2015: TERROR IN PARIS
Terror attacks in Paris served as grim bookends to the year, with a deadly assault in January at the headquarters of the Charlie Hebdo journal and a November massacre that killed 130. Other top stories of 2015 include the immigrant crisis in Europe and the Iran nuclear deal. Here’s a look back:
France attacks
Attackers unleashed a coordinated wave of explosions and gunfire in Paris on Nov. 13 that left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded. The attacks, for which Islamic State claimed responsibility, targeted people enjoying a Friday night out in spots including a packed concert hall. France declared a state of emergency and secured its borders as the hunt for assailants stretched into Belgium. Suspected mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian of Moroccan descent, was killed during a police raid in a Paris suburb Nov. 18. The hunt for additional suspects continued at year’s end. The global outpouring of grief was reminiscent of what followed the Jan. 7 assault on the Paris offices of satirical journal Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people were killed. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility, saying the attack was revenge for Charlie Hebdo’s depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.
Migrant surge
Pushed out of their homelands by war, terror and poverty, migrants and refugees poured into Europe, which saw the continent’s greatest immigration crisis since World War II. Hundreds of thousands of people fled the Middle East and Africa, with the raging conflict in Syria one of the biggest reasons behind the surge. European leaders clashed over how to handle the influx and shore up borders. Images of families huddled at camps, packed into trains or clinging to boats were seared into consciences worldwide. The U.S. has vowed to take in at least 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. But political leaders in a majority of states have balked after authorities said at least one assailant in the November Paris attacks entered Europe as part of the Syrian refugee wave. Federal officials say states do not have authority to block such resettlements, prompting court battles.
Syria, Russia
In late summer Moscow escalated its military engagement in Syria’s civil war and by late September Russian warplanes had begun airstrikes and established a Syrian air base. The U.S. military says Russian strikes mostly target opposition rebels instead of the Islamic State group. But Islamic State claimed it downed a Russian airliner carrying 224 people in October in retaliation for Moscow’s air campaign against the group. Also, Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November on grounds it had violated Turkey’s airspace. Two Russian airmen were killed.
Iran deal
The United States and five other world powers sealed a sweeping accord with Iran in July. The goal was to curb Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for easing of oil and economic sanctions. The deal went into effect in October. Republicans in Congress tried to derail the pact, warning it would empower Iran. Also sounding the alarm was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pushed his case in a March speech to Congress arranged by House Speaker John Boehner without White House approval. Relations between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama plunged this year. The leaders met in Washington in November to try to move past their break over the pact. Meanwhile, key questions about implementation of the deal remained at year’s end.
Climate pact
Alpine crash
unanswered
Nearly 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate change on Dec. 12, pledging to limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning at some point between 2050 and 2100. However, the deal, dubbed the “Paris agreement,” imposed no sanctions on countries that don’t reach that goal.
China baby policy
China in late October said it would allow married couples to have two children, an announcement that came decades after the nation halted population growth by adopting a one-child policy. Though China remains the world’s most populous country, with 1.3 billion people, the move was made as Beijing confronts slowing growth and a rapidly aging society.
A Germanwings plane heading from Spain to Germany crashed in March, killing all 150 people on board. Prosecutors believe co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed the jet in the French Alps.
Martian water
Scientists using observations from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter said in September that they found powerful evidence that briny water routinely flows on the Martian surface. Experts said the revelation strengthens the potential for life on Mars. — Tribune Newspapers and news services