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The year 2016 saw a flood of political and other events that created ripples across the world. While the worldwide refugee crisis worsened as Aleppo burned, and demonetisation at home and in Venezuela grabbed the headlines, mother nature played her part as well, using Hurricane Mather to vent her fury in the Atlantic.
With 2016 finally coming to a close, Business Standard takes a stroll down the memory lane. Here are some of the headline-grabbing events that shook the world in 2016:
1. Retaking of Aleppo
About 12 million people were displaced due to the turmoil in eastern Aleppo. The four year battle between Syrian rebels and forces backed by Bashar-al-Assad's government to wrest control of the city, initially tilted in favour of the Opposition, and Assad’s Alawite-dominated government lost extensive territory to rebel groups.
However, the tables turned in July 2016, when government troops closed the rebels' last supply line into Aleppo with the support of Russian airstrikes. They followed this up with a decisive campaign in November, that resulted in the recapture of all of Aleppo the following month.
On December 15, residents along with rebel forces were allowed to evacuate the city. Even as Aleppo fell, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recaptured Palmyra from Syria and Russian troops. The crisis lingers on.
2. Hurricane Mathew
One could call it a powerhouse of a storm. Hurricane Matthew was the severest storm in the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix in 2007, killing over 1,600 people and causing damage in excess of $10.5 billion.
3. Venezuela demonetising 100-bolivar bill
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on December 11 signed an emergency decree demonetising the country’s largest currency bill, the 100-Bolivar bank note, rendering it illegal tender within 72 hours. Although the step was aimed to curb the stacking of cash by international traffickers and save the country from an economic meltdown, the civilians were badly affected.
4. Longest curfew in a democracy
The unrest in Kashmir, which began in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8, witnessed 115 days of curfew and over five months of unrest that disrupted business, tourism and education in the Valley.
Nearly 85 people including two policemen were killed and several thousand others injured in the unrest. Around 5,000 security forces personnel were injured in the clashes and over 300 people were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA).
5. Russian ambassador shot dead
Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was speaking at a photo exhibition event in the capital Ankara when he was shot by a Turkish off-duty policeman in front of a large crowd on December 19.
The assassination took place after a long period of highly polarised and incited political atmosphere in Turkey, and after several days of protests by Islamist elements of the Turkish public against Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War and the battle over Aleppo, as well as recent negotiations between Russian and Turkish governments for a ceasefire.
6. Panama leak
The massive data leak from a Panama-based law firm, now known across the world as the "Panama Papers", has put many world leaders, politicians, celebrities, offshore companies and sport-stars under the spotlight.
The leaked files from Panamanian firm Mossack Fonseca have revealed that it hid billions of dollars in assets for its clients.
The files, consisting of over 11 million documents from the firm totaling close to 2.6 TB of data, have revealed names including, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, Argentina footballer Lionel Messi.
7. Failed Turkey military coup
Turkey thwarted a military coup and began months of crackdown, jailing thousands of judges, public servants, teachers and military personnel accused of siding with US-based Islamic teacher Fethullah Gulen.
On July 15, a coup was attempted in Turkey against state institutions, including the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The attempt was carried out by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces that organised themselves as the Peace at Home Council. The government accused the coup leaders of being linked to the Gulen movement, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Republic of Turkey.
Islamic terror attacks: A timeline
2016 has been the most active year yet for Islamic State-linked attacks abroad. Terrorist attacks in Brussels, Orlando, and Nice have made the biggest headlines around the globe, but there have been more than 100 more terrorist attacks this year. Some include:
January 3: ISIS suicide bombers attacked Camp Speicher, a former US base now used by the Iraqi Air Force, killing 15.
January 7: A car bomb at a Libyan police camp in the town of Zilten killed 60 people and wounded 200 more.
January 11: Bombs in three cities in Iraq, including Baghdad, killed over 130 people.
January 16: ISIS forced attack the Syrian town of Deir ez-Zor, killing Syrian army members as well as women and children. Death toll estimates range between 130 and 300 people.
February 1: A suicide bomber detonated a vest outside Afghanistan's national police headquarters in Kabul, killing 20 and injuring 29
February 8: ISIS executed approximately 300 activists, police, and military personnel in Mosul, Iraq.
February 21: ISIS detonated car bombs in two Syrian towns heavily populated with Shi'ite Muslims, killing between 140 and 270 people, and wounding over 300 more.
February 17; March 13: 67 people were killed in two car bombings in Ankara, Turkey that occur within a month of each other.
March 22: Three suicide bombers armed with nail bombs performed coordinated attacks in Brussels, Belgium. Thirty-two people are killed, with the nail bombs wounding 340 more.
March 27: Seventy-two people, including 29 children, were killed in a suicide bombing at the largest public park in Lahore, Pakistan.
June 12: A gunman opened fire on a nightclub popular with the LGBT community in Orlando, killing 49 and wounding 53 before being shot down by law enforcement officials. The attack is the deadliest in the United States since 9/11.
June 28: A trio of suicide bombings at an airport in Istanbul killed 45 and injured 200. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
July 3: Several bombings in Baghdad killed over 300 and wound 225. The attacks were the deadliest in Iraq since 2007.
July 7: A sniper killed five police officers who are escorting a protest against police brutality in Dallas. The shooting came in the same week that two African-American men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile were killed during encounters with police officers.
July 14: At least 77 people were killed in Nice, France, after a truck drives through a crowd on Bastille Day.
