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ISIS destroyed the oldest Christian Monastery in Iraq
St Elijah was one of the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq and had stood on a hill near Mosul city for the past 1,400 years. However, on January, 20, 2016, satellite images confirmed that the militant group ISIS had destroyed the monument. Analysts said the images showed the monastery had been razed to the ground back in late 2014. The monastery is believed to have been constructed in the 6th century by the Assyrian monks. -
Havana Declaration
Following the first meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Krill of Moscow on February 12, 2016, in the Cuban capital of Havana, the Havana Declaration was issued. The two reverend figures had met for the first time. It is also known as the Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill. In the declaration, the two leaders issued a joint call to end the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. -
International Consortium Of Investigative Journalists
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists conducted a year-long investigation which lead to the partial release of the Panama Papers on April 3, 2016. The Panama Papers were a set of 11.5 million confidential financial and legal documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm. The leak led to the unearthing of the offshore holdings of 12 current as well as former leaders around the world. -
EgyptAir Flight 804
On May 19, 2016, EgyptAir Flight 804, which was en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Cairo International Airport, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. 66 people were on board the aircraft when the accident took place. Of these, 56 were passengers, while seven were aircrew and three belonged to security. There were no survivors in the crash. -
Rodrigo Duterte Becomes President of the Philippines
Foreign policy seldom shapes elections, but elections certainly shape foreign policy. Rodrigo Duterte won the Philippines presidency in May with 39 percent of the vote, and quickly changed how Manila does business. A man of bluster and bravado with a strong anti-American streak, he distanced the Philippines from Washington, a country that Filipinos overwhelmingly like and that has a treaty of alliance with the Philippines. -
Latvia becomes the 35th member of the OECD
On July 1, 2016, Latvia became a full-fledged member of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). On that day, the Instrument of Accession of Latvia to the OECD was deposited. With this, Latvia has become the 35th member of the OECD. The agreement on Latvia's accession to the OECD was signed by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and the Prime Minister of Latvia Maris Kucinskis. -
Colombia Strikes a Peace Deal
If at first you don’t succeed, find another way to get the job done. Colombian President Juan Santos took this advice to heart. He first won election back in 2010 while promising to continue Colombia’s 50-year-old fight against the Marxist guerilla group, the FARC. Once in office he changed his mind. Years of peace talks finally culminated with the announcement on August 25, 2016: The two sides had agreed on six negotiating points. -
North Korea Conducts Missile and Nuclear Tests
What do you do when you kick the can down the road and then run out of road? That’s a question the United States could soon be facing. For more than two decades, Washington has pressed Pyongyang to end its nuclear weapons program. But North Korea continues to forge ahead. On September 9, it conducted its fifth nuclear test, producing an explosive yield of 10 kilotons, the highest recorded so far. -
Donald Trump Wins the U.S. Presidency
Donald Trump got the last laugh. From the moment he announced his long-shot presidential bid on June 16, 2015, political experts dismissed his chances. But on November 8, Americans elected him the 45th president of the United States. He now belongs to a select group: he is one of just five presidents to win the office while losing the popular vote. He is also the first president with no prior experience either in government or the U.S. military. -
Eastern Aleppo Falls
In June 2016, they launched a massive operation to capture rebel-held territory in eastern Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city.Despite gut-wrenching photos and videos, Syria and Russia declined to end their assault on the city. Meanwhile, neither the United States nor any other country compelled them to stop the “worst humanitarian catastrophe in a generation.” On December 15, a deal was struck allowing the remaining rebel forces—along with many residents—to evacuate the city.
