There were some very big stories from the world of politics ‘ some critical decisions were made within society, within the world’s largest church and there were ongoing issues with the Arab Spring: Egypt overthrew another government. Though there were many more stories than the below list, they represent the most important stories of the year.

1. A New Pope

After Benedict XVI announced his shock resignation earlier in the year on the grounds of ill health, the Catholic Church found itself with an unexpected Conclave. After next to no time the rather gentle-looking and gently-spoken Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio suddenly found himself at the head of the church. His stance immediately became about reconciliation and making up for transgressions, winning over supporters in every corner of the religious world. His shock rise to prominence led to his nomination as Time’s Person of the Year.

2. Malala Yousafzai

For many, this young girl should have been person of the year, if not a very close second. She was just 15 when she was shot in the head by a Taliban insurgent in Pakistan. The gunman stopped the school bus and asked for her by name. This he had done in revenge for her having written a blog post when aged just 11 about her experiences living under the threat of the Taliban. Even from a young age she was an activist for girls’ rights. After receiving treatment in the UK, she shot to prominence and is now a global education activist for girls and young women

3. Horsemeat Scandal

The biggest news story in the UK, and one that eventually spread to Europe and beyond, was the shocking revelation that meat sold as minced beef and lamb was actually horse. The biggest supermarket names in Europe were forced to remove thousands of tonnes of their meat from sale. In some cases, pork was found in beef products (something that clearly upset Jewish and Muslim shoppers). The investigation went on from January through to the spring, fines were levied, factories closed down and supermarkets registered a drop in sales

4. Same Sex Marriages

The big Civil Rights Issue of the year was for homosexual couples to marry in the same way as heterosexual couples. Many countries already had ‘Civil Partnership’ arrangements, as legally binding as other marriages ‘ religious or secular ‘ but still considered of lesser value for those who still wanted the conventional Marriage Certificates. Reactions were mixed and accusations of churches being ‘forced to marry gay couples’ spread like wildfire but this was seen as reactionary and untrue, especially in light of the legislative wording of the laws in each of the countries that passed it.

5. Oscar Pistorius

The darling of the Paralympics 2012, spoken of as a giant of any sport, was arrested in February 2013 and charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp though the trial is not due to begin until March 2014. It is alleged that on the night of 14th February 2013 he fired four shots through a bathroom door ‘ three of which hit Steenkamp and killed her. During an interview, Pistorius claimed in his defence that he had mistaken her for a burglar. This defence was not accepted considering the time he had taken in putting on his prosthetic legs, retrieving his weapon and carefully going to the bathroom door

6. Boston Marathon Bombings

The enjoyment of long-distance running took a twist in April when bombs were set off at the highly prestigious Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts. Five people were killed and 264 injured when two pressure cookers were rigged to detonate at the finish line. The suspects were later identified as two Chechen brothers. The FBI closed in on the suspects and in the fracas one was killed when he was run over by his brother. The second was charged in September. The two were radicalised Muslims but authorities were satisfied that they had no links to organised groups

7. Amanda Berry Escape

It is every parent’s nightmare to lose a child and not know their fate. Sometimes they come back and that is precisely what happened with Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Georgina DeJesus. When Berry escaped with her daughter, she immediately went to the Police to report that their captor ‘ Ariel Castro ‘ had held her and the two other girls hostage. Castro was charged with four counts of kidnapping and seven counts of rape. He was later convicted of over 900 crimes and was given over 1000 years in prison. British psychic Sylvia Browne came under fire as in 2004, she had told Berry’s mother that her daughter was dead ‘ Berry’s mother died in 2012.

8. Lee Rigby

The tragic murder of British soldier Lee Rigby made global news because of the brutal nature of the crime. Two radicalised Muslims followed the Fusilier off of a bus and towards his barracks in Woolwich where they apprehended him by running him over with a car. They next attacked him with sharp weapons (including a meat cleaver) until he was dead and then finally cut off his head. Afterwards they were filmed and proudly declared that they had done it because Muslims the world over were being murdered by British soldiers. Muslim groups up and down the country swiftly moved to condemn the killings

9. NSA Leaks

The US government was hit with scandal in the summer when a number of leaks of top secret documents of the National Security Agency were made public. Included in the files were details of spying programmes against enemies and allies alike. It is considered the most significant leak in history and it eventually came to light that one man ‘ Edward Snowden, a former NSA IT expert ‘ was responsible. He moved to Hong Kong but was given a one year asylum in Russia

10. Another Uprising in Egypt

Egypt seemed finally to be moving in the right direction in July when another uprising deposed Mohamed Morsi. After a year in power, the Egyptian people were unsatisfied with the progress made since attempting to create a new Constitution and system of government. Though from the Muslim Brotherhood, he claimed to have a largely secularised outlook. Following his removal, the party was again banned.

Conclusion

Triumph and tragedy, people found and people killed. 2013 was like any other year with its fair share of stories to lift the spirit and stories to wonder what unimaginable horrors might next be in store. The world changes every day, and 2013 turned out to be no exception. Not listed was a series of natural disasters and freak weather which has now become all too common in the 21st century