Perhaps the most discussed Oscar ceremony in history took place in 2016 - it was all due to Leo DiCaprio and the expectations of millions of viewers associated with him. Nominated for the fifth time, the actor, as was generally believed, was strongly disliked by academics, and the very situation when he was left without a statuette became the talk of the town. This time everything came together - DiCaprio received an Oscar for his not-so-best film, The Revenant, but given his previous merits, almost everyone considered this fact fair.
From June 10 to July 10, the European Football Championship was held in France. For more than a month in 2016, there was no topic more popular than Euro 2016. An absolute sensation was the victory of the Portuguese national team for the first time in the history of the competition: an obvious outsider who miraculously made it out of the group, the team somehow held on to Ronaldo’s charisma alone, and in the final they enchantingly beat the championship hosts without their main star - the injured Cristiano left the field at the very beginning of the game . It seemed that nothing could help Portugal, but the victory, which was pulled out by the teeth, looked more than deserved.
Another sensation that literally shocked the world was the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election. He secured the support of 290 electors - 58 more than those who supported Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump's incredible and unpredictable victory became a symbol of the collapse of political technology - all factors of the candidates' election campaigns and public opinion polls predicted Clinton's victory.
The biggest sporting event of 2016 was the Summer Olympic Games. The main sports competition was held in Brazil from August 5 to 21. However, the focus of the discussion was not so much the competition itself, but the scandal associated with Russian athletes - who passed more than 3,000 doping tests, many of them were simply not allowed to compete. In Russia, the actions of the International Olympic Committee were called a political provocation.
Exhibitions of Valentin Serov and Ivan Aivazovsky in Moscow
The past year has become a real art breakthrough for residents of the Russian capital. The exhibition of Valentin Serov, held at the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val, caused an unprecedented stir: due to kilometer-long queues, the exhibition had to be extended for a week. Further - more: the collection of works by Ivan Aivazovsky attracted even more visitors. At the end of the year, the interest in art among Muscovites did not fade away - the Tretyakov Gallery had to introduce personalized tickets for the exhibition “Masterpieces of the Vatican Pinakothek” after a crush occurred in the queue to enter.
Cannes Film Festival 2016
The most authoritative and prestigious world film festival ended this year with the awarding of the Englishman Ken Loach, who conquered the authoritative jury with his new drama “I, Daniel Blake.” But, as usual, we showed more interest in Cannes in connection with unprecedented social activities. And there was plenty of room to roam - first everyone was discussing Kim Kardashian’s triumphant appearance at the De Grisogono party, then the incredible appearance of the main model of the outgoing year, Bella Hadid, in a revealing scarlet Alexandre Vauthier dress, in which she appeared at the premiere of the film “The Stranger”. Also, the social level was noticeably increased by pregnant Blake Lively and Tatyana Navka, who suddenly became the most influential Russian star in Cannes.
Venice Festival 2016
The Silver Lion for directing this year in Venice was awarded to Amat Escalante for “Wilderness” and Andrei Konchalovsky for the film “Paradise.” Having won the oldest film festival on the planet, Konchalovsky will represent Russia at the Oscars next year.
At several paid parking lots in the center of Moscow, parking tariffs will be adjusted - both upward and downward. Also, starting February 17, parking spaces will appear on another 80 capital streets.
About 16 thousand tons of de-icing materials were used on Moscow roads during the beginning of the snowy season winter season 2019-2020. PGM savings due to weather conditions amounted to more than 130 thousand tons. The remainder will be used this year, since their shelf life is 2 years.
The berths “Bagration Bridge”, “Nagatinskaya Embankment”, “Klenovy Boulevard”, “Melovoy” and “Pechatniki” are located in the Central and South-Eastern districts. Instead of a dilapidated asphalt concrete base, granite slabs were installed here, and the granite coating was also sandblasted and jointed.
Information from portable ultrasound machines will be uploaded to the server, and doctors will be able to access it for prompt interpretation of study results. The devices will be received by general medical and resuscitation ambulance teams.
Almost 80 km of lines, 31 stations and two electric depots are planned to be built in the capital by 2023. This was announced by Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Moscow Government for urban planning policy and construction Marat Khusnullin. “Thus, according to the approved plans, we should reach a figure of 10-12 new metro stations annually,” he clarified.
This is the 21st district of the city where program participants receive new apartments to replace old ones. Currently, more than 100 houses are being resettled in the capital under the renovation program.
