Top News and Newsmakers of 2014

Narendra Modi: The year 2014 truly belonged to Narendra Modi who became India's 15th Prime Minister after a decisive victory in the Lok Sabha elections held in May 2014. A four-time Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Modi steered his party to its best-ever performance on the national scale, winning 281 of 543 seats.

Amit Shah: Narendra Modi's close aide, Amit Shah was chosen BJP president after the Lok Sabha elections this year. Mr Shah emerged as the top contender to replace Rajnath Singh as BJP chief after his strategy and methods helped BJP win the national elections with flying colours. The same skills were at display in Haryana and Maharashtra elections also where BJP swept back to power.

Yogi Adityanath: The saffron-robed BJP MP from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh has been in the limelight throughout the year because of his histrionics and controversies, most notably because of his campaign against Love Jihad - a term given by rightwing groups to describe what they believe is an Islamist strategy to seduce and convert Hindu women. He has also been accused of delivering incendiary speeches in Uttar Pradesh, including those on conversions and religious riots.

Rampal: The controversial guru made news for all the wrong reasons. His Satlok ashram in Haryana's Hisar was scene of a two-week-long stand-off between police and his supporters who were opposing Rampal's arrest ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court for ignoring non-bailable warrants issued to him.

Jayalalithaa: The AIADMK chief was in the news for a slew of populist measure being implemented by her government in Tamil Nadu. But the year turned sour for Jayalalithaa when she was sentenced to four years in jail in September by a trial court in Bangalore for collecting land, gold and other assets vastly exceeding her income in a case that had dragged on for nearly two decades.

Kailash Satyarthi: A child rights activist, Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo this year. He shared his award with Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai who was shot by Taliban for standing up for the cause of education for girls. Mr Satyarthi won the prize for working against child labour.

Malala Yousafzai: The 17-year-old Pakistani teenager is the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala was given the prestigious award for standing up for the cause of girl's education despite being shot by the Taliban two years ago.

Alagiri: The elder son of DMK chief M Karunanidhi, Alagiri was expelled by the party for indiscipline in March. Mr Alagiri, 63, has over the last few years turned into a professional renegade, transacting in a protracted and clanging campaign against his younger brother, MK Stalin, who has been chosen by their father as his political successor.

Smriti Irani: Once best known for being a trend-setter in the early days of what is called the saas-bahu genre of television soap opera, Smriti Irani was made the Human Resources Development minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet. The 38-year-old young politician is a key member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's A-team and was picked by the BJP to take on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the Gandhi family bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha election.

Admiral DK Joshi: He resigned from the post of Chief of Naval Staff in February, taking moral responsibility over a series of accidents, including a fire that was reported on the Navy submarine INS Sindhuratna. Two officers were killed and seven sailors were taken seriously ill after the incident.

Ferguson Protesters: The police tactics and killing of a black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson in August sparked protests around the United States which still continue. After the grand jury acquitted the policemen in cases of shootings in Ferguson and New York - where another black teenager was killed by a policeman - thousands marched in Washington and New York to demand justice for the black men.

Ukraine crisis: The crisis began earlier this year after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, which was a part of Ukraine following a revolution in the erstwhile Soviet Republic. Russia's move was widely condemned by world powers who termed Russia's military intervention and support to rebels in Ukraine as an attack on the country's sovereignty. As a result, Russia was suspended from the G8 group of countries.

Ebola: In March 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported a major outbreak of the Ebola disease in western Africa's Guinea. The disease, caused by ebolavirus, starts as a fever and affects a patient's liver and kidneys, even leading to his death. This is the largest-ever reported outbreak of Ebola and the disease had so far killed nearly 7000 people.

MH370: The Malaysian Airlines flight, which is said to have been 'lost' over the southern Indian Ocean, remains a mystery. The search continues for the wreck of the plane, with no success yet.

MH17: Another Malaysian Airlines plan that was in the news, it was shot down over Ukraine during the height of the former Soviet republic's ongoing internal crisis.

Shinzo Abe: Despite being at the helm when Japan slid into a recession, Abe called snap polls, which were seen as a referendum on his financial policies, and returned to power. Through the year, he also ended Japan's six-decade imposition of anti-militarisation.

Xi Jinping: Xi was the face of China's ascendancy on the world stage, playing a prominent role in a number of international events. At home, he set in motion a round of 'reforms' aimed at addressing graft among government and elected officials.

Scotland Referendum: A majority of Scotland residents (55.3 per cent) voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom, overturning a movement that called for the region to split off as a separate country.

Kashmir Floods: Kashmir faced the worst floods in a century in September, rendering thousands homeless and without food just ahead of the winter and Assembly elections. People in capital Srinagar and other cities remained stranded for long periods of time, sometimes days, for help to reach them, as the Army and Air Force carried out rescue and relief operations.

Imran Khan: The cricketer-turned-politician's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, launched a massive round of anti-government protests, demanding that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif be removed on the grounds that the elections that brought him to power were rigged.

Tahir ul-Qadri: The Islamic scholar-politician's Minhaj-ul-Quran joined Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and took out huge demonstrations in a bid to pressure Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down over charges of poll rigging.

Islamic State/Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The explosive expansion of the Islamic State was one of the big stories of the year. The rapid expansion of the militant group in Iraq and Syria kept gate-crashing news cycles thanks to the number of youth travelling from across the world to fight for the self-declared Islamic caliphate. The group has named Abu al-Baghdadi as its chief who was put on the US "terrorism" watch list in October 2011, and there is a $10 million (eight million euro) bounty for his capture.

