The top 10 stories of 2018 that became global talking points
The mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida
Students are led out of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14 as shooter Nikolas Cruz open-fired and killed 17 students and staff members and injured 17 others. Cruz was captured after initially escaping the scene and charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at the Joint Senate Commerce/Judiciary Hearing about the company's privacy and data policies
Facebook co-founder, chairman, CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing at the Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in April. He was called to testify about a report that stated 87 million Facebook users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica.
Soul music icon Aretha Franklin honored during her funeral by musicians and dignitaries
The casket containing the remains of Aretha Franklin being taken to her funeral service at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, Michigan, on August 31 earlier this year. 'The Queen of Soul' died at her home in August, and some of the most prominent names in the country were in attendance for her funeral.
U.S President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a landmark summit in Singapore
A South Korean crowd watches on at the Seoul Railway Station as U.S President Donald Trump shakes hands with Kim Jong-un at the historic meeting on June 12. The two met to discuss and end decades of hostility and disuss the threat of North Korea's growing nuclear programme.
Poppies are planted at the Tower of London for Remembrance Day
Visitors view the "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' installation at the Tower of London on October 30. The installation by artists Paul Cummins and Tom Piper consisted of 888,246 poppies, one for each commonwealth servicemen and women killed during the first world war.
The extraordinary story of the rescue of 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded Thailand cave
On 23 June, 12 boys went exploring in Thailand's Chiang Rai province with their football coach but and ended up trapped deep inside a cave underneath a mountain. The operation to rescue them stretched for two weeks and all of them were safely brought out. Rescue workers had to battle through heavy rain as they continued the search despite the blockage of the main entrance. The team was found alive on an elevated rock about 4 kilometers from the cave's mouth.
Rohingya refugees mark one year since the crisis that saw hundreds of thousands of them displaced from Myanmar
Rohingya women protest the first anniversary of the Rohingya crisis in Kutupalong, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Myanmar's military crackdown on the ethnic Muslim minority forced over 700,000 to flee to Bangladesh from violence and torture. The UN called it "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing."
The Russian suspects named in connection with the Salisbury Novichok poisoning
In this handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police, Salisbury Novichok poisoning suspects Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov are captured on CCTV at the Salisbury train station. The poisoning strained relations between the UK and Russia and have led to increased tensions in the region. Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in March.
The murder of Saudi Arabian journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi sparked outrage across the world
Nobel Prize winner Tawakkol Karman holds a poster of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest outside Saudi Arabia's consulate. According to a report published by the CIA, Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate on orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Space X launches the Tesla Roadster into Space with its Falcon Heavy rocket
In this handout photo provided by SpaceX, a Tesla roadster launched from the Falcon Heavy rocket with a dummy driver named 'Starman' heads towards Mars. The next Falcon Heavy launch is scheduled for early 2019.