2016 Missouri Republican presidential primary, The state of the campaign, Previous contests
Despite an early victory by Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump was seen as making steady progress towards the Republican nomination at the time. Trump was victorious in 7 of the contests on March 1, with Cruz seen as the only viable threat to Trump after victories in his home state of Texas and three other March 1 contests. Marco Rubio performed worse than anticipated on March 1, taking only Minnesota. On March 8, two primaries and a caucus were held in Hawaii, Michigan and Mississippi. Despite a poll from American Research Group that showed Kasich leading Trump in Michigan, Trump won all three contests.


2016 Missouri Republican presidential primary, The state of the campaign, Run-up to the election
While there was limited polling in Missouri prior to the primary contest, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump were projected to be the main contenders, with Trump considered to be the favorite. Missouri was considered an important state due to its "winner-take-most" nature, which could allow Trump to accrue a large net gain of delegates with a small change in the popular vote.


2016 Missouri Republican presidential primary, Results
Following the March 15 contests, Marco Rubio suspended his campaign, largely due to a poor performance in Florida.


2016 Missouri Republican presidential primary, Possible recount
Missouri elections law allows the second-place candidate to request a recount if they are defeated in the election by less than one half of a percent. Speculation arose that Cruz would ask for a recount, as he lost the primary by less than 2,000 votes, or 0.21 percent. However, Cruz decided not to request a recount of the election, thus conceding the primary to Trump. The recount was considered important because 12 of the 52 delegates to the Republican National Convention were awarded winner-take-all to the winner of the state.


2016 Missouri Secretary of State election
The 2016 Missouri Secretary of State election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Missouri Secretary of State, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and those to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


2016 Missouri Secretary of State election
Incumbent Democratic secretary of state Jason Kander did not run for re-election to a second term in office and instead unsuccessfully ran in the 2016 U.S. Senate election for the seat held by Republican incumbent Roy Blunt.


2016 Missouri Southern Lions football team
The 2016 Missouri Southern Lions football team represented Missouri Southern State University in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. The Lions played their home games in Fred G. Hughes Stadium in Joplin, Missouri, as they have done since 1975. 2016 was the 48th season in school history. The Lions were led by second-year head coach, Denver Johnson. Missouri Southern has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 1989.


2016 Missouri Southern Lions football team, Preseason
The Lions entered the 2016 season after finishing in 11th place last season with a record of 1–10, under Johnson. On August 2, 2016 at the MIAA Football Media Day, the Lions were chosen to finish in 10th place in the Coaches Poll, and 11th in the Media Poll.


2016 Missouri State Bears football team
The 2016 Missouri State Bears football team represented Missouri State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Dave Steckel and played their home games at the Plaster Sports Complex. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 4–7, 2–6 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for eighth place.


2016 Missouri State Treasurer election
The 2016 Missouri State Treasurer election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the State Treasurer of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


2016 Missouri State Treasurer election
Incumbent Democratic State Treasurer Clint Zweifel was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. Eric Schmitt (Republican) won the general election against his opponents Sean O'Toole (Libertarian), Judy Baker (Democrat), and Carol Hexem (Green).


2016 Missouri Tigers football team
The 2016 Missouri Tigers football team (also called "Mizzou") represented the University of Missouri in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Barry Odom. They finished the season 4–8, 2–6 in SEC play to finish in last place in the East Division.


2016 Missouri Tigers football team, Schedule
Missouri announced its 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Tigers will host SEC foes Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt, and will travel to Florida, LSU, South Carolina, and Tennessee.


2016 Missouri Tigers football team, Schedule
The Tigers will host three of its four of its non–conference games which are against Delaware State Hornets from the FCS Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Eastern Michigan Eagles from the Mid-American Conference, Middle Tennessee from Conference USA, and West Virginia Mountaineers from the Big 12 Conference.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament will be held from May 25–28. All eight baseball-sponsoring schools in the conference will participate in the double-elimination tournament to be held at Indiana State's Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium in Terre Haute, Indiana. The winner of the tournament will earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The league's eight teams will be seeded based on conference winning percentage. The teams will play a two bracket, double-elimination format tournament, with the winner of each bracket then playing a single elimination final.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, popularly referred to as "Arch Madness", was the Missouri Valley Conference's postseason tournament which was held March 3–6, 2016 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The tournament was won by Northern Iowa, who defeated Evansville in the championship game. As a result, Northern Iowa received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
Teams were seeded by conference record, with ties broken by record between the tied teams followed by non-conference strength of schedule, if necessary. The top six seeds received first round byes.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament was the 26th edition of the tournament. It determined the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) automatic berth in the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Missouri State University hosted the tournament at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium on the Missouri State campus in Springfield, Missouri on November 8, 9, 11 &13, 2016.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
The second-seeded SIUE Cougars won the tournament, beating the fifth-seeded Missouri State Bears 1–0  in the championship match. It was SIUE's second MVC championship.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament, Qualification
In a departure from the past, all seven teams in the Missouri Valley Conference qualified for the tournament with seeding based on their conference regular season records. The two top-seeded teams received first round byes, and the two bottom-seeded teams met in a play-in game.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament, Television/internet coverage
All games will be streamed live on The Valley on ESPN3.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament, 2016 MVC Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team
2016 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament MVP— Austin Ledbetter, SIUE


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament is part of the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season and was played in Moline, Illinois March 10–13, 2015 at the iWireless Center. The tournament's winner received the Missouri Valley Conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Tournament is the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Missouri Valley Conference to be held from October 30 to November 6, 2016. The five match tournament will be held at campus sites, with the semifinals and final held at Adelaide Street Field in Normal, Illinois. The six team single-elimination tournament will consist of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Evansville Purple Aces are the defending tournament champions after defeating the Loyola Ramblers in a penalty kick shootout in the championship match.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season
The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season was the 26th season of men's varsity soccer in the conference.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season
The SIU Edwardsville Cougars were the defending regular season champions, while the Drake Bulldogs were the defending tournament champions.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season
The SIU Edwardsville Cougars defeated the host Missouri State Bears in the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament final 1–0  and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The regular season champion Loyola Ramblers received an at-large bid to the tournament, giving the MVC two entries for the first time since 2011.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season
Loyola defeated UIC 2–0 in the first round before falling in the second round at 15th ranked and 13th seeded Notre Dame 1–0.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season
SIUE tied at 13th ranked Michigan State before advancing to the second round in an epic penalty kick battle 9–8. The Cougars then tied at 11th ranked and 15th seeded Butler 0–0 and advanced to the third round on penalty kicks 5–4. SIUE finally fell at 2nd ranked and 2nd seeded Wake Forest 2–1.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season, Changes from 2015
The MVC expanded the conference schedule from six games to eight. Each of the seven schools played a home-and-home series with two conference opponents and single games against the other four. The teams playing home-and-home series will change each year.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season, Postseason, MVC Tournament
The second-seeded SIUE Cougars won the tournament, beating the tournament host and fifth-seeded Missouri State Bears 1–0  in the championship match. It was SIUE's second Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament championship.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season, Honors, 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams
Only All-District players are eligible for the Academic All-America ballot.


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season, Honors, 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams, District 6 (AR, IA, LA, MN, MO, MS, ND, SD, WI)
Rob Oslica, Junior. Missouri State, 3.70 GPA, Cell & molecular biology


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season, Honors, NSCAA 2015-16 College Team Academic Award
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) annually recognizes college and high school soccer programs that have excelled in the classroom by posting a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Six of the MVC's seven teams were honored this year. The schools, their head coaches, and their team GPAs are:


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season, Honors, 2016 MVC All-Freshman Team, 2016 MVC All-Tournament Team
2015 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament MVP— Austin Ledbetter, SIUE


2016 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer season, Honors, 2016 MVC All-Freshman Team, 2016 MVC Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete Teams
The criteria for the All-MVC honor parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular-season matches or played in the league tournament. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.


2016 Missouri Western Griffons football team
The 2016 Missouri Western Griffons football team represented Missouri Western State University in the 2016 NCAA Division II football season. The Griffons played their home games on Craig Field in Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph, Missouri, as they have done since 1970. 2016 was the 47th season in school history. The Griffons were led by twentieth-year head coach, Jerry Partridge. Missouri Western has been a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association since 1989.


