During the past year, CBC journalists have tracked many incredible news events, at home and around the world. With 2011 quickly approaching, CBC News Network wants to take a look back at three particularly captivating storylines this year.

BP oil spill


Oil spill workers clean up tar balls and oil from the beaches of Orange Beach, Ala., in November. (Dave Martin/Associated Press)

On April 20, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico led to the largest accidental release of oil into marine waters in history. Eleven workers on the rig died, 17 were injured. Two days later, on Earth Day, the rig sank. The leak was finally capped on July 15, but not before nearly five million barrels of oil gushed into the water, causing untold environmental and economic damage.

Forces of nature


A girl walks on debris in Port-au-Prince. Haitian officials say the recovery from January's earthquake will take several years. (Ariana Cubillos/Associated Press)

From January's devastating earthquake in Haiti to the ominous ash clouds created by volcanic eruptions in Iceland to a summer of serious flooding in Pakistan, Mother Nature was a frightening force to be reckoned with this year. Officials in Haiti and Pakistan say the recovery from these disasters could take several years, while it's estimated that airspace closures forced by the ash clouds cost the international airline industry billions of dollars.

The G8/G20 summit


Police made more than 1,000 arrests during June's G20 summmit in Toronto. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

In late June, the town of Huntsville, Ont., and Toronto hosted numerous world leaders for the G8/G20 summits. Controversy had emerged even before the conference began, as many opposition politicians and Canadians criticized the federal government's decision to spend an estimated $1 billion on summit security alone. When the delegates, including U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, arrived in Toronto, so did thousands of activists. The resulting clashes between police and protesters led to smashed store windows, burned cop cars, and more than 1,000 arrests. After reviewing the police action, Ontario ombudsman Andre Marin slammed the provincial government for quietly passing G20 security regulations that enabled police to exercise "phenomenal powers" that "should never have been enacted."

What do you think the top news events and storylines were this year? Let us know in the comments below.