(01)
US Presidential Election, 2016
Ø Held on Nov 08, 2016
Ø Mr. Donald Trump Vs Ms. Hillary
Clinton
Ø Republican party won the race
Ø Mr. Donald Trump to be the 45th
President of USA (swearing in on Jan 20, 2017)
Ø Mr. Trump will be the fifth
person in U.S. history to become president despite losing the nationwide
popular vote
Ø Mr. Trump will be the first
president without any prior experience in public service
Ø Ms. Clinton was the first woman
to be the presidential nominee of a major American party
(02) Brexit
Ø The United Kingdom's withdrawal
from the European Union is widely known as Brexit
Ø Referendum held on June 23, 2016
Ø World keenly looked on the result
of the referendum
Ø 52% of votes were cast in favour
of leaving the EU (formal procedure for withdrawing, will be by the end of
March 2017)
Ø After the result, Prime Minister,
Mr. David Cameron announced his resignation
Ø Ms. Theresa May was sworn in as
the new Prime Minister
(03)
UN Resolution 2334
Ø UNSC adopted this resolution on
Dec 23, 2016
Ø Israeli Settlements in
Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 including East Jerusalem
Ø Resolution stated that Israel′s
settlement activity constitutes a "flagrant violation" of international law and
has "no legal validity".
Ø It was the first UNSC resolution
to pass regarding Israel and the Palestine territories since 2009
Ø Resolution passed with the
support of 14 of the 15 members of the Council
Ø USA, which has veto power abstained
Ø Israel declared that nations
acting against Israel's interests will pay a diplomatic and economic price, and
instructed the Foreign Ministry to cancel all aid programs to the countries
that voted for the resolution
Ø India not reacted anything
(04)
Colombia and FARC
Ø On Jun 23, 2016 Colombian
Government and FARC agreed to a ceasefire
Ø On Oct 02, 2016 a referendum on
peace accord was opposed by the people
Ø President Juan Manuel Santos was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2016 for his resolute efforts to bring the
country's more than 50-year-long war to an end
Ø On Nov 24, 2016 signed a revised
peace deal and the revised agreement and submitted to Congress for approval;
later House of Representatives and the Senate passed it
(05)
South China Sea
Ø On Jul 12, 2016, International
Court of Arbitration said that, there was no evidence that China had
historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or resources, hence
there was "no legal basis for China to claim historic rights"
Ø The tribunal also criticized
China's land reclamation projects and its construction of artificial islands in
the Spratly Islands, saying that it had caused "severe harm to the coral
reef environment"
Ø China however rejected the
ruling, calling it "ill-founded"
Ø Philippines and Vietnam welcomed
the ruling
Ø China blamed USA for creating
tension in the South China Sea areas
(06)
US and Cuba
Ø On March 20, 2016 US President,
Mr. Barack Obama visited Cuba, becoming the first US President in 88 years to
visit Cuba
Ø In 2014, US President Mr. Barack
Obama and Cuban President, Mr. Raul Castro announced the beginning of a process
of normalizing relations between Cuba and the U.S., which media sources have
named "the Cuban Thaw"
Ø In August 2016, JetBlue Airways
Flight 387 landed in Santa Clara, becoming the first direct commercial flight
to travel between the two countries since 1962
Ø On November 28, 2016, the first
normally scheduled commercial flight after more than 50 years landed in Havana
from Miami on an American Airlines jet
(07)
Hydrogen Bomb by North Korea
Ø On Jan 2016, North Korea has
declared that its nuclear test (hydrogen bomb) has given it the capability to
"wipe out the whole territory of the US all at once"
(08)
Gotthard Base Tunnel
Ø World's longest and deepest
traffic tunnel (57.09 km)
Ø Connecting Erstfeld with Bodio
Ø Opened on Jun 01, 2016 and full
service began on Dec 11, 2016
Ø Opening ceremony in June which
was accompanied by European leaders like German Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel
and French President Mr. Francois Hollande for its maiden ride.
(09)
Fidel Castro
Ø Cuban Revolutionary leader passed
away on Nov 25, 2016
Ø He was Prime Minister of Cuba
from 1959 - 1976 and President of Cuba from 1976 - 2008
Ø Government of Cuba announced that
it would be passing a law prohibiting the naming of "institutions, streets,
parks or other public sites, or erecting busts, statues or other forms of
tribute" in honor of the late Cuban leader in keeping with his wishes to
prevent a personality cult from developing around him
(10)
"Saint" Mother Teresa
Ø Pope Francis canonised her at a
ceremony on Sep 04, 2016 in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City
Ø Skopje (now in
Macedonia/Yugoslavia), Teresa's hometown, announced a week-long celebration of
her canonisation
Ø In India, a special mass was
celebrated by the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata
Ø Mother Teresa passed away in
Kolkata on Sep 05, 1997
Ø On Ag 28, 2010 to commemorate the
100th anniversary of her birth, the government of India issued a special Rs. 5
coin (the amount of money Teresa had when she arrived in India)
Ø Winner of Nobel Prize for Peace
(in 1979) and Bharat Ratna (in 1980)
