3. The year 2016 did not bring any respite to strife-
torn Syria. The country has been in the grip of a
violent civil war since 2011 and has also to
contend with the militant group ISIS . But bearing
the brunt is Syria's largest city Aleppo. The battle
has been one of the most destructive and has led
to the death of thousands of innocent people.
Severe bombing and destruction has resulted in
the reduction of the population of rebel-held
Eastern Aleppo to 300,000.
5. The sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20 was held in
India from March 8 to April 3, 2016. The tournament saw
participation of 16 teams. This was Oman’s first participation
in a T20 World Cup tournament. In the Super Ten matches .
In the semi-finals, England defeated New Zealand, while the
West Indies trounced India. The finals, which were held at
Eden Gardens in Kolkata, saw West Indies beating England
and lifting the trophy.
6.
7. More than 600 people were
killed when a magnitude-
7.8 earthquake struck the
Pacific Coast of Ecuador on
April 16, 2016. The
earthquake, which struck at
seven in the evening, was
centered around 17 miles
south-southeast of the town
of Muisne and some 105.6
miles west of Quito, the
capital of Ecuador. 27,732
were injured. The
earthquake has been
considered the worst
natural disaster to have
struck the country since the
1949 Ambato earthquake.
9. The Copa América Centenario was hosted in the United States in
2016. The competition was a celebration of the centenary
of CONMEBOL and the Copa America, and was the first Copa
América hosted outside of South America.
The tournament was the 45th edition of Copa América since its
inception in 1916.
This tournament was to celebrate 100 years of Copa America.
Chile became the fourth nation to win at least two consecutive Copa
América titles, after Uruguay , Argentina and Brazil . Argentina,
meanwhile, lost their third consecutive final in a major tournament,
following losses to Germany at the 2014 World Cup and Chile at
the 2015 Copa America.
10.
11. The EU referendum – a vote in which everyone of voting age
took part to decide whether the United Kingdom should leave or
remain a part of the European Union – saw a whopping 52%
people voting in favour of leaving EU ('Brexit') and only 48%
people negating the exit strategy.
England voted strongly for the Brexit, so did Wales, which
favoured the UK leaving the EU by 52.5% votes . After the
referendum took place and UK voted to leave the EU, Theresa
May became Britain's new prime minister. The nation’s former
home secretary took over from David Cameron, who had
resigned on the day after he lost the referendum.
13. The UEFA European Championship 2016 is commonly referred to as
UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016. It was the 15th UEFA European
Championship, also called the quadrennial international men’s football
championship, organized by UEFA (The Union of European Football
Associations). It took place in France from June 10 to July 10, 2016.
The championship included the two-time defending champions Spain,
which had already won the 2008 and 2012 tournaments. Spain was
later eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy. It was team Portugal which
won the tournament for the very first time; after facing a victory of 1-0
post the extra time delivered to the host team France during the finals
played at the Stade de France. -
14.
15. Late Friday, tanks rolled onto the streets of the capital, Ankara, and
Istanbul. Uniformed soldiers blocked the famous Bosphorus
Bridge connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the nation via
FaceTime. Speaking to a CNN Turk anchor who held her
phone so viewers could see it, he urged people to take to
the streets to stand up to the military faction behind the
uprising.
"Go to the streets and give them their answer," Erdogan
said.
Within a few hours -- during which gunshots were heard at
the presidential palace -- the Turkish National Intelligence
unit claimed the coup was over. But not before 290 people
were killed and more than 1,400 people were injured.
Turkey's attempted coup: By the numbers
• At least 161 civilians killed
• 1,140 people wounded
• 6,000 people arrested
• 2,839 military officers detained
• Nearly 200 top Turkish court officials in custody
17. The Summer Olympics were held from August 5 to
August 21, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro. More than 11,000
athletes from some 206 countries competed in the 17-
day sporting extravaganza. South Sudan and Kosovo
participated in the event for the first time. The
Summer Olympics witnessed 306 medal events and
showcased 42 sports, which were held in 33 venues
spread across the four regions of Rio.