This year, 52 specialists became laureates. The professional competition is timed to coincide with the annual medical festival “Formula of Life”. Three specialists in the field of cancer care were personally awarded by Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow in the Moscow Government for Social Development.
The capital's maternity hospitals are ready for a possible increase in the number of women giving birth after the introduction of additional payments for children and have everything necessary to provide them with qualified assistance. Head of the Moscow Department of Health Alexey Khripun announced this at the annual Healthy Moscow Assembly.
83 museums subordinate to the Moscow Department of Culture worked for free on January 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8. The most popular venues were the Tsaritsyno and Kolomenskoye museum-reserves. The previous record for the event was 1.1 million people.
We are talking about the development of the Moscow Central Diameters. Many new stations will be connected by direct links to the metro. Starting in 2021, it is planned to open 10 stations every 12 months.
Now, in order to find out information about an object while walking, the user just needs to point the smartphone camera at it. Augmented reality mode displays information about houses and monuments within a radius of 150 meters.
This year, for the first time, the event runs from January 5 to March 1. New Year's trees accept more than 400 items. In the first year of the campaign, in 2016, Muscovites donated only 300 trees. Among them were spruce, fir, and pine trees.
The installation will be closed for routine maintenance. You can visit the Ice Cave until the end current week. The park administration apologizes to visitors for the inconvenience caused.
“The capital’s parliament is ready to put up legislative barriers to the spread of sniffing (when teenagers inhale household gas, which is used in lighter cans, lighters and tourist cylinders),” said Chairman of the Moscow City Duma Alexey Shaposhnikov. He noted that recently there has been a steady trend in the spread of sniffing, with the number of deaths increasing from year to year.
Over the past ten years, life expectancy in Moscow has increased by six months each year. This was announced by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin during the plenary session “Health of Big Cities: Great Challenges and Great Opportunities” at the XVIII “Healthy Moscow” Assembly.
This was announced by the Chairman of the Moscow City Duma Alexey Shaposhnikov. According to him, the winter break in the work of the Moscow City Duma was established from December 30 to January 19.
It's been a year full of unexpected news. The unexpected outcome of the presidential race in the United States, tragic events where they were least expected, technical innovations, the reality of which is still difficult to believe. At the end of the past year, ForumDaily collected the main events of 2016: politics, sports, high tech, Russia, USA, Europe. These are the events that changed our lives in 2016.
Tu-154 crash near Sochi
On the night of December 25, immediately after takeoff from Adler airport, a Tu-154 crashed into the Black Sea. It was a plane of the Russian Ministry of Defense. He was flying from Moscow via Sochi to Syria. There were 92 people on board. Everyone died. The disaster shocked all of Russia. 64 of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble. It was this choir and orchestra that sang at all the Victory parades on Red Square. The most famous philanthropist died. It was with her help that the first hospices appeared in Moscow and Kyiv; she helped children affected by forest fires in the center of Russia, floods in Krymsk, during the war in Donbass and Syria. Nine journalists from the Russian federal television channels NTV, Zvezda and Channel One were also killed. For the Russian media sphere, what happened also became a dark day. The investigation into the plane crash continues.
Trump is the new president
One of the most controversial and intriguing election campaigns. Until the last moment, opinion polls predicted a landslide victory for Hillary Clinton. But on the night after the elections it became clear - . Then they were on the streets of the largest cities in the country - they no longer influenced the situation. The Electoral College is finally official at the end of December. True, Trump even made concessions to Obama and agreed to think about preserving the health insurance system.
Terrorist attacks in Orlando, Berlin, Nice, Brussels
Terrorists have struck at the heart this year. To those cities that always seemed safe. They were away from hot spots. It seemed that nothing like this could ever happen there. That is why every terrorist attack came as a shock to the whole world.
March 22 in Brussels at the airport and at the Maelbeek metro station. 26 people were killed, about 200 were injured. Panic began in the city, public transport was stopped, the authorities announced highest level danger.
On the night of June 12, 29-year-old Omar Mateen was at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Then he took hostages: 49 people were killed, 53 were injured.
A month later - July 14, the national holiday Bastille Day, a native of Tunisia on a multi-ton truck on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. 86 people were killed, 308 were injured, among them citizens of 30 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.
Six months later - a similar one. A truck rams a Christmas market in the city center. 12 dead. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for all these attacks.
Launch of a flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy Note 7 turned out to be a disaster
Samsung presented Galaxy Note 7 in August. Then the smartphone was called one of best phones based on Android. It was supposed to be the main competitor to the iPhone 7 Apple. However, the triumph soon turned around: the company began to receive massive complaints about battery malfunctions - some of them overheated, smoked and exploded. In the fall, it was decided to completely produce smartphones of this model. And in December, the company released an update that disabled the phone.
