In the News
In the Charts

Singles
One Hit Wonders
Albums

At the Movies
On Stage
On Television
Sporting Heroes
Page-turners
Top Tweets
Who said that?

On 1st January Latvia becomes the 18th state to join the eurozone.
On the same day - dubbed 'Green Wednesday' - Colorado becomes the first place in the Western world to allow the licensed sale of cannabis.
52 travellers on an expedition across Antarctica are rescued from the ice-bound Russian research vessel Akademik Shokalskiy on 2nd January, having been trapped on board since 24th December.
Phil Everly, one of The Everly Brothers, dies on Friday, 3rd January, aged 74.
Portugal's footballing hero Eusébio dies on 5th January, aged 71.
On 8th January the former Aston Villa, West Ham and Everton midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger reveals in an interview with Die Zeit that he is gay.
On the same day The Sun carries the headline 'Hell freezes over', as the newspaper reports on the Arctic weather affecting Canada and the USA, including the small town of Hell, Michigan where temperatures had dropped to -17°C (1°F).
On Friday, 10th January Closer magazine publishes a scoop alleging that the President of France François Hollande had been having an affair with the actress Julie Gayet. On 25th January the President confirms his separation from his partner Valerie Trierweiler.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dies on 11th January, aged 85, after spending eight years in a coma following a stroke.
English actor Roger Lloyd Pack, best known for his roles as Trigger in Only Fools And Horses and Owen Newitt in The Vicar Of Dibley, dies of pancreatic cancer on 15th January, aged 69.
Violence erupts in Kiev on Sunday, 19th January as tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators gather in defiance of new curbs on public protests. On 28th January, amidst ongoing unrest, the Ukrainian parliament votes overwhelmingly to annul the controversial legislation.
On Tuesday, 21st January, the day before peace talks begin in Switzerland, a report by three former war crimes prosecutors is published providing "clear evidence" that agents of the Syrian government had systematically tortured and executed about 11,000 detainees. The peace talks break down on 15th February.
On the same day the Thai government announces the imposition of a 60-day state of emergency in the capital, Bangkok, and the surrounding provinces. It comes into force on Wednesday, 22nd January. A general election called for 2nd February is subsequently ruled invalid by Thailand's Constitutional Court.
US folk singer Pete Seeger dies on 27th January, aged 94.
On 31st January a court in Italy reinstates the guilty verdicts against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of UK student Meredith Kercher in 2007.
The rainfall measured at Oxford's Radcliffe Observatory reveals that January was England's wettest Winter month since daily recording began there in 1767. Met Office data shows that the region stretching from Devon to Kent and up into the Midlands suffered its wettest January since its records began in 1910.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2005 for his role in the film Capote, is found dead on the bathroom floor of his New York apartment on 2nd February. He was 46.
On 4th February, as high tides and stormy seas batter the south-east coast, the railway line at Dawlish collapses into the sea, severing the rail link from Devon and Cornwall to the rest of England. The line re-opens on 4th April.
From 9.30pm on the same night members of the RMT and TSSA unions start a 48-hour strike over Transport for London's proposals to cut jobs and shut ticket offices. A second planned 48-hour strike is suspended after unions reach a deal with London Underground.
On 6th February Coronation Street actor William Roache is found not guilty of rape and indecent assault by a jury at Preston Crown Court.
On the same day PC Keith Wallis, the Metropolitan Police officer who admitted that he had lied about witnessing the "plebgate" incident in Downing Street involving MP Andrew Mitchell, is sentenced to 12 months in prison.
On 9th February Swiss voters narrowly back a referendum proposal to bring back strict quotas for immigration from European Union countries.
Former Hollywood child star Shirley Temple dies on Monday, 10th February at the age of 85.
On the same day UK MPs vote by 376 votes to 107 in favour of a ban on smoking in cars carrying children.
On 11th February the Official Charts Company announces that Queen's Greatest Hits had become the first album to sell 6 million copies in the UK.
US comedian Sid Caesar dies on 12th February at the age of 91.
On 13th February DJ Dave Lee Travis is found not guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault by a jury at Southwark Crown Court, with jurors unable to reach verdicts on two other charges.
Former Preston North End and England winger Sir Tom Finney dies on 14th February at the age of 91.
On 17th February the co-pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300 flying from Addis Ababa to Rome hijacks the aircraft and lands in Geneva to seek asylum.
On 22nd February, after four days of violence in Kiev's Independence Square, which left 88 people dead, MPs vote to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from office. Later the same day the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is freed from prison.
The former Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, is sworn in as Italy's prime minister on 22nd February. At 39 he is the youngest prime minister in the country's history.
On Monday, 24th February Egypt's interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi unexpectedly announces the resignation of his government.
On the same day Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signs an anti-gay bill, introducing life sentences for gay sex and same-sex marriage.
On Tuesday, 25th February a ruling at the High Court in London determines that John Downey, who had been accused of murdering four members of the Household Cavalry in 1982, can not be prosecuted because he had received a letter from the Northern Ireland Office in 2007 guaranteeing that he would not be taken to court.
On 26th February Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale are sentenced for the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby. Adebolajo is given a whole-life term; Adebowale is jailed for a minimum of 45 years.