United States Of America led the medal tally.
18.
19. According to Italy’s Civil Protection Department, an
earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck central Italy,
leaving at least 247 people dead . The earthquake was very
powerful and completely toppled churches, homes and
stores located in the medieval towns of central Italy.
A series of aftershocks from the earthquake jolted Umbria,
Le Marche and Lazio. The three regions are 80 to 100 miles
north-east of Rome.
21. On September 9, 2016, the government of North Korea
conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test . The nuclear
test was conducted on the 68th anniversary of North
Korea’s foundation day. It is believed that it is a lot more
powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Moreover, North Korea has already been banned by the UN
from conducting any nuclear or missile technology tests.
22.
23. The beginning of October saw
Hurricane Matthew wrecking
havoc across the Western
Atlantic. Some areas which
witnessed the fury of
Hurricane Matthew included
Cuba, Haiti, Dominican
Republic and the southeastern
United States (Florida).
Thousands of lives were lost
to the hurricane with Haiti
bearing the brunt. It has been
estimated that nearly 1,000
people were killed in Haiti
alone. A total of 46 people
died in the United States.
Hurricane Matthew considered
to be one of the costliest since
the 2012 Hurricane Sandy. It
has been estimated that the
hurricane caused damages
amounting to US$6.91 billion.
24.
25. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
2016
Yoshinori Ohsumi
"for his discoveries of mechanisms for
autophagy"
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2016
Bob Dylan
"for having created new poetic expressions
within the great American song tradition"
The Nobel Peace Prize 2016
Juan Manuel Santos
"for his resolute efforts to bring the country's
more than 50-year-long civil war to an end"
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic
Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2016
Oliver Hart
Bengt Holmström
"for their contributions to contract theory"
27. On November 8th , after a tight competition between the two
most potential candidates in the United States of America,
Donald Trump took the cake, encouraging the Republicans
to see a new dawn. Donald Trump, who is a republican,
comes from a business background, but it is the trust of the
Americans on him which made him win the 45th US Elections
2016.
The new US president received 279 electoral votes leaving
Clinton behind with 228 electoral votes.
The inauguration for the 45th President of the Unites States
to take oath is scheduled for Friday, 20 January, 2017.
28.
29. In what may go down in the history of modern India as a landmark event, the
Government of India announced the demonetisation of Rs.500 and Rs.1000
banknotes on 8 November, 2016. This led to ceasing of the usage of all 500
and 1000 banknotes already in circulation as a form of legal tender in India
from 9 November, 2016 onwards. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi
informed the nation about this decision in an unscheduled live televised
address at about 8 P.M. (IST) the same day. This step was taken in a bid to
crack down on black money in the country as well as stop counterfeiting of
the banknotes in circulation which were being allegedly used for funding
terrorism. The move is also targeted at reducing corruption, smuggling and
drug menace. However, several issues and challenges came up. Long queues
outside banks and ATMs became a daily scene since day one.
31. Cuban revolutionary and politician, Fidel Castro passed away
on November 25, 2016 at the age of 90. The former President of
Cuba, Fidel Castro was a popular Cuban leader. He was a Marxist
and played a prominent role in transforming Cuba from a
capitalist state to a socialist society. Castro was cremated
on November 26, 2016 and the country observed nine days of
mourning.
32.
33. Colombia plane British Aerospace 146 flying from Santa Cruz, Bolivia,
which was carrying 81 people crashed near Rionegro, Colombia
on Monday, November 28, 2016. The plane had 81 people aboard,
out of which 71 were passengers including the Brazilian football team
Chapecoense's player members, and the rest consisted of crew
members. The Brazilian football team Chapecoense was scheduled to
play against Medellin team Atletico Nacional on Wednesday,
November 30, 2016, in the South American club cup's final.
The recent reports say that 76 people have lost their lives in this
crash and five have survived, among which two are football players.
The rescuers, police and military personnel said that dozens of
bodies were found under the debris.