2016 Missouri Western Griffons football team, Preseason
The Griffons entered the 2016 season after finishing 2015 with a 6–5 record overall and in conference play, under Partridge. On August 2, 2016 at the MIAA Football Media Day, the Griffons were chosen to finish in 7th place in both the Coaches Poll and Media Poll.


2016 Missouri elections
The 2016 Missouri Elections happened on November 8, 2016. Republicans did fantastic in these elections as they swept nearly all of the statewide offices and the Democratic Party's footprint at the state level was nonexistent. There were no Democrats that won in this election. The remaining candidates that would be up for re-election would be in for a tough fight as the Republican Party expanded their footprint in the state. United States Senator Claire McKaskil and State Auditor Nicole Galloway were the only Democrats left after the Republicans did phenomenally in this state.


2016 Missouri elections, Presidential
Donald Trump prevailed over Hillary Clinton by 18 points, and Hillary Clinton received 37.87% of the vote, while Donald Trump received 56.38% of the vote. Hillary Clinton's performance in the state was the worst for the Democratic Party since 1972


2016 Missouri elections, United States Senate
Incumbent Roy Blunt faced off against Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, this race was really close with Blunt winning by 3%. Blunt's performance underperformed Donald Trump by nearly 15 points, but won nonetheless.


2016 Missouri gubernatorial election
The 2016 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


2016 Missouri gubernatorial election
The primaries were held on August 2. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jay Nixon was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office. State Attorney General Chris Koster and businessman, author and former U.S. Navy SEAL Eric Greitens won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively. On election day, November 8, 2016, the Associated Press declared Greitens the winner of the election, and Koster conceded shortly after.


2016 Missouri gubernatorial election, Campaign finance investigations
On April 28, 2017, the Missouri Ethics Commission fined Greitens' campaign $1,000 for violating state campaign ethics rules regarding campaign disclosure. Greitens did not contest the fine.


2016 Missouri gubernatorial election, Campaign finance investigations
In 2018, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley announced the opening of an investigation of Greitens' 2016 campaign financing.


2016 Missouri gubernatorial election, Campaign finance investigations
On June 1, 2018, Eric Greitens resigned from office, leaving Mike Parson, his lieutenant governor, to succeed him.


2016 Missouri lieutenant gubernatorial election
The 2016 Missouri lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.


2016 Missouri lieutenant gubernatorial election
The primaries were held on August 2. Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder did not seek re-election to a fourth term in office, instead unsuccessfully running for Governor of Missouri. State Senator Mike Parson and former U.S. Representative Russ Carnahan won the Republican and Democratic primaries, respectively.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup
The 2016 Mitre 10 Cup season was the eleventh season of New Zealand's provincial rugby union competition since it turned professional in 2006. The regular season began on August 18, when North Harbour hosted Counties Manukau. It involved the top fourteen rugby unions of New Zealand. For sponsorship reasons, the competition was known as the Mitre 10 Cup and it was the first season under the lead sponsor. The winner of the Championship, North Harbour was promoted to the Premiership, the seventh placed Premiership team, Hawke's Bay was relegated to the Championship.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Format
The Mitre 10 Cup standings were sorted by a competition points system. Four points were awarded to the winning team, a draw equaled two points, whilst a loss amounted to zero points. Unions could also win their side a respectable bonus point. To receive a bonus point, they must have scored four tries or more or lose by seven or fewer points or less. Each team was placed on their total points received. If necessary of a tiebreaker, when two or more teams finish on equal points, the union who defeated the other in a head-to-head got placed higher.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Format
In case of a draw between them, the side with the biggest points deferential margin got rights to be ranked above. If they were tied on points difference, it was then decided by a highest scored try count or a coin toss. This seeding format was implemented since the beginning of the 2006 competition.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Format
The competition included a promotion-relegation process with the winner of the Championship receiving automatic promotion to the Premiership, replacing the seventh-placed team in the Premiership which was relegated to the Championship for the following year. The regular season consisted of two types of matches. The internal division matches were when each team played the other six unions in their division once, home or away. The cross-division matches were when each team played four teams from the other division, thus missing out on three teams, each from the opposite division.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Format
Each union played home or away games against teams from the other division, making a total of ten competition games for each union. The finals format allowed the top four teams from each division move on to the semi-finals. The top two division winners, based on table points, received a home semi-final. In the first round of the finals, the semi-finals, the second division winner hosted the third division winner, and the first division winner hosted the fourth division winner. The final was hosted by the top remaining seed.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Regular season
The 2016 Mitre 10 Cup played across nine weeks with every team playing one Wednesday night fixture in a double-up round where they played twice that week. The competition started on Thursday, August 18, with North Harbour taking on Counties Manukau at QBE Stadium. Hawke's Bay hosted Wellington and Auckalnd versed Canterbury, in two repeat matchups of last year's finalists.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Ranfurly Shield, Pre-season challenges
After winning the Ranfurly Shield off Hawke's Bay in their final game of 2015, Waikato confirmed their pre-season defences against Thames Valley, King Country and Wanganui. The Thames Valley and King Country unions would take on Waikato for the fifth time, while Wanganui gained a mandatory shield challenge as the current holders of the Meads Cup. The first challenge for 2016 was against Thames Valley at the Paeroa Domain. King Country's challenge was played at Bedford Park in Matamata with Wanganui being the last pre-season challenge.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Ranfurly Shield, Pre-season challenges
Waikato had little trouble getting a victory in their first shield defense of the season, winning 83–13 in Paeroa. They ran in thirteen tries in front of a 2,500 capacity crowd. Winger Iliesa Ratuva scored a hat-trick on debut for his province, while number 8 Whetu Douglas and prop Atunaisa Moli both got a brace. Thames Valley managed two second-half tries, the first after Waikato had reached fifty points to veteran Brett Ranga. Their second came when centre Jone Koroinsagana scored an intercept. The match also featured a return for former Ireland half-back Isaac Boss, who first played for the province in 1999 before heading to Ulster in 2005.


2016 Mitre 10 Cup, Ranfurly Shield, Pre-season challenges
In their second defense, Waikato got past King Country 55–0 in Matamata. First scoring was lock Brian Alainu'uese, getting over after a series of pick and goes. Jordan Trainor then soon after added a penalty. Flanker Murray Iti scored his side's fifth, but there was no further scoring action until the 74th minute, when Sevu Reece, on as a substitute, crossed over in the far left corner. Matthew Lansdown, another substitute, then added Waikato's seventh with two minutes to play, and he was followed in the final minute by Tevita Taufu’i, who got their eighth.


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards
The 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards ceremony, organized by CJ E&M through its music channel Mnet, took place at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The ceremony was the seventh consecutive Mnet Asian Music Awards to be hosted outside of South Korea and the 18th ceremony in the show's history.


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards
Nominees were announced on October 28, 2016, through the 2016 MAMA Nomination Special Live Broadcast aired on Mnet streamed nationally and globally. Leading the awards was Exo with 3.


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Background
MAMA 2016 was the eighteenth edition of the Mnet Asian Music Awards. It was simultaneously broadcast live in South Korea, Japan, the United States and Southeast Asia. In Sri Lanka and Thailand, it was made available to stream on Iflix 24 hours after its broadcast in South Korea. This marked the fifth consecutive time the event would take place in the same country and the fourth consecutive time to be held in the same venue.


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Background
However, MAMA 2016 has the lowest TV ratings since 2009 edition.


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Judging criteria
Eligible nominees included songs and/or albums released from October 31, 2015, until October 27 the next year. Winners would be selected based on six categories including online voting and evaluation from MAMA professional panel.


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Winners and nominees
Following the announcement of the nominees on October 28, online voting opened on the official MAMA website via PC and mobile web. The voting ended on December 1, 2016.


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Winners and nominees, Multiple nominations
The following artist(s) received two or more nominations (excluding the special awards):


2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Presenters and performers
The following individuals and groups, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.


2016 Mohmand mosque bombing
On 16 September 2016, a bombing in a mosque left 36 people dead and 34 injured. The bombing comes only a few days after another one that killed at least 14 people and wounded 60.


2016 Molde FK season
The 2016 season was Molde's ninth consecutive year in Tippeligaen, and their 40th season in the top flight of Norwegian football. Along with the Tippeligaen, the club also competed in the Norwegian Cup and 2015–16 UEFA Europa League.


