The World in 2015: A Review of Major News Events

On January 7, an armed attack on the office of the satirical magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' and a Jewish supermarket in Paris leaves 17 dead and 22 injured. The three perpetrators of these bloody attacks, for which Al-Qaeda claims responsibility, are also killed. On January 23, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the sixth king of Saudi Arabia, dies at the age of 90 after 9 years of reign. A number of leaders and officials travel to Saudi Arabia for King Abdullah's funeral. On January 24, a rocket attack on the strategic city of 'Mariupol' in eastern Ukraine results in 30 deaths and over a hundred injuries. Ukrainian officials hold separatist rebels and the Russian army responsible for this attack, while the separatists deny their involvement. On February 11, as casualties and destruction from the war in the 'Donbas' region of eastern Ukraine increase daily between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, leaders from Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany agree on a set of measures to quell the war in eastern Ukraine during a meeting in 'Minsk'. These talks, overseen by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, are held in response to violations of the ceasefire agreement and aim to revive the Minsk Protocol. On February 27, Boris Nemtsov, a politician opposing Vladimir Putin, is shot dead in central Moscow near the Kremlin. A spokesperson for the Russian presidency condemns the assassination of Nemtsov, who was a leader of the 'People's Freedom' party and a former deputy prime minister. On March 24, a Germanwings passenger plane with 150 passengers and crew crashes in the Alps in France while en route from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. All passengers and crew are killed, and the cause of the crash is identified as the co-pilot's history of depression. On April 25, a devastating earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale strikes Nepal, leaving over 9,000 dead and more than 23,000 injured. Hundreds of thousands become homeless due to this earthquake. On May 15, the Islamic State group captures the city of Ramadi in central Iraq. The assault by ISIS involves the use of car bombs, mortars, and rocket launchers. On May 24, mostly Syrian refugees reach the Greek island of 'Chios' from Turkey by small boats. The flow of refugees from Turkey to Greece continues and expands. On June 13, flooding from the 'Vardzia' river in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, results in at least 20 deaths. During the flood, half of the zoo animals in Tbilisi die, and the other half wander the streets of the city. On June 26, an armed attack by at least two gunmen on the beach of the tourist city of 'Sousse' in Tunisia leaves at least 37 dead, including 20 foreign tourists and one of the attackers. The Islamic State group claims responsibility for this attack. On July 14, a comprehensive and final agreement on Iran's nuclear program, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is signed in Vienna between Iran, the European Union, and the P5+1 group, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany. This agreement, following the Lausanne nuclear understanding, is the result of nearly two years of formal negotiations that outline limitations on Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from international sanctions. Following the announcement of the final agreement, crowds celebrate in Tehran. On August 21, an armed attack on the high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris leaves three injured. The attacker is subdued by several passengers, one of whom is stabbed. On August 31, protests outside the Ukrainian parliament in Kyiv following a parliamentary vote to grant more autonomy to eastern regions result in one death and over a hundred injuries. A member of the Ukrainian National Guard dies from shrapnel from a grenade, and about 30 protesters are arrested. On September 2, images of the body of a 3-year-old child washed ashore shock the world and spark a wave of reactions globally. Aylan Kurdi, born in Kobani, drowns in the Mediterranean Sea along with his mother and 5-year-old brother while attempting to reach the island of 'Chios' in Greece, leaving only his father alive. On September 3, a train carrying a large number of refugees departs from the central station in Budapest but unexpectedly stops in a city near one of Hungary's camps, which has become a major entry point for refugees into Europe, instead of Vienna. Clashes occur between police and some refugees. On September 24, a crowd crush results in one of the deadliest disasters during the Hajj pilgrimage. Saudi Arabia reports 769 fatalities, while news agencies report over two thousand, marking it as the deadliest Hajj disaster. On September 28, the Taliban captures the northern Afghan city of 'Kunduz' after months of siege. Government forces retreat to the area around Kunduz airport outside the city, and after a few days, Kunduz is liberated. On September 30, Russia begins airstrikes in Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry states that its fighter jets are targeting positions of the Islamic State group in Syria. On October 10, two suicide bombings in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, leave at least 95 dead and 246 injured. The explosions occur during a 'Peace and Democracy' rally of pro-worker and Kurdish parties near the central station in Ankara, marking the deadliest attacks in Turkey's territory. On October 31, a Russian passenger plane operated by Metrojet, carrying 224 passengers and crew, disintegrates in mid-air over northern Sinai after departing from 'Sharm El Sheikh' to 'St. Petersburg'. The Islamic State group claims responsibility for the destruction of this passenger plane, which kills all on board. On November 13, a series of deadly attacks in Paris begins with an assault by three suicide bombers near the 'Stade de France' during a match between the national teams of France and Germany, followed by suicide bombings and shootings at cafes, restaurants, and a concert hall. In these attacks, 130 people are killed and 368 injured. Seven of the attackers, for whom the Islamic State group claims responsibility, are also killed. On November 24, a Russian Sukhoi fighter jet is shot down by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet, and the pilot is killed upon landing with a parachute due to gunfire from Syrian opposition Turkmen militants, while the co-pilot is later rescued. Turkey claims the fighter jet violated its airspace despite repeated warnings, while Russia asserts that its jet never left Syrian airspace.