by tyler | Jan 5, 2024 | CNN, world
Here is a look at the life of the Princess of Wales, the former Catherine (Kate) Middleton.
Birth date: January 9, 1982
Birth place: Reading, Berkshire, England
Birth name: Catherine Elizabeth Middleton
Father: Michael Middleton, former airline pilot, now mail-order business owner
Mother: Carole (Goldsmith) Middleton, former flight attendant
Marriage: Prince William, The Prince of Wales (April 29, 2011-present)
Children: George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Louis Arthur Charles
Education: University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 2005, MA, Art History
Is the eldest of three children of self-made millionaires.
Her engagement ring belonged to Princess Diana.
2001 – Meets Prince William at University of St. Andrews.
2002-2005 – Shares living quarters with William and several other college students.
2003 – Begins dating Prince William around Christmas.
April 1, 2004 – First public sighting of the couple, a ski trip in Switzerland, is reported.
2006-2007 – Works as an accessories buyer for British ladies’ fashion chain store Jigsaw.
March 2007 – Ends relationship with Prince William, but within months they are on again.
October 2010 – Becomes engaged to Prince William during a trip to Kenya.
November 16, 2010 – Prince Charles officially announces the engagement to the world.
April 19, 2011 – The Middleton family coat of arms is unveiled.
April 29, 2011 – Marries Prince William at Westminster Abbey and becomes Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.
June 2011 – The Duke and Duchess make an apartment on the grounds of Kensington Palace their London home.
June 30-July 8, 2011 – The couple’s first official trip to a foreign country, Canada.
July 8-10, 2011 – Visits Los Angeles, where she and William visit a job fair for veterans and an arts center in a low-income neighborhood. It is her first trip to the United States.
July 22, 2011 – Her wedding dress is put on display at Buckingham Palace.
January 5, 2012 – Announces the four charities she will support as a patron: the Art Room, which helps disadvantaged children express themselves through art; the National Portrait Gallery, which houses a famous collection of royal paintings and photographs; East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, which helps children with life-threatening conditions; and Action on Addiction, which assists those with addiction issues.
March 19, 2012 – Gives her first official public address at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice facility in Ipswich, England.
September 2012 – The French magazine Closer runs photographs of the Duchess privately sunbathing topless. The pictures also run in the Irish Daily Star newspaper.
September 17, 2012 – The Duchess and William file a complaint in France against the photographer who took the topless sunbathing pictures. They are seeking damages and would like to prevent further publication of the photos. The French magazine Closer, the Irish Daily Star and the Italian magazine Chi have each published some of the topless photos.
December 3, 2012 – The royal household announces that the Duchess is pregnant. According to the announcement, she is admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness.
July 22, 2013 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s first child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 6 oz. The baby is named Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
May 2, 2015 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s second child, a daughter weighing 8 lbs, 3 oz. The baby is named Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge.
February 17, 2016 – Guest edits Huffington Post UK as part of her Young Minds Matter initiative.
April 30, 2016 – As part of a partnership with the British National Portrait Gallery, the Duchess will appear on the cover of the centenary issue of fashion magazine British Vogue, and have two of her portraits hung in the gallery.
September 4, 2017 – Kensington Palace issues a statement that the Duchess is pregnant. The baby will be her and Prince William’s third child.
September 5, 2017 – A French court rules that the topless sunbathing pictures of the Duchess were an invasion of privacy, awarding her and William 100,000 euros (about $119,000) in damages.
April 23, 2018 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s third child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 7 oz. The baby is named Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge.
November 27, 2020 – The Duchess and the Royal Foundation release the findings of a study on how Covid-19 has impacted parents and caregivers of those raising children under the age of five. The study relied in part on a survey of more than half a million people about the early childhood years in the UK.
June 18, 2021 – The Duchess launches The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. In a video announcing the center’s creation, the duchess says the goal is to “raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes.”
September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.
September 10, 2022 – King Charles III announces William will be given the title Prince of Wales, making Catherine Princess of Wales.
by tyler | Jan 5, 2024 | CNN, world
Here is a look at the life of the Princess of Wales, the former Catherine (Kate) Middleton.
