The ROYAL BABY hogged headlines in 2013, followed by a hysteria gripping mobile users who went self-clicking after ‘selfie’ became the WORD OF THE YEAR. China opened up a new phase of lunar exploration in 2013 as India launched its MARS MISSION, while ending its TELEGRAM service.

Then, CELEBRITY Angelina Jolie wrote about having a double mastectomy, POPE Benedict XVI quit his job – the first resignation in 600 years, and the U.S. Government shut down for more than a fortnight.

Also, some very significant WORLD LEADERS departed in the year gone by, notables being Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Margaret Thatcher (Britain) and Hugo Chavez (Venezuela).

In the cleanest of all games of life – the WORLD OF SPORT was rocked by cycling hero Lance Armstrong admitting that he’s a cheat, paralympian Oscar Pistorius being arrested for Valentine Day murder of his girlfriend and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth facing spot-fixing charges. The bombing of the BOSTON MARATHON would serve as another blot.

On a teary note for Indians, their cricket star Sachin Tendulkar bid farewell to the game while grandmaster Viswanathan Anand lost his crown to Magnus Carlsen, a Norwegian opponent nearly half his age. The Indian government was, however, quick to honour Sachin with country’s highest civilian award – a first for any sportsperson – the BHARAT RATNA.

In the most discussed news event of the year, a former CIA contractor Edward Snowden gave media its actual BREAKING NEWS revealing that the United States was spying on its citizens, monitoring their internet usage, phone and text messages.

In Egypt, the army removed democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi. But in India, a NEW LEADER – Arvind Kejriwal – was born during the year rising to the post of a chief minister taking on the powerful politicians of this corrupt country.

This year, the anger of the Indian people over a rape in a moving bus in India’s capital city Delhi REFUSED TO DIE even after the trial in the case ended with sentencing of the culprits who were given the death penalty.

Also convicted in 2013 were the parents of AARUSHI TALWAR having been found guilty of the double murder of their young girl and a servant. But, legally speaking, India’s Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate a ban this year on gay sex represented a step backwards for the country.

In sordid tales, people the world over continued to battle disasters that came in the form of TYPHOONS (thousands were killed and millions went homeless in Philippines), FLOODS (many thousands died in Uttarakhand), a man-made tragedy hitting a BANGLADESH factory gulping workers’ lives in plenty, a STAMPEDE at a train station during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, a CHEMICAL WEAPON attack by the Syrian government on its own people, and gunmen killing innocents at a MALL in Nairobi.

As this year-ender is pushed, seven-times Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher lies critical with head injuries after a skiing fall in the French Alps resort of Meribel.

Hope the world is praying for him and humanity in general, more so after Mikhail Kalashnikov, the creator of the famous AK-47 assault rifle, has now died.

Hopefully, the new year will change our perspectives towards life, and aren’t we ready to see a movie in 2014 on Prophet Muhammad, finally. Happy New Year! Cheers!!!