Japan earthquake and nuclear disaster
The past year was notable for the number, and scale, of natural disasters which struck different regions. Perhaps most shocking was the 9.0-magnitude earthquake which hit northeast Japan on March 11. The quake and the tsunami it triggered killed at least 15,000 people and left more than 90,000 homeless. Later, news of radiation leaks at a nuclear plant in Fukushima stunned the world. The nuclear disaster was believed to be the most serious such incident since 1986 and forced governments around the world to review their nuclear power policies.
Full coverage:
• 9.0 magnitude earthquake rocks Japan