Ashraf Ghani: Mr Ghani emerged as the new President of Afghanistan following a six-month-long election season. Since taking charge, he has been faced with an increasingly tough security situation, in light of the proposed reduction of role of the US in the region.

Hosni Mubarak: The former Egyptian President flitted in and out of international attention through the year, as his trial on a myriad of charges continued, even as he suffered from health problems in prison. The court finally acquitted him of corruption and charges of conspiracy to kill in November.

Bashar al-Assad: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continued to face civil unrest against his government from rebel groups, even as he saw Islamic State militants sweep across Syrian territories. He has also been faced with action by Western powers, even as his government continued to use its might to deal with local troubles.

ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission: India became only the fourth nation to execute a successful mission to Mars, a success made even sweeter by the fact that it was the first ever county to succeed in its maiden attempt. And all this, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out, at a bill less than that of Hollywood space flick 'Gravity'.

Philae: The success of this lander marked an important step for space exploration. The lander had been launched along with the Rosetta spacecraft, which was the first to orbit a comet - the Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Ten years after its launch, the Philae lander became the first to complete a soft landing on the nucleus of a comet.

Hudhud: This massive supercyclone dealt a violent blow to the east coast of India in October, wreaking havoc on Vishakapatnam and other towns, leaving about 50 people dead and affecting 4 lakh people. In a pale silver lining to the destruction, the Indian Meteorological Department turned out the most precise prediction of the cyclone's path, trumping the forecasts of a number of premier global institutions. The prediction helped local governments take steps that helped limit the damage.

GSLV: The success of the GSLV-D5 rocket in January was met with sophomoric glee at the Launch Command Centre. ISRO had been struggling to get the GSLV for over a decade, and the success was a critical step for ISRO's future, given the fact that it had managed to master the advanced cryogenic technology with no foreign help.

Uber rape: The shocking rape of a young woman executive by the driver of an Uber cab in Delhi in December held grave repercussions across the country. Uber and other similar taxi services, which had stood as a symbol of expanding freedom for women have now come under the scanner.

Jack Ma: Jack Ma's stock rose exponentially in 2014, with the IPO of his online market place, Alibaba, which brings together consumers and Chinese manufacturers hawking their wares at well-below-retail prices. The offer made Mr Ma one of the richest Asians.

iPhone 6: The iPhone 6 was bigger than any other iPhone hitherto launched, in size, scale, hype and just about every other aspect you can think of. The much-awaited release of Apple's new flagship phone was met with massive demand, with a reported 10 million units sold in the first few days.

Phil Hughes: Australian cricketer Phil Hughes died after being struck in the head by a bouncer during a domestic match, despite the fact that he was wearing a helmet. The 25-year-old's death sent shock waves through the sporting world, and cricketing world in particular, and unleashed deep mourning.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections: Coming just months after floods threw life out of gear in the Kashmir valley, the Assembly elections have seen unprecedented voter turnouts across its different phases of polling. Even polling stations that have so far seen only single digit turnout added a second digit to their records.

BJP's Emergence in Haryana, Maharashtra: The BJP, under its new general Amit Shah, shattered all questions that had been raised over its actual appeal to voters across the country. Riding on the decisive mandate of the Lok Sabha, Shah's gamble of facing Assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana paid rich dividends, with the party raking in all-time high seat tallies and forming governments by itself.

Black Money: The black money issue rose to prominence in a big way towards the end of the year. The Congress, which had come under fire on this account, played its hand by portraying the BJP as no different from it. The BJP-led government meanwhile tempered itself, justifying the procedural approach it had decried while in opposition.

AAP/Arvind Kejriwal: After an end-of-year bonanza, the Aam Aadmi Party and its leader Arvind Kejriwal, faced a tumultuous beginning to 2014. After just 49 days of forming the Delhi government, the AAP resigned, citing deadlocks over power sharing with the Centre and unprecedented street protests by the cabinet. The move has since met with derision and discontent, especially after the party's poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections

Manohar Parrikar: From being Goa chief minister to India's Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar has been one of the headline-grabbers of 2014. Handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his Delhi assignment, Mr Parrikar is tasked with modernisation of the armed forces.

Vasundhara Raje: Ms Raje is credited with delivering a clean sweep for the BJP in Rajasthan in the national elections held this year, winning all 25 seats. She became Rajasthan chief minister for the second time last year after winning 162 of the 199 seats in the Assembly elections.

Jashodaben: Prime Minister Narendra Modi named 62-year-old reclusive school teacher Jashodaben as his wife in an election affidavit filed in April this year. She was drawn in political slugfest by Mr Modi's rivals to target him, but decades of separation did not embitter Jashodaben who prayed for her husband to become the Prime Minister. "If he comes down to the building where I am right now and tells me that I should go with him, I will immediately join him," Jashodaben said recently.

Sydney Siege: The Lindt Cafe in Sydney's central business district was site of a 16-hour-long siege in December when a gunman, identified as Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee and self-styled sheikh, took 17 hostage. The Australian police stormed the cafe, killing the attacker and freeing the hostages.

Peshawar School Attack: The Taliban attacked an Army-run school in Peshawar on December 16, killing 132 students and 16 teachers, staff members and soldiers. The attack was widely condemned worldwide and prompted schools in India to issue an advisory on how to handle terrorists.