2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Background
Ma Ying-jeou of Kuomintang was elected to a second term after defeating Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party in the 2012 presidential election with nearly six million votes. However, the Ma presidency was overshadowed by the historic Sunflower Movement student protest in 2014 against the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) in which 500,000 protesters were mobilized and the Legislative Yuan was occupied by the protesters for the first time in history.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Background
The ruling Kuomintang suffered a historic defeat in the following municipal elections in November 2014, in which the Kuomintang lost nine of the 15 mayorships it previously held. Other anti-government movements such as the White Shirt Army, a mass protest following the death of army conscript Hung Chung-chiu, and also the High School Edition protest, also hammered the credibility of the Ma government.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Progressive Party
According to internal party protocols, presidential primaries are conducted via nationwide opinion polling. Registration for the primary was held between 2 and 16 February 2015. After all other likely DPP candidates- Mayor of Kaohsiung Chen Chu, Mayor of Tainan William Lai and former Premier Su Tseng-chang, declined to run, the candidacy for the 2012 presidential office was left open for Tsai Ing-wen, the incumbent DPP chairwoman at the time and former Vice Premier.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Democratic Progressive Party
Tsai became the only candidate who registered in February 2015, and thus nationwide opinion polling that was planned to be conducted between 16 and 18 March was suspended. Tsai was duly nominated by the DPP on 15 April 2015. On 16 November 2015, Tsai Ing-wen announced former Minister of Health Chen Chien-jen as her running mate, who consequently resigned from his post as deputy director of Academia Sinica.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Kuomintang
After the landslide defeat in the municipal elections, many Kuomintang heavyweights including Vice President Wu Den-yih, President of the Legislative Yuan Wang Jin-pyng and the party chairman Eric Chu decided not to run in the race. The field was left open to Hung Hsiu-chu, the incumbent Vice President of the Legislative Yuan who was also a legislator for eight consecutive terms since 1989.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Kuomintang
According to internal party protocols, presidential primaries are conducted via a combination of party member vote with 30% weighting, and nationwide opinion polling with 70% weighting. Registration and petitions were conducted between 20 April to 18 May 2015. Two candidates, including Hung Hsiu-chu; and Yang Chih-liang, former Minister of Health, registered. Hung garnered 35,210 signatories in her petition, crossing the eligibility threshold of 15,000 signatories; while Yang garnered only 5,234 signatories, nullifying his candidacy. The party member vote was suspended because Hung was the only eligible candidate. Nationwide opinion polling were conducted from 12 to 13 June 2015; with equal weighting between approval rating and general election polling. Hung garnered an average of 46.20% in the nationwide polling, crossing the eligibility threshold of 30%, and was nominated unopposedly by the party congress on 19 July 2015.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Kuomintang
However Hung's remarks on the Cross-Strait policy sparked fears over her perceived pro-unification stance which alienated some in her own party, taking a more moderate line, as she had advocated unification with the mainland but was recently stopped by senior party members, as most on the island prefer the status quo. In addition, Hung was still trailing Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-wen in the polls by double digits. Tsai is consistently showing 40–50 percent support in the polls, while Hung's numbers are closer to those of third party candidates James Soong. One poll had Tsai at 45 percent support and Hung at only 12 percent. The poor showing in the polls alarmed the senior party members.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Kuomintang
According to the reports from CNA, Eric Chu, the incumbent KMT chairman and Mayor of New Taipei, had privately urged Hung to step aside and allow another candidate to run, most likely Chu himself. In October 2015, Hung cited that Republic of China Constitution calls for "ultimate unification with China," although she added "be it in 50 years or 100 years." Eric Chu publicly responded by saying Hung's policy deviated from the mainstream and that the party has decided to call an extempore congress to consider a new candidate.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Kuomintang
On 17 October, an extraordinary KMT party congress was called. The delegates voted overwhelmingly to nullify Hung Hsiu-chu's nomination. The congress also selected Chu to replace Hung as the presidential candidate of the KMT. On 18 November Chu selected Wang Ju-hsuan as his running mate, who had a background as a human rights lawyer and former Minister of Council of Labor Affairs.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, People First Party
James Soong, Chairman of the People First Party (PFP) also announced his presidential candidacy on 6 August 2015, making it his fourth presidential bid after 2000, 2004 and 2012 elections. On 18 November 2015, Soong announced Minkuotang (MKT) chairwoman and legislator Hsu Hsin-ying as his running mate. The PFP–MKT coalition became the first pair of candidates to register for the election on 23 November 2015.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Nominations, Other candidates
According to article 22 of the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act, Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates not nominated by an eligible political party, may qualify via a petition signed by at least 1.5% of the number of eligible voters during the preceding legislative election: a threshold of 269,709 eligible voters.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
After the controversial move of the KMT replacing Hung Hsiu-chu with Eric Chu as the presidential candidate less than 100 days before the 16 January general election, the poll still showed Chu trailing behind DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen and was predicted to certainly lose. Critics said Chu over-thought his strategy and threw his hat in the ring when it was too late and being too close to the unpopular incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
Furthermore, Chu's running mate, Vice Presidential candidate Wang Ju-hsuan was mired in series of scandals, such as proposing unpaid leave, suing laid-off workers, and the "22K policy" which was blamed for decreasing young people's wages during her tenure as Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs, in addition to the ethical debate over her purchase of military housing.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
Like Ma, Chu put economic growth at the top of his agenda. Chu advocated for building stronger economic ties with China, seeing that as crucial to lifting Taiwan's economy out of isolation. He also said he would work to further Taiwan's objective of participating in regional integration initiatives such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Chu also proposed a "three strategy plan," a highlight of which is to dramatically raise basic wages from $20,008 new Taiwan dollars (NT) to NT $30,000 over four years.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
With regard to relations with mainland China, Chu said he would be in line with his party's policy to continue to promote the development of cross-strait ties on the basis of the "1992 Consensus," in which both sides insist there is "one China" but agree to disagree on what this means. He attacked Tsai for her "vague policies", especially her approach to cross-strait relations as Tsai refused to accept Beijing's precondition that she first accept that Taiwan is a part of "one China".


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
However, Tsai had moderated her party's pro-independence stance and promised to maintain peaceful and stable relations and expressed her openness to dialogues with the Beijing government. She stressed the importance of maintaining the status quo "in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people and the existing ROC constitutional order." On the other hand, Tsai pledged to promote greater spending on indigenous defense programs, including research and development, in order to meet the nation's long-term defense needs.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
On the domestic issues, Tsai called for comprehensive reform in areas such as bureaucratic efficiency, the education system, fiscal policy and regional development. She said that, above all, the country must establish a government that "puts the people first" and the "fruits of economic success should be shared fairly among all citizens." She pledged to solve the problem of unemployment rate, weak economic growth, an unequal distribution of wealth and impeding upward mobility.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
Capitalizing on the unpopularity of the KMT's Chu-Wang ticket, James Soong, the third party candidate of the PFP stressed that he would seek a cross-party cooperation on sharing power if elected and sought a middle path that would bridge the blue-green divide. According to the most recent surveys, is polling at about 14%, or just five percentage point behind the KMT.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, General election campaign
The Ma–Xi meeting in November 2015 between Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping in Singapore provided little political benefit to the KMT, affirming how most Taiwanese do not view closer relations with China to be beneficial to Taiwan.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Chou Tzu-yu flag incident
On 15 January 2016, one day before the election, Chou Tzu-yu, a 16-year-old Taiwanese singer and a member of the South Korean K-pop girl group Twice, attracted attention with her appearance in a South Korean variety show called My Little Television, in which she introduced herself and waved the flag of the Republic of China alongside that of South Korea. Japan's flag was also shown as the other members of the group represented their nationality throughout the show.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Chou Tzu-yu flag incident
However, soon after the episode was broadcast it sparked controversy in China when Taiwanese-born China-based singer Huang An accused Chou of being a "pro-Taiwanese independence activist". After the uproar over the issue, the group's record label, JYP Entertainment cancelled all activities of the group in China and released a video where Chou is shown reading an apology, all this the day before the election. She mentioned in part:


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Chou Tzu-yu flag incident
"There is only one China. The two sides of the [Taiwan] Strait are one entity. I feel proud being a Chinese. I, as a Chinese, have hurt the company and netizens' feelings due to my words and actions during overseas promotions. I feel very, very sorry and also very guilty."


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Chou Tzu-yu flag incident
Nevertheless critics saw her apology as "humiliating and a sign of Taiwan's predicament that Chou had to apologize for expressing her Taiwanese identity and for showing her nation's flag." Tsai in her victory speech also mentioned how it had "angered many Taiwanese people, regardless of their political affiliation." And although it was believed by many that this incident affected the election, contributing to one or two percentage points of Tsai's winning margin, it was thought that the issue probably had a very minor impact on the final outcome since most believed that people would have voted for Tsai anyway. However it is believed that the incident might potentially contribute to Taiwan's desire to become an independent state.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Aftermath
The defeated candidate Eric Chu resigned as the KMT Chairman in his concession speech on the election night. KMT Vice Chairman Hau Lung-bin also announced he was stepping down after his defeat in the legislative election. In the March chairmanship election, the ousted presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu was elected as the first female party chair.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Aftermath
Following the electoral defeat of the ruling KMT, the cabinet led by President of the Executive Yuan Mao Chi-kuo resigned en masse immediately. His position was assumed by Vice Premier Simon Chang. President Ma Ying-jeou offered the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to form a Cabinet before its President-elect Tsai Ing-wen is sworn in on 20 May, but the offer was rejected by Tsai.


