WORLD

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps towered over the 2016 Rio Games, capping an era of sustained excellence that promises to reverberate through the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and beyond. From Beijing in 2008 through London 2012 and, finally, in Rio, Bolt and Phelps captivated …

Sydney, Australia | AFP |  Australia rang in the new year Sunday with a spectacular fireworks display in Sydney, sending rainbow-coloured showers into the night sky and defying the global terror attacks that cast a pall over 2016. Around 1.5 million people packed Australia’s biggest city to watch as the …

Sydney, Australia | AFP | Global terror attacks have cast a pall over 2016 but Australia was Saturday set to defy the threats and ring in the New Year with bumper crowds gathering to watch a firework extravaganza on Sydney’s glittering harbour. 2016 has seen repeated bloodshed, most recently a …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Inspired by Leicester City’s incredible Premier League success, underdogs also shone on the international stage in 2016 as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal stunned hosts France to the European championships in a tournament also lit up by debutants Wales and Iceland. Ronaldo capped his stellar career with …

Paris, France | AFP |  From legendary British singer David Bowie to Cuban leader Fidel Castro and American boxer Muhammad Ali, here are some of the notable figures who died in 2016. – January – – 10: DAVID BOWIE, 69, legendary British singer and musician who died of cancer two …

United Nations, United States | AFP |  UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon paid an emotional farewell to the United Nations on Friday, wistfully describing his two-term stint at the helm of the global body as something of a fairy tale. “I feel a bit like Cinderella. Tomorrow at midnight, everything changes!” …

Paris, France | AFP |  From Donald Trump’s victory to the Brexit vote and the fall of Syria’s Aleppo, here is a snapshot of 10 stories that dominated the news in 2016: – Trump wins US vote – On November 8, Republican billionaire Trump, a 70-year-old populist with no political …

Paris, France | AFP |  The shock election of Donald Trump to the White House, Britain crashing out of the European Union, attacks in Europe and the deaths of Mohammed Ali and David Bowie: 2016 has been a momentous news year. Here are some of the main events that marked …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Ninety-three journalists and media staff were killed around the world in the course of their work in 2016, with Iraq and Afghanistan the deadliest countries, the International Federation of Journalists said Friday. The IFJ said the figure, 19 less than in 2015, was for journalists …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP |  Saudi Arabia has invited regional rival Iran to discuss a return of its nationals to next year’s hajj after Iranians were excluded from the pilgrimage following a major diplomatic row, reports said Friday. The Al-Hayat daily reported that Riyadh’s pilgrims minister Mohammed Bentin had …