2016 Molde FK season
The 2016 Eliteserien season is the first season since 2004 without former club captain Daniel Berg Hestad, who retired after the Europa League round of 32 defeat against Sevilla on 25 February 2016. He played 666 games for the club and won 7 trophies, more than any other Molde player.


2016 Molde FK season, Season events
Club legend Daniel Berg Hestad had earlier announced that he was going to retire after the 2015 season, but changed his mind because of the ongoing successes of the club in UEFA Europa League. Initially, his contract expired on 31 December 2015, but he was given a special deal from the club allowing him to play for the club until they were knocked out from the Europa League. On 25 February 2016, Molde were defeatad 1–3 on aggregate by Sevilla in the round of 32 and Berg Hestad retired with the 1–0 win at home against Sevilla as his last game.


2016 Molde FK season, Season events
After the season was finished, Ruben Gabrielsen was named Molde FK Player of the season through a vote on the club's website. Best player in the under-23 category was Petter Strand.


2016 Molde FK season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Molde FK season, Squad, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Molde FK season, Competitions, UEFA Europa League, Knockout phase
As winners of group A in the group stage, Molde were seeded for the Europa League round of 32 draw, along with the other group stage winners and the best four third-placed finishers in the Champions League group stage. The draw took place on 14 December 2015 and saw Molde drawn against two-time defending Europa League champions Sevilla, with the away tie taking place on 18 February and the home tie on 25 February 2016. Molde lost 0–3 away in Seville. In the second leg, Molde won 1–0 through a goal scored by Eirik Hestad in what became club legend Daniel Berg Hestad's 666th and final appearance for Molde. Molde exited the tournament, losing 1–3 on aggregate. Sevilla went on to win their third consecutive title in the competition.


2016 Moldovan presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Moldova on 30 October 2016. They were the first direct presidential elections since 1996 and followed a declaration by the Constitutional Court on 4 March 2016 that the 2000 constitutional revision that led to the president being indirectly elected by Parliament was unconstitutional. The elections were won by Igor Dodon of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM).


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Candidates
Candidates who failed to collect the required number of signatures:


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Candidates
The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova did not nominate a candidate and called on voters to boycott the elections as they considered them to be illegal. The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova also failed to nominate a candidate, instead supporting a common candidate from the centre-right opposition, Maia Sandu.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Opinion polls, First round
* Other candidate Renato Usatîi may not participate. Each candidate must be at least 42 years of age.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Signature collection
Marian Lupu, the candidate of the Democratic Party of Moldova, collected over 20,000 signatures in his support and submitted them to the Central Electoral Commission in less than a day. The swiftness of the procedure was deemed suspicious, because the required stamps and signatures had to be obtained from public institutions that were closed at the time the party supporters could have collected them.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Signature collection
An independent candidate, Oleg Brega, filed a complaint with the Commission, indicating that the DPM must have received preferential treatment as their paperwork was handled on Friday after working hours, as well as on Saturday, a non-working day. The CEC dismissed the complaint and in the aftermath Brega decided to drop out of the presidential race, considering it unfair. A separate complaint was filed by Andrei Năstase on the same grounds.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Signature collection
Lupu stated that it was due to the effectiveness of his staff, rather than cheating.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Voter roll
Prior to the elections the Central Electoral Commission announced that the total number of voters was 3.2 million, an implausible figure, given the steady decline in Moldova's population, and the fact that preliminary results of the 2014 demographic survey indicated that the total population of the country was only three million.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Voter roll
An independent investigation revealed that the lists of voters prepared by the Central Electoral Commission were inaccurate and contained a significant number of deceased people. From a sample of 300 deceased, 100 were still listed as eligible to cast their vote, according to the online voter registry managed by the CEC.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Voter roll
The voter list included some prominent figures, such as the movie director Emil Loteanu (died in 2003), the actor Mihai Volontir (died in 2015) and the journalist Constantin Tănase (died in 2014).


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Voter roll
The Commission acknowledged that the lists were not fully accurate, but pointed out that only three out of the alleged 100 were present on the list. They stated that at the time of the journalists' investigation, the online database reflected data from previously held elections, rather than the most up-to-date figures.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Conduct, Overseas voting issues
Numerous overseas voters in Europe were unable to vote due insufficient ballot papers being available. However, the number of voters unable to vote was thought to be lower than Dodon's margin of victory.


2016 Moldovan presidential election, Results
As none of the candidates was able to achieve a majority on 30 October 2016, a second round of voting took place on 13 November 2016 between the two leading candidates, Igor Dodon of PSRM and Maia Sandu of PAS. Dodon won the second round with 52.11% of the vote and became the fifth President of Moldova on 23 December.


