2015 had its fair share of headline grabbing moments.

From a reclusive diva making a grand comeback to multiple terror attacks in France and the Syrian refugee crisis, these are the major news events that shook the world.

10. Cecil the lion

Cecil, a 13-year-old male African lion who had been part of an ongoing wildlife conservation study since 2008 and who was one of the star attractions at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, was killed as part of a hunt paid for by Walter Palmer, a dentist and recreational hunter from Minnesota, USA. Although Palmer’s guides had obtained a legitimate permit, they were arrested and one has been charged with “failing to prevent an unlawful hunt.” Palmer himself was not charged with a crime and returned to the USA. The killing sparked international condemnation of recreational hunting and prompted several airlines to ban the transport of hunting trophies.

9. Adele’s comeback

British songstress made the mother of all comebacks when her first single in 3 years Hello dropped on an unsuspecting audience. Hello and its accompanying video released on the same day, immediately set about breaking records from Ney York to Beirut. It has since compiled over 100 million views on YouTube within 5 days and is the second-fastest video to hit 100 million YouTube views ever.

Her third album, 25 followed shortly after, debuting at number one in more than 10 markets worldwide. 25 broke first-week sales records in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and United States; in the US, the album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week of release, marking the largest single-week sales for an album since forever.

8. US Supreme court ruling on gay marriage

“No longer may this liberty be denied… No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court wrote for the majority of his colleagues (5-to-4) in the historic decision that resolved that the constitution of the United States guarantees gay persons the right to marry.

The decision, which was the culmination of decades of litigation and activism, set off jubilation and tearful embraces across the country, the first same-sex marriages in several states, and resistance — or at least stalling — in others. It came against the backdrop of fast-moving changes in public opinion, with polls indicating that most Americans now approve of the unions.  President Obama welcomed the decision, saying it “affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts.”

7. Iran nuclear deal reached

Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached a historic accord on Tuesday to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions. The deal culminates 20 months of negotiations and is expected to usher in a new relationship between US and Iran following decades of coups, hostage-taking, terrorism and sanctions.

For the rest of the world though, Iran hoping to bring an additional 1 million barrels per day back in the coming months is expected to cause a further drop in oil prices which have remained low for the majority of 2015.

6. Greek debt crisis

It is one of the great economic tragedies, how Greece went from being one of the fastest growing economies in the Eurozone to the brink of bankruptcy in the space of about 10 years. On July 5, 2015, a large majority of Greek citizens voted to reject the bailout terms offered by the Eurogroup creditors led by Germany after 2 failed attempts. This caused indexes worldwide to tumble, as many are now uncertain about Greece’s future, fearing a potential exit from the European Union. Following the vote, Greece’s finance minister Yanis Varoufakis stepped down on July 6 and was replaced by Euclid Tsakalotos. Negotiations between Greece and other Eurozone members continued in the following days to try to procure funds from the European Central Bank in order to decide whether Greece should or should not remain a member of the Eurozone area. On July 13, after 17 hours of negotiations, Eurozone leaders reached a provisional agreement on a third bailout programme to save Greece from bankruptcy.

5. Nepal earthquakes

The April 2015 Nepal earthquake also known as the Gorkha earthquake killed over 9,000 people and injured more than 23,000. It is the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal in 80 years. While relief and rehabilitation efforts were still ongoing, a second major earthquake occurred on 12, May 2015. This earthquake occurred along the same fault as the original magnitude 7.8 earthquake of 25 April but further to the east. As such, it is considered to be an aftershock of the 25 April quake

At least 153 died in Nepal as a result of the aftershock and about 2,500 were injured. 62 others died in India, two in Bangladesh, and one in China. As part of the devastating consequences, It was reported that the survivors were preyed upon by human traffickers involved in supply of girls and women to the brothels of South Asia.

4. Charlie Hebdo shooting

The world was stunned when on 7 January 2015, two brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, forced their way into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Armed with assault rifles and other weapons, they succeeded in killing 12 people while 11 others were left injured. The gunmen identified themselves as belonging to the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, who took responsibility for the attack. A massive manhunt led to the discovery of the suspects, who exchanged fire with police and were shot dead.

On 11 January, about two million people, including more than 40 world leaders, met in Paris for a rally of national unity, and 3.7 million people joined demonstrations across France. The phrase Je suis Charlie has become a common slogan of support at the rallies and in social media.

3. The European refugee crisis

The refugee crisis in civil war torn Syria, ongoing for at least 4 years now has been a time bomb waiting to explode. The tipping point arrived this year when images of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian Kurd who drowned off the Turkish coast while attempting to flee with his Syrian family became a powerful and sobering campaign tool for the world to take action in resettling the refugees. The picture has been credited with causing a surge in donations to charities helping migrants and refugees.

In July, the UNHCR reported that the number of Syrian refugees has surged to over 4,000,000 people, mostly residing in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. On 21 September 2015, 23 European Union home affairs and interior ministers of the 28-member nations approved a plan without a consensus, compelling “member countries to take in 120,000 migrants seeking refuge on the Continent.”

2. Mecca Hajj stampede

The deadliest accident to befall the hajj pilgrimage in a quarter-century occurred this year with an estimated 717 (official Saudi figures) pilgrims from around the world killed and more than 850 injured. The stampede was the latest in a series of crises that plagued the pilgrimage this year. Two weeks earlier, a crane collapse killing more than 100 visitors, and hotel fires have injured others. The stampede occurred where many pilgrims stay in air-conditioned tents close to Jamarat, where pilgrims gather to throw pebbles at walls in a ritual that represents the stoning of the devil.

In December, the Associated Press placed the death toll at 2,411. This was based on what the agency described as its updated compilation from state news reports and official remarks from 36 of the more than 180 countries where pilgrims had travelled from. According to this update, Iran was the country that lost the most pilgrims in the stampede, listing 464 casualties. Mali lost 305 people, Nigeria lost 274, and Egypt lost 190.

1. France terror attacks

On the evening of 13 November 2015, France witnessed its deadliest attacks since  World War II when a series of coordinated terrorist attacks hit the capital, Paris and its northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Three suicide bombers struck near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, followed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafés, restaurants and a music venue in Paris. 130 people were killed including 89 at the Bataclan theatre and another 368 people were injured.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks claiming it was in retaliation for the French airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq.  In response, a state of emergency was declared and temporary border checks were introduced. France also launched the biggest airstrike as its contribution to the anti-ISIL bombing campaign, striking ISIL targets in Al-Raqqah and five days later, the suspected lead operative of the attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a police raid in Saint-Denis, along with at least two other people.