As in many years, Mother Nature was not kind to the human race in 2013. The deadly Typhoon Haiyan devastated the central Philippines and killed more than 6,000 people. More than 4 million people lost their homes and livelihoods. Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, forest fires, freezing temperatures and heat waves killed thousands of people and brought misery to millions across the globe.

Violence continued to haunt Syrians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Afghans, Libyans, Egyptians, South Sudanese, Malians, Central Africans and many others throughout the year.

There was sorrow and joy throughout the world. The world lost a great humanitarian with the passing of former South African president Nelson Mandela on Dec. 5. Billions of people mourned and paid homage to Madiba, the popular name for Mandela. At the same time people celebrated the life of Mandela joyfully. A Pakistani teenager, Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by Taliban terrorists, showed the world her courage and commitment in promoting female education.

Indonesia successfully hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bali despite the absence of US President Barack Obama. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping stole the show at the summit.

Meanwhile, an Argentinean was elected as the new Catholic pontiff on March 13. Time magazine declared Pope Francis as the man of the year for his popularity and innovative views, which have raised the spirits of more than 1 billion Catholics around the world.

Capsized: An aerial view shows the Costa Concordia as it lies on its side next to Giglio Island, Italy, taken from an Italian navy helicopter on Aug. 26. The crippled cruise ship was pulled completely upright after a complicated, 19-hour operation to wrench it from its side on Sept. 17. (Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi)

True courage: Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education, signs a copy of her book before an event launching her memoir, I Am Malala, at the Southbank Center in central London on Oct. 20. (Reuters/Olivia Harris)

I’ve got your back: Danielle Stephan holds boyfriend Thomas Layton as they pause between salvaging through the remains of a family member’s home a day after a tornado devastated the town Moore, Oklahoma, on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, the US, on May 21. (Reuters/Adrees Latif)

Sign of hope: A rainbow appears above Typhoon Haiyan survivors desperate to catch a flight out of Tacloban airport, the Philippines, on Nov. 15. Super Typhoon Haiyan reduced almost everything in its path to rubble when it swept ashore in the central Philippines on Nov. 8, killing at least 6,069 people, leaving 1,779 missing and 4 million either homeless or with damaged homes. (Reuters/Damir Sagolj)

Political unrest: Egyptians wave national flags as fireworks light the sky over Tahrir Square, where hundreds of thousands of opponents of Egypt’s Islamist president Mohamed Mursi celebrate in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, July 3, 2013. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Living on the edge: A Syrian police defector, Adnan al-Hamod (33) lights a kerosene lamp at an underground cave used as a shelter from Syrian government forces’ shelling and airstrikes, at Jirjanaz village, in Idlib province, Syria, on Feb. 28, 2013. (AP/Hussein Malla)

Birthday boy: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (right) plays guitar while singing along with several international leaders to celebrate the 61st birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) at the Sofitel Hotel, Nusa Dua, Bali, on Oct. 7, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting. (Courtesy of Presidential Office/Abror Rizki)

As in many years, Mother Nature was not kind to the human race in 2013. The deadly Typhoon Haiyan devastated the central Philippines and killed more than 6,000 people. More than 4 million people lost their homes and livelihoods. Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, forest fires, freezing temperatures and heat waves killed thousands of people and brought misery to millions across the globe.

Violence continued to haunt Syrians, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Afghans, Libyans, Egyptians, South Sudanese, Malians, Central Africans and many others throughout the year.

There was sorrow and joy throughout the world. The world lost a great humanitarian with the passing of former South African president Nelson Mandela on Dec. 5. Billions of people mourned and paid homage to Madiba, the popular name for Mandela. At the same time people celebrated the life of Mandela joyfully. A Pakistani teenager, Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by Taliban terrorists, showed the world her courage and commitment in promoting female education.

Indonesia successfully hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bali despite the absence of US President Barack Obama. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping stole the show at the summit.

Meanwhile, an Argentinean was elected as the new Catholic pontiff on March 13. Time magazine declared Pope Francis as the man of the year for his popularity and innovative views, which have raised the spirits of more than 1 billion Catholics around the world.

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