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


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round
The 2016 Monaco GP2 Series round was a pair of motor races held on 27 and 28 May 2016 at the Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco as part of the GP2 Series. It was the fourth round of the 2016 GP2 Series and was run in support of the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix. The first race, a 40-lap feature event, was won by Russian Time driver Artem Markelov after starting from 15th position. Norman Nato finished in second for Racing Engineering and MP Motorsport's Oliver Rowland took third. Nobuharu Matsushita for ART Grand Prix won the following day's 30-lap sprint race from pole position with Carlin's Marvin Kirchhöfer and Markelov's teammate Raffaele Marciello second and third.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round
Sergey Sirotkin won the pole position for the feature race by posting the fastest lap in qualifying but a slow start off the grid allowed Nato into the lead. Nato pulled away from the rest of the field and led for the majority of the race until a virtual safety car caught him out in the event's closing laps. Markelov was the main beneficiary of this and he made his mandatory pit stop to change tyres on the penultimate lap and held off Nato to take his maiden GP2 Series win. Matsushita started from pole position in the sprint race and repelled a challenge from the fast-starting Kirchhöfer to his right at the start. In a processional race, Matsushita opened out a 13.6 second lead over Kirchhöfer to win for the second time in GP2.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round
The results of the round meant Nato took the lead of the Drivers' Championship by one point over feature race winner Markelov. Alex Lynn maintained third place with 41 points with Pierre Gasly and Marciello fourth and fifth. In the Teams' Championship, Russian Time moved from fourth to first and Racing Engineering were eleven points behind but they retained second place. The leaders of the Teams' Championship enterin the event DAMS dropped to third while Prema Racing fell to fourth with eight rounds left in the season.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Background
The 2016 Monaco GP2 Series round was the second of eleven scheduled events of the 2016 GP2 Series season. It was held on 27 and 28 May 2016 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monaco and supported the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix. Tyre supplier Pirelli brought two types of tyre to the race: two dry compounds (super soft "options" and soft "primes"). The drag reduction system (DRS) had one activation zone for the race: on the start/finish straight linking Anthony Noghes and Sainte Devote turns. There were 11 teams of 2 drivers each entered for the race for a total of 22 participants and each driver used the Dallara GP2/11 vehicle.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Background
Before the race, Prema Racing driver Pierre Gasly led the Drivers' Championship with 33 points, seven ahead of Norman Nato of Racing Engineering in second, who in turn, was a further four points in front of third-placed Alex Lynn for Russian Time. DAMS' Nicholas Latifi and Russian Time racer Artem Markelov were both tied for fourth with 20 points each. DAMS and Racing Engineering jointly led the Teams' Championship with 43 points each; Prema Racing stood in third position with 31 points and held a one-point gap over the fourth-placed Russian Time. Carlin were fifth with ten points.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
One 45-minute practice session was held on Thursday. The start of the session was moved forward five minutes following repairs to a drain cover that was dislodged during the first Monaco Grand Prix practice session by Nico Rosberg and struck by Jenson Button. Sergey Sirotkin (ART Grand Prix) was fastest with a lap of 1 minute, 20.361 seconds, almost one-tenth of a second faster than Nato in second. Lynn, Arthur Pic, Jordan King (Racing Engineering), Mitch Evans (Campos Racing), Gasly, Raffaele Marciello (Russian Time), Oliver Rowland (MP Motorsport) and Markelov occupied positions three to ten.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
Gasly ran wide at Sainte Devote corner, colliding with an outside barrier, and removing his front-left wheel. The virtual safety car (VSC) system was enabled to allow marshals to extricate his car from the track. Soon after, Nobuharu Matsushita (ART Grand Prix) locked his tyres on the run to the same corner and went straight into the wall. Daniël de Jong (MP Motorsport) oversteered into the Sainte Devote barrier and Sean Gelael (Campos Racing) ended the session early when he stalled his car and triggered a traffic holdup.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
Thursday's afternoon's qualifying session ran for 30 minutes. Qualifying was divided into two groups of 13 cars to avoid overcrowding. Odd numbered vehicles were drawn in Group A and the even numbered cars were put in Group B. The drivers' fastest lap times determined the starting order for the first race. The pole position winner took four points for the Drivers' and Teams' Championships. The second group was competitive because eight drivers temporarily claimed pole position. Sirtokin clinched his maiden GP2 Series pole position with a time of 1 minute, 19.186 seconds, which was recorded in the session's closing period.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
He was joined on the grid's front row by Nato whose lap was seven-tenths of a second slower in the final seconds of Group A. Nato's teammate King qualified in third, Evans fourth, and Rowland fifth. Lynn, Antonio Giovinazzi (Prema Racing), Marciello, Latifi and Luca Ghiotto (Trident) rounded out the top ten qualifiers.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
Pic was the fastest driver not to qualify in the top ten; his fastest time was nearly 1.2 seconds off Sirotkin's pace. He was followed by Matsushita and Marvin Kirchhöfer (Carlin) and Gelael in 12th to 14th. 15th-place qualifier Markelov misjudged his approach to Sainte Devote corner, locked his car's tyres, went airborne after driving over the kerbing and ran straight into a barrier. The wall was separated into two halves, stopping the session for 20 minutes while it was repaired. Markelov was unhurt.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Practice and qualifying
Gustav Malja (Rapax), Philo Paz Armand (Trident), de Jong and Jimmy Eriksson (Arden International) filled positions 16 to 19. Gasly had a car brake failure and entered the pit lane but missed the weighbridge when requested to enter the area. Gasly was required to start the feature event from the pit lane. Sergio Canamasas (Carlin) was judged to have made the same error and Nabil Jeffri (Arden International) was observed to block Markelov and both drivers were required to start from the pit lane. Jeffri could not take his penalty as he qualified 22nd. Since he could not take his three-place grid penalty, Jeffri began from the pit lane.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races
The first race was held over 140 km (87 mi) or 60 minutes (which ever came first) and the regulations required drivers to make one pit stop. The first ten finishers scored points, with two given to the fastest lap holder. The grid for the second race was determined by the finishing order of the first but with the first eight drivers in reverse order of where they finished. It was run for 100 km (62 mi) or 45 minutes (which ever came first) and, in contrast to the first race, drivers were not required to make pit stops. The top eight finishers earned points towards their respective championships.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
The race started in warm weather of 22 °C (72 °F) and a track temperature of 34 °C (93 °F) at 11:15 Central European Summer Time (CEST) (UTC+2) on 27 May. Sirotkin made a slow start, allowing fellow front-row starter Nato to brake later than him and claim the lead into Sainte Devote corner. Sirtokin then repelled an challenge from King over second place. The field avoided incident on the first lap and the top three of Sirotkin, Nato and King pulled away from the fourth-placed Evans over the next few laps.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
On lap six, the first mandatory pit stops to change tyres were made by Giovinazzi, Ghiotto, Pic and Kirchhöfer in the lower end of the order. Meanwhile, Nato set consecutive fastest laps to give himself a lead of 1.2 seconds over Sirotkin at the start of lap 10. King was distanced by Nato and Sirotkin by lap 11 as Sirotkin made a error and cut the Novelle Chicane, losing time. Rowland was challenging the slower Evans who straight-lined the Novelle Chicane at the exit of the tunnel to keep the position. Evans was subsequently issued a five-second time penalty on the 20th lap after the stewards deemed him to have gained an illegal advantage.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Meanwhile, another VSC was triggered on lap 18 when Gasly was trying to recover ground and mounted the back of Eriksson's car at La Racasse corner, which would ultimately result in Eriksson's retirement and debris was left on the track. Gasly was consequently forced to enter the pit lane to have his front wing replaced. The VSC was soon lifted after the debris was cleared from the circuit. At the restart, Rowland quickly displaced Evans and charged after the leading trio of Nato, Sirotkin and King.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
More drama came on lap 23 when Latifi was battling Markelov for seventh and got distracted. This caused Latifi to clip the barrier alongside the circuit in the tunnel and retired in the pit lane with a bent front-left suspension. Then, as Sirotkin was quickly catching Nato, his car got into an uncontrolled sideways manoeuvre after clipping the kerb too hard at the exit of La Piscine turn and hit the wall for the second successive feature race. Another VSC was activated to allow for general cleanup and racing resumed on lap 24. On the next lap, a third VSC was required when Jeffri crashed at La Rascasse corner. The VSC was lifted on lap 26. Competitive action lasted for three laps until a fourth VSC came about after King struck the barrier; he drove to the pit lane to retire.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Markelov moved into the lead when Lynn, Rowland and Evans pitted over laps 29 and 31 as Nato's pit crew were slow installing his front-right wheel. Markelow set faster lap times than anyone else despite being on heavily worn tyres. The VSC was used twice more for separate incidents that Ghiotto caused on lap 36 as he left debris on the racing line and hit the inside barrier at the Loews hairpin. Markelov was the main beneficiary of this as he was 15 seconds ahead of Nato.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
He was quicker than Nato in the tunnel and Tabac turn while his rivals' pace was limited since they were slower in the tighter corners. After the restart, Markelov made his mandatory pit stop on lap 39 to switch onto the super soft tyres, emerging just ahead of Nato who could not overtake Markelov on his out-lap. Because the five VSCs elongated the race, the number of laps was lowered to 40 from 42. Markelov's fresher tyres allowed him to hold off Nato in the last two laps for his maiden GP2 Series victory by 11⁄2 seconds.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Feature race
Third was Rowland and the rest of the provisional order consisting of Lynn, Evans, Marciello, Giovinazzi, Kirchhöfer, Matsushita, de Jong, Pic, Canamasas, Gelael, Malja, Gasly and Armand. After the race, Giovinazzi and Malja received five-second time penalties for illegally cutting the Novelle Chicane and Sainte Devote corner, respectively, handing the sprint race pole position from Kirchhöfer to Matsushita.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
The second event began in a warm air temperature of 21 °C (70 °F) and a track temperature of 35 °C (95 °F) at 16:10 local time on 28 May. Sirtokin's team changed the monocoque on his car after his crash in the feature race. On the grid, Matsushita had a slow initial getaway and the second-placed Kirchhöfer was faster and drew alongside into Sainte Devote corner. However, Kirchhöfer did not move into the lead as Matsushita held him off by staying on the right and out-braking him.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
Behind the duo, Maricello went defensive against the fast-starting Evans and Nato went to the outside of Rowland to overtake him but he could not pass Lynn as the field were approaching Casino corner. From there on, the race settled into a rhythm as Matsushita opened his lead over Kirchhöfer to three seconds. Yellow flags were briefly waved by course officials on the fourth lap as King was about to pass Armand for 18th but he left the latter without enough space to get by and put him into a wall at the Loews hairpin. King incurred a five-second time penalty for causing the incident. On lap nine, further disruption was caused when Gelael slid wide at Sainte Devote and crashed into a barrier which activated the VSC.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
Sirotkin's poor season continued when the on-board fire extinguisher in his car was activated by debris from his tyre at the entry to Massenet turn on the 11th lap. Sirotkin's visibility was greatly hindered by foam on his visor and he stopped on the escape road at Casino Square corner and retired. At the front, Kirchhöfer took a second out of Matsushita's lead under the VSC only for the latter to respond by being six seconds by lap 15. It further grew as the race progressed and Kirchhöfer was left to holding off third-placed Maricello.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
Nato and Matsushita traded the fastest lap as the laps passed by with the accolade being claimed by Matsushita on lap 28 with a time of 1 minute and 21.554 seconds and earned him two championship points. In a processional race, it was Matsushita's victory, achieving his second win in the GP2 Series after the 2015 Hungaroring feature race, and ensuring four different drivers had won all four of the season's races held at the time.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Races, Sprint race
Kirchhöfer finished 13.660 seconds later in second in Carlin's first podium since Felipe Nasr at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Sprint race and Maricello completed the podium in third. Off the podium, Evans took fourth and fifth-placed Alex Lynn led a pack of cars comprising Nato, Rowland and Markelov who were covered by 1.3 seconds in positions six through eight. The final classified finishers were Pic, Canamasas, de Jong, Malja, Gasly, Ghiotto, Eriksson, King, Jeffri and Giovinazzi who stalled on the grid.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
The top three drivers in both races appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media in separate press conferences. Markelov was delighted to achieve his first win and stayed on the soft compound tyres because his team deemed their pace decent, "We really did a good job together. To finish P1 in Monaco and score my first victory in GP2, it’s amazing… I don’t have any other words. I’m really happy."