Birth date: January 9, 1982
Birth place: Reading, Berkshire, England
Birth name: Catherine Elizabeth Middleton
Father: Michael Middleton, former airline pilot, now mail-order business owner
Mother: Carole (Goldsmith) Middleton, former flight attendant
Marriage: Prince William, The Prince of Wales (April 29, 2011-present)
Children: George Alexander Louis, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and Louis Arthur Charles
Education: University of St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, 2005, MA, Art History
Is the eldest of three children of self-made millionaires.
Her engagement ring belonged to Princess Diana.
2001 – Meets Prince William at University of St. Andrews.
2002-2005 – Shares living quarters with William and several other college students.
2003 – Begins dating Prince William around Christmas.
April 1, 2004 – First public sighting of the couple, a ski trip in Switzerland, is reported.
2006-2007 – Works as an accessories buyer for British ladies’ fashion chain store Jigsaw.
March 2007 – Ends relationship with Prince William, but within months they are on again.
October 2010 – Becomes engaged to Prince William during a trip to Kenya.
November 16, 2010 – Prince Charles officially announces the engagement to the world.
April 19, 2011 – The Middleton family coat of arms is unveiled.
April 29, 2011 – Marries Prince William at Westminster Abbey and becomes Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.
June 2011 – The Duke and Duchess make an apartment on the grounds of Kensington Palace their London home.
June 30-July 8, 2011 – The couple’s first official trip to a foreign country, Canada.
July 8-10, 2011 – Visits Los Angeles, where she and William visit a job fair for veterans and an arts center in a low-income neighborhood. It is her first trip to the United States.
July 22, 2011 – Her wedding dress is put on display at Buckingham Palace.
January 5, 2012 – Announces the four charities she will support as a patron: the Art Room, which helps disadvantaged children express themselves through art; the National Portrait Gallery, which houses a famous collection of royal paintings and photographs; East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, which helps children with life-threatening conditions; and Action on Addiction, which assists those with addiction issues.
March 19, 2012 – Gives her first official public address at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice facility in Ipswich, England.
September 2012 – The French magazine Closer runs photographs of the Duchess privately sunbathing topless. The pictures also run in the Irish Daily Star newspaper.
September 17, 2012 – The Duchess and William file a complaint in France against the photographer who took the topless sunbathing pictures. They are seeking damages and would like to prevent further publication of the photos. The French magazine Closer, the Irish Daily Star and the Italian magazine Chi have each published some of the topless photos.
December 3, 2012 – The royal household announces that the Duchess is pregnant. According to the announcement, she is admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness.
July 22, 2013 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s first child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 6 oz. The baby is named Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.
May 2, 2015 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s second child, a daughter weighing 8 lbs, 3 oz. The baby is named Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge.
February 17, 2016 – Guest edits Huffington Post UK as part of her Young Minds Matter initiative.
April 30, 2016 – As part of a partnership with the British National Portrait Gallery, the Duchess will appear on the cover of the centenary issue of fashion magazine British Vogue, and have two of her portraits hung in the gallery.
September 4, 2017 – Kensington Palace issues a statement that the Duchess is pregnant. The baby will be her and Prince William’s third child.
September 5, 2017 – A French court rules that the topless sunbathing pictures of the Duchess were an invasion of privacy, awarding her and William 100,000 euros (about $119,000) in damages.
April 23, 2018 – The Duchess gives birth to the couple’s third child, a son weighing 8 lbs., 7 oz. The baby is named Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge.
November 27, 2020 – The Duchess and the Royal Foundation release the findings of a study on how Covid-19 has impacted parents and caregivers of those raising children under the age of five. The study relied in part on a survey of more than half a million people about the early childhood years in the UK.
June 18, 2021 – The Duchess launches The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. In a video announcing the center’s creation, the duchess says the goal is to “raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes.”
September 8, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II dies, and Charles ascends to the throne.
September 10, 2022 – King Charles III announces William will be given the title Prince of Wales, making Catherine Princess of Wales.
by tyler | Jan 5, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Birth date: October 21, 1949
Birth place: Tel Aviv, Israel
Birth name: Binyamin Netanyahu
Father: Benzion Netanyahu, a historian
Mother: Cela (Segal) Netanyahu
Marriages: Sara Ben-Artzi (1991-present); Fleur Cates (1981-1988, divorced); Miriam Haran (divorced)
Children: with Sara Ben-Artzi: Avner and Yair; with Miriam Haran: Noa
Education: Attended Harvard University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S., 1974, and M.S., 1976
Military service: Israeli Defense Forces, 1967-1972, Captain
Religion: Jewish
Leader of the right-wing Likud Party.