2016 Taiwanese presidential election, Aftermath
Tsai became the first female president in Taiwan, as well as the Chinese-speaking world when she was sworn in at the Presidential Building on 20 May 2016.


2016 Taji gas plant attack
On 15 May 2016, a team of ISIL bombers assaulted a natural-gas plant north of Baghdad, Iraq, killing at least 14 people, eight suicide bombers, injuring 27 troops and burning 20 workers.


2016 Taji gas plant attack, Attack
A government-run plant was attacked, with attacks starting at dawn, with a suicide car bomber hitting the facility's main gate in the town of Taji, about 20km north of Baghdad. After eight suicide bombings, clashes broke out with security forces, leaving 27 soldiers wounded. Around 20 workers of the plant were seriously burned. ISIL suspected, that the plant was being used by the Iraqi army. Three of the facility's gas storages were set alight, before security forces were able to bring the situation under control. Firefighters managed to control and extinguish a fire, caused by the explosions, and technicians examined the damage. The power station provided, with the help of others, that had halted operations, 153 megawatts to the already overstretched national grid before the attack. Eight policemen were among the casualties of the attack.


2016 Tajik League
The 2016 Tajik League is the 25th season of Tajik League, the Tajikistan Football Federation's top division of association football. FC Istiklol are the defending champions, having won the previous season.


2016 Tajik League, Teams
Prior to the start of the 2016 season, Khosilot Farkhor were promoted, whilst on 25 March 2016, the Tajikistan Football Federation announced that Daleron-Uroteppa had withdrawn from the league due to financial problems.


2016 Tajik Super Cup
The 2016 Tajik Supercup was the 7th Tajik Supercup, an annual Tajik football match played between the winners of the previous season's Tajik League and Tajik Cup. The match was contested by 2015 Tajik League and 2015 Tajik Cup champions, Istiklol, and the 2015 Tajik League Runners-up, Khujand. It was held at Stadium Metallurg 1st District in Tursunzoda four days before the first game of the 2016 Tajik League. Istiklol won the match 3–2 thanks to an 82nd-minute winner from Oleksandr Kablash, his second of the match. After Istiklol took the lead through Kablash, Khujand equalised through Farkhod Tokhirov from the penalty spot, before Davron Ergashev restored Istiklol's lead shortly after. Dilshodzhon Karimov squared the game up midway through the second half, before Kablash's second gave Istiklol their sixth Supercup title.


2016 Tajik constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Tajikistan on 22 May 2016. A total of 41 constitutional amendments were proposed. The changes included:


2016 Tajik constitutional referendum
According to official figures, the changes were approved by 96.6% of voters. Voter turnout was claimed to be 92%.


2016 Tajik constitutional referendum, Analysis
On a practical level, incumbent President Emomali Rahmon would be allowed to run for re-election indefinitely under the changes. Rahmon has been the President of Tajikistan for close to a quarter of a century, showing what critics say was an increased disregard for religious freedoms, civil society, and political pluralism in recent years.


2016 Tajik constitutional referendum, Analysis
The reduction in minimum age to run for president allows Rahmon's son to run, because he would be 33 at the end of his father's current term. The religious party restriction most notably impacts the main opposition Islamic Renaissance Party, which was outlawed in 2015. Some analysts claim that the changes violate the terms of the peace deal that ended the Tajikistani Civil War.


2016 Tajik constitutional referendum, Conduct
According to Reporters Without Borders, the Tajik government had been "blocking", "intimidating" and "threatening" independent media in the buildup to the referendum. According to Sergey Sirotkin, who headed the Russian observing mission, "[t]he referendum was held in full compliance with the laws". Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and its subsidiary ODIHR were denied entry and permission to observe the referendum.


2016 Tajik constitutional referendum, Conduct
Over 3,200 polling stations were placed in the country, with additional posts available in several major Russian cities for Tajik expatriates.


2016 Tajik constitutional referendum, Results
Voters were presented with the question: "Do you approve amendments to the country’s constitution?" Under the country’s law, the referendum result is valid if more than half of voters approved it.


2016 Tajikistan Cup
The 2016 Tajik Cup was the 25th edition of the Tajik Cup. The cup winner qualified for the 2017 AFC Cup.


2016 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger
The 2016 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on green clay courts. It was the 17th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Tallahassee, United States between 25 April and 1 May 2016.


2016 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw as special exempts:


2016 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger – Doubles
Dennis Novikov and Julio Peralta were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, defeating Peter Luczak and Marc Polmans 3–6, 6–4, [12–10] in the final.


2016 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger – Singles
Facundo Argüello was the defending champion but lost in the first round to Frances Tiafoe.


2016 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger – Singles
Quentin Halys won the title, defeating Frances Tiafoe 6–7(6–8), 6–4, 6–2 in the final.


2016 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2016 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2016 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election, Results, Mossley ward
Double election due to the resignation of Labour's Idu Miah (elected May 2015). His seat was retained for Labour by Tafheen Sharif.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The Fifteenth Legislative Assembly Election was held on 16 May 2016 for the 232 seats (except Thanjavur and Aravakurichi for which held on 26 October 2016) of the Legislative Assembly in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. AIADMK under J. Jayalalithaa won the elections and became the first ruling party to be re-elected in Tamil Nadu since 1984, though with a simple majority. DMK won half of the seats it contested but its allies performed poorly; notably, the Indian National Congress won 16% of the seats they contested and the alliance lost due to its poor performance.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election
The votes were counted on 19 May 2016. In the previous election in 2011, AIADMK, under the leadership of Jayalalithaa, won a thumping majority and formed the government, while DMDK chief Vijayakanth served as the Leader of Opposition until January 2016. This was the last election that J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi contested, as they both died in 2016 and 2018 respectively.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Background
By the requirement, state assembly election must be held at an interval of five years or whenever it is dissolved by the president. The previous election, to the 14th legislative assembly, was conducted 13 April 2011 and its term would have naturally expired on 22 May 2016. The election to the 16th legislative assembly was organised and conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and was held in a single phase on 16 May 2016. There were over 5.79 crore voters in the electoral rolls and 65,616 polling stations in Tamil Nadu.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Background
A special purification drive of electoral rolls between 15 and 29 February 2016 in all poll-bound States including Tamil Nadu was held, in which door-to-door verification was undertaken involving booth-level agents. On 12 February 2016, Election Commission of India announced that 17 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu will have Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines attached along with EVMs. Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines will be in place in 4,000 booths.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Demographics
At the 2011 India census, Tamil Nadu had a population of 7,21,47,030. A total of 1,44,38,445 people constituting 20.01% of the total population belonged to Scheduled Castes (SC) and 7,94,697 people constituting 1.10% of the population belonged to Scheduled tribes (ST). Other Backward Classes (OBCs) form 68% of the population. As per the religious census of 2011, Tamil Nadu had 87.6% Hindus, 5.9% Muslims, 6.1% Christians, 0.1% Jains and 0.3% following other religions or no religion.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Schedule
The elections were held on 16 May 2016, with vote counting taking place on 19 May. The elections in Kerala and Puducherry also took place on 16 May but polling in two of the Tamil Nadu constituencies was postponed due to reports of voters being bribed.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Campaign to vote
To ensure that the electorate exercise their right to vote, the Election Commission of India (ECI) launched their own campaign in Tamil Nadu. The Chief Electoral Officer for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Rajesh Lakhoni, utilised social media platforms by creating memes and tweets themed around films, which have a huge reach in Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the Election Commission also recruited media personalities Suriya, Ashwin and Karthik, whose campaigning videos were filmed and shared on social media. The Election Commission also partnered with Twitter, for the first time in India, to boost its #TN100Percent hashtag campaign. Twitter users who have made use of the hashtag will be reminded to vote on the day of voting. Twitter and Facebook collaborated with ECI in its awareness campaign on striving for 100 per cent voting in the polls.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Parties and Alliances, AIADMK Alliance
All the parties contested on "two leaves" symbol as an AIADMK candidate.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Candidates
On 4 April, AIADMK released its candidate list for Tamil Nadu. On 14 April, DMK released its candidate list for Tamil Nadu.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Candidates
Gopi Shankar Madurai, a 25 years old gender activist made a bid to contest as one of the youngest candidates in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election and also the first openly Intersex & Genderqueer person to do so. Gopi contested on the ticket of newly launched outfit Anaithu Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) for Madurai North. He secured 14th place out of 21 candidates.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Manifestos
DMK released its election manifesto on 10 April 2016. Bharatiya Janata Party released its election manifesto on 21 April 2016. On 23 March 2016, Naam Tamilar Katchi published its 316-page election manifesto 2016, a complete plan to develop Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee released its election manifesto on 27 April 2016. Pattali Makkal Katchi released its draft election manifesto on 15 September 2015 and final election manifesto on 15 April 2016. AIADMK released its election manifesto on 5 May 2016.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Voter Turnout
Voter turnout for the 232 constituencies on 16 May was 74.81%. Parts of Tamil Nadu received heavy rain on the polling day, but it did not deter voters from turning out to cast their votes. While the highest voter turn out was in Dharmapuri constituency recording 85% while the lowest voter turnout was in the capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai recording 55%. Male voter turnout was 74.15% and female voter turnout was 74.33%.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Results
The ruling AIADMK, beating most of the exit polls, was able to retain power with a comfortable majority and became the first party to win consecutive elections since 1984, a feat achieved by M. G. Ramachandran. Jayalalithaa bucked Anti-incumbency trend and cyclic change of governments in the state that hadn't voted back a government in last three decades.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Results
Election to two assembly constituencies were cancelled by the Election Commission on confirmed reports of bribing voters in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur. Elections were held later there on 26 October 2016