12 Years A Slave wins the Oscar for Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards ceremony on 2nd March.
Saadi Gaddafi, one of Colonel Gaddafi's seven sons, who fled Libya after his father was killed in the 2011 revolution, is extradited from Niger on 6th March. Niger had previously refused Libyan requests to extradite him on the grounds that he was "certain to face the death penalty".
A review of the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation published on 6th March reveals that a Metropolitan Police officer spied on the Lawrence family. Home Secretary Theresa May orders a public enquiry "to get at the full truth".
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 (Flight MH370) en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing vanishes over the South China Sea, south of Vietnam, at 1.30am on Saturday, 8th March (16.41 GMT on Friday).
Michelle Bachelet is sworn in as Chile's president on Tuesday, 11th March. She is the first Chilean president in over half a century to return for a second term.
The General secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union, Bob Crow, dies of a heart attack on 11th March, aged 52.
Tony Benn, the Labour MP and former Cabinet minister who retired from Parliament in 2001 to "spend more time on politics", dies on Friday, 14th March, aged 88.
TV chef Clarissa Dickson Wright who found fame as one of the Two Fat Ladies dies on Saturday, 15th March, aged 66.
On 17th March, the day after a controversial referendum had asked voters in Crimea to choose between joining Russia or having greater autonomy within Ukraine, Crimea's parliament declares the region's independence and formally applies to join Russia.
On the same day the US fashion designer L'Wren Scott - also the girlfriend of Sir Mick Jagger - is found dead in her New York apartment.
A car ban is imposed in Paris on 17th March after air pollution had exceeded safe levels for five days in succession. Only motorists with odd-numbered number plates were allowed to drive; the following day only those with even-numbered plates were allowed to drive.
Twitter is blocked in Turkey just before midnight on Thursday, 20th March after the network had been used to share and spread allegations of corruption against the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and members of his family. The next day the Prime Minister vows to "wipe out Twitter".
The town of Oso, north of Seattle, is buried by a massive mudslide on 22nd March.
Just after midnight on Saturday, 29th March the first same-sex marriages are held in Britain.
Kate O'Mara, best known for her roles in Dynasty, Doctor Who, Howards' Way and Triangle, dies on Sunday, 30th March, aged 74.
The French President François Hollande names Manuel Valls as the new Prime Minister of France on Monday, 31st March, a day after his Socialist party had suffered big election losses.

On Wednesday, 2nd April a magnitude-7.6 earthquake rocks northern Chile, a day after an 8.2 tremor killed six people.
On the same day a US soldier, Ivan Lopez, shoots dead three colleagues and injures 16 others before killing himself at the Fort Hood army base in Texas.
Mickey Rooney dies on Sunday, 6th April, aged 93.
Peaches Geldorf, the second daughter of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates, dies of a heroin overdose on 7th April, aged 25.
Maria Miller quits her cabinet post as Culture Secretary on 9th April following criticism over her expenses claims.
Novelist Sue Townsend, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series, dies on 10th April, aged 68.
On 14th April 276 girls are abducted from their school in Chibok, northern Nigeria, by members of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
A ferry carrying 459 people capsizes and sinks off the coast of South Korea on Wednesday, 16th April.
The Colombian-born author and journalist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, dies on 17th Aoril, aged 87.
On Sunday, 27th April, at a Mass in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis declares Popes John Paul II and John XXIII saints.
Ann Maguire, a teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, dies from multiple stab wounds on Monday, 28th April, after being attacked by a student in a classroom. Will Cornick, who admits murdering her, is given a life sentence at Leeds Crown Court on 3rd November.
Actor Bob Hoskins, best known for his roles in films such as The Long Good Friday, Mermaids, Mona Lisa and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, dies of pneumonia on Tuesday, 29th April at the age of 71.

Celebrity publicist Max Clifford is jailed for eight years on Friday, 2nd May for indecently assaulting teenage girls in the 1970s and '80s.
On the same day barrister and part-time judge Constance Briscoe is given a 16-month sentence at the Old Bailey for lying to police over ex-cabinet minister Chris Huhne's speeding case.
Former British number one tennis player Elena Baltacha dies of liver cancer on Sunday, 4th May, aged 30.
On 6th May Baljit Ubhey, the Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS London, announces that Freddie Starr will not be prosecuted over sex offence allegations made against him by 13 people.
On Saturday, 10th May drag act Conchita Wurst wins the 59th Eurovision Song Contest for Austria in Copenhagen with the song Rise Like A Phoenix. The UK entry, Children Of The Universe by Molly, finishes in 17th place.
On 13th May an explosion sparked by faulty electrical equipment causes the death of 301 miners at a coal mine in Soma, Turkey. The following day thousands take to the streets of Istanbul to protest at Turkey's poor record on mine safety
Stephen Sutton, who raised more than £3.2m for the Teenage Cancer Trust via social media, dies on 14th May, aged 19.
Three-time Formula 1 world champion Sir Jack Brabham, who won the championship in 1959, 1960 and 1966, dies on 19th May, aged 88.
On the same day the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza, who was extradited from the UK to the US in 2012, is found guilty of supporting terrorism by a jury in a Manhattan federal court. He is sentenced on 9th September.
The Thai army imposes martial law at 3.00am on Tuesday, 20th May to "restore peace and order" after six months of unrest.
On Wednesday, 21st May Egypt's ousted President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to three years in prison after he and his two sons are found guilty of embezzlement.
Two Israeli tourists and a French volunteer are killed on 24th May when a gunman opens fire at the Jewish museum in the Belgian capital Brussels. A museum employee, who was badly wounded in the attack, dies of his injuries on Friday, 6th June.
Narendra Modi is sworn in as India's 15th prime minister on Monday, 26th May, following the landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the general election.
Maya Angelou, who made her name with the memoir I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, dies on 28th May, aged 86.
The Ben Elton / Queen musical We Will Rock You closes on 31st May after 4,659 performances at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End. The original production had opened on 14th May 2002.

