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The last vehicle to cross the border from Iraq to Kuwait was commanded by Sgt. 1st Class Hilda McNamee, far right, on December 18, 2011. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Top Five World News Events: Dec. 10 to Dec. 16

December 21, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Iraq War Brought to Official End. At a ceremony in Baghdad, U.S. officials marked the end of nine years of conflict in Iraq. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told U.S. troops that the mission had been worth the large sum of money spent, and the number of lives lost. The invasion of Iraq began on...

Firefighters stand in the debris surrounding the Office of the Prime Minister in Oslo, Norway, on Friday, July 22, 2011. The blast blew out most windows on the 17-story building, as well as those of nearby ministries. The suspect believed responsible for this bombing and a related shooting at a youth camp is unfit for trial. (Tom Hansen/Stella Pictures/Abaca Press/MCT)

Top Five World News Events: Nov. 26 to Dec. 2

December 8, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. NATO Accidentally Kills 26 Pakistani Soldiers. NATO conducted an airstrike against a Pakistani military checkpoint on Nov. 26, killing 26 Pakistani soldiers. The airstrike came after forces in Afghanistan reported taking fire from forces in Pakistan. The Pakistani government is now barring NATO from...

Protesters stand in a haze of tear gas fired by Egyptian police and paramilitary forces. (Mohannad Sabry/MCT)

Top Five World News Events: Nov. 19 to Nov. 25

November 30, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Clashes in Cairo between Police, Protesters. Protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanded that the leader of Egypt’s military council resign. Dozens of protesters were killed in clashes with police. The Egyptian military took over control of the country after the resignation of longtime leader...

Brazilian soldiers, shown here in the Mangueira slum in 2006, occupied the Rocinha slum on November 13.

Top Five World News Events: Nov. 12 to Nov. 18

November 30, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Iran Closer to Nuclear Weapons. Iran rejected a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggesting that it was close to acquiring military-grade nuclear technology. The report triggered a strong response from Western leaders, who called for harsher sanctions against Iran. Israel even...

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attends a finance vote at the parliament in Rome, Italy on November 8, 2011. Premier Silvio Berlusconi promised Tuesday to resign after parliament passes economic reforms demanded by the European Union, capping a two-decade political career that has ended with Italy on the brink of being swept into Europe's debt crisis. (Eric Vanderville/Abaca Press/MCT)

Top Five World News Events: Nov. 5 to Nov. 11

November 19, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Prime Ministers of Greece, Italy Resign Over Debt Crisis. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou resigned on Wednesday after forming a coalition government in parliament with members of opposition parties. The resignation comes a day after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced that he...

Top Five World News Events: Oct. 29 to Nov. 4

November 7, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Greece Could Undermine Eurozone Bailout. Greece announced that it planned to hold a referendum on its bailout package, offered by members of the European Union in exchange for budget cuts. The Greek Prime Minister later said that he was prepared to drop plans for a referendum, but not before French...

Top Five World News Events: Oct. 22 to Oct. 28

November 2, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Earthquake in Turkey Kills Nearly 590. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake leveled 970 buildings in eastern Turkey, killing 366 people and injuring over 4,000 others. The epicenter of the earthquake was about 12 miles from the city of Van. Rescue efforts were complicated by the scale of the damage, as well...

People celebrate in the streets, amid reports that Moammar Gadhafi's death by anti-Gadhafi forces overwhelmed his hometown of Sirte, in Tripoli, Libya, on October 20, 2011. Even before confirmation of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's death came from the nation's interim government Thursday, Libyans erupted in jubilation after early reports said he had been captured or killed. (Erhan Sevenler/AA/Abaca Press/MCT)

Top Five World News Events: Oct. 15 to Oct. 21

October 25, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Moammar Gadhafi Killed by Rebels; War in Libya Ends. The 2011 Libyan Civil War came to a dramatic conclusion on Thursday as forces opposed to the ex-leader of Libya overtook the last pro-Gadhafi city of Sirte. Moammar Gadhafi was killed after fierce fighting between National Transitional Council (NTC)...

Top Five World News Events: Oct. 8 to Oct. 14

October 19, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Iran Accused of Attempted Assassination on U.S. Soil. The Department of Justice announced on Oct. 11 that it had disrupted an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States. Manssor Arbabsiar was arrested on Sept. 29 after allegedly paying $100,000 as a down payment...

Amanda Knox at the Perugia court, Italy, Monday, October 3, 2011, for Meredith Kercher murder appeal trial. An Italian court cleared 24 year-old American Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend of murdering British student Meredith Kercher in 2007 and set them free on Monday after nearly four years in prison for a crime they always denied committing. (Fabrizio Troccoli-Photomasi/Abaca Press/MCT)

Top Five World News Events: October 1 to October 7

October 15, 2011 • Girard Bucello, Online News Editor

1. Public Sector Workers in Greece Call General Strike. Government employees called a general strike in Greece to protest budget cuts and emergency tax hikes. The austerity measures, they claim, are too severe and will harm the livelihoods of Greek workers. International organizations like the European...