Facebook bought Belarusian startup MSQRD
Double unexpected success for developers from Belarus. The MSQRD application, which allows you to apply live filters to selfies (including videos) in real time, is successful Facebook company. The number of downloads of the application in the first month exceeded 16 million. It was chosen by such stars as Snoop Dogg, Zach Braff and Leonardo DiCaprio. True, after the purchase, Facebook forced the developers to adjust the application and remove the Barack Obama mask from the filters.
Britain voted to leave the European Union. But it never came out
An event that was not believed until the last moment. Residents of Britain held a referendum in June to leave the European Union. Stock markets in panic. Prime Minister David Cameron. But the government has not yet taken any further steps. Meanwhile, many, especially in the US, have found a lot of moments from Britain's exit from the EU.
Summer Olympics in Rio
The first Olympic Games in South America. Until the last moment, skeptics doubted: they said that Brazil was not ready, they showed that the colorful picture of the Olympic stadiums was surrounded by slums in poor areas. Be that as it may, the Olympics took place. Not without a scandal: before the Games, the Russian track and field team was eliminated due to a doping scandal. In the overall team competition, Russia took 4th place. First place team USA.
Arrest of Alexey Ulyukaev
High-ranking officials in Russia are detained regularly, but for the first time in modern history A sitting minister of the federal government found himself behind bars. Alexey Ulyukaev, the Minister of Economic Development, was on the night of November 15 on suspicion of receiving a bribe of $2 million. Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin called the criminal case a “sad event,” the president immediately dismissed Ulyukaev, and he was placed under house arrest for 2 months. Many experts called the criminal case against Ulyukaev strange, due to the fact that the amount of the alleged bribe was relatively small for such a high level.
Pokemon hunt
In 2016, the world again remembered. Characters from the 1990s have once again captured the minds of millions. But now new ones are in use. To catch Pokemon, you need to leave the house with a smartphone in your hands. Not only teenagers, but also serious businessmen became interested in the game - job advertisement sites appeared with offers for those who would earn points in the game for money. Due to the popularity of the game market price the Japanese company Nintendo, which released the application, exceeded $42 billion. At the same time, Nintendo overtook Sony in capitalization - one of largest producers technology in the world, whose market value was about $38 billion.
Unmanned vehicles
Driverless robot cars on city streets are already a reality in 2016. In December, Uber announced the launch of a driverless taxi in San Francisco. True, the service lasted for several hours - the automobile inspectorate required a special permit. However, in several states - including Florida and Michigan - the introduction of drones is in full swing.
Illustration copyright RIA Novosti
Events and changes in life occur without reference to the calendar. January 1 is a conditional date. But, if we have already decided to consider it a certain milestone, we cannot do without forecasts for the future.
IN THE WORLD
US presidential elections
The British newspaper Independent once wrote that since the President of the United States has such an influence on the lives of all mankind, then not only Americans should elect him.
This is, of course, a joke. But what happens on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2016 is truly of global significance.
An additional intrigue of the current elections is the presence among the candidates of the Republican Donald Trump, whose statements, primarily on foreign policy and immigration, are liked by some of the public.
In Russia, Trump is sometimes compared in style to , although he still does not propose installing giant fans at the border to blow radioactive dust onto neighbors, or firing officials weighing more than 80 kg.
So far, according to polls, Trump is one of 12 Republican contenders.
“The Republican elite does not believe in him, but it will be quite difficult for them to stop the pressure from below,” he believes CEO Russian Council on International Affairs Andrey Kortunov.
Illustration copyright AP Image caption Donald Trump leaves no one indifferentExperts note that the average American “from the roots of the grass” does not like everything connected with collective Washington, and periodically gets carried away by characters who tell him: “professional politicians deliberately complicate everything, fool citizens, three write - two in the mind, and I have mine.” guy, I say what I think, and the simple solution is always the best."
"If the main topics are security, terrorism, foreign policy, then there is hope for the Republican. But if the leitmotif of the election campaign, as usual, turns out to be the economy, then the Democrats have a very good chance of winning. The states are doing relatively well economically, and this will work for the Democrats,” Kortunov asserts.
In the 1990s, a popular joke among Republicans was: “We don’t like President Clinton or her husband Bill!” Now it looks like it will come true, and the United States will elect its first female president, following its first-ever black president.