On Monday, 2nd June King Juan Carlos of Spain announces his intention to abdicate. His son Felipe is proclaimed as the new king of Spain on 19th June.
The Taliban attack a terminal at Jinnah international Airport in Karachi on 8th June. Security forces battle with the militants for at least six hours, resulting in the death of least 28 people, including all 10 attackers.
On 9th June Rustam Makhmudov and his uncle Lom-Ali Gaitukayev are given life sentences by a Moscow court for the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya on 7th October 2006.
Rik Mayall, one of the pioneers of alternative comedy in the early 1980s, who appeared in the cult TV sitcoms The Young Ones (1982–84), The New Statesman (1987–94) and Bottom (1991–95), dies on 9th June, aged 56.
Armed militia from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) take control of Iraq's second city, Mosul, on Tuesday, 11th June. As many as 500,000 people flee the city.
On Tuesday, 17th June the British Foreign Secretary William Hague announces that the UK would re-open its embassy in Iran "within months".
Patsy Byrne, best known for her role as Nursie in Blackadder, dies on 17th June, aged 80.
Songwriter Gerry Goffin, who wrote the lyrics to hits such as The Loco-Motion, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and Saving All My Love For You, dies on 19th June, aged 75.
On 23rd June Opera Australia terminates its contract with soprano Tamar Iveri due to anti-gay comments posted on her Facebook page. She had been due to play Desdemona in Otello.
On the same day a court in Cairo finds three al-Jazeera journalists, Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed, guilty of spreading false news and of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood. They are each jailed for seven years. Eleven defendants tried in absentia are given 10-year sentences.
Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor and David Cameron's former director of communications, is found guilty on 24th June of conspiracy to hack phones; he is jailed for 18 months but released after serving less than five. Rebekah Brooks, editor of the News of the World from 2000 to 2003, when the illegal phone hacking was carried out by the newspaper, is cleared of all charges.
On 26th June the radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada is found not guilty of terrorism offences by a court in Jordan. He is released from prison on 24th September after a panel of civilian judges rule that there is "insufficient evidence" to convict him of another alleged plot aimed at the Millennium celebrations in 2000.
Bobby Womack, who wrote and originally recorded The Rolling Stones' first UK number 1 It's All Over Now, dies on Friday, 27th June, aged 70.
On the same day EU leaders vote to nominate Jean-Claude Juncker as the next European Commission president. Only the British and Hungarian prime ministers, David Cameron and Viktor Orban, vote against him.
Dolly Parton appears at the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, 29th June.
On 30th June Rolf Harris is convicted on 12 charges of indecent assault. He is sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in prison.
On the same day the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, who had been kidnapped in the West Bank on 12th June, are discovered in a shallow grave near Hebron.

The UK's weekly singles chart announced on Sunday, 6th July is the first to include streams from services like Deezer, Napster and Spotify, with 100 streams of a song counting as the equivalent to one single purchased.
Alfredo Di Stéfano dies on 7th July at the age of 88. Nicknamed "Saeta rubia" ("blonde arrow"), he played for Real Madrid during the 1950s when the club won the European Champions' Cup five times.
On 8th July Israeli military forces launch Operation “Protective Edge”, attacking Gaza with the declared objective of stopping Hamas firing rockets at Israel.
In an interview with Michael Parkinson broadcast on Australia's Channel Ten on Sunday, 13th July, swimmer Ian Thorpe reveals that he is gay.
On 14th July, just seven days after her appointment, Baroness Butler-Sloss steps down as the head of an inquiry into historical child abuse after coming under pressure to quit from MPs and abuse victims.
On the same day it is announced that William Hague is to stand down as the UK's Foreign Secretary, as part of a cabinet reshuffle. He is replaced by Philip Hammond.
At the General Synod in York the Church of England votes in favour of allowing women to be appointed as bishops.
21 people are killed and 162 injured in a train crash on the Moscow metro on 15th July.
On Wednesday, 16th July the Australian Senate votes by 39 to 32 votes to repeal the carbon tax introduced by the previous Labor government.
On 17th July a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER (Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur) crashes in eastern Ukraine, close to the border with Russia, killing all 298 people on board.
The Broadway actor and TV star Elaine Stritch dies on 17th July, aged 89.
Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in southern China on 19th July, having wreaked havoc earlier in the week in the Philippines, where it claimed the lives of at least 77 people.
On the same day gunmen kill at least 20 soldiers at a checkpoint in western Egypt near the borders with Libya and Sudan.
James Garner, star of The Rockford Files, dies on 19th July, aged 86.
The trial of former N-Dubz singer and X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos is halted on 21st July. Judge Alistair McCreath discharges the jury after saying he had grave misgivings about the evidence given by the undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood. In another court case Tulisa is found guilty of assaulting the celebrity blogger Savvas Morgan at the V Festival in Chelmsford, Essex, in August 2013.
Dora Bryan, who won a best actress BAFTA for her role in the film A Taste Of Honey, dies on 23rd July, aged 91.
A McDonnell Douglas MD-83 chartered by Air Algerie from the Spanish airline Swiftair (Flight AH 5017 flying from Burkina Faso to Algiers) crashes in Mali on 24th July. All 110 passengers and six crew on board are killed.
The pier at Eastbourne is severely damaged by fire on Wednesday, 30th July.
The President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, declares a public health emergency on 31st July in response to an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. The President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf follows suit on 7th August.
Kenny Ireland, who played Donald Stewart in the TV comedy Benidorm, dies from cancer on 31st July, aged 68.

Former Radio 1 DJ Mike Smith dies in hospital on 1st August, aged 59, from complications following major heart surgery.
On 5th August the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry visit the 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red' installation at the Tower of London, created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins and theatre designer Tom Piper. They each "plant" a ceramic poppy to mark the centenary of World War One.
On 7th August Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announces a total embargo on food imports from Western countries in response to sanctions over Ukraine.
On the same day two top Khmer Rouge leaders, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, are jailed for life after being convicted by Cambodia's UN-backed tribunal of crimes against humanity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declares an international health emergency on 8th August over the spread of Ebola in West Africa.
On the same day the US President Barack Obama authorises air strikes in Iraq against Islamic State militants, formerly known as Isis.
On 9th August an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, is shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, sparking days of angry clashes between police and protesters.
The outgoing Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins the country's first direct presidential election held on Sunday, 10th August.
Robin Williams, star of the TV series Mork & Mindy and of films such as Awakenings, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting and Mrs. Doubtfire, is found dead at his home in Tiburon, California on Monday, 11th August.
Lauren Bacall, who made her screen début at the age of 19 in the 1944 film To Have and Have Not, dies at her home in New York on 12th August after suffering a stroke. She was 89.
Police search the home of Sir Cliff Richard in Sunningdale, Berkshire on 14th August as part of an investigation into an alleged historical sexual offence.
On Saturday, 17th August 35 people - one of whom had died - are discovered inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks.
On the same day Pope Francis celebrates a large open-air Mass in Seoul to beatify 124 of South Korea's first Catholics.
On Tuesday, 19th August a video is posted online by the Islamic State (IS) depicting the beheading of the kidnapped US photo-journalist James Foley.
Armed militia capture Tripoli's international Airport on 24th August after a battle lasting nearly a month.
Actor and film director Sir Richard Attenborough dies on Sunday, 24th August, aged 90.
A report commissioned by Rotherham Council is published on Tuesday, 26th August. It reveals that between 1997 and 2013 at least 1,400 children in the town had been sexually exploited by gangs of men predominantly of Asian heritage.
Kate Bush appears in concert for the first time in 35 years on 26th August, returning to the Hammersmith Apollo, where she had performed her last live show in 1979.

