2015: A year in review

From natural disaster to international scandal and terror attacks, 2015 has plenty of memorable events.
An earthquake hit Nepal in April with a magnitude of 7.8, devastating areas in and around Kathmandu and killing more than 8,000 people.
Terror attacks rocked Paris and the world on Friday, Nov 13. Three groups of attackers armed with guns and suicide vests hit six spots in and around Paris, including a concert venue and a soccer stadium. The attackers killed 130 people and injured hundreds of others. The November attacks were also a grim reminder of what happened in January, when two gunmen forced their way into the offices of the French satirical magazine, "Charlie Hebdo," a publication which often lampooned the Muslim prophet, Mohammed.
Images of a young Syrian refugee, whose body washed ashore in Turkey, drew more eyes to the flood of refugees trying to enter Europe through whatever means they could find. Many of them Syrians fleeing the war in their country and violence at the hands of ISIS.
Russia began conducting airstrikes in Syria in September as the U.S.-led coalition has done. But tensions grew quickly as the White House accused Russia of launching strikes at non-ISIS targets including U.S.-backed rebels.
In November, Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet the Turkish government says violated its airspace, but Russia denied that claim.
A Germanwings jetliner crashed into the French Alps in March, killing all 150 people on board. Investigators believe the co-pilot intentionally crashed the plane, when the captain stepped out of the cockpit.
The head of Mexico's biggest drug cartel, "El Chapo," Joaquin Guzman, broke out of prison in July. Police say he crawled through a hole in the shower area of his cell, down to a sophisticated tunnel about 1-mile long and escaped.
FIFA's governing body faced an international investigation. The FBI charged multiple officials with racketeering and wire fraud. A Swiss probe looked into potential corruption into the bidding process for future World Cups to be hosted in Russia and Qatar.
The White House celebrated normalizing relations with Cuba and reopening the U.S. Embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 years. And helping to negotiate a historic deal with Iran to start lifting sanctions and to curb the nation's nuclear program. Although both moves were met with Republican opposition.
Meanwhile, Great Britain celebrated the birth of another heir to the throne, as the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her second child princess.