Is known throughout Israel by the nickname “Bibi.”
Spent his teenage years in the United States; went to high school in Philadelphia.
First Israeli prime minister to be born after the state was founded in 1948.
Netanyahu’s brother, Yonatan, was killed in action in 1976 while leading a mission to rescue Israeli passengers on a hijacked Air France plane.
Netanyahu organized two international conferences on ways to combat terrorism, one in 1979 and another in 1984.
1967-1972 – Serves in the Israeli Defense Forces in the elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal.
1976-1978 – Works in the United States for Boston Consulting Group.
1982-1984 – Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
1984-1988 – Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.
1988 – Returns to Israel and wins a seat in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
1988-1991 – Deputy foreign minister under Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.
1991-1992 – Deputy Minister in the prime minister’s office.
1993 – Is elected the Likud party chairman.
June 1996-July 1999 – Prime Minister of Israel.
September 1996 – Has first meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
October 23, 1998 – Arafat and Netanyahu sign the Wye Memorandum, an interim accord, exchanging land and power to secure Israel from political violence.
1999 – Following his defeat in the elections, Netanyahu resigns from the Knesset.
1999-2002 – Works in the private sector.
2002-2003 – Minister of Foreign Affairs.
2003-2005 – Minister of Finance.
August 2005 – Resigns in protest over the plan to withdraw Jewish settlers from Gaza and return their land to Palestinian control.
December 2005 – Is elected leader of the Likud party.
August 2007 – Is reelected.
February 10, 2009 – After the election, the results remain unclear as to who will become prime minister, Netanyahu or chief rival Tzipi Livni. Both make claims to the position.
February 19, 2009 – Wins backing from the Israeli parliament.
February 20, 2009 – Becomes the prime minister-designate and begins working on the formation of the new government.
March 31, 2009 – Is sworn in as prime minister.
September 1-2, 2010 – Attends a meeting in Washington hosted by US President Barack Obama to possibly restart peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Other leaders in attendance are Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
September 14, 2010 – Meets with Abbas in Egypt for second round of peace talks in two weeks. Also in attendance are US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Special Envoy to Middle East George Mitchell.
May 4, 2011 – Denounces the reconciliation agreement signed by Fatah and Hamas in Egypt and calls on Abbas to “immediately cancel the reconciliation deal with Hamas and choose the path of peace with Israel.”
May 24, 2011 – Addresses a joint meeting of the US Congress. Netanyahu says that he is prepared to make “painful compromises” for a peace settlement with the Palestinians. However, he repeats that Israel will not accept a return to its pre-1967 boundaries.
June 13, 2012 – Israel releases a 153-page report criticizing Netanyahu’s handling of a raid against a Turkish aid flotilla to Gaza in 2010, where nine Turkish activists were killed.
September 27, 2012 – In an address to the United Nations, Netanyahu urges the General Assembly to draw “a clear red line” to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
October 9, 2012 – Calls for an early election after failing to agree on a budget with his coalition partners.
October 9, 2012 – Israel’s parliament votes to dissolve itself and schedules an election for January 22, 2013.
January 22, 2013 – According to media exit polling, Netanyahu’s Likud Beitenu party wins 31 Knesset seats in the election. The Yesh Atid party, a new centrist movement, comes in a surprising second place with at least 19 seats.
March 24, 2013 – Apologizes to Turkey for the 2010 raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla Mavi Marmara.
October 1, 2013 – In a speech at the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu accuses Iranian President Hassan Rouhani of seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon and describes him as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community.”
November 24, 2013 – Tells reporters that the Iran nuclear deal that world leaders reached with Tehran is a “historic mistake.”
April 27, 2014 – Tells CNN that Israel cannot negotiate with the government of Abbas while it is backed by Hamas, saying, “I call on President Abbas: Tear up your pact with Hamas.”
September 29, 2014 – Warns delegates at the UN General Assembly not to overlook threats posed by Iran and Hamas in their zeal to defeat ISIS.
December 2, 2014 – Calls for the dismissal of two members of his coalition cabinet and announces he will call for the dissolution of the nation’s legislature.
March 18, 2015 – Is reelected prime minister.