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
Nato, who came second, stated that he was displeased and angry over seeing Markelov take the lead as he did not feel the need to change tyres and was urged by his engineer to pressure him, "I tried to overtake him before Turn 5 and when I saw I couldn’t do it, I just focused on the end of the race. P2 is better than nothing. This race was for us today but it’s still good points for the team and the drivers’ standings." Rowland said he was pleased to finish third and complimented his team, "It was a pretty good day. It was just a bit strange when Artem came out first. I didn’t expect that!"


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
After the sprint race, Matsushita called his Monaco sprint race victory "even more special" than other circuits and said tyre degradation was low as he focused on the race, "I’m happy to come home with a trophy, a victory here and some good points for the team. It was my first win in Monaco so it feels special. I led the whole race, I felt good in the car so I’m just really happy."


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
Kirchhöfer spoke of his enjoyment racing at Monaco for the first time and had not anticipated achieving a podium result at the track, "I’m really happy with P2. I had a good gateway at the start but I couldn’t overtake Matsushita at the first corner. After that, I was thinking to bring the car home. But we are all happy, me and the team, with this result. There’s more to come!" Third-placed Marciello called his race "boring" because he found it difficult to overtake Kirchhöfer and hoped for a safety car or an extended VSC.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
Nevertheless, he said he was still happy and wanted to continue the form into the Baku round, "It’s still a good weekend with Artem’s P1 yesterday and my podium today but we need to improve during the qualifying. Our car is really good in the long runs and we have good pace. So our goal is to improve during the qualifying session."


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
The technical director of Racing Engineering Sébastien Viger explained his team visited the stewards for several hours after the feature race to understand how Nato lost the chance to win, "This showed how wrong things went for us with the multiple virtual safety cars. Basically, Markelov was very lucky as he took the VSC on slow zones [of the track] where he was not losing time and Norman and others took it on fast zones, which resulted in huge time losses."


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
Despite the VSC allowing Markelov to increase his advantage, Svetlana Strelnikova, the team principal of Russian Time, said she felt they were within the regulations, "We led by 15 seconds [over Nato], but the question is 'where did the other 15 seconds come that we could stop and rejoin first?'. But there was VSC – six seconds to turn it off, six seconds to turn it on, and each driver reacts in a different way – they press the button at the moment that the engineer says on the radio and the car is running full speed again." Valentin Khorounzhiy of motorsport.com wrote that the changes in gap were unlikely to account for Markelov's reaction time but for where on the track the VSC was activated as some drivers slowed to a different extent. He noted suggestions of protesting Markelov's victory would be unsuccessful.


2016 Monaco GP2 Series round, Post-round
Nato left Monaco as the leader of the Drivers' Championship with 49 points and Markelov's feature race victory moved him to second with just one point separating the two. Lynn's results allowed him to maintain third with 41 points while previous championship leader Gasly fell to fourth with 33 and Marciello was fifth with 28. In the Teams' Championship, Russian Time moved from fourth to take the lead with 76 points and Racing Engineering retained second with 65 points. DAMS' results dropped them to third while Prema Racing maintained their hold on fourth. Carlin were still in fifth with eight rounds left in the season.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix
The 2016 Monaco Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2016) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 May 2016 at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the Principality of Monaco. It was the sixth round of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship, and marked the seventy-fourth time that the Monaco Grand Prix had been held, as well as the sixty-third time it had been held as a round of the Formula One World Championship since the series inception in 1950.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix
Nico Rosberg was the defending race winner having won the past three Monaco Grands Prix in a row and entered the race with a thirty-nine-point lead held over Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen in the Drivers' Championship. Rosberg's team, Mercedes, held a 48-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix
During Saturday's qualifying, Daniel Ricciardo, who was driving for Red Bull Racing, achieved the first pole position of his career. In an eventful race, Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton took victory ahead of Ricciardo, who had lost time during a pitstop when his mechanics did not have the tyres ready for him. Sergio Pérez completed the podium for Force India, the team's first appearance in the top three of the season and their first since the 2015 Russian Grand Prix.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Background
Following their controversial crash and double retirement at the previous race in Spain two weeks earlier, particular attention was on championship leaders Mercedes and their drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. The team was adamant that such an incident could not be repeated, with their head of motorsport Toto Wolff saying: "We cannot afford to drop the ball, so we must remain united, remain strong and hit back hard this weekend."