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Controversies
On 3 May, News 7 and Dinamalar released an opinion poll giving an edge for DMK over AIADMK. But some editions of Dinamalar carried a statement on the first page distancing itself from the surveys. In an instance VVPAT was helpful in resolving an issue pertaining to a tally of votes in Kancheepuram (State Assembly Constituency) as the number of votes entered in the Form 17C of a polling booth and the total number of votes recorded in the EVM control unit of that booth did not tally.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Controversies, Cash for votes
Wide spread allegations of parties bribing voters with cash were raised and the Election commission responded by increasing the number of flying squads to conduct raids and prevent distribution of cash for votes. First time in the Indian history Rs 570 crores of three containers captured in Tirupur, no one claimed for that money at the first day. Later SBI claimed that money. Many parties like CPI(M), CPI, VCK, MDMK, PMK, wanted clear information about that money.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Controversies, Postponement of polls
The Election Commission postponed the polls in Aravakurichi and Thanjavur constituencies due to reports of distribution of huge sums of money and alcohol to voters. The polling was initially postponed to 13 June, despite the Governor of Tamil Nadu requesting that it should happen before 1 June. The date was subsequently amended to November.


2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, By-Election
On 26 October 2016, the Election Commission announced that the election for Thiruparankundram, Aravakurichi and Thanjavur constituencies would be held on 19 November 2016. The outcome was:


2016 Tamil Nadu Premier League
The 2016 season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League was the inaugural edition of the TNPL, a professional Twenty20 cricket league in Tamil Nadu, India. The league was formed by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) in 2016. Star India was the official broadcaster.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League and the first under head coach Dirk Koetter. In week 13, the club won their seventh game, eclipsing their win total from 2015.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
After winning on opening day, Tampa Bay sputtered through the rest of September. Starting running back Doug Martin was sidelined for eight weeks with a hamstring injury, necessitating back-up running backs taking his place in the lineup. After receiving adequate performances from Charles Sims and Antone Smith, both subsequently ended up on injured reserve, along with wide receivers Vincent Jackson and Cecil Shorts. A victory on Monday night against division rival Carolina saw Tampa Bay begin a streak in which they won seven out of their next nine games. Between weeks 10 and 14, the Buccaneers achieved their first five-game winning streak since their Super Bowl championship season.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
Losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints late in the season hampered the Buccaneers' playoff hopes; heading into week 17, the team was still mathematically alive for a wild card berth, but despite defeating the Carolina Panthers, the team missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Buccaneers finished tied with the Detroit Lions for the last NFC playoff spot, but lost the tiebreaker based on respective records against the same opponents the Lions won and lost. Nevertheless, the Buccaneers achieved their first winning season since the 2010 campaign.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 281 yards and four touchdown passes, as Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 31–24. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 31–13 lead late in the third quarter, then held off a rally by the Falcons. Atlanta got the ball back trailing by 7 with just under two minutes to go, but managed only one first down, and turned the ball over on downs to end the game.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals
Arizona routed Tampa Bay 40–7. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw four interceptions and lost one fumble. Running back Doug Martin left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams
With Los Angeles leading 37–32 at two minute warning, the game was suspended for an hour and ten minutes due to lightning in the area. When the game resumed, the Rams faced 3rd & 11 at their own 5 yard line. Case Keenum threw an incompletion, and the Rams punted to Tampa Bay. Jameis Winston drove the Buccaneers to the Rams 15 yard line in the final minute. With 4 seconds left in regulation, Winston rolled out to his left, but with no receivers open, scrambled 10 yards downfield, and was tackled at the 5 yard line to end the game.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Denver Broncos
For the second consecutive week, Tampa Bay endured a weather delay. Midway through the fourth quarter, the game was suspended for 90 minutes due to lightning. Denver defeated Tampa Bay 27–7. Jameis Winston ran for a touchdown, but threw two interceptions in the loss.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 5: at Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay snapped Carolina's six game winning streak in the series, as the two clubs met on Monday Night Football. With Cam Newton sidelined due to concussion protocol, Derek Anderson started for Carolina. Anderson threw two interceptions and lost one fumble. With the game tied 14-14, Tampa Bay drove to the Panthers 20 yard line in the final minute. After missing two attempts earlier in the game, Roberto Aguayo kicked a 38-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: at San Francisco 49ers
Jameis Winston threw for 269 yards and three touchdown passes, while Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 154 yards. After falling behind 14–0, Tampa Bay scored 27 unanswered points, and pulled away for a 34–17 victory.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders
In this Super Bowl XXXVIII rematch, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for 513 yards and four touchdown passes as the Raiders won in overtime. With 1:55 remaining in the overtime period, on a 4th down & 3, Carr threw a game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Tampa Bay's only highlight came in the fourth quarter when Mike Evans made a spectacular one-handed sideline catch. However, he was hit and left the game with a concussion. He did finish on a solid note with 11 receptions along with 150 yards and two scores.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 10: vs. Chicago Bears
Tampa Bay beat Chicago in dominating fashion for their first home victory of the season. Chris Conte intercepted a Jay Cutler pass and returned the ball 20 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to start the scoring. Jameis Winston threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, including a busted play and scramble to his own endzone which resulted in a remarkable 39-yard completion to Mike Evans. Doug Martin returned to the lineup, and scored a rushing touchdown.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
Tampa Bay won their second straight game, this one against a team that was highly favored to win. Jameis Winston threw for over 300 yards while Mike Evans received for over 100 yards. The offense was efficient, especially on third down where they went 11 of 15. The defense came up big as well, with safety Chris Conte getting an interception in the end zone, his second straight game with a pick. Rookie kicker Roberto Aguyao, who has struggled throughout the season, went 5/5 on kicks, making 4 field goals and 1 extra point. With this win, the Bucs got back to .500, took sole possession of second place in the NFC South, and improved their road record to 4-1.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Coming into a game where Seattle was highly favored to win, Tampa Bay earned their third straight win in impressive fashion. After scoring two Winston to Evans touchdowns in the first quarter, the defense held up and didn't allow any offensive touchdowns. The only points scored against them were a safety after a holding call in the endzone and a Seattle field goal. The defense also held Seattle to just one 3rd down conversion on 11 attempts, with the sole conversion coming in the 4th quarter.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle QB Russell Wilson was sacked six times and two of his passes were intercepted, one of those interceptions coming from CB Alterraun Verner. With this upset win, the Bucs moved over .500 for the first time through 11 games since 2012, and sits a half a game behind the final wildcard spot.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 13: at San Diego Chargers
The Bucs won their fourth consecutive game. After being down at the half 14–7, the Bucs outscored the Chargers 21–7 in the second half. The win gives the Bucs a 7–5 record (5–1 on the road) and since the Redskins (6–4–1) lost, the Bucs took over the final wildcard spot. Also since the Falcons (7–5) lost, they are now tied with them atop the NFC South. After the game, the Week 15 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys was flexed from a normal 1 p.m. kickoff to Sunday Night Football.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 14: vs. New Orleans Saints
The Buccaneers won their fifth consecutive game after another impressive showing from the defense. The defense picked off Drew Brees three times, including one to seal the win. They also held the Saints offense to zero offensive touchdowns. The win puts the Buccaneers at 8–5, and they now have a chance to finish the season with a record over .500, the first since the 2010 season.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys
The Buccaneers five-game winning streak came to an end with this loss. After being down 17–6 at the half, the Bucs came out hot in the second half scoring two touchdowns on throws to receiver Adam Humphries and tight end Cameron Brate, taking a 20–17 lead going into the fourth quarter. After three Dallas field goals in the fourth, the Bucs had a chance to drive down the field for a last second touchdown. On 4th down with around 30 seconds remaining, Winston threw an interception to seal the game. With the loss, the Buccaneers move to 8–6 on the season.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 16: at New Orleans Saints
The Bucs' playoff hopes took hits after a second loss in a row, this time to the New Orleans Saints. Their defense was shaky, as they allowed 13 points in the first half of the game, and 18 points in the second half. This put the Bucs outside the playoff picture, and left them requiring victory in week 17 as well as hoping for the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers to both lose. Mark Ingram scored two touchdowns, during the game, and Jameis Winston was picked off twice during the game, unlike the previous meeting of the two teams a couple weeks ago.