October 1, 2015 – Netanyahu says he is “prepared to immediately resume” direct peace talks with the Palestinian Authority “without any preconditions whatsoever.” His remarks come a day after the leader of the Palestinian Authority said Palestinians are stepping away from the Oslo Accords.
October 20, 2015 – During a speech at the 37th Zionist Congress, Netanyahu says that Adolf Hitler “didn’t want to exterminate the Jews” but was urged to do so by Haj Amin al-Husseini, a former grand mufti of Jerusalem.
January 2, 2017 – Israeli authorities question Netanyahu for three hours. He is suspected of corruption related to benefits he allegedly received from businessmen. The prime minister denies the allegations, suggesting that there are political motives for the probe. In a Facebook post, Netanyahu lists the charges and says that investigators will find “nothing” to support each allegation.
February 13, 2018 – Israeli police announce there is “sufficient evidence” to indict Netanyahu on criminal charges in two corruption cases. According to a police statement, authorities found evidence of “accepting bribes, fraud, and breach of trust.” Netanyahu says the allegations against him will be dismissed.
March 2, 2018 – Netanyahu is questioned for five hours in Case 4000, which alleges he gave regulatory benefits worth up to 1 billion shekels (approximately $280 million) to his friend in exchange for favorable media coverage. This is the third case in which he has been named as a suspect. Police simultaneously interrogate Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, at a different location. Netanyahu proclaims his and his wife’s innocence in a Facebook video shortly after the interrogations conclude.
March 27-28, 2018 – Is hospitalized with a mild viral illness of the upper respiratory system, and released after a series of exams.
April 30, 2018 – During an address from the Israel Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu says Israel has evidence Iranian officials were lying when they said Iran wasn’t pursuing nuclear weapons and that the Islamic republic is keeping an “atomic archive” at a secret compound. The following day, IAEA spokesman Fredrik Dahl tells CNN that there are “no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009.”
September 27, 2018 – Speaking to the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu claims that Iran has a second “secret” nuclear facility and warehouse in Tehran. He offered no proof of the claim or details.
February 28, 2019 – Israel’s attorney general announces that Netanyahu will be indicted on bribery and breach of trust charges stemming from three investigations, pending a hearing. The hearing is not expected to take place before April’s election, in which Netanyahu will seek a fifth term in office. Netanyahu responds by saying that the “left” has “exerted extraordinary pressure on the attorney general” in an attempt to “influence the elections and to crown a left-wing government.”
April 9, 2019 – Is elected to his fifth term as prime minister.
May 29, 2019 – Netanyahu fails to form a coalition government from the parties elected on April 9, the first time in Israel’s history that a general election has failed to produce a government.
July 20, 2019 – Netanyahu becomes the longest-serving leader in Israel’s history, surpassing the country’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s 4,875 days in office.
September 17, 2019 – Exit polls for the repeat general election fail to give either Netanyahu or former military chief Benny Gantz a majority in the new Parliament.
October 2, 2019 – Pre-indictment hearings begin in three criminal investigations against Netanyahu.
October 21, 2019 – Netanyahu fails to form a coalition government for the second time. Two days later, Gantz is given an official mandate by President Reuben Rivlin to try and form a ruling government coalition.
November 21, 2019 – Israel’s attorney general unveils charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust against Netanyahu in three separate corruption investigations.
December 26, 2019 – Retains leadership of political party Likud after a resounding victory over his challenger Gideon Sa’ar.
January 28, 2020 – Netanyahu is formally indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, shortly after withdrawing his request for parliamentary immunity, a request he was almost certain to lose.
March 2, 2020 – The Likud party wins 59 seats in the general election, but is three seats short to win a majority.
April 20, 2020 – Netanyahu and Gantz announce their agreement on the formation of a national emergency government, according to a joint statement.
May 17, 2020 – Netanyahu is sworn-in as Israel’s prime minister after his coalition government wins a vote of confidence by 73 votes to 46. Gantz is sworn-in as alternative prime minister and will replace Netanyahu as prime minister in November 2021.
September 15, 2020 – Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump join the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House to mark historic normalization agreements between Israel and the two Arab countries. The agreements mark the first time such a ceremony has taken place in Washington since 1994, when President Bill Clinton looked on as Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian King Hussein signed a declaration that paved the way for a peace deal months later.
December 19, 2020 – Netanyahu becomes the first sitting prime minister publicly known to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
December 23, 2020 – The seven-month-old emergency government collapses after the parliament fails to meet a deadline for passage of the 2020 and 2021 budgets.