The event itself is historical. Journalists are already wondering how Bill Clinton will have to be called in this case: the first gentleman?
Illustration copyright AP Image caption Hillary Clinton represents the political mainstreamIt should also be noted that Hillary Clinton will turn 69 years old a week before the vote. At that age, only Ronald Reagan was elected to his first term.
Experts point out that the tendency of many Russians to demonize and ridicule Barack Obama, associating bad relations between Moscow and Washington with his person, is dictated by a misunderstanding of the issue.
In fact, Obama is the biggest dove in the White House since the end of World War II.
The next president, be it Hillary Clinton or Republicans Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush, will likely take a tougher stance against the Kremlin.
Only Trump has repeatedly said that, although without specifying how and under what conditions.
Putin, speaking to reporters on December 17, called Trump “the absolute leader of the presidential race,” although his nomination as the Republican candidate is not yet clear, let alone elected president.
“Trump would start with a clean slate, would not be bound by any obligations and previous decisions, would recruit new people. On the other hand, he is an authoritarian politician, with a bright personality, and this could play in the other direction: let’s remember Putin’s relationship with Erdogan,” - Andrey Kortunov noted.
Syria
It can be predicted with a fair degree of probability that in 2016 the crisis in Syria, which has been going on for the past few years, will not end.
The enemy has neither a complex infrastructure that can be destroyed, nor vital centers to take, nor a universally recognized leader whose statue can be demolished. The war with him is a battle with a dragon, whose severed head grows three new ones.
But the position of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is also shaky.
“I absolutely do not believe that it is possible to hold elections in Syria that can lead to something. The fact that the Syrian army, even with the support of Russian aviation, will disperse all enemies is also too bold an assumption, based on what is happening now,” - says leading Russian Arabist Georgy Mirsky.
Illustration copyright AP Image caption According to experts, in 2016 everything in Syria will be like in the past“The degradation of Syrian society has crossed the red line,” agrees Leonid Isaev, a specialist in monitoring conflicts in the Middle East.
“All opposition groups pose the question harshly and firmly: while Assad is in power, there can be no talk of a political settlement. Moreover, they do not have a single center with which to negotiate,” recalls Mirsky.
Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated his previous position: “Only the Syrian people must determine who should govern them,” which means continued support for official Damascus.
Analysts find it unlikely that a military victory for one of the parties, a political settlement, the creation of a unified anti-ISIS coalition, and a cessation, or, conversely, a significant escalation of Russian military participation, are unlikely.
Most likely, in 2016 everything will remain the same. Russian pilots train and earn daily allowances, the rest of the people go about their business, the Kremlin demonstrates that it is actively involved in world affairs.
Ukraine
In Ukraine, according to most observers, life will be stormy, but neither a new Maidan nor a war will happen.
The economic situation will remain difficult. Some experts expect an exit from the recession at the end of the coming year or the beginning of 2017, pointing out that a balanced budget was adopted for 2016 for the first time in the history of sovereign Ukraine.
Illustration copyright AP Image caption The main political topics of the coming year in Ukraine are the future of Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, the situation in Donbass and the abolition of visas“In the spring, a partial change in the composition of the government is possible, but whether the Prime Minister [Arseniy Yatsenyuk] will be replaced is still a question,” says Ukrainian political scientist Sergei Taran. “Theoretically, early changes cannot be ruled out in the fall.” parliamentary elections. However, this will not affect the broad consensus that has developed in society around European integration and pluralistic democracy. A political crisis at the level of parties and parliament is possible, but not a crisis of society that could lead to a split and Maidan."
The main event of next year in Ukraine may be the introduction of a visa-free regime with the European Union. The political will is evident, although some experts doubt that the European side will have time to complete all the formalities in a year.
On November 12, the Verkhovna Rada, despite the resistance of some deputies, banned labor discrimination against sexual minorities, completing the process of introducing the necessary amendments to the legislation.
On December 23, the European Commission presented Ukraine with New Year's gift: confirmed the implementation of the requirements of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan and recommended that the EU Council consider the introduction of a visa-free regime in 2016.
“There are chances that at the end of summer or autumn, Ukrainians will start traveling to Europe without visas,” hopes Sergei Taran.
Oil
The forecast is basically the same: energy resources will remain cheap.
On New Year's Eve, the price of Brent oil per barrel is the lowest level in history.
OPEC at its meeting on December 4 did not make a decision to reduce production. At first next year Oil from Iran, the export of which was previously impossible due to sanctions, should enter the market.