2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 17: vs. Carolina Panthers
The Bucs closed out the season sweeping the season series against Carolina. The game came down to the wire, with Carolina coming within one after scoring a touchdown with 17 seconds left to play. Instead of tying it up with an extra point, Carolina failed on an attempted two-point conversion. In addition to this win, the Buccaneers' playoff hopes required six other Week 17 results (including a tie between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins) to fall their way in order to secure a strength-of-victory tiebreaker over the Green Bay Packers for the final wild-card berth. They were officially eliminated from playoff contention after the New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins. However, they finished 9–7, their first winning record since finishing 10–6 in the 2010 season, and will pick 19th overall in the upcoming NFL Draft.


2016 Tampa Bay Rays season
The 2016 Tampa Bay Rays season was the Rays' 19th season of Major League Baseball and the ninth as the "Rays" (all at Tropicana Field). After starting the season 31-32, the Rays went 38-62 across their final 100 games, including a dismal 3-24 stretch before the All-Star Break, to finish at 68-94, their worst record since the 2007 season.


2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season
The 2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season was the club's sixth NASL season, and seventh season overall since their formation in 2008. It was also their final season in the NASL, as the team switched leagues to the USL after the season ended.


2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season, Roster, On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season, Transfers, Winter/Spring
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season, Transfers, Winter/Spring
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season, Transfers, Summer/Fall
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season, Transfers, Summer/Fall
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season, Competitions, U.S. Open Cup
Tampa Bay Rowdies will compete in the 2016 edition of the Open Cup.


2016 Tampa Bay Storm season
The 2016 Tampa Bay Storm season was the twenty-eighth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Lawrence Samuels and played their home games at the Amalie Arena.


2016 Tampa Bay Storm season, Schedule, Regular season
The 2016 regular season schedule was released on December 10, 2015


2016 Tampa Bay Storm season, Roster
Rookies in itlatics updated August 4, 201624 Active, 17 Inactive


2016 Tampere Open
The 2016 Tampere Open was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the 35th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour and the 2016 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place in Tampere, Finland, on 18–24 July 2016.


2016 Tampere Open, Men's Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Tampere Open, Men's Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player entered the singles main draw as a special exempt:


2016 Tampere Open, Women's Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Tampere Open, Women's Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry by a lucky loser spot:


2016 Tampere Open – Men's Doubles
André Ghem and Tristan Lamasine were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2016 Tampere Open – Men's Doubles
David Pérez Sanz and Max Schnur won the title after defeating Steven de Waard and Andreas Mies in the final, 6–4, 6–4.


2016 Tampere Open – Men's Singles
Tristan Lamasine was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2016 Tampere Open – Men's Singles
Kimmer Coppejans won the title after defeating Aslan Karatsev 6–4, 3–6, 7–5 in the final.


2016 Tampines Rovers FC season
The 2016 S.League season is Tampines Rovers's 21st season at the top level of Singapore football and 71st year in existence as a football club. The club also competed in the Singapore League Cup, Singapore Cup, Singapore Community Shield and the AFC Cup.


2016 Tamworth Borough Council election
The 2016 Tamworth Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Tamworth Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. Overall turnout was 30.93%.


2016 Tandridge District Council election
The 2016 Tandridge District Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Tandridge District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2016 Tandridge District Council election, Election result
The Conservatives lost three seats but remain in control of the council. The Leader of the Council, Gordon Keymer CBE lost his seat to Oxted & Limpsfield Residents' Group candidate Jackie Wren with a swing of 49.3%. The Liberal Democrats picked up the other two gains.


2016 Tandridge District Council election, By-elections between 2016 and 2018
A by-election was held in Warlingham West ward on 21 July 2016 following the death of Conservative Cllr Glynis Whittle.


2016 Tandridge District Council election, By-elections between 2016 and 2018
A by-election was held in Limpsfield ward on 13 October 2016 following the resignation of Conservative Cllr John Pannett.


2016 Tandridge District Council election, By-elections between 2016 and 2018
Phil Davies gained the seat for the Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group.


2016 Tandridge District Council election, By-elections between 2016 and 2018
A by-election was held in Valley ward on 24 November 2016 following the resignation of Liberal Democrats Cllr Jill Caudle who was moving away from the area to live nearer family.


2016 Tandridge District Council election, By-elections between 2016 and 2018
A by-election was held in Westway ward on 30 November 2017 following the resignation of Liberal Democrats Cllr Caroline Warner.


2016 Tanzania earthquake
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Tanzania 27 km (17 mi) east northeast of Nsunga, Kagera Region on September 10 at a depth of 40 km (25 mi). The shock had a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong). Nineteen people were killed and 253 injured in Tanzania, while four people were killed in Kamuli and seven others were injured in the Rakai District of neighbouring Uganda.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Tectonic Setting
The 5.9 magnitude earthquake near the west shore of Lake Victoria in northern Tanzania occurred as the result of shallow oblique faulting within the lithosphere of the African plate. The focal mechanism solution for the earthquake indicates rupture occurred on a moderately dipping fault striking either northeast-southwest (right-lateral slip) or east-west (left-lateral slip).


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Tectonic Setting
The location of the earthquake broadly places it in the East African Rift System, a 3,000-km-long Cenozoic age continental rift extending from the Afar triple junction (between the horn of Africa and the Middle East), to Mozambique. In this context, this earthquake is some 200 km or more to the east of the West Branch of the Rift System, which runs along the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and both Uganda (in the north) and Tanzania (to the south).


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Tectonic Setting
The East Branch of the Rift System runs north-to-south through Kenya and Tanzania, several hundred kilometers to the east of the earthquake. The Victoria microplate lies between these two branches of the rift, and helps to accommodate the dominantly divergent (extensional) tectonics of the Rift System, where rift segments are connected by dominantly strike-slip transform faults. The earthquake is consistent with this mixed divergent and strike slip setting, and occurred somewhat centrally within that microplate, in an area with little to no recorded earthquakes over the past century.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Tectonic Setting
Historically, seismicity in the East African Rift is mainly concentrated along the branches of the rift system (i.e., at the edges of the Victoria microplate, and along the main rift running through Ethiopia in the north, and Malawi and Mozambique in the south). Over the preceding century, only one other earthquake has been recorded within 100 km of the earthquake – a M 4.3 event in Lake Victoria in December 2013.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Tectonic Setting
Further afield, 22 M6+ events have occurred within 500 km of the earthquake over the preceding century, most on the Western Branch of the Rift System to the west of this earthquake. These include a M 6.6 earthquake in March 1966 near Lake Edward on the Uganda-DRC border. Tanzania’s largest historic earthquake over this time period was a M 7.2 event in July 1919, near Lake Tanganyika in the west of the country. A M 6.8 earthquake near the center of Lake Tanganyika in December 2005 resulted in half a dozen or more fatalities.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Earthquake
The 5.9 Mw earthquake Was Located in The Tanzania-Uganda Border, And was felt as Far Away as Rwanda and Burundi. It Was Also the Largest Earthquake in Tanzania Since 2000, As Well as The One of the Deadliest Earthquakes In Tanzania.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Casualties and damage
At least 19 people were killed and 253 others injured in Tanzania, with most of the casualties occurring in the town of Bukoba, which suffered widespread damage. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, the main hospital was reported to be stretched beyond its capacity and running low on stocks of medicine, while electricity and telecommunication services were disrupted. On September 12, the Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa's office reported at least 840 houses were destroyed by the quake, with another 1,264 seriously damaged, rendering thousands of people homeless.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Casualties and damage
In Uganda, the most affected area was the Kyebe sub-county near Kakuuto, where about 78 houses collapsed at Minziiro, and more than 40 others at Kannabulemu, including a police post. At least four people were killed and seven others were injured across the country.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Casualties and damage
The tremor was also felt in Burundi, DRC, Kenya and Rwanda.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Casualties and damage, Response
Members of the Tanzanian Red Cross took part in relief and rescue operations after the quake, aided by volunteers from across the country, as well as from neighbouring Uganda and Kenya.