June 13, 2021 – Netanyahu loses office for the first time in 12 years after rival Naftali Bennett wins a parliamentary vote to form a government.
October 5-6, 2022 – Is hospitalized after feeling ill while visiting a synagogue during Yom Kippur.
December 29, 2022 – Netanyahu is sworn in as prime minister, 18 months after he was ousted from power.
March 23, 2023 – Resists calls to drop his controversial overhaul of Israel’s judiciary in a fiery televised address, hours after his government passed a law that was condemned by critics as an effort to protect his position.
July 16, 2023 – Leaves the hospital after being admitted the previous day for dehydration amid a heat wave in Israel.
July 24, 2023 – Netanyahu leaves the hospital after being fitted with a pacemaker. Hours later, Israel’s parliament passes the controversial “reasonableness” bill, the first major legislation in the government’s plan to weaken the judiciary. On January 1, 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court strikes down a key part of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul.
October 7, 2023 – Netanyahu declares that Israel is “at war,” after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a deadly barrage of rockets and sent gunmen into Israeli territory.
by tyler | Jan 2, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Birth date: 1935
Birth place: Safed, Palestine
Marriage: Amina Abbas
Children: Three sons Mazen (died in 2002), Yasser and Tareq
Education: Damascus University, B.A.; Oriental College (in Moscow), Ph.D.
His family left the British Mandate area Safed, Palestine, to live in Syria as refugees in 1948.
Abbas laid floor tiles and taught elementary school before earning a law degree.
Played an integral role in the forging of the Declaration of Principles, the historic Oslo Accords signed in 1993 by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel.
Was the primary force behind the Palestine National Council’s decision to work with Israeli peace groups.
He is also known as Abu Mazen. (Abu is a slang term to describe the head of a family or father of children.)
1959 – Founding member of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), which became the largest political group of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
1964 – Fatah joins the PLO.
1967 – Is appointed to Fatah’s Central Committee.
1968 – Joins the Palestinian National Council (PNC).
1980 – Is elected to the PLO’s Executive Committee.
September 1993 – Accompanies Arafat to the White House to sign the Oslo Accords, or the Declaration of Principles.
1995 – Signs the Interim Peace Agreement with Israel.
March 19, 2003 – Accepts the position of prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
June 3, 2003 – Meets with US President George W. Bush and the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain, in Egypt, regarding peace efforts.
September 6, 2003 – Resigns as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
November 11, 2004 – Becomes the chairman of the PLO after Arafat’s death.
January 9, 2005 – Declares victory in Palestinian presidential elections.
May 26, 2005 – Meets with Bush; the first meeting with the Palestinian Authority in the White House since peace talks broke down in 2000. Bush pledges to give the Palestinian Authority $50 million in aid.
May 31, 2005 – Undergoes a successful, minor heart procedure in a hospital in Amman, Jordan.
February 21, 2006 – Asks Hamas leader Ismail Haniya to assemble a government. Haniya is sworn in in March.
June 14, 2007 – Dissolves the government and dismisses Haniya as prime minister. Haniya rejects this and remains the de facto leader in the Gaza Strip.
June 15, 2007 – Appoints economist Salam Fayyad as the new prime minister of an emergency Palestinian Cabinet.
November 27, 2007 – Attends the Annapolis Middle East Peace Conference, the first formal peace conference sponsored by the US since 2000. Top diplomats and representatives from dozens of countries and organizations also attend, hoping to restart stalled Middle East peace negotiations.
April 24, 2008 – Meets with Bush at the White House.
January 2009 – Extends his term in office until 2010, citing a clause in the constitution.
December 16, 2009 – The PLO’s Central Council votes to extend Abbas’s term as president indefinitely.
May 4, 2011 – Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal formally adopt a reconciliation agreement during a ceremony in Egypt.
September 16, 2011 – Abbas announces during a speech in Ramallah that he will pursue a full United Nations membership bid for Palestine.
September 23, 2011 – Abbas submits a statehood application letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
January 3, 2013 – Abbas issues a decree renaming the organization the “State of Palestine.”
December 31, 2014 – One day after the UN Security Council rejects a resolution calling for Palestinian statehood by 2017, and for Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Abbas applies to join the International Criminal Court. This sets the stage for the Palestinian Authority to possibly pursue war crime complaints against Israel.