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Background
With a win, Rosberg would have been able to become the only driver other than Ayrton Senna to win the Monaco Grand Prix four times in a row, while Hamilton had suffered a string of bad results at the circuit, having won only once in 2008. At the race the year before, Hamilton had lost what he felt was a certain victory by a wrong decision to pit him during a safety car period.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Background
Fernando Alonso received a new, revised combustion engine for his car, his third of five allowed over the course of the season without receiving a grid penalty. Power unit supplier Honda stressed that they had not used any development tokens, a set of limited allowed changes to the units, but had instead only improved reliability. The team also equipped both cars with new batteries and electronics control units, set to improve the reliability of the cars as well.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Background
During the two-day testing session that took place after the previous Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Renault introduced an updated version of their power unit, which was used during the test to the satisfaction of driver Kevin Magnussen, who declared that the new unit was a step forward in both power and driveability. He urged the team to pull the introduction of the power unit forward to the Monaco race, instead of the following Grand Prix in Canada as originally planned. Renault chose to do so, however, they were only able to hand out one updated unit to both their works team and Red Bull, who used them under the name TAG Heuer. The two units were eventually given to Magnussen at Renault and Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Background
The race saw the competitive début of Pirelli's new ultrasoft tyre compound, which was provided alongside the supersoft and soft compounds. Per the regulations of the 2016 season, every driver needs to set aside one set each of the two softest compounds for the race and one set of the ultrasofts for Q3 (should they advance). The drivers have freedom of what other compounds they choose for the remaining ten out of thirteen sets.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Background
From this race onwards, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile allowed drivers to choose alternative helmet designs for one race weekend per season, a practice usually prohibited as they have to wear the same design to make them more recognisable to spectators and television audiences. As a consequence, Felipe Massa's helmet featured extensive artwork by graffiti artist Os Gêmeos, teammate Valtteri Bottas featured casino-inspired imagery and Haas driver Romain Grosjean sported a tribute to the late Jules Bianchi on his helmet. The race marked a reason for celebration at McLaren, as the team had started their first ever Grand Prix at Monaco fifty years earlier.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Background
Going into the weekend, Nico Rosberg led the Drivers' Championship with 100 points, followed by Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen with 61 points. Lewis Hamilton followed in third, a further four points behind, with Sebastian Vettel in fourth with 48 points, level with Daniel Ricciardo in fifth. In the constructors' standings, Mercedes led with 157 points, 48 points ahead of Ferrari, with Red Bull Racing in third with 94 points.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Free practice
Per the regulations for the 2016 season, two ninety-minute practice and one sixty-minute session were held before qualifying on Saturday. The first two usually take place on Friday, with Monaco being the single exemption, where those sessions are held on Thursday, in order to minimise road-closure disruptions to local residents. In the first session on Thursday morning, Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets with a time of 1:15.537, one tenth of a second faster than his teammate Nico Rosberg.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Free practice
They were followed by Sebastian Vettel, almost half a second down on Hamilton, and the two Red Bull cars of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen respectively. Daniil Kvyat, driving for Toro Rosso, in sixth was the last driver to get within a second of Hamilton's time. He was the only one of the front runners to set his time on the supersoft instead of the faster ultrasoft tyres. There were several incidents during the session: After twenty-four minutes, Felipe Massa hit the barrier in turn one, damaging his car and leading to a virtual safety car (VSC) period.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Free practice
Later, Lewis Hamilton had a brake lockup at the same spot, but was able to get into the run-off area without touching the guardrail. Several other drivers had dangerous moments in turn one as well, but the most severe incident of the session came three minutes to the end: A drain cover had come loose around the first corner, puncturing Rosberg's left rear tyre and damaging Jenson Button's McLaren MP4-31, causing the practice to be red flagged, ultimately ending the session.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Free practice
In second practice on Thursday afternoon, Ricciardo was fastest, setting a time of 1:14.607, more than half a second clear of Hamilton in second place. Rosberg and Verstappen, in third and fourth, were the only other drivers to get within a second of Ricciardo, while the two Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa struggled, ending the session 14th and 16th respectively. At Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen was fastest in seventh spot. His teammate, Vettel, had an incident-packed session that eventually ended with him setting the ninth fastest time.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Free practice
He spun at Mirabeau corner, damaging his rear wing, only to hit the wall in turn one after coming back to the track, albeit continuing with wheel rim damage. A VSC period occurred after Romain Grosjean crashed into the outside barrier at the exit of the tunnel. Two more VSC periods ensued when Rio Haryanto touched the inside barrier at the same spot and later after Kevin Magnussen crashed at the final corner.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Free practice
In the third practice session on Saturday morning, Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time, about one hundredth of a second faster than Hamilton. Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo followed, both also within two tenth of a second of Vettel. Max Verstappen was fifth fastest although he had a minor crash coming up to Casino square, clipping the wall. Toro Rosso were again quick, getting both drivers into the top ten. Renault had different fortunes, as both drivers had accidents, with Jolyon Palmer hindering one of Hamilton's flying laps as he crashed at the swimming pool section.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Qualifying
Qualifying consisted of three parts, 18, 15 and 12 minutes in length respectively, with six drivers eliminated from competing after each of the first two sessions. In the first part of qualifying (Q1), the session got interrupted shortly after it had started, as Felipe Nasr came to a halt at the exit of the tunnel, caused by an engine failure. A red flag came out while the car was cleared off the track. When the running resumed, all drivers except for the two at Force India went out on the ultrasoft tyres to set their first lap times.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Qualifying
Max Verstappen was the last to set a representative time, but touched the guardrail at the swimming pool chicane and crashed into the wall, causing another red flag period. As the session got back under way, it were the two Manor cars of Rio Haryanto and Pascal Wehrlein, as well as Jolyon Palmer and Marcus Ericsson who joined Nasr and Verstappen on the sidelines, as they were eliminated. Kevin Magnussen meanwhile barely made it into Q2, but was under investigation for exiting the pit lane while it was closed.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Qualifying
In the second part, Lewis Hamilton quickly set a fast lap time, the quickest of the weekend up to that point, about half a second ahead of his teammate Rosberg. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo set his fastest lap on the harder supersoft compound tyre, meaning that he would be able to start the race on them, should it have stayed dry. On the back end, Williams struggled for pace and both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa missed out on Q3 by qualifying 11th and 14th respectively. Also eliminated were Esteban Gutiérrez, Jenson Button, Romain Grosjean and Magnussen.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Qualifying
As Q3 started, Lewis Hamilton stopped in the pit lane with a loss of power and was pushed back into the garage. He was eventually able to go on track and qualified third, after starting several quick laps only to abandon them to leave his final run to the last moment. He was however beaten to pole position by Ricciardo, who was almost three-tenths of a second faster than second placed Rosberg, with Vettel following in fourth almost a second slower.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Qualifying
Nico Hülkenberg managed fifth ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, who was to serve a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change, leaving him eleventh on the grid. Carlos Sainz Jr., Sergio Pérez, Daniil Kvyat and Fernando Alonso rounded up the top ten. Ricciardo's pole position was the first for a Renault-powered turbocharged car since Ayrton Senna's front-of-the-grid start at the 1986 Mexican Grand Prix for Lotus.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Qualifying, Post-qualifying
After qualifying, the race stewards decided not to give a penalty to Magnussen for ignoring the red light at the end of the pit lane during Q1, since it had only changed to red 0.55 seconds before he crossed the pit exit line. Kvyat escaped penalty as well after his car failed the obligatory front floor deflection test. As the team pointed out, the irregularity was the result of an impact on track, allowing him to keep eighth on the grid.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
With rain shortly before the race, the start was taken behind the safety car, forcing all drivers to start the race on the full wet tyres. As Ricciardo led the field behind the safety car, Daniil Kvyat had to come into the pit lane on lap two, complaining of technical issues. He rejoined with a new steering wheel, being a lap down on the rest of the pack already. The race started in earnest on lap seven, with Ricciardo defending his lead at the restart.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
Kevin Magnussen made a pit stop for intermediate tyres at the end of the lap, but his teammate Jolyon Palmer proved just how slippery it still was when he crashed out just a lap later, being caught out by a wet zebra crossing and causing a virtual safety car period. More cars came into the pitlane for intermediate tyres over the following laps. On lap eleven, Kimi Räikkönen damaged his front wing on the guardrail at the Loews hairpin, resulting in his front wing getting caught under his front tyres, blocking Grosjean's way in the process.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
Räikkönen retired some corners later. Meanwhile, Ricciardo built a gap at the front, being ten seconds clear of Rosberg on lap 13. One lap later, Sebastian Vettel was the first of the front runners to change to intermediate tyres. Mercedes issued team orders demanding Rosberg let Hamilton past on lap 16, but the gap had by then grown to 13 seconds.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
On lap 21, Rosberg made a pit stop for the intermediate tyres, leaving only Ricciardo and Hamilton at the front of the field on the full wet tyres. Ricciardo made the switch on lap 24, but Hamilton stayed out, opting to remain on the wet tyre until the track dried out enough to go straight to slicks. In the meantime, Verstappen had fought his way back into the top ten, after having started 21st. In the subsequent laps, Ricciardo was able to reduce the gap to Hamilton in the lead, edging as close as half a second by lap 28.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
Behind the leading pair, Rosberg was third ahead of Pérez and Vettel. The pivotal moment of the race followed on lap 31, when Hamilton changed to slick tyres. When Ricciardo followed suit a lap later, his pit crew were not ready for him and had the wrong tyres, resulting in a long stop, handing the lead to Hamilton, who stayed narrowly ahead of him. Sergio Pérez was another driver who benefited during the second round of stops, emerging in third. Rosberg was left in sixth after both Vettel and Alonso also came out ahead of him after the switch to dry tyres. On lap 34, Ricciardo made an attempt to repass Hamilton on track, but Hamilton successfully defended his position.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
Another virtual safety car period ensued on lap 35, caused by Verstappen who crashed his car into the barrier after locking up his tyres. As the VSC ended on lap 37, Ricciardo once more failed in an attempt to regain the lead. At the chicane coming out of the tunnel, Hamilton misjudged the corner and backed Ricciardo off at the exit of the chicane, causing the latter to complain about the move on team radio. While the incident was investigated by the stewards, the decision was not to take action against Hamilton.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
At that point, the order stood as follows: Hamilton, Ricciardo, Pérez, Vettel, Alonso, Rosberg, Hülkenberg, Sainz, Button and Gutiérrez. The top four drivers pulled away cleanly from the rest of the field behind them. On lap 50, the two Sauber cars collided at Rascasse corner, after Felipe Nasr had ignored instructions from the pit lane to let his teammate Ericsson behind him pass. Another VSC period was called while both Sauber drivers made pit stops to repair damages, only for both to retire some laps later. In front, the race carried on in the same order.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race
On lap 68, the fourth virtual safety car period occurred when a large plastic sheet fell onto the start–finish straight. Hamilton was able to extend his lead over Ricciardo at that point, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 71. Three laps from the finish, rain started to fall again, although no driver changed tyres before the chequered flag fell. Hamilton crossed the finish line to take victory ahead of Ricciardo and Pérez. This win for Hamilton marked his second at Monaco, the other being in 2008. Vettel hung on to fourth, followed by Alonso in fifth. Rosberg lost his sixth place to Nico Hülkenberg on the very last lap.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
At the podium interviews, conducted by former Formula One driver Martin Brundle, Hamilton thanked his team and expressed satisfaction about how the race went. He pointed to the problems of driving on the full wet tyres for such a long distance, saying that they were about to "drop off", meaning to lose much of their grip to the race surface, when he came in to change. He complimented Ricciardo on driving "phenomenally all weekend". Ricciardo himself lamented his misfortune in losing the race during his second pit stop.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
In regard to his team's error and their different strategy at the previous race in Spain, which he felt had cost him a chance at victory there as well, he said: "Two weekends in a row I've been screwed now. It sucks. It hurts." He emphasised that it had not been his decision to pit at that time, but that the team had called him in and criticised them for not being ready when he arrived. Sergio Pérez on the other hand was "extremely happy" with the performance by him and the team, saying that the race was his favourite podium finish while driving for Force India.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Speaking about the moment when Nico Rosberg let him past in the early stages of the race, Hamilton told the press that he had thanked his teammate for "being a gentleman". When asked how painful it had been to be asked to let Hamilton go by, Rosberg said: "It was more painful the feeling that I had in the car. That was the worst. Around Monaco, that's not a nice feeling to have. I had no confidence at all. The second thing [team order] was just a consequence of that."