2016 Tanzania earthquake, Casualties and damage, Response
The President of Tanzania John Magufuli postponed a visit to Zambia to take charge of the government's relief efforts, while his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta expressed solidarity with the people of Tanzania and ordered the Kenya Defence Forces to airlift iron sheets, blankets and mattresses in response to the disaster.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire
The 2016 Taoyuan bus fire occurred on the ROC National Road No. 2, in the 2nd Taoyuan City Great Park section. The bus that was involved was carrying Chinese tourists. At 12:57 on July 19, 2016, on State Road at the 2nd West Park section, a bus operated by Red Coral Bus Team, with the license plate number 197-EE, having driven to within 4.2 km of Taoyuan airport, suddenly became on fire and started burning. The bus continued forwards for 2.9 km until it collided with a guardrail on the left side.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire
After the driver swerved the bus to the right, it then collided with the right guardrail, after which tourists on the bus from Dalian walked to the back door to escape, but the door was jammed by the guardrail broken in the crash and could only open 10 cm wide, making escape impossible. Afterwards, a gravel truck driver saw the fire and quickly notified a policeman surnamed Lin. Together, they attempted a rescue by breaking the bus windows but were not successful, and eventually the entire bus was consumed by the blaze, causing all 26 passengers to die.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire
This was the most serious bus accident in Taiwan that occurred in 2016, and also the most serious one since the 2010 Suhua Highway bus accident. BBC, The Guardian, the Wall Street Journal, NHK, Yomiuri Shimbun, CNN, the Daily Mirror, and various international media have made reports. An investigation by the Taoyuan District Prosecutor's Office found out that the bus driver had purposefully crashed after dousing the bus with gasoline and lighting it on fire.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Details
During a tour at 12:57, the bus was passing through the State Road II, 4.2 km to the west of the Dayuan road section, and a fire appeared at the front of the vehicle. The bus swayed along the left inside lane of the road for quite some time, up to 2.8 or 2.9 kilometers. The bus then suddenly lost control, and the whole vehicle hit a guardrail on the left, then swerved to the right side, crashing into the rail there also.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Details
A policeman and a male civilian with hand-held extinguishers started trying to smash windows and rescue youths trapped in the burning vehicle. The fire was extinguished at 13:21, after about half an hour, but because heavy smoke quickly filled the confined space of the vehicle, everyone located inside the vehicle, including Su Mingcheng, the Taiwanese tour bus driver, tour guide Zheng Kun Wen, as well as 24 visitors of mainland Chinese citizenship, had no time to escape, and were killed on the spot either by burning, high temperature exposure, or suffocation on smoke and other toxic gases.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Details
Multiple burnt corpses were stacked together at the escape door located behind five seat rows. Despite there being eight escape doors, they all had a built-in lock that passengers did not know how to operate. Also, the rear bus door was jammed by the broken guardrail, and the thick obscuring smoke prevented the timely striking of the safety window's corners. The vehicle was burned, and the fire left only charred skeletons.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Details
Out of the 37 incidents in Taiwan since 2006 involving operating buses and smoke and fire accidents, this is the first incident where the vehicle was completely destroyed in the accident.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Aftermath, Investigation
Initial investigations revealed that the escape door lock had a built-in lock, so you could not push open the door to escape. This is a major reason for fatal accidents in Taiwan. Investigator's initial impression of the cause of the fire was a wire from a short circuit and friction. Further the vehicles transformer voltage, originally 24 volts, had an unauthorized boost to 110 volts. The transformer powered the water dispenser, refrigerator, sockets, etc. Whether or not the fire was due to voltage instability caused by a short circuit was still to be investigated. There were also arguments that because of the tour company was a low-fare low-cost group, and relied on clients shopping to fill commission expenses and control costs, they could not afford to meet the safety standards.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Aftermath, Investigation
On July 29, the driver remained in the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office and test results showed that driver had before suspected of drunk driving. It could not be ruled out of the possibility of self-immolation. The possibility emerged of a murder-suicide by arson.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Aftermath, Investigation
In addition, Su Mingcheng also broke the news on October 11, 2013, when guiding a group of mainland tourists. During the tour, in the Hualien City a sexual assault on a female occurred, and the Hualien District Court of First Instance sentenced him to 5 years in prison. He appealed and a second trial occurred on June 24, 2016.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Aftermath, Investigation
September 10, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office concluded its investigation, and found Su Mingcheng guilty of premeditated arson and self-immolation. His family had long been aware of his want to commit suicide.


2016 Taoyuan bus fire, Aftermath, Passengers
Two crew were killed including a tour guide and the driver, who deliberately caused the incidents. The rest of the deceased were mainland Chinese tourists.


2016 Tarlac City local elections
Tarlac City held its local elections on May 9, 2016 within the Philippine general election. The voters elected candidates for mayor, vice mayor, and ten councilors. Incumbent 2nd district board member Cristy Angeles became the first female mayor of Tarlac City after defeating Allan Manalang (son of incumbent Mayor Gelacio Manalang, who unsuccessfully ran for the governorship post). In the vice mayoral race, incumbent Vice Mayor Anne Belmonte was defeated by former Mayor Aro Mendoza, who also endorsed Cristy Angeles for Mayor.


2016 Tarlac City local elections, Results
The candidates for mayor and vice mayor with the highest number of votes wins the seat; they are voted separately, therefore, they may be of different parties when elected.


2016 Tarlac City local elections, Results, City Council
Tarlac City, will elect Sangguniang Panlungsod or city council members. A voter votes for up to ten candidates, then the ten candidates with the highest number of votes are elected. Election is via plurality-at-large voting. The total votes are the actual number of voters who voted, not the total votes of all candidates.


2016 Tarlac local elections
The Province of Tarlac held its local elections on Monday, May 9, 2016, as a part of the 2016 Philippine general election. Voters selected candidates for all local positions: a town mayor, vice mayor and town councilors, as well as members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the vice-governor, governor and representatives for the three districts of Tarlac. In the gubernatorial race, Tarlac's incumbent 2nd district Representative Susan Yap (sister of incumbent governor Victor Yap) defeated incumbent Tarlac City Mayor Gelacio Manalang.


2016 Tarlac local elections, Provincial elections
The candidates for governor and vice governor with the highest number of votes wins the seat; they are voted separately, therefore, they may be of different parties when elected. The total number of voters who actually voted is 628,732


2016 Tarlac local elections, Provincial elections, Gubernatorial election
Parties are as stated in their certificate of candidacies. Incumbent governor Victor Yap is term limited and is running for congressman of Tarlac's 2nd district. His sister, incumbent 2nd district congresswoman Susan Yap is running in his place.


2016 Tarlac local elections, Congressional elections
Each of Tarlac's three legislative districts will elect each representative to the House of Representatives. The candidate with the highest number of votes wins the seat.


2016 Tarlac local elections, Congressional elections, 2nd District
Parties are as stated in their certificate of candidacies. Incumbent governor Victor Yap is term limited and is running for congressman of Tarlac's 2nd district. His sister, incumbent 2nd district congresswoman Susan Yap is running in his place.


2016 Tarlac local elections, Congressional elections, 3rd District
Noel Villanueva is the incumbent. He changed his party affiliation from Nacionalista to NPC.


2016 Tarlac local elections, Provincial Board elections
All 3 Districts of Tarlac will elect Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial board members. Election is via plurality-at-large voting. The total votes are the actual number of voters who voted, not the total votes of all candidates


2016 Tashkent Challenger
The 2016 Tashkent Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the ninth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2016 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan between 12 and 17 October 2016.


2016 Tashkent Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Tashkent Challenger – Doubles
Sergey Betov and Mikhail Elgin were the defending champions but chose to participate with different partners. Betov partnered Alexander Kudryavtsev but lost in the first round to Mirza Bašić and Blaž Kavčič. Elgin partnered Denis Istomin and won the title.


2016 Tashkent Challenger – Doubles
Elgin and Istomin won the title after defeating Andre Begemann and Leander Paes 6–4, 6–2 in the final.


2016 Tashkent Challenger – Singles
Denis Istomin was the defending champion but lost in the final to Konstantin Kravchuk.


2016 Tashkent Challenger – Singles
Kravchuk won the title defeating Istomin 7–5, 6–4 in the final.


2016 Tashkent Open
The 2016 Tashkent Open was a WTA International tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 18th edition of the Tashkent Open, on the 2016 WTA Tour. It took place at the Tashkent Tennis Center in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, between September 26 and October 1, 2016.


2016 Tashkent Open, Points and prize money, Prize money
1 Qualifiers prize money is also the Round of 32 prize money* per team


2016 Tashkent Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2016 Tashkent Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2016 Tashkent Open – Doubles
Margarita Gasparyan and Alexandra Panova were the defending champions, but Gasparyan could not participate due to injury. Panova teamed up with Evgeniya Rodina, but they retired in the first round against Demi Schuurs and Renata Voráčová.


2016 Tashkent Open – Doubles
Raluca Olaru and İpek Soylu won the title, defeating Schuurs and Voráčová in the final 7–5, 6–3.


2016 Tashkent Open – Singles
Kristýna Plíšková won the title, defeating defending champion Nao Hibino in the final, 6–3, 2–6, 6–3.


2016 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election
Periodic elections for the Tasmanian Legislative Council were held on 7 May 2016. The two seats up for election were the electoral division of Apsley and the electoral division of Elwick. They were previously contested in 2010.


2016 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election, Apsley
The north-eastern Tasmanian division of Apsley has been held by independent member Tania Rattray since 2004. She was the sole nominee in the 2010 election and was declared re-elected unopposed.


2016 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election, Apsley
In the 2016 election, Rattray faced competition from Darren Clark (Labor Party), CEO of the Tasmanian Association of Police and Community Youth Clubs; Brett Hall (Independent), a farmer; and Sophie Haughton (Tasmanian Greens).


2016 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election, Elwick
The Hobart division of Elwick was held by Adriana Taylor, who won the seat at the 2010 election.


2016 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election, Elwick
In the 2016 election, Taylor faced competition from Penelope Ann (Tasmanian Greens), a tourism manager; and Josh Willie (Labor Party), a teacher.