An Islamic State video appears on the internet on 2nd September which shows the beheading of Steven Sotloff, a US journalist who was abducted in Syria in 2013.
The parents of a five-year-old brain tumour patient, Ashya King, are released from prison in Spain on 2nd September after UK prosecutors withdraw a European arrest warrant. Brett King and Naghemeh King had taken their son from Southampton General Hospital on 28th August after disagreeing with doctors about his treatment. On 5th September the High Court grants them permission to take him to Prague for proton therapy treatment.
Joan Rivers dies at Mount Sinai Hospital in East Harlem on 4th September, aged 81.
53 dogs are killed in a fire at the Manchester Dogs' Home in Moss Brook Road in Harpurhey on Thursday, 11th September. Readers of the Manchester Evening News respond by donating £1m in less than 24 hours.
Theatre, film and TV actor Sir Donald Sinden dies on 11th September, aged 90.
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is found guilty of culpable homicide on 12th September over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. On 21st October he is sentenced to five years in prison.
Former First Minister and Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley dies on 12th September, aged 88.
A video depicting the beheading of British aid worker David Haines is released on the internet by the Islamic State on 13th September.
Angus Lennie, best known for his role as Shughie McFee in the long-running television soap opera Crossroads, dies on 14th September, aged 84.
Ukrainian MPs adopt a law on 16th September granting self-rule to rebel-controlled regions in the east and an amnesty for rebel fighters.
South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright resigns on the same day over the Rotherham child abuse scandal.
On 18th September chief executive Peter Dawson announces that the Royal and Ancient Golf Club had voted to accept women members for the first time in its 260-year history.
On the same day a grandfather, Don Charles Spirit, shoots dead his daughter and her six children before taking his own life at his home in Bell, Florida.
The referendum on Scottish independence held on 18th September ends in victory for the 'Better Together' campaign. In response to the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?", 55.3% voted no, 44.7% yes. On 19th September Alex Salmond announces his resignation as First Minister and SNP leader.
Thousands of Russians march through Moscow on 21st September to protest against Russia's involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
On 23rd September Tesco admits that it had overstated its guidance for half-year profits by £250m.
India launches the Mangalyaan robotic probe on 24th September, becoming the fourth nation to put a satellite into orbit around Mars.
Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis is given a suspended sentence of three months on 26th September, having been found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court of indecently assaulting a researcher working on The Mrs. Merton Show in 1995.
On 27th September the president of the Spanish region of Catalonia, Artur Mas, signs a decree for a referendum on independence, despite the opposition of the Spanish government.

Singer and songwriter Lynsey de Paul dies unexpectedly of a brain haemorrhage on 1st October at the age of 64.
British teacher David Bolam is freed on 2nd October, having been held hostage by militants in Libya since May.
A video showing the beheading of another British hostage is released by Islamic State jihadists on Friday, 3rd October. The murdered man, Alan Henning, was a taxi driver from Salford who had been kidnapped in December 2013 while delivering aid supplies to victims of the civil war in Syria.
Ray Cole, a 69-year-old British man who was arrested in Morocco after police found "homosexual images" on his mobile phone, is freed on 7th October after spending for 20 days in jail.
Douglas Carswell, who defected from the Conservatives, wins the by-election held in Clacton on 9th October to become the UK Independence Party's first elected MP.
On 10th October it is announced that Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani child education activist, and Kailash Satyarthi, the Indian child rights campaigner, are to be jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. They receive their awards in a ceremony in Oslo on 10th December.
At least 41 people are killed when a blizzard and avalanches sweeps across the mountains of the Annapurna region in northern Nepal.
Actress Lynda Bellingham, who had been diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2013, dies on Sunday, 19th October, aged 66.
Reggae singer John Holt, who wrote and recorded the original version of Blondie's number 1 hit The Tide Is High, also dies on 19th October, aged 67.
The US fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, who had fought a decade-long battle with cancer, dies on 20th October, aged 82.
On 22nd October a lone gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shoots and kills a soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. After hijacking a car, he then runs into the Canadian parliament building where he is shot dead by Kevin Vickers, the legislature's Sergeant-at-Arms.
Alvin Stardust (real name Bernard William Jewry), whose career started under the stage name Shane Fenton, dies on Thursday, 23rd October, aged 72, after being diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.
Google executive Alan Eustace breaks the world altitude record for a parachute jump, jumping from an altitude of 135,890 feet on Friday, 24th October.
A three-month state of emergency is declared in parts of the Sinai Peninsula after 31 Egyptian soldiers are killed in two attacks by jihadists on 24th October.
On the same day torrential rain and flash floods cause chaos in Athens.
Senzo Meyiwa, the captain and goalkeeper of South Africa's national football team, dies on 26th October after being shot by intruders at his girlfriend's home in Vosloorus, south of Johannesburg.
On the same day Dilma Rousseff is re-elected as the President of Brazil.
Four members of the same family - Jitendra Lad, his wife Daksha, and their daughters Trisha and Nisha - are found dead at their home in Bradford on Monday, 27th October.
The President of Zambia, Michael Sata, dies in London's King Edward VII hospital on Tuesday, 28th October, aged 77.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook publicly acknowledges his sexuality on 30th October, saying that he is "proud to be gay".
Fiona Woolf, who had replaced Baroness Butler-Sloss as the head of an inquiry into historic child sex abuse, steps down on 31st October following complaints from victims' groups about her social links with ex-Home Secretary Lord Brittan.
On the same day Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space tourism craft crashes in the Mojave Desert, killing one of the pilots and severely injuring the other.

