December 20, 2010. Copyright 2010, Graphic News. All rights reserved Review of the Year 2010 By Julie Mullins LONDON, December 20, Graphic News: Captions accompany graphic GN27283 January 4. The Burj Khalifa, at 825m the tallest structure ever built, was opened in a spectacular firework ceremony in Dubai 12. A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the impoverished Caribbean island of Haiti, killing over 220,000 people 26. Filmmaker James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time 27. Apple unveiled the company's latest must-have gadget, the iPad ---------------------------------------- February 11. EU leaders reached a deal to helping Greece tackle its debt crisis, later agreeing a 120 billion-euro bailout package 12. The Winter Olympics began in Vancouver, Canada, but the first day was marred when Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed in a training crash 27. A massive 8.8 earthquake and tsunami struck off the coast of central Chile, killing over 500 people ---------------------------------------- March 7. Hundreds died when inter-religious violence re-erupted in Nigeria between the mainly Muslim north and the largely Christian south. Similar clashes occurred in January 10. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim replaced Bill Gates as the world's richest person, the first non-U.S. citizen to top Forbes' list since 1994 26. An explosion, believed caused by a North Korean torpedo, sank a South Korean naval vessel in disputed waters ---------------------------------------- April 10. Polish President Lech Kaczynski was killed in an air crash in Russia along with his wife and many senior figures in government and the armed forces 14. Hundreds of flights were grounded and passengers stranded after an ash cloud spewing from an Icelandic volcano closed much of European airspace for days 20. An explosion and fire on a BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and triggered the largest ever maritime oil spill ---------------------------------------- May 6. The UK general election produced a hung parliament, resulting in Britain's first coalition government since World War II 18. Thai army troops forced the surrender of 5,000 anti-government “red shirt” protesters in Bangkok. At least 65 people had died in the two-month protest 31. Nine Turkish citizens were killed after Israeli commandos stormed a Gaza-bound aid convoy. Israel's action was widely condemned and severely strained Israel-Turkey relations ---------------------------------------- June 11. The FIFA World Cup got underway in South Africa, Spain eventually emerging victorious 24. Julia Gillard was sworn in as Australia's first female prime minister after a surprise leadership vote in the Labor Party ousted Kevin Rudd 24. At Wimbledon American John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut of France 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 70-68 in the longest match in tennis history, spanning three days ---------------------------------------- July 8. 10 Russian agents, including Anna Chapman, were deported from New York in the biggest spy swap since the Cold War 26. Former prison chief Kaing Guek Eav was Cambodia's first senior Khmer Rouge figure tried and jailed for atrocities committed during the regime 26. Plastiki, a catamaran made from recycled plastic bottles, arrived in Sydney after crossing the Pacific Ocean to raise awareness of maritime pollution ---------------------------------------- August 1-31. Extreme weather events saw a record heatwave and wildfires in Russia and deadly floods in China and Pakistan, which suffered its worst ever monsoon flooding with over 1,600 people killed, 15 million affected and more than a fifth of the country underwater 19. France began deporting thousands of Roma people, mainly from Romania and Bulgaria ---------------------------------------- September 10. Mexico's drug wars claimed multiple victims over the year, with the city of Ciudad Juarez recording as many as 25 murders in a single day 20. The cleanup of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill was completed as the well was sealed with cement. It is estimated that up to 4.9 million barrels leaked from the well, though some of this was captured in BP's rescue operation 21. Coalition fatalities in Afghanistan exceeded last year's total of 521, and topped 700 by December, making 2010 the deadliest year of the war to date ---------------------------------------- October 8. North Korea confirmed that ailing leader Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, would succeed his father 13. All 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days after a cave-in at the San Jose mine were winched safely to the surface, watched live on television by over a billion people worldwide 31. Dilma Rousseff secured victory in a run-off vote to become the first female President of Brazil ---------------------------------------- November 13. Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released after 15 years of house arrest 14. Germany's Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever Formula One World Driver's Champion 23. North Korea shelled a South Korean island, prompting a military response 28. The European Union approved an 85 billion-euro rescue deal for Ireland as the eurozone continued to struggle ---------------------------------------- December 7. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested in London days after the website began publishing confidential U.S. embassy cables 10. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in absentia to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo 14. Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi narrowly survived a no-confidence vote, sparking riots in Rome