2016 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election, Elwick
Labor's Josh Willie won the seat, defeating incumbent independent Adriana Taylor.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires
The 2016 Tasmanian Bushfires were a large series of bushfires in Tasmania which started in January 2016 throughout the state, and continued into February 2016, with considerable damage to fire sensitive areas in the Central Highlands, West Coast and South West regions. By autumn 2016, no bushfires were reported within the state.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Number of fires
Over the first 20 days of the fires, the actual number reported was larger in number, however at least 70 separate fires had been listed in the North West, West, South West and Central Highland areas of the island.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Number of fires
These fires are different from the 2013 Tasmanian bushfires due to their spread, and to the large number being started by lightning strikes, and from the 1967 Tasmanian bushfires with no loss of human life.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Central Highlands
Although not significant in terms of property loss, the impact on the Central Highlands and the World Heritage Area lands has been claimed to be catastrophic. the destruction of the heritage areas achieved international attention.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Central Highlands
The Overland Track was evacuated due to the fires. The north west fires were well documented in the local newspaper the Advocate in the fires of 21 January.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Rainfall
Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of a large number of fires, rainfall after the fires started was not enough to extinguish them and was also hindering firefighters.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Rainfall
The fires continued on into February 2016, with containment of only a limited number of fires.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Heritage area burn size
The Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Gavin Freeman claimed little harm was done to the heritage areas stating that 18,000 hectares of heritage area as being the area affected. The Tasmanian Tourism Industry Council chief executive officer Luke Martin subsequently made a claim that 11,000ha of the world heritage area was affected.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Heritage area burn size
The total burnt area in all areas has been stated to be above 95,000 hectares (234,750 acres).


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Heritage area burn size
The modelling, supplied by University of Tasmania environment postdoctoral fellow Dr Grant Williamson, reveals more than 14 per cent of the 97,000ha burnt by the recent fires were in World Heritage Areas – an area that latest TFS figures suggest has increased – and another 25 per cent in conservation or national park areas.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Heritage area burn size
The effect of the fire on some ecological areas is considered to have been irreversible by some experts, and simulate the effect of climate change on the affected areas. Jamie Kirkpatrick, a University of Tasmania academic, reflected upon the lack of inherent dispersal techniques on some of the flora species for regeneration as being a major problem.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, First month
Authorities expressed concern about accessing fire affected areas, with prospects for further flare ups in the event of high temperatures and conditions for fires increasing again.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, First month
By the beginning of February 2016, the number of the fires was claimed to be down to 50, and various factors were seen in favour of further reduction of fires.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, First month
Continued operations on remote world heritage areas appeared on the public record, and images of Remote Area Firefighters (RATS)were published as well as further photos of damaged areas.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, First month
As at the weekend of 6 and 7 February 2016, there were allegedly 20 fires still going.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, First month, Selection of vegetation fires active in February 2016
Selected list fires known in February, with the date and time of reporting update from the Fire Service. Some of the fires listed have been going for more than three weeks, and the date and time does not represent the length of time they have been burning.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Damage assessment
Investigations by specialist crews of the extent of damage fires have wrought commenced in February with the first focus on fire grounds near Cradle Mountain and Lake Mackenzie in the Central Plateau. In those regions fire has scorched unique alpine flora such as Cushion plant and Pencil Pine that do not readily regenerate.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Damage assessment
Political agendas are clearly indicated in the usage of photography by the Tasmanian government and environmentalists in the choice of location and style of photography, and for outsiders with little access to independent and overall views, the lack of higher level inquiry into the impact of the fires will probably maintain potential confusion.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, External help
Over 200 remote area firefighters from interstate and New Zealand have been used in fighting the fires.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, External help
In February, the Australian Senate Estimates Committee was told that Tasmanian fire authorities turned down an Emergency Management Australia offer to send in defence assistance. This claim was rejected by the Tasmanian fire service.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Second month
The number of reported fires in early February was at 73 with 26 out of control, and expected time to control to be another month of fires.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Second month
The impact on the east coast and Hobart was mainly in smoke being blown in from the south west fires. similarly Launceston experienced smoke from north-west fires.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Second month
The time taken to have the number of fires to come under control has been stated in terms of patience.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Water bombing
A series of water bombing flights by aeroplanes from interestate occurred on 12 February on a north-west fire - it included a DC10-bomber, C130-bomber and an Avro RJ85 from Avalon Airport in Melbourne.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Changing weather conditions
In over 30 days of fires, changes in weather conditions were challenging and interstate assistance was re-utilised more than once. By mid February, weather had changed again with snow reported in the highlands.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Controversy over damage to the environment and world heritage areas
Fire ecologists have stated that some of the dead trees killed by the bushfires were more than 1000 years old and part of a confined, Gondwana-era ecosystem unique to Tasmania that in some cases has never burned before. Pictures of burnt areas and vegetation taken by conservationists have prompted warnings that the alpine ecosystem could be completely lost within decades unless more was done to protect it, given the increased risk of fire due to climate change.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Controversy over damage to the environment and world heritage areas
Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman stated that the fires have had a "devastating impact", but the extent of the damage has been distorted. He said the fire has burned about 1.2 per cent of the world heritage zone and was "not insignificant, but it could have been much worse" and "It's damn ordinary that you've got environmental activists almost gleefully capitalising on images, naturally caused, which could inflict significant damage on our brand, our reputation".


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, February 2016 and onwards
In late February at least 20 fires were still burning. The fires ended by autumn, and as of October 2016, none were burning in the state.


2016 Tasmanian bushfires, Post-fire ecosystem recovery
The Tasmanian Government and University of Tasmania are undertaking research and environmental monitoring programs in burnt alpine and subalpine ecosystems near Lake Mackenzie to investigate long-term ecological impacts and recovery. Severely burnt pencil pine and Sphagnum vegetation showed very little recovery one year after the fires, however regrowth was evident in alpine heath, cushion plants and sedgeland.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis
The 2016 Tasmanian energy crisis was an ongoing energy storage situation in the state of Tasmania, Australia in 2016. Two years of high volumes of energy exported to Victoria via the Basslink HVDC cable, followed by low rainfall, and a fault which rendered the cable inoperable, resulted in record low storage levels in Tasmania's hydro-electric system. This resulted in a number of contingency plans to be enacted by Hydro Tasmania and the Hodgman Government.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Background
Tasmania's electricity generation is primarily hydro-electric, having been gradually developed since 1914. As a result, the state is highly dependent on rainfall for electricity generation. An energy shortage in the 1960s resulted in the construction of the oil-fired Bell Bay Power Station. However, this station was only used as a contingency - as of 2015, hydro-electricity continued to be the primary generation method. The state was self-reliant until 2005, when the Basslink HVDC interconnector to Victoria was completed. Basslink was intended to both provide energy security, in case of drought; and provide renewable energy to Victoria, which relies heavily on coal as a fuel source.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Background
Tasmania's reliance on hydro-electricity was further increased by the decommissioning of the Bell Bay Power Station in 2009, and the mothballing of several units of its replacement, the gas-fired Tamar Valley Power Station, including considering selling parts of the station. Conversely, this reliance was reduced in part by the expansion of the Woolnorth wind farm in 2007 and the construction of the Musselroe wind farm in 2013.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Background
In July 2012, an Australian carbon pricing system came into effect, providing renewable electricity generators with a competitive advantage over greenhouse gas-emitting generators. The Abbott Government had promised the repeal of the scheme in the lead-up to the 2013 federal election, in which they were successful. Anticipating that the carbon pricing scheme would be short-lived, Hydro Tasmania capitalised by increasing generation and running down storage levels over the period from July 2012 until the carbon price was repealed in July 2014. Hydro Tasmania's storage levels peaked around 62% in late 2012 before declining to 28% capacity on 1 July 2014. Whereas Hydro Tasmania's target minimum storage levels on 1 July each year was traditionally 30%, in September 2012 it lowered this target to 25%.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Background
Hydro Tasmania's storages did not recover significantly during the second half of 2014 or 2015, despite above average inflows from May to August 2015. Storage levels began dropping sharply from September 2015 due to extremely low inflows; October inflows were just 7% of the long-term average for that month.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Basslink outage
On 22 December 2015, Basslink announced that the HVDC cable had experienced a fault two days earlier (20 December) and was unable to transmit electricity in either direction. The location of the fault was identified as approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) off the coast of Tasmania. Basslink informed the Australian Energy Market Operator that the interconnector would experience an outage of up to 60 days.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Basslink outage
To diagnose the fault, Basslink contracted a range of specialist companies, including cable joiners from Italy and the submarine cable laying ship, Ile De Re. The ship, which typically services communications cables, underwent modifications in the port of Geelong to suit HVDC cables. The problem continued into February 2016, and is considered to be an expensive problem to fix.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Basslink outage
On 8 March 2016, Basslink announced they intended to cut the cable within a week and have the cable back in service by late May, with the cable actually being cut on the 11th.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Basslink outage
At the end of March 2016, the fault had been identified, and the recovery date for Basslink had been put back to mid June 2016


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Basslink outage
By the second last week of April 2016, the first stage of the repair was reported as complete  Power through the cable was restored on 13 June 2016. After 9 days a separate non-cable fault caused another failure of power flow on 22 June. After almost 36 hours power flow was again restored in the evening of 23 June 2016.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response
Actions taken to minimise the consumption of water from Hydro Tasmania's storages included:


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response
Also at a political level, the unresolved problem seems to have no cross party agreement on the issues. Long term ramifications are also being considered. The prospect of the Basslink connection being lost permanently also is being considered. The dam makers of the early dam making era of Hydro Tasmania also have offered their reflections with no allowance or concession to any of the alternatives that were offered in the 1980s as viable energy generating infrastructure.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response
On 8 March 2016 Tasmanian Energy Minister Matthew Groom delivered a statement on energy security, summarising the government's actions to date and announcing future steps to manage the energy crisis, including the formation of a Tasmanian Energy Security Taskforce.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response
The cutting of the Basslink cable also severed part of the internet link to Tasmania.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response
The state government had considered requesting funding for a second cable, while the fault seeking on the first cable was apparently unsuccessful. The subsequent comments from the Opposition regarding the growing crisis were rebutted as scaremongering. The energy crisis elicited a response for inquiries and examination of issues, including recent Hydro Tasmania management.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response, Issues of residual capacity
By March 2016 Tasmanian media were discussing the extent to which Hydro Tasmania would be able to draw upon very low water levels in dams and still create energy from the downstream power stations.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response, Issues of residual capacity
In late March 2016, with no resolution to issues in sight, saw the upgrading of the Tamar Valley Power Station gas turbine capacity


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response, Issues of residual capacity
Some commentators saw the crisis as requiring consideration of the issues arising as imperative for the future of Tasmania. Some businesses and business groups took steps to safeguard their power supplies regardless of official pronouncements about power cuts.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response, Issues of residual capacity
By late March 2016, Hydro Tasmania was to state lower levels on dam holdings than previously stated and the state of the major dam of the system Lake Gordon had been recorded in its lowest record level leading some commentators to suggest the option of bringing up an issue from some decades before, of the draining of the hydro-dam created new Lake Pedder back to the level of the original Lake Pedder.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response, Energy use
Concern of change of weather conditions and potential increased energy usage was noted in March  with the Minister for Energy Matthew Groom calling for sensible energy usage.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Response, Energy use
A series of diesel generators were installed at Meadowbank Power Station, to be part of the apparent short-term solution until June. The ABC News website explanation of the issue of energy use was regularly updated. In April 2016, Hydro Tasmania commenced advertising for conservation of energy by Tasmanians with newspaper advertisements.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Financial and political impact
Regardless of the timeline or subsequent resolution of some of the issues, the impact of the crisis, financially and politically, on banks and the Tasmanian government, was expected to be substantial However, for industry, there were different expectation in relation to power supply for industry.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Financial and political impact, Outside perspectives and comparisons
A few commentators from outside Tasmania tried to put perspective on the issues relative to the larger picture of how political and Hydro Tasmania level decisions affected the current energy issues. Recent Hydro Tasmania board decisions also had been under the spotlight from former staff. Many mainland commentators also focus upon the need to change current policies and practices relative to energy.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Financial and political impact, Blackouts and plans
“active discussions” for more than three months about enforced blackouts and brownouts


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Financial and political impact, Blackouts and plans
However this did not agree with the public statements of the Minister. Various sectors of the Tasmanian community, as well as regions, were concerned at the prospect of loss of energy available to support their industries.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Financial and political impact, Blackouts and plans
The explanation of how the issue developed continued in the media in May 2016, as well as delays due to Bass Strait conditions as well as differences as to the explanation of the cause of the break in Basslink. Also rain had raised dam levels.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Resolution
The power crisis was expected to be resolved by the Basslink repair, expected by mid-June 2016, and increased rain for hydro storages. However strategies prior to the resolution involved further utilisation of diesel power units delegated to power stations.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Resolution
"The Government can't control the rain, the Government can't control the timing of Basslink," he said. "What we can control are contingencies that we can put in place to make sure that we can meet Tasmania's ongoing energy requirements."


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Resolution
In April, there was a suggestion that unseasonal weather in June (18 consecutive clear days on Bass Strait) was required for a successful re-connection to occur, put the question of possible further delays.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Resolution
On 12 May 2016, the Hydro Tasmania website announced a return to usual practices of hydro facilities:


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Resolution
Over the past week, Hydro Tasmania has stopped all diesel generation and wound back gas to prevent spill in smaller hydro storages because of high inflows. Yesterday, the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) at the Tamar Valley Power Station was turned off, as continued high inflows push storages close to spilling at a number of locations.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Resolution
In the same week, rainfall rates in Tasmania were well above average.


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Senate inquiry
Early in 2016, members of the Australian Senate decided to hold an inquiry into the crisis, planned to occur in April 2016. The Tasmanian Minister for Energy's response to the impending inquiry on 14 April was a claim that he had not been asked to attend. The Premier's perspective was to criticise the inquiry as a federal election tactic, in the face of internal documents showing serious concern from within Hydro Tasmania regarding its water levels. The Senate inquiry commenced on 14 April and the Premier advised that Hydro Tasmania staff would not attend:


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Senate inquiry
Mr Groom has said Hydro staff should not be distracted during the energy situation


2016 Tasmanian energy crisis, Senate inquiry
During the Senate inquiry, a range of issues raised before the committee sat were downplayed by the Minister and government staff. The Tasmanian Treasurer refused to publicly reveal costs of the crisis.


2016 Tauranga mayoral election
The 2016 Tauranga mayoral election was held on 8 October 2016 as part of the New Zealand local elections to elect the Mayor of Tauranga.


