In 2010, Malaysia was a vibrant and diverse country made up of 13 different states and 3 federal territories. It was a multicultural society with Malays, Chinese and Indians coexisting in harmony. Malaysia enjoyed a booming economy due to its strategic location on the South China Sea, where it became an important trading post for…
Author: programingplease
Malawi 2010
Yearbook 2010 Malawi. A sentence of 14 years in prison with hard work for a gay couple was met with outrage in the outside world. The two men, who were arrested in December 2009 after announcing their engagement, were found guilty of gross indecency and unnatural behavior. Probably because of the harsh criticism from key…
Madagascar 2010
Yearbook 2010 Madagascar. Political stalemate prevailed all year after the coup that in 2009 brought young Andry Rajoelina to power with the help of the military. According to COUNTRYAAH, Madagascar has a population of 26.26 million (2018). There were obvious tensions within the “High Transitional Authority”, as the coup government calls itself, and in February,…
Luxembourg 2010
Yearbook 2010 According to COUNTRYAAH, Luxembourg has a population of 613,894 (2019). Luxembourg’s European Commissioner Viviane Reding caused resurrection when she accused France of treating Roma as badly as Jews during World War II in unusually harsh terms. Reding threatened to bring France before the European Court of Justice for violations of rules on free…
Lithuania 2010
Lithuania in 2010 was a country on the brink of major changes. This was due, in part, to the fact that Lithuania had recently joined the European Union, and had been granted a large influx of foreign investment. The economy was growing steadily, and unemployment rates were low. The country also had a vibrant cultural…
Liechtenstein 2010
Yearbook 2010 Liechtenstein. According to COUNTRYAAH, Liechtenstein has a population of 38,378 (2019). The Principality celebrated the 20th anniversary of its membership in the UN by publishing a charity CD along with German record label Permanent Vacation, known for trendy club music. The somewhat original move was the result of a Liechtenstein UN attaché’s contacts…
Libya 2010
Yearbook 2010 According to COUNTRYAAH, Libya has a population of 6.679 million (2018). Libya ceased February 15 to issue entry visas to citizens of EU Schengen countries, including Sweden. The visa halt was introduced after Switzerland had blacklisted 188 Libyans, among them the leader Muammar al-Khadaffi and his family, who would not be allowed to…
Liberia 2010
Yearbook 2010 Liberia. In February, the state and the business community launched a joint forum to build Liberia and create jobs. Seven years after the end of the civil war, 85 percent of Liberians reported missing real jobs. According to COUNTRYAAH, Liberia has a population of 4.819 million (2018). The international steel group ArcelorMittal, which…
Lesotho 2010
Yearbook 2010 Lesotho. According to COUNTRYAAH, Lesotho has a population of 2.108 million (2018). Several reports during the year on living conditions and economic conditions gave a mostly bleak picture of Lesotho. The small kingdom, on all sides surrounded by South Africa, is becoming increasingly difficult to cope with. Unemployment has risen to over 30…
Lebanon 2010
Yearbook 2010 Lebanon. The excitement surrounding the UN-led investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri in 2005 escalated during the year. The investigation reportedly targeted his suspicions of the Syria-backed Hizbullah movement, which prompted Syria to try to pressure Rafiq al-Hariri’s son, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, to distance himself from the investigation….
