Years from now, we’ll be reminiscing on 2015, but what will we remember?
As 2015 draws to a close, you’d be at wit’s end to hear anyone saying that it’s been a good year for the general human race. Many of this year’s major news stories dwelled upon violence, terror threats or a general sense of despair and downfalls.
Down below are the most buzzed-about news stories of 2015, which in my opinion raised issues, triggered arguments, and pushed forward conversations that lasted for days.
Charlie Hebdo — The attack in Paris
Panic struck in Paris one week into the New Year, when a group of terrorists, targeted the offices of a popular satirical newspaper. The shooters made their way into the publication’s offices, killing a maintenance man and a police bodyguard appointed to safeguard the editor after he received death threats. The terrorists progressed by killing other editorial staff. The outbreaks continued in France for two more days, taking the lives of six others, together with two police officers and four people held captive at a kosher grocery store in Paris.
November’s terrorist attack in Paris
French citizens once again went through a series of terror attacks, which struck panic in Paris on Friday, November 13. Terrorists wearing explosive vests targeted a football stadium, restaurants and a concert venue that evening, leaving a large number of people dead.
German wings plan crash
German wings Flight 9525 during a flight on March 24th, from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, showed that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit during a break and made his way by directing the cockpit of the plane toward the mountains of the French Alps, killing all 150 passengers and crew on board
“The intention was to destroy the plane,” Brice Robin, the public prosecutor of Marseille, said during an analysis.
Earthquake kills thousands and destroys several historic landmarks
On April 25th, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake hits central Nepal leaving nearly 4,000 people dead, over a thousand of injured citizens, and the damaging of thousands of structures, including the preserved Dharahara Tower and the temple complex Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The earthquake led to avalanches on Mount Everest killing at least 17 people. The earthquake affected the whole country together with other victims in Asia.
On air shooting in Virginia
Back in August 24, Vester Lee Flanagan, a former news anchor shot two of his former co-workers, Alison Parker, a reporter, and cameraman Adam Ward while they were on the air on location for a Roanoke, Virginia, TV station. Flanagan later uploaded a video on social media of the shooting, and later that day he shot himself as soon as the police confronted him.
Tianjin explosion
Tianjin, a city in China was hit by a warehouse blast, consisting of large amounts of hazardous chemicals catching fire causing an explosion, leaving over 160 people dead. The blast could have been prevented since the chemicals in the warehouse were stored illegally.
Migrant crisis overruns Europe
A large number of migrants fled from wars in Syria, Afghanistan and other countries and entered Europe. This led to stresses in services and creating tensions between EU citizens and the stream of outsiders. Many desperate refugees died whilst making their way to the Mediterranean in jam-packed boats. Such events make us remember the tragedy of the widely circulated photo of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on a beach in Turkey.
Police fatally shoot over 1,000 people in the US
The people appointed to take care of their communities end up killing someone are known as either heroes or criminals, but in this case, American police kill 3 people per day, amounting to over 1000 victims so far this year without any significant accountability for their actions.
Debt crisis in Greece
The crisis in Greece during the first part of the year was always vulnerable to unravel the Eurozone and ensue volatility in global financial markets. By mid-August, the country witnessed its third bailout plan thus easing more pressure in the country.
Celebrity Deaths
In 2015, we’ve been bound to say goodbye to Hollywood legends beforehand. Among the many actors we’ve lost during the year, top Hollywood stars are Leonard Nimoy; best known for his Emmy Award in his acting role of Mr. Spock of Star Wars, King of Blues, B.B King, Stuart Scott, an American sportscaster and anchor on ESPN, well known for his use of catchphrases and Anita Ekberg, the Italian actress, best known for her role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita.
Here’s to another year! Looking back, 2015 will definitely be a year to remember. From the ongoing wars, refugee crisis, bombing, deaths to the crisis in the world’s economy, it is high time we bid farewell to this year. Hoping that 2016 will be a better year for all.