The Russian budget for 2018 was drawn up based on a price of 50 dollars per barrel, but in December, high-ranking officials were already talking about 40 (Deputy Minister of Finance Maxim Oreshkin) and even 35 dollars (head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina).
“A corridor around the price of $45 per barrel of Brent with the possibility of significant fluctuations in both directions,” oil and gas market expert Mikhail Krutikhin gave the BBC Russian Service a forecast.
Analysts say Bank of America, where production costs are low, has waged a price war against both shale oil producers in the United States and other traditional suppliers.
At the same time, shale production becomes profitable at prices starting from $60 per barrel, so oil is unlikely to rise above this figure in the foreseeable future.
“Traditional industrial raw materials have exhausted their foreign trade potential,” states financial analyst Valery Weisberg.
Olympics in Rio
Illustration copyright GettyOfficial representatives of Russian sports are not yet making forecasts for the 2016 Summer Games - it is too early. However, statistics show that each time Russia is slowly but steadily worsening its performance in the overall medal standings.
A veteran of Soviet and Russian sports journalism, in an interview with the BBC Russian Service a year before the start of the Olympics, he described the situation with team sports as a failure and placed his main hopes on artistic and artistic gymnastics, wrestling and fencing.
Currently, the main story is the participation or non-participation of Russian track and field athletes in the Games due to the doping scandal.
In November, the board of the International Association of Athletics Federations temporarily suspended Russians from competitions under its auspices for an indefinite period.
On December 10, the president of the association said that if Russia fails to bring training and doping testing practices into compliance with the rules of the association before the start of the Games, then Russian athletes will not be able to participate in the Olympics.
“If the desired changes do not happen, then I’m afraid that athletes who are “clean” [from doping] will be left behind,” he warned.
IN RUSSIA
Duma elections
Illustration copyright AFPElections in State Duma VII convocation for the first time since 2003 will be held on mixed scheme: half on party lists and half on single-member constituencies.
In June of this year they were moved from December 4 to September 18. The authors of the initiative from United Russia explained this with a desire to give the new Duma the opportunity to discuss and adopt the budget for 2017. According to the opposition, the postponement was dictated by the desire to weaken its chances during the election campaign, which will take place during the summer holiday season.
Analysts have no doubt that " United Russia"will retain its parliamentary majority.
The main uncertainty is whether the authorities will allow the liberal People's Freedom Party to participate in the elections.
They can, for example, change the law at the last moment in such a way as to force Parnas to collect voter signatures.
Alexei Navalny is associated with Parnassus, who, according to current laws, has no right not only to run for office, but also to participate in pre-election debates - at the same time, he is the locomotive of the party and at the same time a strong irritant for the Kremlin.
Illustration copyright AP Image caption Alexei Navalny faces a suspended sentence“The authorities are working in one direction, and this direction is called “tightening the screws.” The situation is complicated by the fact that the economy is no longer shambling along the bottom, but has simply sat on the rocks. Since there will be more and more criticism and dissatisfaction, the authorities will act more and more harshly,” - believes political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin.
“Judging by the experience of regional campaigns of the past year, we can expect disqualification for some technical reasons, although the participation of Parnas would at least revive the campaign: the systemic opposition would be forced to be more active,” says the president of the Institute of National Strategy Mikhail Remizov.
Director of the International Institute of Political Expertise Evgeniy Minchenko is confident: “There will be no big problems with the admission of Parnas, because the authorities have nothing to worry about here.”
According to the analyst, Parnas and Yabloko will steal away the liberal electorate and, as a result, will not get into the Duma.
Experts believe that the restoration of majority constituencies of great importance does not have. What is important is not the election mechanism, but the presence of a sufficient number of independent and critical citizens.
Economy
Most experts predict stagnation with gradual deterioration for next year. The country will survive for another year at the expense of the Reserve Fund; Catastrophic shocks, such as the collapse of the ruble, the collapse of banks and budget failure, are not expected, but there is no reason to expect a way out of the recession.
“Long-term plans will have to be revised, because our economy is highly dependent on oil prices, including areas far from oil,” says Oleg Buklemishev, associate professor at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University.
“No positive factors that can balance the decline in prices for raw materials exports are visible. The main thing is that there is no positive image of the future that we could strive for, and it is unclear where it will come from. And without this, there is no talk of growth and restoration of investment ", he added.
“If the oil price is in the range of $35-50 per barrel, Russia will face a further decline in GDP, a decline in living standards, etc. We can expect a deterioration in the quality of decisions made and a more tense social situation,” predicts economist Kirill Rogov.
