Syrians gather at the site of an explosion in Damascus on November 5 (XINHUA/AFP)

Lasting Turmoil in the Middle East

As fighting between Syrian authorities and opposition forces escalated, UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous declared in June that the country is in a state of civil war, the first time for a UN official to formally voice that view. Countries that have undergone political transitions such as Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Libya continued to suffer economic slowdown and social instability.

The chronic conflict between Israelis and Palestinians also flared up. Israel conducted fierce airstrikes on Gaza in November, shortly before the UN granted an upgrade of Palestine's status from an "entity" to a "non-member state," an implicit and symbolic recognition of Palestine's statehood at the UN.

Pakistani protesters in Lahore on September 21 topple a cargo container placed by police to block a street during a demonstration against a U.S.-made anti-Islam movie (XINHUA/AFP)

Muslims' Outrage Against U.S. Film

A U.S.-made movie trailer insulting Prophet Muhammad sparked massive protests across the Islamic world in September. In Libya, protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on September 11, killing U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other American diplomats.

The Fifth Ministerial Conference for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation opens in Beijing on July 19 (WANG YE)

New Impetus to China-Africa Ties

The Chinese Government announced new measures to promote cooperation with Africa at the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing on July 19-20. These include providing a $20 billion credit line to African countries and sponsoring 100 research and exchange programs with Chinese and African academic institutions and scholars over the next three years.

The rover Curiosity moves across the Martian landscape on October 31 (CFP)

Mars Touchdown

U.S. rover Curiosity landed on Mars on August 6 after an eight-month journey from Earth. The car-sized vehicle, the first full-fledged mobile science laboratory ever sent to a distant world, is on a two-year mission in search of evidence for habitable environments on the Red Planet.