2017 News Map: September, month to remember

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As 2017 comes to an end, CGTN has put together a twelve-episode special series "News Map 2017,", to review the past year, month-by-month. From December 18 to 29, the review includes the stirring events, relive the touching stories, and remember the powerful faces of 2017.

Here are some of the most important headlines from September 2017.

September 3

Hurricane Irma left around 15 million people without electricity in Florida. It surged to a dangerous Category Four storm as it churned toward the Leeward Islands, sparking alarm and alerts from the Caribbean to Florida, which declared an emergency.

This image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Irma on September 4, 2017, at 2045 UTC. /VCG Photo

September 4

The BRICS Business Forum kicked-off in the Chinese city of Xiamen, with economic growth and security high on the agenda. The leaders from the BRICS countries attended the event and delivered speeches, highlighting the unprecedented attention to the role of the business community in charting a cooperative course on economic development.

About 1,200 people attended the forum, 1,069 of whom were senior executives of 630 companies from China and abroad. Among the foreign participants, who represented half of all participators, 80 came from Fortune 500 companies across the UK, the US, France and Germany, in addition to those from the BRICS countries.

The BRICS Business Forum opens in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, September 3, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

September 13

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Paris to host the 2024 Summer Games, ahead of Los Angeles that will host the games four years later. Contrary to tradition, the IOC earlier this month, simultaneously announced the host cities for two games. Paris and Los Angeles were the only competitors for 2024 after rival towns pulled their bids because of worries over cost.

Officials from Paris and Los Angeles had stressed that their cities already have more than 90 percent of the facilities they need to host, reducing the additional cost. This is the first time the Summer Olympics will be held in the US since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

The unveiling of the Olympic rings on the esplanade of Trocadero in front of the Eiffel tower after the official announcement of the attribution of the Olympic Games 2024 to the city of Paris on September 13, 2017 in Paris, France. /VCG Photo

September 19

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed more than 200 people and destroyed dozens of buildings in Mexico. The quake caused damage in the Mexican states of Puebla and Morelos and the Greater Mexico City area. More than 40 buildings were collapsed.

The quake coincidentally occurred on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which killed around 10,000 people. The 1985 quake was commemorated, and a national earthquake drill was held, at 11 a.m. local time, just two hours before the 2017 earthquake. Twelve days earlier, the even larger 2017 Chiapas earthquake struck 650 km away, off the coast of the state of Chiapas.

Police officers take part in the rescue operation to free possible victims out of the rubble after a quake rattled Mexico City on September 19, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook Mexico City on Tuesday, causing panic among the megalopolis' 20 million inhabitants on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. /VCG Photo

September 25

Iraq's Kurdish minority voted in favor of independence in a disputed poll. They announced a massive "yes" vote for independence following a referendum that has incensed Baghdad and sparked regional and international concerns.

Syrian Kurds wave the Kurdish flag, in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on September 27, 2017, during a gathering in support of the independence referendum in Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region. /VCG Photo

Iraqi Kurds cast ballots in their autonomous region and in a wide sweep of captured territories on whether to seek independence from Baghdad. This historic vote has also raised tensions and fears of instability. The referendum was non-binding, but it was seen as a stance by the Kurds to break away.