Illustration copyright ReutersAccording to experts, the authorities have already realized the seriousness of the situation, primarily that oil prices will not rise soon, but are not yet ripe for making decisions that they do not want to make.
“For now, a policy is being pursued, the purpose of which is to survive until tomorrow. There is no talk of changing the policy yet. They will gradually reduce expenses in order to last as long as possible,” believes Oleg Buklemishev.
"Period low prices for commodities lasting 5-10 years requires deep economic restructuring and reform political system. For now, the authorities prefer to bury their heads in the sand. The challenges will become obvious in the second or third year of low prices,” says Kirill Rogov.
Experts unanimously predict what will happen next, but find it difficult to name specific parameters.
According to analysts, more dramatic events will unfold in 2017, when the financial cushion accumulated during the “fat years” will practically dry up. We will either have to sharply cut all spending or print money, which will lead to hyperinflation similar to the 1990s.
An alternative to such unpleasant scenarios could be external borrowing, but the political situation prevents this.
Gull
Illustration copyright APExperts unanimously find an official investigation into Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika in connection with the Anti-Corruption Foundation investigation or his high-profile dismissal almost impossible. In terms of the Russian authorities, this would mean weakness.
At a press conference on December 17, Vladimir Putin avoided discussing this topic, and in his message Federal Assembly On December 3, he didn’t mention her a word. But, brought to his attention by activists of the All-Russian Popular Front, making it clear who has the patent to fight corruption and whose signals should be responded to and whose not.
Judging by the statements of lower-ranking officials and pro-Kremlin commentators, two lines of defense for Chaika against Navalny’s revelations have been identified: “A father is not responsible for his sons” and “Whose mill are you pouring water into?”
Experts do not rule out that after June 22, 2016, when Chaika’s next five-year term in office ends, the 65-year-old Prosecutor General will be quietly retired.
“The fact that Chaika is criticized by Navalny gives him immunity from proceedings. But the expiration of his term of office is a completely plausible excuse to close the issue not on corruption claims, but as part of a planned rotation,” says Mikhail Remizov.
The US presidential elections, the Rio Olympics, the doping scandal, terrorist attacks in Brussels, Nice and Turkey, the crash of a Tu-154 in the Black Sea - these and other main events of the year in Russia and the world in the RBC review.
First meeting of the Russian Patriarch Orthodox Church and the Pope
On February 12, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and Pope Francis met in Cuba. This was the first meeting in history between the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and the pontiff.
Explosions at the airport and metro in Brussels, Belgium
On the morning of March 22, two explosions occurred in the passenger check-in area in the departure hall of Brussels Airport. Later, another explosion occurred at the Maelbeek metro station near the European Quarter. The terrorist group “Islamic State” (banned in Russia) claimed responsibility for the attacks. The reason was the revenge of the alleged organizer of the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015. More than 30 people were killed as a result of the terrorist attacks in Belgium. The suspects were detained.
Aggravation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
On the night of April 2, Nagorno-Karabakh resumed fighting. The unrecognized republic and Azerbaijan accused each other of provocations. Over the four days that the conflict lasted, Azerbaijan's losses amounted to more than 30 military personnel, Nagorno-Karabakh admitted the death of 20 military personnel, and another 26 military personnel are listed as missing. According to the UN, as a result of the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, 33 people were killed and more than 200 were injured.
"Panamagate"
On April 3, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), together with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and several global media outlets, published documents from the so-called Panama Archives. The archive of 11.5 million documents is named so because the company Mossack Fonseca, the leak from which formed the basis of the investigation, is registered in the Panama Islands. According to ICIJ, the company built a business on creating shell companies and corporate structures to hide the ultimate beneficiaries of assets.
The archive revealed data on offshore and foreign companies of Russian officials or members of their families, as well as on companies whose beneficiaries are now former Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukaev, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, former deputy manager of presidential affairs Ivan Malyushin, Deputy Mayor of Moscow Maxim Liksutov, cellist Sergei Roldugin and the main owner of Rossiya Bank Yuri Kovalchuk.
Shooting at the Pulse club in Orlando, USA
On the night of June 12, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, a resident of Port St. Lucie, Florida, broke into the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando and went on a shooting spree, holding more than 300 people hostage for an hour and a half. 49 people were killed and more than 50 were injured. Mateen was shot dead during the assault. The attack on the club was classified as a “domestic terrorist attack.” Matin’s direct connection with the Islamic State, banned in Russia, was not established, but during the attack on the club, he called the rescue service and stated that he had sworn allegiance to the terrorist group.