September 30, 2015 – Addresses the UN General Assembly before the historic raising of the Palestinian flag at the United Nations, saying the Palestinian Authority is no longer bound by the Oslo Accords.
September 8, 2016 – Once-secret Soviet documents, obtained by CNN from the Mitrokhin Archive at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge, claim that Abbas, who completed graduate work in Moscow in 1982, was a KGB agent while he was a member of the PLO in Damascus. Palestinian leaders decry the report as a “smear campaign.”
September 30, 2016 – Attends the funeral of Israeli statesman Shimon Peres and shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
October 6, 2016 – Is hospitalized to have his heart tested.
May 3, 2017 – Meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
December 10, 2017 – Abbas cancels a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence following Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
January 14, 2018 – Abbas calls on the PLO to “revise all the agreements signed between the PLO and Israel because Israel has brought these agreements to a dead end,” and accuses Israel of ending the Oslo agreement. This criticism comes six weeks after Trump announces recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
April 30, 2018 – Abbas speaks at the opening of the Palestinian National Council remarking that the Holocaust was driven not by antisemitism, but by the financial activities of European Jews. He apologizes a few days later.
May 28, 2018 – Is released from the hospital after being treated for pneumonia.
January 28, 2020 – Abbas rejects Trump’s Middle East “Peace to Prosperity” plan, unveiled alongside Netanyahu at the White House, saying at a news conference from Ramallah in the West Bank that “Jerusalem is not for sale. All our rights are not for sale or for compromise. Your deal is a conspiracy and it will not work.” Abbas, having cut diplomatic contact with the US in December 2017, did not attend the unveiling and had not been briefed in the plan.
April 29, 2021 – Abbas announces the postponement of planned parliamentary elections, saying Israel has failed to confirm it will allow voting in East Jerusalem.
August 16, 2022 – At a news conference in Berlin, Abbas says Israel has caused “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians, triggering outrage from world leaders and a social media storm.
November 5, 2023 – Abbas meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah amid escalating settler violence in the West Bank following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
by tyler | Jan 2, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of the former King of Spain.
Birth date: January 5, 1938
Birth place: Rome, Italy
Birth name: Juan Carlos Alfonso Victor Maria de Borbon y Borbon
Father: Don Juan de Borbon y Battenburg, Count of Barcelona, third son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain
Mother: Dona Maria de las Mercedes de Borbon y Orleans, Princess of the Two Sicilies and Countess of Barcelona
Marriage: Princess Sofia of Greece (May 14, 1962-present)
Children: Infanta Elena of Spain, Elena Maria, Isabel, Dominica de Silos de Borbon y Grecia, Duchess of Lugo, December 1963; Infanta Cristina of Asturias, Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y Grecia, Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, June 1965; Prince of the Asturias, Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso y de la Santísima Trinidad y de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia, January 1968
Education: Marianist, Fribourg, Switzerland; Instituto San Isidro, Madrid, Spain; Navy Orphans’ College, Spain; Saragossa Military Academy, Saragossa, Spain; Naval College, Marin, Spain; Spanish Air Academy, San Javier, Spain; University of Madrid, Spain
Military: Spanish Army, Spanish Navy, Spanish Air Force
The Spanish Royal Family pays income taxes by constitutional provision and lives in a converted hunting lodge, Zarzuela Palace, by choice.
The Palacio Real, the Royal Palace, in Madrid is used for formal events such as visits from heads of state.
First visited the United States in 1958, during training as a naval midshipman aboard the Juan Sebastian Elcano.
Great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, distant cousin to both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Both King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia are descendants of Queen Victoria.
Distant relative of fifteenth century’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.
1947 – Generalissimo Francisco Franco’s Law of Succession declares the Spanish royal family will be restored to power upon his death.
1948 – Makes first trip to Spain, after Franco and Don Juan de Borbon agree to a Spanish education for the heir apparent.
1960 – Completes military training and becomes the first Spanish officer to hold the rank of lieutenant in all three branches of the military.
August 1962 – During his honeymoon, visits the United States and meets US President John F. Kennedy.
1969 – Invested as crown prince and designated as Franco’s successor.
November 22, 1975 – Crowned Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, two days after the death of Franco and restores the Spanish monarchy after a 44-year interregnum.
