Time's top ten news stories of 2011

The Arab Spring Blooms in Tunisia and Egypt: The spectacle of Tunisians ousting their long-ruling President, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, gave courage to myriad Egyptian dissident groups. A huge mass movement finally led to Hosni Muburak's oustal. Mr Mubarak, who served longer than any ruler in modern Egypt's history, was overthrown in a popular revolution in February.

The Killing of Osama bin Laden: The mastermind behind the deadly 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden was killed by United States Navy Seals on May 2, 2011, He was shot and killed inside a private residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in a covert operation ordered by US President Barack Obama.

Japan's Triple Disaster: An earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale and the associated tsunami devastated Japan's north-eastern region Tohuku. The tsunami overwhelmed the limited seawall around the Fukushima nuclear plant, knocking out all its power supplies and triggering a massive nuclear crisis

Europe's Financial Crisis: Not in decades has Europe so gripped investors the way it did this year. The state of the US economy, normally the focus of global markets, has become almost an afterthought.

The Fall of Gaddafi: Muammar Gaddafi's four-decade-long dictatorial rule in Libya ended this year. The dictator was killed as fighters battling the vestiges of his fallen regime wrested control of his hometown of Sirte after a prolonged struggle. The report of Colonel Gaddafi's death put an end to the fierce manhunt for the former leader who remained on the lam in Libya for weeks after the fall of his government.

The Arab Spring in the Weeds: After a successful protest in Egypt, similar uprisings took place in Syria and Yemen. However, they still haven't got much success. The upheavals of 2011 unraveled that status quo in spasms of violence.

Famine in the Horn of Africa: The worst drought in 60 years deepened the evergrowing crisis in Africa this year. The United Nations declared much of southern Somalia to be in a state of famine, which meant over 30 per cent of the local population faces acute malnutrition. Thousands of starving Somalis fled to refugee camps on the Kenyan border at a rate of more than 1,000 a day.

The Utoya Massacre: Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian shot dead 85 young men amd women at a youth camp, sending the nation into national mourning. The killer set off a massive car bomb in the centre of Oslo's political district, killing seven people. He then drove to the island of Utoya where he continued his rampage.

Dream of Palestinian Statehood Deferred: Leaders of the Palestinian Authority this year chose to appeal directly to the United Nations in their pursuit of statehood.

Anna Hazare's Hunger Fasts Rock India: India's anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, in the perfect Gandhian way, forced the government to work towards a strong Jan Lokpal Bill, aimed to curb corruption. Mr Hazare fasted for 12 days that saw massive public support.