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It’s in 2009 that Barack Obama becomes the first African-American president of the USA. In Scotland, it’s the Year of Homecoming, celebrating the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth and events encouraging people with Scottish roots to visit their homeland.

There is sporting success for Catriona Matthew when she wins the Women’s British Open, the first female Scot to win a major, and Scotland’s men win the World Curling Championship in Moncton, Canada.

In Westminster, a scandal erupts over MPs' expenses. After eight years in a Scottish prison, the man convicted of causing the 1988 Lockerbie bombing is released due to health issues. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s release is greeted with outrage in the USA, where many of the bombing victims came from.

A deadly strain of flu first identified in Mexico, and commonly known as 'swine flu', spreads globally. More than 18,000 people die worldwide, with 392 deaths in the UK. And Michael Jackson reveals plans for his first world tour since 1998, but shortly after his fans receive shocking news as the singer’s death is announced.