June 1-4, 1976 – First reigning Spanish monarch to visit the United States. He meets with US President Gerald Ford.
1977 – Enacts political reforms that lead to the first democratic election since 1936.
1978 – Adoption of a new constitution gives the monarchy more than a titular or ceremonial role in the government.
February 1981 – An attempted coup is blocked when forces loyal to the King refuse to join the rebellion.
2000 – Celebrates his 25th anniversary on the throne.
March 11, 2004 – Addresses the nation and visits the wounded after 10 bombs go off on four commuter trains during rush hour in Madrid.
November 10, 2007 – Tells Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, “Why don’t you shut up?” (¿Por qué no te callas?), during the Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile.
May 8, 2010 – Has a growth removed from his right lung, which turns out to be benign.
August 8, 2010 – With Queen Sofia, hosts US First Lady Michelle Obama and her youngest daughter, Sasha, at the summer palace on Mallorca Island.
April 14, 2012 – Undergoes hip replacement surgery after falling during a trip to Botswana. He is readmitted later in the month to “reduce a dislocation” of the hip. He undergoes another surgery for his hip in November 2012.
July 2012 – Is dropped as honorary president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – Spain after his April elephant hunting trip in Botswana is widely criticized. “Although not illegal, the hunting was widely viewed as incompatible with the King’s position at the head of WWF-Spain,” the group said in a statement. He had held the honorary post since 1968.
March 3, 2013 – Is hospitalized for surgery on herniated discs. While he is recovering, a small fire breaks out at the hospital but he is not affected.
September 2013 – Undergoes a third hip surgery in Madrid to replace the infected joint..
June 2, 2014 – Announces that he is abdicating in favor of his son Prince Felipe.
June 18, 2014 – Formally abdicates.
January 14, 2015 – A 12 judge panel rules Juan Carlos must face a paternity lawsuit – by a Belgian woman alleging that he’s her father – before the nation’s Supreme Court. Ingrid Sartiau, from Brussels, alleges that her mother and Juan Carlos had a relationship in late 1965, and she was born, as a result, in August 1966. At that time, Juan Carlos was married but still a prince.
March 11, 2015 – Spain’s Supreme Court dismisses the paternity suit against Juan Carlos.
November 29, 2016 – Attends the memorial service for former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
June 2, 2019 – Officially retires from public life.
June 8, 2020 – Spain’s Supreme Court announces an investigation into Juan Carlos for possible crimes involving an alleged 2008 transfer of $100 million from the Saudi king for a high-speed rail project in Saudi Arabia. Switzerland is also investigating the contract.
August 3, 2020 – Leaves Spain amid scrutiny of alleged financial dealings. In a letter to his son, King Felipe VI, Juan Carlos writes that he made the decision to leave “in the face of the public repercussion that certain past events of my private life are generating.”
December 2021 – Swiss prosecutors drop charges against Juan Carlos regarding the Saudi rail project.
March 2022 – Spanish prosecutors close their investigations into Juan Carlos and file no charges.
May 19, 2022 – A resident of the United Arab Emirates since his self-imposed exile, Juan Carlos travels to Spain for the first time since fleeing nearly two years prior.
October 6, 2023 – London’s High Court throws out a lawsuit brought by his former lover Corinna Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein accusing Juan Carlos of coordinating a campaign of harassment and surveillance against her. Juan Carlos has denied the allegations.
by tyler | Jan 1, 2024 | CNN, world
Here’s a look at the life of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Birth date: 1935
Birth place: Safed, Palestine
Marriage: Amina Abbas
Children: Three sons Mazen (died in 2002), Yasser and Tareq
Education: Damascus University, B.A.; Oriental College (in Moscow), Ph.D.
His family left the British Mandate area Safed, Palestine, to live in Syria as refugees in 1948.
Abbas laid floor tiles and taught elementary school before earning a law degree.
Played an integral role in the forging of the Declaration of Principles, the historic Oslo Accords signed in 1993 by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel.
Was the primary force behind the Palestine National Council’s decision to work with Israeli peace groups.
He is also known as Abu Mazen. (Abu is a slang term to describe the head of a family or father of children.)
1959 – Founding member of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), which became the largest political group of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
1964 – Fatah joins the PLO.
1967 – Is appointed to Fatah’s Central Committee.
1968 – Joins the Palestinian National Council (PNC).
1980 – Is elected to the PLO’s Executive Committee.