Latvia 2010
Yearbook 2010 Latvia. The deep economic crisis and the severe budget cuts hampered the government’s cohesion. In March, oligarch Andris Skele withdrew his party, the People’s Party, from the coalition. However, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis continued to rule in the minority and managed to remain in office until the autumn parliamentary elections. Before the election,…
Laos 2010
Yearbook 2010 Laos. When Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith traveled to Washington in July, he became the highest-ranking representative of the Lao government to visit the United States since the Communist Party took power in the country in 1975. Thongloun Sisoulith and his US colleague Hillary Clinton signed, among other things, a civil aviation agreement. The…
Kyrgyzstan 2010
Yearbook 2010 Kyrgyzstan is a country located in Central Asia. Protests against the authoritarian regime turned bloody in April between bloody riots between opposition protesters and riot police in the capital Bishkek. Over 80 people were killed and many hundreds injured. President Kurmanbek Bakijev fled to his home districts in the south where he had…
Kuwait 2010
Yearbook 2010 Kuwait. In May, Kuwaiti security police revealed a spy cell acting on behalf of Iran. According to newspaper reports, the spies had passed on information about the Kuwaiti army and about US troops based in Kuwait to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. According to COUNTRYAAH, Kuwait has a population of 4.137 million (2018). A…
Kosovo 2010
Yearbook 2010 Kosovo. In July, the message came from the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which, at the request of Serbia, tested whether Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008 was in accordance with international law. The UN Court answered the question, which for Kosovo was a historically important success. Yet only 69 of…
Kiribati 2010
Yearbook 2010 According to softwareleverage, Kiribati and other low-lying island nations in the Pacific are not sinking as fast as scientists have previously claimed. The islands are growing instead, according to a geological study presented in the scientific journal Global and Planetary Change in June. The study, made by researchers from New Zealand and Fiji,…
Kenya 2010
In 2010, Kenya was a vibrant and diverse country, with a population of over 40 million people. It was made up of 43 ethnic groups, each with its own distinct culture and language. The official languages were English and Swahili. The majority of Kenyans were Christians, although there was also a sizable Muslim population as…
Kazakhstan 2010
Yearbook 2010 According to COUNTRYAAH, Kazakhstan has a population of 18.28 million (2018). Kazakhstan became President of the OSCE at the New Year, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The role of Kazakhstan was questioned in many Member States because of the lack of democracy and the suppression of human rights. President Nursultan…
Jordan 2010
Yearbook 2010 Jordan. The royal house strengthened its power by a new electoral law, which came into force in May, and by securing the majority of the mandate in the new parliamentary elections on November 9. The election was held after a year of direct royal rule since King Abdullah dissolved the former parliament in…
Japan 2010
In 2010, Japan was a rapidly developing country. After the economic crisis of the late 1990s, Japan had made great strides in recovering and rebuilding its economy. The government had implemented a number of reforms to stimulate growth and development. In addition to its strong industrial base, Japan’s technology sector was booming with the rise…
Jamaica 2010
Yearbook 2010 Jamaica. According to COUNTRYAAH, Jamaica has a population of 2.935 million (2018). Violent clashes broke out in Kingston in May between security forces and supporters of drug king Christopher “Dudus” Coke. Over 70 people were killed during four days of fighting, including three soldiers. The violence erupted since the authorities issued an arrest…
Ivory Coast 2010
Yearbook 2010 Ivory Coast. The whole year was a nervous march ahead of the promised presidential election in October. According to COUNTRYAAH, Ivory Coast has a population of 25.07 million (2018). President Laurent Gbagbo had already been in overtime for five years, and planned elections had been postponed six times during that time, so there…
Italy 2010
Yearbook 2010 Italy. A serious crack occurred during the year in Silvio Berlusconi’s government, and its future was uncertain. According to COUNTRYAAH, Italy has a population of 60.36 million (2019). The controversial leader’s popularity continued to decline, partly as a result of new revelations about contacts with very young women. Close employees began to criticize…
Israel 2010
Yearbook 2010 Israel. On May 31, the Israeli Navy stormed the international aid convoy “Ship to Gaza”, en route with supplies to the closed Gaza Strip, killing nine Turkish activists. On board the six ships of the convoy were hundreds of activists from 32 countries, including eleven from Sweden. When Israeli commandos, via helicopters and…
Ireland 2010
Yearbook 2010 Ireland. The crisis in the Irish banking system intensified during the year and the government had to postpone several times to keep the banks alive. The most vulnerable was Anglo Irish Bank (AIB), which in December 2008 had been taken over by the state and whose shares were now falling rapidly. This is…
Iraq 2010