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Mercedes's motorsport director Toto Wolff also praised Rosberg for working for the team and moving to the side without questioning the team's decision. Rosberg was however unable to give an explanation for his slow pace during the early stages. He pointed to the possibility that his car's tyre and brake temperatures had been particularly affected by the period behind the safety car.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Following their intra-team collision, Sauber's team principal Monisha Kaltenborn put blame on both drivers. The stewards penalised Ericsson for the incident, handing him a three-place grid penalty for the following race in Canada as well as three penalty points to his licence. Felipe Nasr was adamant that the team orders he had received prior to the accident had been uncalled for, since his slower pace was due to low tyre temperatures. He also claimed that Ericsson had ignored team orders himself on two occasions in the previous season.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Ericsson in turn had a different view and said that the team had told him for "seven or eight laps" that they would swap the positions of the drivers before he decided to go for the pass himself. Valtteri Bottas and Pascal Wehrlein also received penalties during and after the race. Bottas was handed a ten-second time penalty and two penalty points on his licence for causing a collision with Gutiérrez, while Wehrlein received two separate ten-second penalties: the first for exceeding the allowed lap time under VSC conditions and the second for ignoring blue flags. He was also given two penalty points each for both incidents.


2016 Monaco Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Following the Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg retained first place in the Drivers' Championship with 106 points, but his lead over the second-placed driver, now Hamilton, had decreased to 24 points. Daniel Ricciardo moved up to third with 66 points, five points ahead of Räikkönen. In the Constructors' standings, Mercedes extended their lead over Ferrari to 67 points, with Red Bull in third another nine points behind.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship
The 2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship is the 110th edition of Monaghan GAA's premier gaelic football tournament for senior clubs in County Monaghan, Ireland. Ten teams compete, with the winners representing Monaghan in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship. The championship begins with a back door system for the first two rounds before becoming knock-out.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship
Scotstown were the defending champions after they defeated Monaghan Harps in the 2015 final, and they successfully defended their title and also claimed a "2-in-a-row" of S.F.C. titles when they defeated Clontibret O'Neills 2-13 to 1-12 in Castleblayney on 2 October 2016.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship
Doohamlet O'Neills' returned to the senior grade after a 1-year absence since being relegated in 2011. Carrickmacross Emmets returned to the top flight since relegation in 2013 after winning the Intermediate Football League. However both of these clubs were relegated straight back to the Intermediate grade at the end of the season when finishing 10th and 9th in the S.F.L. respectively. They will be replaced in 2017 by I.F.C. champions Donaghmoyne and I.F.L. champions Killanny.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship, Preliminary round
The two teams promoted from the previous years I.F.C. play against two of the remaining 8 senior clubs in a random draw. The 2 winners proceed to Round 1A while the 2 losers proceed to Round 1B (unless they receive a bye into Round 2B).


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship, Round 1, Round 1A
The 6 teams which received byes in the preliminary round play each other and the 2 Preliminary Round winners play each other. The 4 winners proceed to Round 2A while the 4 losers must play in Round 1B against the 2 losers from the Preliminary Round, however 2 of these teams will receive byes to Round 2B.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship, Round 1, Round 1B
The 2 losers from the Preliminary Round play against 2 of the 3 losers from the matches involving teams which received byes past the Preliminary Round (determined by draw). The 2 winners proceed to Round 2B while the 2 losers exit the championship.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship, Round 2, Round 2A
The 4 winners from Round 1A play each other. The 2 winners proceed to the semi-finals while the losers must play in Round 3.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship, Round 2, Round 2B
The 2 winners from Round 1B play and the 2 teams who received byes through Round 1B play in this round. The 2 winners proceed to Round 3 while the losers exit the championship.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship, Round 3
The 2 winners from Round 2B play against the 2 losers from Round 2A. The 2 winners proceed to the semi-finals while the losers exit the championship.


2016 Monaghan Senior Football Championship, Semi-Finals
The 2 winners from Round 2A play against the 2 winners from Round 3.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest
Civil unrest occurred in Mong Kok, Hong Kong from the night of 8 February 2016 until the following morning. The incident escalated from the government's crackdown on unlicensed street hawkers during the Chinese New Year holidays. Eventual violent clashes broke out between police and protesters, resulting in injuries on both sides.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest
The Hong Kong government has classified the violent incident as a riot (旺角暴動), while some media outlets and social media platforms have opted for calling the event the "Fishball Revolution" (魚蛋革命), in reference to fishballs, a popular Hong Kong street food. The violence has been described by The Economist as "the worst outbreak of rioting since the 1960s."


