10 outstanding international events in 2016

(Baonghean.vn) - A series of important political, economic and security events in the world took place across all continents, marking a memorable 2016 for the world to enter the new year 2017 with new hope, mixed with anxiety.

Join Nghe An Newspaper to review the outstanding events of the past year.

1. US Presidential Election

On November 8, the world was extremely surprised when Mr. Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes while Mrs. Hillary Clinton only had 232 votes to be elected the 45th President of the United States. This was the first time that America had a president who was a billionaire and had no political experience. Although there were many protests against Mr. Trump after the election, there were also opinions that he would bring necessary changes to the United States. This event also had a great impact on the world political chessboard.

2. Britain leaves the EU (Brexit)

On June 23, British voters voted to leave the European Union (EU) in what is commonly known as 'Brexit', with 52% voting to leave and 48% to remain. After the results were announced, then-British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation. The new Prime Minister, Theresa May, took office. Following the vote, international financial markets plummeted and the British pound fell sharply.

3. Cuban leader Fidel Castro passes away

On the night of November 25, local time, or noon on November 26 (Hanoi time), Cuban President Raul Castro announced on television that leader Fidel Castro had passed away at the age of 90. Cuban leader Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926. He was a great revolutionary, one of the most outstanding people of the 20th century. He was the one who made Cuba's name in human history with the revolution that overthrew the dictatorship, leading this Caribbean nation to the path of independence today.

4. Terrorist attack on French National Day

On the evening of July 14, a terrorist drove a truck at a speed of more than 60 km/h into a crowd that had just finished watching a fireworks display on Bastille Day in France, killing 84 people and injuring more than 150, including many children. The terrorist appeared to deliberately drive the truck in a zigzag pattern to run over as many people as possible. The driver, identified as a 31-year-old French-Tunisian, was shot dead.

5. Coup in Türkiye

On July 15 and 16, 2016, a group within the Turkish military attempted a coup to overthrow the incumbent government of President Erdogan. At least 264 people were killed, including 173 civilians, 67 government security personnel, 24 coup plotters, and more than 1,390 people were injured. According to Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, about 6,000 people have been arrested so far and 2,745 judges have been dismissed.

6. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand passes away

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand passed away on the afternoon of October 13, at the age of 88. After nearly 7 decades in power, he was the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand is a rare monarch in the modern world who simultaneously possesses enormous wealth, political power, the admiration of his people at home and the respect of foreign countries. His son and heir, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 63, became the new king of Thailand.

7. The Scandal of the South Korean President

South Korean President Park Gyun-hye apologized on October 25 and admitted that she had “consulted” her close friend Choi Soon-sil when drafting speeches during the 2012 election campaign and early in her term. Park is also suspected of having a role in forcing large corporations to contribute to the establishment of two non-profit organizations that are said to be owned by Choi.

8. The biggest leak of classified documents in history

On May 10, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) made public the “Panama Papers”, related to tax evasion by the wealthy. The data, belonging to the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, revealed money laundering and tax evasion involving 140 politicians, dozens of billionaires and world-famous individuals. The documents also exposed a system of “phantom” companies, involving up to 214,000 organizations and businesses abroad.

9. Europe is “suffocating” because of the immigration crisis.

In 2016, the wave of migrants continued to flood into Europe. Stories of ships full of refugees sinking in the Mediterranean became a haunting story for humanity. Many policies were introduced, but they were not effective. The allocation of immigration quotas divided the EU, while xenophobia appeared in many places. Europe was also in danger when terrorists planted forces among the refugee flow.

10. The Arbitral Tribunal rejects the nine-dash line.

On July 12, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) of the United Nations issued a ruling on the Philippines’ case, rejecting China’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, concluding that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the nine-dash line. In the ruling, the PCA also concluded that no entity in the Spratly Islands could generate an exclusive economic zone for China.

Peace

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