Yearbook 2010 Iraq. After an over nine-month power struggle, the Iraqi Parliament approved a new government on December 21, representing all the country’s dominant political movements. The March 7 parliamentary elections resulted in an almost dead race between incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition The Rule of Law, which received 89 of 325 seats, and…
Iran 2010
Yearbook 2010 Iran. The first official executions of activists who had participated in the protests against the 2009 parliamentary elections were carried out on January 28. Mohammed Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour were hanged since being convicted of belonging to a monarchist group and being so-called enemies of God. Earlier in January, a parliamentary…
Indonesia 2010
Yearbook 2010 Indonesia. Both the government and the business community were shaken when Parliament demanded a judicial inquiry in March against Vice President Boediono and Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati. In 2008, they had approved that the state went into the equivalent of SEK 4.8 billion to save the crisis-hit Bank Century. According to…
India 2010
In 2010, India was a country of vast diversity and potential. It had a population of over 1.2 billion people and was one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Despite its rapid growth, India still faced many challenges such as poverty, illiteracy and inadequate infrastructure. The government at the time was focused on…
Iceland 2010
Yearbook 2010 Iceland. According to COUNTRYAAH, Iceland has a population of 356,991 (2019). 2010 was the year when the world learned the name of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. Eyjafjallajökull east of Reykjavík experienced several outbreaks during the spring which spread ash clouds across much of Europe and occasionally blocked air traffic in many countries, including…
Hungary 2010
In 2010, Hungary was a country located in Central Europe. It is bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, and Croatia. The population of Hungary in 2010 was around 10 million people and the official language was Hungarian. The capital city of Hungary is Budapest and it is a major cultural center in the region….
Honduras 2010
Yearbook 2010 Honduras. On January 27, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, winner of the 2009 presidential election, was sworn in as Honduras new president. According to softwareleverage, one of his first measures was to issue a general amnesty for all those involved in the military coup on June 28, 2009, when the incumbent President Manuel Zelaya was…
Haiti 2010
Yearbook 2010 Haiti. According to COUNTRYAAH, Haiti has a population of 11.12 million (2018). The year turned dramatic for poor Haiti. On January 12, the country was hit by a powerful earthquake that claimed nearly a quarter of a million people’s lives. More than 300,000 were injured and more than one million became homeless. Eight…
Guyana 2010
Yearbook 2010 Guyana. A severe drought hit Guyana during the first half of the year and threatened the sugar cane harvest so important to the country’s economy. According to softwareleverage, Guyana is the Caribbean’s largest producer of sugar for the US and European markets. In January and February, only 93 mm of rain fell to…
Guinea-Bissau 2010
Yearbook 2010 Guinea Bissau. According to COUNTRYAAH, Guinea-Bissau has a population of 1.874 million (2018). The year was marked by political tensions, with the military continuing to interfere in politics. On April 1, a group of soldiers, loyal to Deputy Army Chief António Indjai, Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior and Army Chief José Zamora Induta,…
Guinea 2010
Yearbook 2010 According to COUNTRYAAH, Guinea has a population of 12.41 million (2018). Guinea, which has been ruled by a military junta since the death of President Lansana Conté in late 2008, took several steps toward civilian rule at the beginning of the year. One week into 2010, General Sékouba Konaté invited the opposition to…
Guatemala 2010
Yearbook 2010 Guatemala. During the year, as well as its closest neighbors, the country struggled with the growing violence and rising murder rates, in Guatemala nearly 50 murders per 100,000 residents. According to COUNTRYAAH, Guatemala has a population of 17.25 million (2018). The fight against crime was not made more effective by the fact that…
Grenada 2010
Yearbook 2010 Grenada. According to COUNTRYAAH, Grenada has a population of 111,454 (2018). Prime Minister Tillman Thomas and his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Patrick Manning, signed an agreement in April on the delimitation of the sea between the two countries. The agreement, which came into force at the end of the month, would, according to…
Greenland 2010
Yearbook 2010 Greenland. The research reports on the melting Greenland ice sheet were numerous during the year. An American study in February showed that increasingly warmer seawater eats into the ice beneath the surface of the water and bursts from the Greenland ice cover. According to COUNTRYAAH, Greenland has a population of 56,025 (2018). However,…
Greece 2010
Yearbook 2010 Greece. Heavily pushed by the EU and, above all, by the euro area countries, the Greek government struggled to tackle its debt crisis and prevent the economy from falling freely. An urgent EU survey showed that the 2009 budget deficit had been underestimated and was about 15.4 percent of GDP instead of 12.7…