2016 Tauranga mayoral election
Incumbent mayor Stuart Crosby announced in 2014 that he would not seek re-election.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December)
The 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 31, 2016, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 72nd edition of the Gator Bowl featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the Atlantic Coast Conference against the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference. It began at 11 AM EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the 2016 FBS football season. The game's naming rights sponsor was tax preparation software company TaxSlayer.com, and for sponsorship reasons was officially known as the TaxSlayer Bowl.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams
This was the 20th overall meeting between the two teams, with Georgia Tech holding an 11–7–1 series lead coming into the game. The previous time the two teams met was in 1960, when both teams were members of the Southeastern Conference. In that game, Georgia Tech beat Kentucky 23–13.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech was led by head coach Paul Johnson. The Yellow Jackets began the season 3–0, before losing three games in a row to become 3–3 halfway through the season. Georgia Tech went 5–1 the second half of the season, ending their regular season in a 28–27 victory over their rivals Georgia.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Georgia Tech
Heading into the game, the Yellow Jackets ranked 69th in the nation in scoring (27.8) and 82nd in yards per game (388.6). Georgia Tech utilized a run-heavy offense, averaging 257.4 rushing yards per game (10th in the nation) and only 131.2 passing yards per game (123rd in the nation). The team's offense was led by redshirt senior quarterback Justin Thomas, who threw for 1,454 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 562 yards and five touchdowns. Georgia Tech's leading rusher of Marcus Marshall, who led the team with 624 yards. Marshall transferred after Tech's regular season finale, however, and did not play in the TaxSlayer Bowl.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Georgia Tech
On defense, Georgia Tech was ranked 47th in the nation in scoring defense (25) and 63rd in yards allowed per game (408.1). The Yellow Jacket's run defense was ranked 64th in the nation, while the pass defense was ranked 73rd. The team's defense was led by defensive back Corey Griffin, who led the team with 79 tackles. Griffin also had a sack, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Georgia Tech
This was Georgia Tech's eighth appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl / Gator Bowl; in their prior appearances they were 3–4. This was also the Yellow Jackets' first bowl game since the 2014 Orange Bowl.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Kentucky
Kentucky was led by head coach Mark Stoops. The Wildcats began the season 0–2 before going 5–1 in their next 6 games. They then lost back-to-back games against Georgia and Tennessee before winning their final two games of the regular season, ending the regular season in a 41–38 victory over their rivals Louisville.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Kentucky
Heading into the game, Kentucky was ranked 54th in the nation in scoring (31.0) and 57th in total yards (428.3). Like Georgia Tech, the Wildcats utilized a run-heavy offense, ranking 16th in the nation in rushing offense (241.3) but only 106th in passing offense (187.0). The offense was led by running backs Stanley Williams and Benny Snell, who both rushed for over 1,000 yards and combined for 20 rushing touchdowns on the season.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Kentucky
On defense, Kentucky was ranked 87th in the nation in scoring defense (31.2) and 88th in yards allowed per game (435.9). The Wildcats' defense struggled especially against the run, possessing the 108th ranked rushing defense and allowing an average of 225 rushing yards per game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Teams, Kentucky
This was Kentucky's first bowl game since the 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl, and was their first appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl / Gator Bowl.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Game summary, First quarter
Kentucky received the opening kickoff. On the fourth play of the game, Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson fumbled the ball after being sacked by Georgia Tech's Patrick Gamble. Another Yellow Jackets player, P.J. Davis, recovered the fumble and returned the ball 38-yards for a touchdown, giving Georgia Tech a 7–0 lead. The following Kentucky drive stalled, giving the Yellow Jackets the ball back. On the ensuing Yellow Jackets drive, head coaches Paul Johnson and Mark Stoops got in a shouting match over Tech's blocking tactics after Kentucky players were injured on back-to-back plays. Georgia Tech was able to drive to Kentucky's red zone, but were stopped at the 5-yard line. A 23-yard Harrison Butker field goal made the score 10–0. Kentucky was in possession of the ball going into the second quarter.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Game summary, Second quarter
Kentucky put its first points on the board with a 37-yard field goal, making it a 10–3 game. After forcing Georgia Tech to punt, Kentucky drove down to Georgia Tech's 5-yard line. Facing a 4th and 1 situation, Kentucky decided to go for it instead of kicking a field goal. Running back Jojo Kemp was unable to get convert, however, giving the ball back to Georgia Tech at the 6-yard line.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Game summary, Second quarter
On the ensuing Yellow Jackets possession, Georgia Tech ran three consecutive running plays but were unable to get a first down. Facing a 4th and 1 situation at their own 15-yard line, Georgia Tech decided to go for it instead of punting the ball away. Georgia Tech's gamble paid off as they were able to gain a first down on a 3-yard run from Dedrick Mills. Georgia Tech went up 17–3 with 49 seconds in the half on a 21-yard touchdown run from Justin Thomas.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Game summary, Second quarter
After blocking a Kentucky punt, Georgia Tech received the ball back at Kentucky's 44-yard line with 20 seconds remaining in the half. On a 4th and 10 situation, Thomas completed a 10-yard pass to Brad Stewart to Kentucky's 34-yard line to set up a 52-yard field goal attempt. Harrison Butker was able to make the field as time expired in the half, giving Georgia Tech a 20–3 lead going into halftime.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Game summary, Third quarter
Georgia Tech received the kickoff in the second half, but were unable to drive past their 42-yard line, forcing the Yellow Jackets to punt. Kentucky blocked Georgia Tech's punt, giving Kentucky the ball at Georgia Tech's 28-yard line. Kentucky was unable to capitalize on the blocked punt, as a personal foul penalty pushed Kentucky back to Georgia Tech's 43-yard line. After being unable to convert for a first down, Kentucky punted the ball back to Georgia Tech. After exchanging punts, Georgia Tech went up 23–3 on a 44-yard field goal from Harrison Butker. Kentucky was in possession of the ball going into the fourth quarter.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Game summary, Fourth quarter
Kentucky scored its first touchdown of the game on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Johnson to Dorian Baker, making it a 23–10 game. Georgia Tech responded with a 12 play, 68 yard drive that took 7:27 off the clock. Georgia Tech drove to Kentucky's 5-yard line, but on a 3rd and goal situation, Georgia Tech's Qua Searcy was stopped for a 3-yard loss. Harrison Butker made a 26-yard field goal to make it a 26–10 game. Kentucky responded with a 21-yard touchdown run from Stephen Johnson, making it a 26–18 game after a successful two-point conversion with 3:57 remaining in the game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Game summary, Fourth quarter
Georgia Tech recovered the ensuing onside kick at their own 42-yard line. The Yellow Jackets then ran two consecutive run plays which took only a few seconds off the clock due to Kentucky using a couple of timeouts. Facing a 3rd and 4 situation, Justin Thomas completed a 42-yard pass to Ricky Jeune, giving the Yellow Jackets a first down at Kentucky's goal line. Georgia Tech score three plays later 3-yard touchdown run from Dedrick Mills, giving Georgia Tech a 33–18 lead. The following Kentucky drive ended on downs, giving Georgia Tech the victory.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Statistics
Georgia Tech B-back Dedrick Mills was named the game's most valuable player. Mills rushed for a team-leading 169 yards on 31 carries, along with 1 rushing touchdown.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Statistics
Georgia Tech outgained Kentucky in total yardage 371–324. Kentucky committed 1 turnover while Georgia Tech committed none. The Yellow Jackets were more efficient on third down conversions, converting 5 out of 13 attempts compared to Kentucky's 6 out of 16 attempts. Georgia Tech also converted both of its fourth down attempts, while Kentucky converted 2 out of 4 attempts.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Statistics
Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas completed 6 out of his 14 pass attempts for 105 yards and no touchdowns. Thomas was also Tech's second leading rusher, rushing for 42 yards on 9 attempts. The Yellow Jacket's leading receiver was Ricky Jeune, catching 3 passes for 59 yards.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (December), Statistics
Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson completed 19 out of his 34 pass attempts for 175 yards and 1 touchdown. Johnson also was Kentucky's leading rusher, rushing for 49 yards and 1 touchdown. Running backs Stanley Williams and Benny Snell, who had both rushed for over 1,000 yards in the regular season, were held to only 69 combined rushing yards in the game. Dorian Baker was Kentucky's leading receiver, catching 2 passes for 38 yards and 1 touchdown.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January)
The 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2016, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 71st edition of the Gator Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference against the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference. It began at noon EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. The game's naming rights sponsor was tax preparation software company TaxSlayer.com, and for sponsorship reasons was officially known as the TaxSlayer Bowl.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Teams
The game featured the Penn State Nittany Lions against the Georgia Bulldogs; Georgia was the favorite with the opening line with a seven-point spread.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Teams, Penn State Nittany Lions
After finishing their season 7–5, the Nittany Lions accepted their invitation to play in the game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Teams, Penn State Nittany Lions
This was the fifth appearance for the Nittany Lions in the TaxSlayer Bowl and first since 1976. Prior to the game, they were 1–2–1 all-time in the bowl game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Teams, Georgia Bulldogs
After finishing their season 9–3, the Bulldogs accepted their invitation to play in the game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Teams, Georgia Bulldogs
This was the fifth appearance of the Bulldogs in the TaxSlayer Bowl, who last appeared in 2014. Prior to the game, they were 2–1–1 all-time.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Penn State
The biggest storyline entering the bowl game for Penn State was whether it would mark junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg's final game with Penn State, given his option to declare for the 2016 NFL Draft. Opinions were mixed on whether he should enter the draft, and two weeks before the bowl game, he sought counsel from the NFL Draft Advisory Board; he did not make a decision before the game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Penn State, Penn State offense
After Penn State lost its final game of the season to Michigan State, James Franklin fired offensive coordinator John Donovan, who engineered an offense that ranked 108th in total yardage, and mustered less than 15 points per game in its five losses. The Lions eventually hired former Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead to replace Donovan in 2016, but in the interim, appointed quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne to coordinate the offense for the bowl game, which would be his first experience calling plays. Rahne planned to add a touch of "flair" to the offense, but generally stick to the gameplan used during the season.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Penn State, Penn State offense
Entering the bowl game, Penn State's offense was in the bottom quintile among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools in yards per game, averaging 344. Plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness particularly on the offensive line, both Rahne and senior offensive tackle Andrew Nelson expressed optimism about the continuity the team had achieved during bowl practices. Freshman tailback Saquon Barkley, named the Big Ten's freshman of the year and a member of the freshman All-American team, was called "something special", and looked to build on his record-breaking regular season campaign during which he rushed for over 1,000 yards. At wide receiver, Chris Godwin looked to continue his postseason success (he had a breakout game in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl) and reach 1,000 receiving yards on the season.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Penn State, Penn State defense
Penn State's defense surrendered 55 points in the final game of the regular season, but entered the bowl game with a restored confidence that it was healthy and prepared, particularly along the defensive line, where former walk-on end Carl Nassib – the Big Ten Conference defensive player of the year, a first-team All-American, the team's most valuable player, and winner of the Lombardi Award – and tackle Austin Johnson would return at full strength. Defensive tackle Anthony Zettel commented,


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Penn State, Penn State defense
I'm biased, but I feel like we have the best front seven in the country, and we're healthy. We're going to go after it tomorrow.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Penn State, Penn State defense
That core contributed to a pass rush that helped Penn State hold opponents to 174.5 passing yards per game, tenth-best in the country, and combined for 42.5 tackles for loss. Coordinated by Bob Shoop, whom other teams sought to hire despite his lack of interest, Penn State was the 14th-best defense in the country in terms of yards allowed. Sophomore linebacker Jason Cabinda emerged as the vocal leader of the defense after Nyeem Wartman-White was injured during the season opener, and compiled a team-leading 92 tackles during the season. Cabinda's conversion from outside linebacker to inside linebacker pressed redshirt freshman Troy Reeder into action as well, and he finished fourth on the team with 67 tackles. In the defensive backfield, safety Marcus Allen was the leader with 75 tackles, while Grant Haley led the team with six pass breakups.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Georgia
Mark Richt, who had coached Georgia for 14 seasons, departed the program after the final regular season game of the season. Although initially the school announced he would coach the bowl game, ultimately he was hired at the University of Miami, and did not coach the bowl. Georgia quickly hired University of Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to replace Richt, but he stayed with Alabama through the College Football Playoff.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Georgia
Consequently, the Bulldogs had to appoint an interim coach, and went with passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, who became the first black head coach in program history; McClendon's bowl game staff was also a patchwork group, including two new coordinators: tight ends coach John Lilly on offense, and outside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer on defense.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Georgia, Georgia offense
UGA’s offense was in a state of chaos leading to the Tax Slayer Bowl. Brian Schottenheimer, offensive coordinator, lead the unit and was blamed for much of the team’s lack of success and partially for the downfall of Mark Richt himself.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Georgia, Georgia offense
Schottenheimer was much maligned as a play-caller this season after Georgia's offense sputtered and failed to move at a consistent pace. Georgia ranks 75th in the nation in total offense at 381.4 yards per game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Georgia, Georgia offense
The Bulldogs also rank 84th in the nation in scoring at 26.5 points per game.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Georgia, Georgia offense
Quarterback Greyson Lambert was efficient most of the year, but was replaced as starter for the UF game in Jacksonville, FL. Faton Bauta started vs the Gators and after that experiment failed Lambert resumed quarterback duties.


2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January), Pre-game buildup, Georgia, Georgia offense
Star running back Nick Chubb was injured for the season following a catastrophic knee injury at Neyland Stadium earlier that season. Sony Michel lead the Bulldogs the rest of the season and was an effective runner.