Room with a View: The biggest international stories of 2016

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Europe

SO WHAT’S ROOM WITH A VIEW?

Prepare for a new style of talk show, as CGTN host Wang Yizhi guides you through the hottest international stories in 2016 with special guests, sharp opinions and stunning graphics.

WHY SHOULD I WATCH?

Shock election results, impeachments and the fall of iconic leaders are on the agenda in a groundbreaking new show that combines insightful debate with striking presentation.

A woman holds up a poster saying farewell to the EU following Britain’s vote to leave. /Getty Images/CFP Photo

Where were you when Britain cast a shock vote to leave the European Union, when Americans upset the odds by making Donald Trump their new president and Fidel Castro passed away?

From Park Geun-hye’s battle to hang on to the South Korean presidency and the terrorism and migration plaguing Europe to the chaos in the Middle East, what will happen in 2017?

Anti-Trump protesters burn an effigy of the president-elect, Donald Trump, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 9, 2016. /CFP Photo

WHO’S TALKING?

CGTN host Wang Yizhi directs the action, flanked by Pingwest co-founder Thomas Luo, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Tom Rafferty and CGTN reporter Annelise Nielsen.

NEED A CATCH-UP?

Brexit rattles Europe

Britons voted to leave the European Union. Markets dived, the British pound slumped and dire consequences were predicted for the world’s fifth-largest economy. Prime Minister David Cameron resigned, leaving new leader Theresa May to negotiate Britain’s exit from the bloc. Why did Brexit happen, and what will it mean for the rest of Europe?

Trump’s America

Donald Trump upset the odds and the polls to beat Hillary Clinton and be elected the 45th president of the United States. His populist campaign used controversial language to dominate the agenda, and his victory prompted mass protests. What will Trump’s America look like?

A Syrian rebel fighter fires his rifle during an attack on the headquarters of Assad regime forces during an operation to break the siege of Aleppo on October 29, 2016. /Getty Images, CFP Phot

Horror in the Middle East

Bloodshed continued across Syria in 2016, but much of the international focus was on the war-ravaged city of Aleppo. And in neighboring Iraq, a battle to remove ISIL militants from their stronghold in the city of Mosul raged. Is there any light on the horizon for the Middle East?

Unsolved problems in Europe

Individuals pledging allegiance to ISIL sparked terror on the streets of France, Belgium and Germany in 2016, while a record number of migrants died in the Mediterranean while fleeing conflict zones in the Middle East and northern Africa. Can Europe find solutions to these twin problems?

Park Geun-hye bows to public, apologizing for leaking government documents to confidante, October 26,2016. /CFP Photo

Park Geun-hye - a president, puppet or plotter?

South Korean President Park Geun-hye was impeached following an influence-peddling scandal involving long-time friend Choi Soon-sil. Millions of South Koreans took to the streets of Seoul to demand Park’s resignation in a series of mass protests. Can Park survive, and if not, who’s next?

Fidel Castro dies

Fidel Castro, the charismatic Cuban revolutionary leader, died at the age of 90. Castro was a constant thorn in the side of the US during the second half of the 20th century, but relations between the countries have warmed in recent years. What is Castro’s legacy?

(Written by John Goodrich; Room with a View produced by Xu Jiye)