Death of 14 schoolchildren from the camp on Syamozero, Russia
On the evening of June 18, 14 children from the health camp “Park Hotel “Syamozero” in Karelia died after being caught in a storm during a rafting trip. The Investigative Committee opened criminal cases against the director of the park, Elena Reshetova, and her deputy, Vadim Vinogradov.
Brexit, UK
On June 23, British residents voted in a referendum for the country to leave the EU (Brexit). The country's Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, his successor Theresa May promised that the procedure for leaving the EU would be launched before March 2017. Brexit led to a sharp collapse of the pound and a decrease in the attractiveness of the country for doing business.
Photo: Press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation/TASS
Arrest of Nikita Belykh, Russia
On June 24, in the restaurant of the Lotte Plaza shopping and office center on Novy Arbat, Nikita Belykh, Governor of the Kirov Region, was detained while receiving a bribe of €400 thousand. According to investigators, in exchange for this amount, he promised to help the companies JSC Novovyatsky Ski Plant and LLC Forestry Management Company in the implementation of investment projects. Belykh himself did not admit the charges, saying that this money should have gone to the needs of Kirov. The investigation continues, Belykh was dismissed and is in a pre-trial detention center.
Terrorist attack at Istanbul airport, Türkiye
On June 28, a terrorist attack occurred at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul near the security checkpoints at the entrance to the passenger arrivals area. The attack involved three suicide bombers who arrived at the airport in a taxi. The attackers first opened fire with weapons and then blew themselves up. More than 40 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. It was later established that the terrorist attack was carried out by persons with citizenship of Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan; Turkish authorities linked the attack to the activities of the Islamic State banned in Russia.
Terrorist attack in Nice, France
On July 14, during the Bastille Day celebrations, on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, 31-year-old Mohamed Boulel drove a truck into a crowd of vacationers and drove almost 2 km before the police managed to shoot him. Five suspects were detained in connection with the terrorist attack. The Islamic State terrorist group, banned in Russia, claimed responsibility for the crime. More than 80 people were killed and more than 300 were injured.
Coup attempt in Turkey
On the night of July 15-16, a military coup was attempted in Turkey. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, the coup was initiated by supporters of Fethullah Gülen, a preacher, philosopher, former supporter of Erdogan, who fled persecution in the United States in the 1990s. The country introduced state of emergency, more than 40 thousand people were detained, many media outlets and schools financed by Gülen were closed.
Doping scandal
In July and December, an independent commission to investigate doping in the Russian athletics, created by WADA, published two parts of the report on the results of its work. She came to the conclusion that over the past six years the Russian Ministry of Sports has created a system for falsifying doping tests of Russian athletes.
The first report led to the disqualification of the Russian team for the 2016 Paralympics, the suspension of the track and field and weightlifting teams from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the cancellation of international tournaments planned in Russia, and the revocation of international licenses from Russian anti-doping structures. After the publication of the second part, Russia was deprived of the right to host the bobsleigh and skeleton world championships, which were to be held in Sochi, and also lost several major competitions in biathlon and speed skating. Investigations into most Russian athletes are ongoing.
Earthquake in Italy
On the night of August 24, one of the most destructive earthquakes in recent years occurred in Central Italy. A shock of magnitude 6.2 was recorded at the junction of the regions of Umbria, Lazio and Marche, several cities were completely destroyed. More than 240 people died, several thousand people lost their homes.
Rio Olympics and impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff
In August, the Summer Olympic Games were held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Russia took fourth place in them, receiving 56 medals, of which 19 were gold.
August 31, a few days after closing Olympic Games, the Brazilian Senate voted for the resignation of President Dilma Rousseff. The reason for impeachment was Rousseff's accusation of budget fraud: allegedly the government, at the initiative of the president in 2014-2015, used the so-called fiscal pedaling - planned spending on social programs authorities moved to the next financial period to improve performance in the current period. Rousseff denies the allegations.
Arrest of Colonel Zakharchenko, Russia
On September 10, Interior Ministry Colonel Dmitry Zakharchenko was arrested. He was accused of accepting a bribe, abuse of power and obstruction of a preliminary investigation. According to the investigation materials, in December 2015 he received 7 million rubles. for "general patronage" from former leader and co-owner of the Rusengineering company Anatoly Pshegornitsky. In recent years, this company has been one of the major contractors of the FGC UES company and has carried out a number of government orders for laying electrical networks.
