure of an investment scam reportedly worth US$1.4 billion. 5 February Feb. 2009
13 February 2009 United Kingdom and Ireland snowstorm The heaviest snowfall for 18 years disrupts air and road traffic and shuts schools across much of Ireland and the United Kingdom (snowfall in London pictured). 6 February Feb. 2009
14 2009 Malagasy protests Madagascar police open fire on a protest in Antananarivo, killing at least 50 people and injuring hundreds. 7 February Feb. 2009
15 2009 Amazonian airplane crash An airplane crashes near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, Brazil, killing 24 people. 8 February Feb. 2009
16 Bolivian constitutional referendum, 2009 President of Bolivia Evo Morales enacts a new constitution which grants more power to the country's indigenous majority and allows for land reform. 8 February Feb. 2009
17 Tlatelolco (archaeological site) The discovery of a 16th-century mass grave containing at least 49 human skeletons at the Tlatelolco archaeological site in Mexico City is announced. 11 February Feb. 2009
18 2009 Orissa train derailment A passenger train derails in the Indian state of Orissa, killing at least 15 people and injuring 150. 13 February Feb. 2009
19 HIV/AIDS in the People's Republic of China China confirms HIV/AIDS as its leading cause of death by infectious disease in 2008, a fivefold increase over a three year period. 19 February Feb. 2009
20 2009 Slovak coach and train collision Eleven people are killed and 20 more are injured in a collision between a tourist coach and a train in central Slovakia. 21 February Feb. 2009
21 2009 Shanxi mine blast A mine blast in Gujiao in the Shanxi province of China kills at least 73 people and injures at least 113 more. 22 February Feb. 2009
22 Battle of South Mogadishu A machine gun and mortar battle in Mogadishu, Somalia kills 15 people and injures at least ninety more in the Somali Civil War. 24 February Feb. 2009
23 Gamburtsev Mountain Range An international team of scientists announces the completion of its mission to map the Gamburtsev Mountain Range beneath the Antarctic ice. 25 February Feb. 2009
24 2009 Bolivian dengue fever epidemic An outbreak of dengue fever kills at least 18 people and infects 31,000 more in Bolivia. 26 February Feb. 2009
25 Kano trovafloxacin trial litigation U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer settles a multi-billion dollar damages case with 200 alleged victims of a drugs trial in Kano, Nigeria. 26 February Feb. 2009
26 2009 Bank of Ireland robbery Over 7 billion is stolen from the Bank of Ireland in College Green, Dublin, in the largest bank robbery in Irish history. 27 February Feb. 2009
27 Svalbard Global Seed Vault 90,000 food crop seed samples are delivered to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle. 26 February Feb. 2009
28 João Bernardo Vieira The President of Guinea-Bissau, João Bernardo Vieira (pictured), is assassinated during an armed attack on his residence in Bissau. 2 March Mar. 2009
29 2009 Angola, Namibia and Zambia floods Floods in Namibia and Angola kill 90 people and make at least 25.000 people homeless. 20 March Mar. 2009
30 2009 Six Nations Championship Millennium Stadium Ireland wins its first Six Nations Grand Slam in rugby union since 1948. 21 March Mar. 2009
31 2009 Yemeni tourist attacks A suicide attack kills four South Korean tourists and a local guide in Shibam, Yemen. 18 March Mar. 2009
32 2009 Montana Pilatus PC-12 crash A Pilatus PC-12 crashes in the U.S. state of Montana, killing at least 14 people. 22 March Mar. 2009
33 GhostNet The University of Toronto researchers discover GhostNet, a China-based electronic spying operation which has infiltrated 1,295 computers in 103 countries. 29 March Mar. 2009
34 Brian Cowen nude portraits controversy Brian Cowen The unexpected public hanging of Ireland's Taoiseach, Brian Cowen (pictured), occurs in Dublin, following months of economic uncertainty. 1 April Apr. Fls. 2009
35 Binghamton shootings Thirteen people are killed and 26 others are severely wounded during a shooting incident in Binghamton, New York. 3 April Apr. 2009
36 2009 L'Aquila earthquake An earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy, kills at least 50 people and leaves 50,000 homeless. 6 April Apr. 2009
37 2009 Masters Tournament Ángel Cabrera wins the 2009 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, USA, after a two-hole playoff. 12 April Apr. 2009
38 Kamień Pomorski homeless hostel fire A fire at a homeless hostel in Kamień Pomorski, Poland, kills at least 21 people and injures at least 20 others in the country's worst fire disaster since 1980. 14 April Apr. 2009
39 Mycocepurus smithii Researchers report the discovery of Mycocepurus smithii, the first ant species determined to consist exclusively of females that reproduces through cloning. 15 April Apr. 2009
40 Durban Review Conference Mahmoud Ahmadinejad A number of delegates exit in protest during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's (pictured) speech at the Durban Review Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. 20 April Apr. 2009
41 Great Wall of China A Chinese government study locates an extra 3,850 kilometres (2,390 mi) of the Great Wall of China. 20 April Apr. 2009
42 23 April 2009 Iraqi suicide attacks Two suicide attacks in Baghdad and Baquba kill at least 76 people, including 46 Iranian pilgrims, and injure over 100 others in the deadliest terrorist incidents in Iraq this year. 23 April Apr. 2009
43 Shining Path The Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path makes a resurgence in Peru, with anti-government ambushes killing 14 soldiers in April 2009. 21 April Apr. 2009
44 Mathira Massacre At least 29 people are hacked and stoned to death in clashes between Mungiki members and civilians in Karatina, Kenya. 21 April Apr. 2009
45 Puijila darwini The discovery of Puijila darwini, the oldest seal ancestor ever located, is announced. 22 April Apr. 2009
46 2009 attack on Dutch Royal Family Queen Beatrix Six people are killed in an attempt on the Dutch Royal Family (Queen Beatrix pictured) as a car driver crashed through crowds watching the annual Koninginnedag celebrations. 30 April May 2009
47 2009 May Day protests Police clash with protesters across the world as traditional May Day marches turn violent. 1 May May 2009
48 Carol Ann Duffy Carol Ann Duffy is named Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, the first female, the first Scot and the first openly gay occupant of the post. 2 May May 2009
49 Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye (pictured) replaces Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré as Prime Minister of Senegal. 2 May May 2009
50 Pacific Islands Forum The Pacific Islands Forum suspends Fiji's membership indefinitely due to the recent political, legal and human rights situation in the country. 3 May May 2009