On 1st November a court in Egypt sentences eight men to three years in prison for appearing in an alleged 'gay wedding' video posted on YouTube.
Clarinettist Acker Bilk, famous for his 1962 hit Stranger On The Shore, dies on 2nd November, aged 85.
At least 60 people are killed and over 100 injured on the same day in a suicide bombing in Wagah, during the daily ceremonial closing of the border between Pakistan and India.
The re-built World Trade Centre opens for business on 3rd November, on the site of the twin towers, which were demolished after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
On 6th November Gwent police are called to the Sirhowy Arms Hotel, a homeless hostel in Argoed, South Wales, where a 34-year-old man, Matthew Williams, is found attacking a 22-year-old woman, Cerys Marie Yemm, in an act of cannibalism. The woman dies from her injuries; her assailant dies in custody after police fire a Taser at him in an effort to stop his attack.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group release a video on 16th November showing a masked man standing over the severed head of US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig.
On 18th November two Palestinians armed with a gun, meat cleavers and knives kill four rabbis and a police officer at a Jerusalem synagogue before being shot dead by police.
Jimmy Ruffin, who had his biggest hit in 1966 with What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted, dies in Las Vegas on 17th November, aged 78.
Mike Nichols, who directed hit films such as The Graduate, The Remains Of The Day, Silkwood, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and Working Girl, dies of a heart attack on 19th November, aged 83.
Mark Reckless becomes the UK Independence Party's second elected MP by winning the Rochester and Strood by-election held on 20th November.
On the same day the US President Barack Obama announces immigration reforms enabling millions of illegal immigrants to apply for work permits. The reforms are forced through using executive orders, which allow the President to bypass Congress.
At dawn on Saturday, 22nd November gunmen from the Somali militant group al-Shabab hijack a bus in northern Kenya, then single out and shoot 28 non-Muslims on board.
On the same day Sony computer systems are hacked, exposing embarrassing e-mails and personal details about stars.
On 24th November a grand jury decides not to indict Darren Wilson, the white police office who shot and killed a black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri on 9th August. The ruling provokes rioting and looting on the streets of Ferguson. Thousands of people also protest in other US cities, from Los Angeles to New York.
Australia Test batsman Phil Hughes dies on 27th November, two days after being hit on the head by a ball during a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Crime novelist PD James dies on the same day, aged 94.
MP Andrew Mitchell loses his libel case. On 27th November Mr. Justice Mitting rules that the ex-chief whip probably did call police officers "plebs".
More than 100 people are killed on Friday, 28th November in an attack on the Central Mosque in Kano, northern Nigeria,

Myles Bradbury, a paedophile doctor who abused young cancer patients at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge is jailed for 22 years on 1st December. On the same day John Allen, a paedophile who ran children's homes in Wrexham, is jailed for life.
Former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe dies on 4th December, aged 85.
On 5th December former DJ Ray Teret is convicted of seven rapes and 11 counts of indecent assault. On 11th December he is sentenced to 25 years in jail.
Journalist Luke Somers and teacher Pierre Korkie are killed by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen on 6th December during a rescue attempt by US and Yemeni special forces.
On the same day a group of 'Free to Feed' mothers stage a public breastfeed outside Claridge's Hotel in central London in protest against a woman being told to cover-up while feeding.
On 8th December Judge Jeanette Traverso dismisses the case against Shrien Dewani, a British businessman on trial for arranging the murder his wife during their honeymoon in South Africa in November 2010. The Judge rules that the evidence from the three criminals already convicted over Anni Dewani's murder had been "so improbable, with so many mistakes, lies and inconsistencies you cannot see where the lies ended and the truth begins".
The summary of a report produced by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is published on Tuesday, 9th December. It reveals that the CIA carried out "brutal" interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects in the years after the 9/11 attacks on the US and that the CIA had misled Americans about what it was doing.
A technical fault in the flight data system at the UK's national air traffic control centre causes widespread disruption at airports around the UK on Friday, 12th December.
On Monday, 15th December a gunman (Man Haron Monis) takes staff and customers hostage at the Lindt café in Martin Place, Sydney. Commandos bring the 16-hour siege to an end by storming the café. The gunman and two of his hostages are killed.
On 16th December the Taliban attack an army-run school in Peshawar, killing 141 people, 132 of them children.
The US and Cuba announce moves to normalise relations on 17th December.
On the same day, after major US cinemas decide not to screen it, Sony cancels the Christmas Day release of The Interview, a film about a fictional plot to kill North Korea's leader. Following widespread criticism of this decision The Interview is shown in some US cinemas on 25th December and released online. Just four days after its release the film becomes the studio's most downloaded film ever.
Former model Mandy Rice-Davies, the protagonist in the 1960s Profumo affair who provided the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations with the line "Well he would, wouldn't he?", dies from cancer on 18th December, aged 70.
Two police officers, Wenjian Liu and his partner Rafael Ramos, are shot dead in New York on 20th December by an African American gunman, who claimed to be avenging black men killed by white police.
Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish convert their civil partnership to a marriage in a ceremony at their Windsor estate on Sunday, 21st December.
Joe Cocker, whose hits included a cover of The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, Up Where We Belong (a duet with Jennifer Warnes) and You Are So Beautiful, dies of lung cancer on 22nd December, aged 70.
On the same day six people are killed and ten injured when an out-of-control garbage truck crashes into pedestrians in central Glasgow.
An AirAsia plane (Flight QZ8501) carrying 162 people from Indonesia to Singapore goes missing over the Java Sea on Sunday, 28th December (6.24am local time).
On the same day a fire breaks out on board an Italian ferry off the Greek island of Corfu. Over 400 people are rescued; at least 10 lose their lives.
The 2015 New Year Honours list is published on 30th December: among those honoured are Joan Collins, Mary Quant, Esther Rantzen and Kristin Scott Thomas, who become dames; John Hurt, who receives a Knighthood; and James Corden and Sheridan Smith, who are awarded OBEs.

• Chainsmokers
  
• Clean Bandit
  
• George Ezra
  
• 5 Seconds Of Summer
  
• Jess Glynne
  
• Ben Haenow
  
• Ella Henderson
  
• Kiesza
  
• Magic!
  
• Shawn Mendes
  
• Meghan Trainor
  
• Conchita Wurst
  
• Years & Years
  
  

• Lily Allen
  Air Balloon
  
• Avicii
  Hey Brother
  
• Katy B
  Crying For No Reason
  
• Band Aid
  Do They Know It's Christmas?
  
• Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
  Rather Be
  
• Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
  Real Love
  
• Boyoncé featuring Jay-Z
  Drunk In Love
  
• Aloe Blacc
  The Man
  
• Cheryl
  I Don't Care
  
• Cheryl Cole featuring Tinie Tempah
  Crazy Stupid Love
  
• Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
  Rather Be
  
• Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
  Real Love
  
• Jason Derulo
  Trumpets
  
• Duke Dumont featuring Jax Jones
  I Got U
  
• DVBBS & Borgeous featuring Tinie Tempah
  Tsunami (Jump)
  
• George Ezra
  Budapest
  
• 5 Seconds Of Summer
  She Looks So Perfect
  
• Jess Glynne
  Right Here
  
• Gorgon City
  Ready For Your Love
  
• Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea
  Problem
  
• David Guetta featuring Sam Martin
  Dangerous
  
• David Guetta featuring Sam Martin
  Lovers On The Sun
  
• Ben Haenow
  Something I Need
  
• Calvin Harris
  Summer
  
• Calvin Harris featuring John Newman
  Blame
  
• Oliver Heldens & Becky Hill
  Gecko (Overdrive)
  
• Ella Henderson
  Ghost
  
• Hozier
  Take Me To Church
  
• Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull
  I'm A Freak
  
• Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj
  Bang Bang
  
• Kiesza
  Hideaway
  
• John Legend
  All Of Me
  
• Little Mix
  Salute
  
• Little Mix
  Word Up!
  
• Pixie Lott
  Nasty
  
• Magic!
  Rude
  
• Maroon 5
  Maps
  
• Rik Mayall
  Noble England
  
• Idina Menzel
  Let It Go
  
• Kylie Minogue
  Into The Blue
  
• Mr. Probz
  Waves
  
• Olly Murs featuring Tavie McCoy
  Wrapped Up
  
• Nico & Vinz
  Am I Wrong
  
• One Direction
  Steal My Girl
  
• Rita Ora
  I Will Never Let You Down
  
• Katy Perry featuring Juicy J
  Dark Horse
  
• Pitbull featuring Kesha
  Timber
  
• Rixton
  Me And My Broken Heart
  
• Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
  Uptown Funk
  
• Route 94 featuring Jess Glynne
  My Love
  
• Secondcity
  I Wanna Feel
  
• Ed Sheeran
  Sing
  
• Ed Sheeran
  Thinking Out Loud
  
• Sigma
  Nobody To Love
  
• Sigma featuring Paloma Faith
  Changing
  
• Sam Smith
  Money On My Mind
  
• Sam Smith
  Stay With Me
  
• Taylor Swift
  Shake It Off
  
• Take That
  These Days
  
• Meghan Trainor
  All About That Bass
  
• The Vamps
  Last Night
  
• The Vamps
  Wild Heart
  
• The Vamps featuring Demi Lovato
  Somebody To You
  
• The Vamps featuring Shawn Mendes
  Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)
  
• will.i.am featuring Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa and French Montana
  Feelin' Myself
  
• will.i.am featuring Cody Wise
  It's My Birthday
  
• Pharrell Williams
  Happy
  
• Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz
  Prayer In C
  
• Conchita Wurst
  Rise Like A Phoenix
  [Eurovision Song Contest winner]
  

