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There was a dramatic collapse in the price of key commodities including oil and copper. The biggest cause was China, which had stopped devouring all the metals the world could produce in its manufacturing industry. The European Union struggled to reconcile humanitarian concerns with worries an apparent "open-door policy" to refugees from warzones in Syria and nearby could overwhelm the continent. Greece narrowly avoided having to exit the Euro after its parliament accepted an austerity plan in order to get a further financial bailout. Voters had previously rejected the proposals in a referendum. World leaders promised to get tough on pollution at climate change talks in Paris. And, car maker Volkswagen admitted it had deliberately written software to make its engines perform differently on the road than during tests.

(Picture: A group of men look at job bulletin boards in Yiwu, China. A slowdown in manufacturing and exports in China is causing global concern that its economy is running out of steam. Credit: Getty Images)