September 1993 – Accompanies Arafat to the White House to sign the Oslo Accords, or the Declaration of Principles.
1995 – Signs the Interim Peace Agreement with Israel.
March 19, 2003 – Accepts the position of prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
June 3, 2003 – Meets with US President George W. Bush and the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain, in Egypt, regarding peace efforts.
September 6, 2003 – Resigns as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority.
November 11, 2004 – Becomes the chairman of the PLO after Arafat’s death.
January 9, 2005 – Declares victory in Palestinian presidential elections.
May 26, 2005 – Meets with Bush; the first meeting with the Palestinian Authority in the White House since peace talks broke down in 2000. Bush pledges to give the Palestinian Authority $50 million in aid.
May 31, 2005 – Undergoes a successful, minor heart procedure in a hospital in Amman, Jordan.
February 21, 2006 – Asks Hamas leader Ismail Haniya to assemble a government. Haniya is sworn in in March.
June 14, 2007 – Dissolves the government and dismisses Haniya as prime minister. Haniya rejects this and remains the de facto leader in the Gaza Strip.
June 15, 2007 – Appoints economist Salam Fayyad as the new prime minister of an emergency Palestinian Cabinet.
November 27, 2007 – Attends the Annapolis Middle East Peace Conference, the first formal peace conference sponsored by the US since 2000. Top diplomats and representatives from dozens of countries and organizations also attend, hoping to restart stalled Middle East peace negotiations.
April 24, 2008 – Meets with Bush at the White House.
January 2009 – Extends his term in office until 2010, citing a clause in the constitution.
December 16, 2009 – The PLO’s Central Council votes to extend Abbas’s term as president indefinitely.
May 4, 2011 – Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal formally adopt a reconciliation agreement during a ceremony in Egypt.
September 16, 2011 – Abbas announces during a speech in Ramallah that he will pursue a full United Nations membership bid for Palestine.
September 23, 2011 – Abbas submits a statehood application letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
January 3, 2013 – Abbas issues a decree renaming the organization the “State of Palestine.”
December 31, 2014 – One day after the UN Security Council rejects a resolution calling for Palestinian statehood by 2017, and for Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Abbas applies to join the International Criminal Court. This sets the stage for the Palestinian Authority to possibly pursue war crime complaints against Israel.
September 30, 2015 – Addresses the UN General Assembly before the historic raising of the Palestinian flag at the United Nations, saying the Palestinian Authority is no longer bound by the Oslo Accords.
September 8, 2016 – Once-secret Soviet documents, obtained by CNN from the Mitrokhin Archive at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge, claim that Abbas, who completed graduate work in Moscow in 1982, was a KGB agent while he was a member of the PLO in Damascus. Palestinian leaders decry the report as a “smear campaign.”
September 30, 2016 – Attends the funeral of Israeli statesman Shimon Peres and shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
October 6, 2016 – Is hospitalized to have his heart tested.
May 3, 2017 – Meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
December 10, 2017 – Abbas cancels a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence following Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
January 14, 2018 – Abbas calls on the PLO to “revise all the agreements signed between the PLO and Israel because Israel has brought these agreements to a dead end,” and accuses Israel of ending the Oslo agreement. This criticism comes six weeks after Trump announces recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
April 30, 2018 – Abbas speaks at the opening of the Palestinian National Council remarking that the Holocaust was driven not by antisemitism, but by the financial activities of European Jews. He apologizes a few days later.
May 28, 2018 – Is released from the hospital after being treated for pneumonia.
January 28, 2020 – Abbas rejects Trump’s Middle East “Peace to Prosperity” plan, unveiled alongside Netanyahu at the White House, saying at a news conference from Ramallah in the West Bank that “Jerusalem is not for sale. All our rights are not for sale or for compromise. Your deal is a conspiracy and it will not work.” Abbas, having cut diplomatic contact with the US in December 2017, did not attend the unveiling and had not been briefed in the plan.
April 29, 2021 – Abbas announces the postponement of planned parliamentary elections, saying Israel has failed to confirm it will allow voting in East Jerusalem.
August 16, 2022 – At a news conference in Berlin, Abbas says Israel has caused “50 Holocausts” against Palestinians, triggering outrage from world leaders and a social media storm.
November 5, 2023 – Abbas meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Ramallah amid escalating settler violence in the West Bank following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