• Vance Joy
  Riptide
  
• MKTO
  Classic
  

• ABBA
  Live At Wembley Arena
  
• Ryan Adams
  Ryan Adams
  
• Damon Albarn
  Everyday Robots
  
• Lily Allen
  Sheezus
  
• Marc Almond
  The Dancing Marquis
  
• Alt-J
  This Is All Yours
  
• Katy B
  Little Red
  
• Sam Bailey
  The Power Of Love
  
• John Barrowman
  You Raise Me Up
  
• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
  Cheek To Cheek
  
• The Black Keys
  Turn Blue
  
• Blondie
  Ghosts Of Download
  
• Bombay Bicycle Club
  So Long, See You Tomorrow
  
• Broken Bells
  After The Disco
  
• Jamie Callum
  Interlude
  
• Mary Chapin Carpenter
  Songs From The Movie
  
• Roseanne Cash
  The River & The Thread
  
• Johnny Cash
  Out Among The Stars
  
• Cheryl
  Only Human
  
• Eric Clapton & Friends
  The Breeze: An Appreciation Of JJ Cale
  
• Leonard Cohen
  Popular Problems
  
• Coldplay
  Ghost Stories
  
• Collabro
  Stars
  
• The Common Linnets
  The Common Linnets
  
• David Crosby
  Croz
  
• Sheryl Crow
  Feels Like Home
  
• Rodney Crowell
  Tarpaper Sky
  
• Lana Del Rey
  Ultraviolence
  
• Neil Diamond
  Melody Road
  
• Elbow
  The Take Off And Landing Of Everything
  
• Robert Ellis
  The Lights From The Chemical Plant
  
• Sophie Ellis-Bextor
  Wanderlust
  
• Erasure
  The Violet Flame
  
• Paloma Faith
  A Perfect Contradiction
  
• Marianne Faithfull
  Give My Love To London
  
• Bryan Ferry
  Avonmore
  
• Neil Finn
  Dizzy Heights
  
• Foo Fighters
  Sonic Highways
  
• Aretha Franklin
  Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics
  
• David Gray
  Mutineers
  
• Steve Gray, Georgie Fame and Madeline Bell
  Singer
  
• David Guetta
  Listen
  
• Ella Henderson
  Chapter One
  
• Chrissie Hynde
  Stockholm
  
• Michael Jackson
  Xscape
  
• James
  La Petite Mort
  
• Holly Johnson
  Europa
  
• Kaiser Chiefs
  Education, Education, Education & War
  
• Kasabian
  48:13
  
• La Roux
  Trouble In Paradise
  
• Dawn Landes
  Bluebird
  
• Jerry Lee Lewis
  Rock & Roll Time
  
• John Legend
  Love In The Future
  
• Annie Lennox
  Nostalgia
  
• Cher Lloyd
  Sorry I'm Late
  
• Manic Street Preachers
  Futurology
  
• Johnny Marr
  Playland
  
• Hank Marvin
  Hank
  
• George Michael
  Symphonica
  
• Kylie Minogue
  Kiss Me Once
  
• Morrissey
  World Peace Is None Of Your Business
  
• Olly Murs
  Never Been Better
  
• Willie Nelson
  Band Of Brothers
  
• Nickel Creek
  A Dotted Line
  
• Paolo Nutini
  Caustic Love
  
• Sinéad O'Connor
  I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss
  
• Mike Oldfield
  Man On The Rocks
  
• Dolly Parton
  Blue Smoke: The Best Of Dolly Parton
  
• Passenger
  Whispers
  
• The Pierces
  Creation
  
• Robert Plant
  Lullaby And... The Ceaseless Roar
  
• Prince
  Art Official Age
  
• Prince & 3rdeyegirl
  Plectrumelectrum
  
• Queen
  Forever
  
• Eddi Reader
  Vagabond
  
• Royal Blood
  Royal Blood
  
• Rumer
  Into Colour
  
• Shakira
  Shakira
  
• Ed Sheeran
  X
  
• Simple Minds
  Big Music
  
• Sam Smith
  In The Lonely Hour
  
• Bruce Springsteen
  High Hopes
  
• Lisa Stansfield
  Seven
  
• Barbra Streisand
  Partners
  
• Taylor Swift
  1989
  
• Take That
  III
  
• Thompson Family
  Family
  
• The Vamps
  Meet The Vamps
  
• Jack White
  Lazaretto
  
• Lucinda Williams
  Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone
  
• Pharrell Williams
  G I R L
  
• You Me At Six
  Cavalier Youth
  
• Yusuf
  Tell 'Em I'm Gone
  

• The Amazing Spider-Man 2
  
• American Hustle
  
• August: Osage County
  
• Before I Go To Sleep
  
• Begin Again
  
• Birdman Or (The Unexpected Vrtue Of Ignorance)
  
• Boyhood
  
• Dallas Buyers Club
  
• Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
  
• Effie Gray
  
• Fading Gigolo
  
• Finding Vivian Maier
  
• Fury
  
• Get On Up
  
• God's Pocket
  
• Gogglebox (Series 3 and 4)
  
• Gone Girl
  
• Grace Of Monaco
  
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
  
• Guardians Of The Galaxy
  
• Her
  
• Horns
  
• The Hundred-Foot Journey
  
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
  
• I Am Divine
  
• I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! (Series 14)
  
• Ida
  
• The Imitation Game
  
• The Inbetweeners 2
  
• Inside Llewyn Davis
  
• Interstellar
  
• The Invisible Woman
  
• Jersey Boys
  
• Joe
  
• A Long Way Down
  
• The Love Punch
  
• Magic In The Moonlight (Woody Allen)
  
• Maleficent
  
• Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
  
• Million Dollar Arm
  
• Mr. Turner
  
• Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie
  
• Muppets Most Wanted
  
• My Old Lady
  
• Nightcrawler
  
• Noah
  
• Non-Stop
  
• The Normal Heart
  
• Obvious Child
  
• Paddington
  
• Pride
  
• Pudsey The Dog: The Movie
  
• The Railway Man
  
• The Riot Club
  
• The Skeleton Twins
  
• 12 Years A Slave
  
• 20 Feet From Stardom
  
• What If
  
• The Wolf Of Wall Street
  
• X-Men: Days Of Future Past
  
  

Tony Award for Best Musical:
A Gentleman's Guide To
Love And Murder

Olivier Award
for Best New Musical:
The Book Of Mormon

• The Apprentice (Series 10)
  
• Babylon
  
• Bad Education (Series 3)
  
• Benefits Street
  
• Benidorm (Series 6)
  
• The Big Bang Theory (Season 8)
  
• The Big Reunion (Series 2)
  
• BoJack Horseman (Season 1)
  
• Boomers (Series 1)
  
• Britain's Got Talent (Series 8)
  
• Broadchurch (Series 2)
  
• Call The Midwife (Series 3)
  
• Cilla
  
• Death In Paradise (Series 3)
  
• Doctor Who (Series 8, Peter Capaldi)
  
• Downton Abbey (Series 5)
  
• The Driver
  
• The Fall (Series 2)
  
• Friday Night Dinner (Series 3)
  
• Game Of Thrones (Season 4)
  
• Gotham
  
• Grantchester
  
• The Great British Bake Off (Series 5)
  
• The Great Fire
  
• Happy Valley (Series 1)
  
• House Of Cards (Season 2)
  
• Immigration Street
  
• Inside No. 9 (Series 1)
  
• Jamaica Inn
  
• The Job Lot (Series 2)
  
• Last Tango In Halifax (Series 3)
  
• Line Of Duty (Series 2)
  
• Looking
  
• Mapp And Lucia
  
• The Missing
  
• Never Mind The Buzzcocks (Series 28)
  
• Orange Is The New Black (Season 2)
  
• Our Girl
  
• RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 6)
  
• The Secret Lives Of Students
  
• Sherlock (Series 3)
  
• Strictly Come Dancing (Series 12)
  
• Top Gear (Series 21 and 22)
  
• Tumble
  
• Vera (Series 4)
  
• The Voice UK (Series 3 - Kylie Minogue)
  
• W1A
  
• Who Do You Think You Are? (Series 11)
  
• The X Factor (Series 11)
  
  

BBC Sport

BBC
Sports Personality
of the Year:
Lewis Hamilton

Darts: Michael van Gerwen wins the final of the PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-4 victory over Peter Wright.
Stephen Bunting wins the BDO World Championship, beating Alan Norris 7-4 in the final.

Cricket: Australia completes a 5-0 Ashes whitewash over England, winning the fifth and final Test in Sydney by 281 runs. It is England's worst ever Ashes tour.
Sri Lanka win the ICC Twenty20 International, with a six-wicket win over India in the final in Mirpur.
In the Summer the England team loses a home series to Sri Lanka for the first time but fights back to win the following Test Series against India, 3-1.

Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan wins his fifth Masters title with a 10-4 victory over defending champion Mark Selby. He also wins a fifth UK Championship title with a 10-9 victory over Judd Trump.
Mark Selby wins the World Championship, beating defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final 18-14.