Another episode is related to the investigation into the theft of funds from Nota Bank. According to the case file, in January 2016, Zakharchenko warned the sister of one of the leaders of Nota Bank about the impending search and summoning of Galina Marchukova for questioning. In the fall of 2015, a financial hole was discovered in the bank’s budget, as a result of which the Central Bank revoked the structure’s license. Now a criminal case has been opened regarding the theft of money, and Nota Bank itself is in the process of bankruptcy.
In addition, during a search in the apartment of Zakharchenko’s sister and in the car he used, an unprecedented amount of money was found - almost 9 billion rubles.
Scandal with exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7
In early September, Samsung suspended sales of the new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after it became known that the phones could overheat during use and explode. The cause was a defect in batteries produced by one of the suppliers. This led to the fact that in November the company's shares fell by 30% in the third quarter, and management announced its readiness to consider a proposal to split the company.
US presidential election
On November 8, the US presidential elections took place. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was ahead of eccentric billionaire Donald Trump. His election sparked protests across the country, but in the end Clinton accepted the election results, and Trump began to assemble a team. The inauguration will take place on January 20.
Arrest of the Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev, Russia
On November 15, Russian Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev was placed under house arrest. Previously, he was detained while accepting a bribe of $2 million at the office of the Rosneft company. According to investigators, he received money for a positive assessment of the transaction for the acquisition of Bashneft by this company. Ulyukaev, who was later dismissed, denies the charges. The investigation is ongoing.
OPEC decision to cut oil production
On November 30 in Vienna, representatives of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to reduce oil production for the first time since 2008. They decreased by 1.2 million barrels per day, to 32.5 million barrels. Indonesia, not agreeing with this decision, suspended the action in the organization.
Russian oil workers agreed to reduce production following the OPEC decision. As a result, by the end of the year the cost of a barrel of Brent oil increased from $50 to $55.
Privatization of Rosneft and Bashneft
In early October, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on the sale of a 50.08% stake in Bashneft to Rosneft. The transaction amount amounted to 329.69 billion rubles.
How the privatization of Bashneft was prepared
On December 7, Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin informed President Putin about the completion of the transaction to privatize a 19.5% stake in Rosneft. Investors included Glencore and the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, which received 50% stakes in the consortium that is acquiring the shares. The transaction value was €10.5 billion.
The situation in Syria and Iraq
Throughout the year, the fight against the terrorist group “Islamic State” continued in Syria and Iraq. By the end of the year, the coalition had lost Aleppo to the militants, but Palmyra had been recaptured by terrorists again in December. Iraqi Mosul.
On December 29, it became known that the Syrian government and the armed opposition had signed a ceasefire agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin that we're talking about on a ceasefire, a set of measures to monitor the ceasefire and a statement of readiness to begin peaceful negotiations to resolve the situation in the country. According to him, the signing of the agreements was the result of Russia’s work with Turkey and Iran.
Murder Russian Ambassador in Turkey
On December 19, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was killed during the opening of an exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Art in Ankara. The shooter, 22-year-old former Turkish police officer Mevlut Altintas, was killed. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the UN Security Council qualified the incident as a terrorist attack, and Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the ambassador to be nominated for a government award.
Tu-154 crash in the Black Sea
A Tu-154 Ministry of Defense plane taking off from Adler crashed on the morning of December 25. The airliner disappeared from radar screens in the second minute of the flight and fell into the Black Sea near Sochi. The aircraft was heading to Syria, with 92 people on board: military personnel, artists from the Alexandrov Ensemble, journalists, and the head of the Fair Aid Foundation, Elizaveta Glinka.
Investigators are considering several versions of the tragedy, including pilot error and technical malfunction. The possibility of a terrorist attack has not been completely ruled out, although it is certain that there was no explosion on board the plane. Preliminary examination data will become known in January, and final conclusions about the causes of the disaster will be made after the flight recorders are deciphered.
Obama Administration's New Sanctions
On December 29, US President Barack Obama signed a decree expanding sanctions against Russia in connection with the investigation into hacker attacks on political parties in USA. The list included the Federal Security Service, the Main Directorate of the General Staff, and the ANO " Professional association designers of computer science systems", LLC "Special Technology Center", LLC "Digital Weapons and Protection".
The list of sanctions against individuals has expanded by six names. It includes the head of the GRU of the General Staff Igor Korobov, his first deputies Igor Kostyukov and Vladimir Alekseev, as well as Korobov’s deputy Sergei Gizunov.
On the same day, the US State Department announced the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the country, who must leave the United States within 72 hours.