Tennis: having lost in two previous finals (2011 and 2013), Li Na becomes a 'third time lucky' winner at the Australian Open, defeating Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 in the women's singles final.
Stanislas Wawrinka defeats Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to win the men's singles title.
Maria Sharapova wins the women's singles title at the French Open for a second time, beating Simona Halep in the final 6-4, 6-7, 6-4.
Rafael Nadal wins his ninth French Open title and a record fifth in succession, beating Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final, 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4.
Petra Kvitova wins her second Wimbledon title, easily beating Canada's Eugenie Bouchard in the women's singles final, 6-3, 6-0. Novak Djokovic also wins his second Wimbledon title, beating seven-time champion Roger Federer in the men's singles final in five sets, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-4.
US Open.
Serena Williams wins her 18th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, beating Caroline Wozniacki in the women's singles final 6-3, 6-3.
The Bryan twins (Bob and Mike) win their fifth men’s doubles title at the US Open. Their victory in the final over Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez (6-3, 6-4) earns them their 16th Grand Slam title and their 100th career title as a team.
Marin Cilic wins the men's singles title. He beats Kei Nishikori in the final, 6-3 6-3 6-3.

Winter Olympics: Victor An, who as Ahn Hyun-soo, had won three Olympic gold medals for South Korea in 2006, wins three Olympic titles and a bronze medal in short track speed skating, this time competing for Russia.
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway becomes the most successful Winter Olympian of all time, adding two more gold medals to his tally of six gold, four silver and one bronze.
Lizzy Yarnold wins a gold medal for Great Britain in the women's skeleton. Speed skater Elise Christie is disqualified in all three of her events.

Athletics: Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie breaks Sergey Bubka's 21-year-old pole vault record with a 6.16m vault in Ukraine.

European Championships: Britain's athletics team comes top of the medal table with 12 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals. Jo Pavey wins the women's 10,000m to become the oldest female gold medalist in the Championships' history.
Mo Farah wins gold medals in the men's 10,000m and 5,000m races.
Greg Rutherford adds to his Olympic and Commonwealth titles with a gold medal in the long jump.

Basketball: US basketball player Jason Collins comes out as gay in an article for Sports Illustrated and becomes the first openly gay athlete to play in a competitive game for a major US professional sports league after signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

Rugby Union: Ireland win the Six Nations Championship with a 22-20 victory over France.
England win their first Triple Crown in 11 years with a 29-18 victory over Wales at Twickenham.

Horse Racing: Lord Windermere, ridden by Davy Russell, wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Pineau De Re, ridden by Leighton Aspell and trained by Dr. Richard Newland, wins the 167th Grand National.
The Epsom Derby is won by the favourite, Australia, ridden by Joseph O'Brien and trained by his father, Aidan O'Brien.

Rowing: the University of Oxford crew beats Cambridge by 11 lengths in the 160th Boat Race.

Golf: Bubba Watson wins the US Masters at Augusta, finishing the tournament three shots ahead of Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt who tie for second place.
Martin Kaymer wins the US Open. Having led from the start. He finishes with a final round of 69 to end nine under par overall, eight shots ahead of Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton.
PGA Championship, Wentworth
Rory McIlroy wins The Open Championship at Hoylake, finishing 17 under after a final round of 71.
He follows up with a win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio and then wins his fourth major at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Europe win the Ryder Cup, defeating the USA by 16½ points to 11½.

Football: Manchester City beat Sunderland 3-1 to win the Capital One Cup at Wembley.
Manchester United manager David Moyes is sacked on 22nd April, only 10 months after succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson. Ryan Giggs takes temporary charge at Old Trafford. On 19th May Louis van Gaal is named as the new Manchester United manager, with Ryan Giggs as his assistant.
On 11th May Manchester City win the Premier League title for the second time in three years with a 2-0 win over West Ham in the final match of the season.
Arsenal beat Hull City 3-2 in extra time to win the FA Cup.
Real Madrid beat arch-rivals Atletico Madrid 4-1 in the Champions League final in Lisbon.
Germany win the World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0 in the final with an extra-time goal. During the German team's thrashing of Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final, striker Miroslav Klose scores his 16th goal to become the most prolific goal-scorer in World Cup history.
Brazil lose 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third place play-off; Luiz Felipe Scolari resigns as Brazil coach two days later.
Luis Suarez gets a four-month ban from football for biting Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match between Uruguay and Italy.
The England team returns home without winning a game.
On 19th December Real Madrid set a new Spanish record of 19 straight wins by defeating Ludogorets Razgrad 4-0 in the Champions League.

Commonwealth Games: England top the medal table for the first time in 28 years, ending the games with 58 gold medals, 59 silver and 57 bronze.
England's Nicola Adams beats Northern Ireland's Michaela Walsh to become the first female Commonwealth boxing champion.
Tom Daley wins the gold medal in the 10m platform diving final to retain the title he won in Delhi in 2010.
South African swimmer Chad Le Clos equals Ian Thorpe's Commonwealth Games record haul of seven medals.
Botswana's Nijel Amos beats world record holder and Olympic champion David Rudisha in the 800m.

Cycling: Vincenzo Nibali wins the 101st edition of the Tour de France.

Rugby League: having lost in six finals between 2000-2012, Leeds Rhinos win the Challenge Cup for the first time since 1999, securing a 23-10 win over Castleford in the final at Wembley.

Motor Racing: Lewis Hamilton wins his 32nd Formula 1 race at the US Grand Prix in Austin, breaking Nigel Mansell's record of 31 race wins by a British driver. He wins his 33rd at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, and in so doing wins the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship for the second time. He is only the fourth Briton to win two world titles. Mercedes win the Constructors' Championship.

Equestrian: Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin and her horse Valegro break two world records at the Olympia Horse Show in London, setting new high scores in both the Dressage Grand Prix (87.740) and the freestyle dressage (94.3%).

Man Booker Prize

Richard Flanagan
The Narrow Road
To The
Deep North

Joshua Ferris
To Rise Again
At A Decent Hour

Joy Fowler
We Are All Completely
Beside Ourselves

Howard Jacobson
J

Neel Mukherjee
The Lives Of Others

Ali Smith
How To Be Both

Baileys Women's
Prize for Fiction

Eimear McBride
A Girl Is
A Half-formed Thing

Samuel Johnson Prize

Helen MacDonald
H is for Hawk