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Political context
After the 2014 protests, the popularity of Leung Chun-ying continued to be low, dropping slightly below the low point it had during the protests. His administration also received poor popularity ratings in a survey by HKPOP, an institute affiliated with the University of Hong Kong.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Political context
The relationship between the Hong Kong Police Force, often referred to as "Asia's finest" in the past, and the public also became strained mainly due to a number of controversies, including the beating of protester Ken Tsang by seven plainclothes officers in Admiralty, the indiscriminate clubbing of members of the public by superintendent Franklin Chu in Mong Kok during the 2014 protests and the considerable delay for them to be prosecuted – in the case of Chu, the police refused to prosecute.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Political context
The events of 2014 spawned a number of new activist groups with some taking an anti-government and militant stance. Hong Kong Indigenous, a localist group formed in early 2015, had previously been involved in violent clashes with police in several anti-parallel trading protests. The various localist groups hold a strong anti-mainland sentiment, generally with the view that the increasing political and economic integration of Hong Kong and Mainland China, as well as the influx of Mainland tourists and immigrants are undermining the autonomy and identity of Hong Kong.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Hawkers crackdown
The Chinese New Year holidays have traditionally attracted many unlicensed hawkers (street vendors), selling Hong Kong street food and other products, at popular locations including Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok and Kweilin Street, Sham Shui Po. Despite operating without licence, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) had, in the past, not taken action against hawkers during the New Year holidays. However, in the years prior to the unrest, the FEHD had begun monitoring unlicensed cooked food hawkers during the Chinese New Year at night markets over fears of unsanitary practices, obstruction of roadways and general disruption. During Chinese New Year in 2014, FEHD staff conducted surprise inspections at Kweilin Street Night Market making arrests and confiscating stalls causing some public disquiet. However, shortly after the FEHD officers departed, the hawkers returned and a lively night market resumed.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Hawkers crackdown
In November 2014 Sham Shui Po District Council, passed a motion of "zero tolerance" towards unlicensed hawkers for the upcoming Chinese New Year. However, grassroots organisations complained that, due to the government's refusal to issue new hawker licences or construct new markets, hawkers could only subsist by defying the law; they further asserted that Kweilin Street night market was enjoying a resurgence in popularity and a "zero tolerance" policy would only exacerbate grievances.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Hawkers crackdown
During Chinese New Year in 2015, there were at least three groups giving vocal support to street vendors in Sham Shui Po with Hong Kong Indigenous embarking on a campaign of street cleaning to allay concerns over hygiene. In 2016, however, street hawkers were put under pressure by a citywide FEHD crackdown which drew discontent from locals.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Hawkers crackdown
From the evening of 2 February 2016, in the run up to Chinese New Year, hawkers in Tuen Mun who were setting up stall outside a mall near Leung King Estate, operated by Link REIT, were opposed by a group of masked men identifying themselves as "management" and claiming to represent The Link. These men later insisted that hawkers could no longer set up in or around the estate, so as not to affect the mall tenants. During the late night market, a number of incidents occurred but were not acted upon by police.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Hawkers crackdown
On the evening of 7 February, Chinese New Year's Eve, tens of hawkers began setting up stall in Kwelin Street night market but were chased away by the FEHD. Sociology lecturer and activist Lau Siu-lai, wishing to provoke public debate over the hawker issue, acted in deliberate defiance of the FEHD and was arrested. Originally wishing just to enjoy the ambience of the street market, Lau was arrested when she began to help sell grilled cuttlefish in defiance of the FEHD officers and her arrest was ordered by the senior officer present.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Background, Hawkers crackdown
There was disquiet over her arrest at the scene, and a number of protesters immediately went to picket the Sham Shui Po Police Station where she was held. That night and through the next day activists began to contact hawkers to encourage them to set up stall in Mong Kok, and also began the online call for supporters to protect local Hong Kong distinctiveness.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
On 8 February, the first day of the Chinese New Year, FEHD officers attempted to patrol the side streets of Mong Kok. Hong Kong Indigenous called for action online to shield the hawkers, and by around 9 pm a few hundred had gathered and verbally assaulted the FEHD officers.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
At around 10 pm, a taxi driving into Portland Street accidentally hit an old man. Protesters blocked the road and prevented the taxi from leaving. The Hong Kong Police arrived and surrounded the car, warning others not to get closer. The police left shortly after and returned with a portable podium for crowd control at 11:45 pm, this sparked anger in the crowd. Around midnight, violent clashes broke out between police and protesters as police urged them to clear the street. The police put on protective gear, including helmets and shields and used batons and pepper spray on the protesters, while some of the protesters, equipped with home-made shields, goggles, helmets and gloves, threw projectiles at the police.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
At around 2 am, a traffic police officer was injured on Argyle Street. Protesters continued to surround the injured officer and attacking him with projectiles, prompting his colleagues to approach the scene to protect him. One such officer fired two warning shots into the air in an attempt to prevent further advancement of the protesters. Warning shots are not permitted in the Use of Force guidelines in the Police Force Ordinance.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
The scene descended into chaos as protesters charged the police line and engaged in scuffles and fighting with the police and tossed glass bottles and rubbish bins at them, At 2:30 am, more police arrived at the scene to disperse the protesters. The standoff subsequently moved to Nathan Road at 3 am.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
At 4 am, the first of multiple fires was started in Sai Yeung Choi Street South, followed by three more ignited in the same street. Some protesters set fire to rubbish bins surrounding Shantung Street and Soy Street, including the junctions of Fife Street and Portland Street and of Nathan Road and Nelson Street, these were put out by the police and firemen. Both lanes of Nathan Road were blocked from south of Argyle Street and the Mong Kok MTR station was shut down.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
At 4:30 am, the Special Tactical Squad were deployed in the intersection of Soy Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street South as a result of failure of combatant from the police force and the escalation of the rioters. They successfully cleared the protesters within 30 seconds. However after 5 minutes, due to lack of reinforcements, they were forced to fully fall back, with one constable injured.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
At 7:15 am, protesters were dispersed from Soy Street near Fa Yuen Street, following a long standoff, after police officers of the Police Tactical Unit were deployed. Protesters gradually dispersed around 8 am. The streets in Mong Kok were calm by 9:00 am, and Mong Kok MTR station was reopened at 9:45 am.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events
A total of 61 people were arrested, including Edward Leung, spokesman of the Hong Kong Indigenous and candidate for the Legislative Council by-election. One of the members of Youngspiration, another localist group, was also arrested. 90 police officers and several reporters were also injured in the violence. The Hong Kong Journalists Association said that a Ming Pao journalist was beaten by a policeman despite declaring his identity. Reporters from broadcasters RTHK and TVB were also injured by protesters.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events, Incidences of intimidation at Leung King Estate by "management"
Separate minor conflicts continued to occur at Leung King Plaza in Leung King Estate, Tuen Mun where hawkers had gathered. A group of men dressed in dark jackets with "manager" (管理員) printed on the backs were reported to be acting, according to residents and hawkers, in an intimidating manner nightly since 2 February. More than 200 showed up to protest against the men combating the hawkers on the night of 8 February. Some minor clashes broke out between the self-proclaimed managers and the protesters, and required mediation by the police. Two protesters were arrested and one reporter was injured during the clash.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Course of events, Incidences of intimidation at Leung King Estate by "management"
Conflicts between the control team and the public reoccurred on the night of 9 February. The control team was filmed beating up protesters while police stood by and prevented others from being involved. A reporter was also beaten up by the control team. A 31-year-old man was arrested for causing disorder in a public place. He allegedly interfered with a worker performing his duties at Leung King Estate. The Link REIT distanced itself from the clashes and denied the hawker control team was part of its staff.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Chinese government
Following the incident the central government declared the localist groups, which it deemed responsible for the violence, as "separatists". On 11 February, more than two days after the unrest, a Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that the "riot [was] plotted mainly by local radical separatist organisation ... The Chinese central government believes and firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR government and the police in safeguarding social security, protecting Hong Kong residents and their property, and punishing illegal and criminal activities in accordance with the law, so as to maintain the overall stability of the Hong Kong society."


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Chinese government
Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong Zhang Xiaoming, branded participants as "radical separatists" who were "inclined toward terrorism."


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Chinese government
The People's Liberation Army released a statement holding "individual local radical separatist organisation(s)" responsible for the riot as well as criticising western media for "beautifying the unrest" in its early reports.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Hong Kong government
The Hong Kong Police referred to the event as a "riot" and the protestors a "mob". "Radical elements have come with self-made weapons and shields and clashed with police," Crusade Yau Siu-kei, deputy Mong Kok district commander said. "The situation ran out of control and became a riot." It also said it does not rule out the riot was "organised", claiming that prearranged vehicles were used by protesters to transport equipment.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Hong Kong government
The police released a statement released at 3:23 am on 9 February, strongly condemning the clashes in Mong Kok, and defending its "resolute actions" including the deployment of batons, pepper spray to stop "unlawful violence acts," and vowed "resolute enforcement actions will be taken against any illegal acts to preserve public order and safeguard public safety." Another statement released at 6 am said: "Police reiterate that any acts endangering public order and public safety will not be tolerated. The Hong Kong community regard that the public should express their views in a rational and peaceful manner. Police will take enforcement actions decisively on law-breaking behaviours."


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Hong Kong government
The Hong Kong government condemned the protests, saying "mobs have taken part in a riot in Mong Kok, attacking police officers on duty and media covering the incident at the site" in a statement. It stated that "the mobs would be apprehended and brought to justice."


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Hong Kong government
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying justified the police firing of warning shots, as the rioters had attacked policemen who were already injured and lying on the ground. "Any big city facing a similar nature of events would classify it as a riot, not just for the government but society as a whole," he said. "The police exercised maximum restraint" when compared with other western countries.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Politicians
Ip Kwok-him, a Beijing-loyalist Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) legislator and chairman of panel of Security of the Legislative Council, defended the police decision to open fire as "appropriate" given the critical circumstances and believed it was an organised crime.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Politicians
Yau Tsim Mong District Council chairman Chris Ip Ngo-tung, a DAB member, also condemned the violent actions, stating his belief that the people of Hong Kong "would not agree with such barbarian acts." He thanked police and reporters for their duties during the events.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Politicians
The Democratic Party, a pro-democracy party, also released a statement saying that it condemns and does not tolerate any violence and acts of arson, while sending their sympathy to the injured. It urged a full investigation over the firing of warning shots by a police officer, and asked the government to reflect on the underlying problems such as the people's frustration, their loss of faith in the government, and the government's hawker policy.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Politicians
Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, a thinktank close to Beijing, suggested that the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, the proposed national security law which is strongly opposed by the Hong Kong public, should be introduced in the wake of the Mong Kok unrest.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Student groups
Seven local university student unions issued statements condemning police violence and declaring their support for those who took part in the protests in Mong Kok. The Hong Kong University Students’ Union (HKUSU) issued a statement entitled "Forever we stand with the rebels", pledging that they "shall never turn our back on or leave them alone and unassisted."


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Student groups
The Hong Kong Baptist University Students' Union's statement also condemned the government and the police for the unreasonable arrest of protesters, beating up journalists and oppressing Hong Kong Indigenous members. "Between the high wall and the egg, we will always stand on the side of the egg," it said.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Student groups
The Student Union of the Chinese University of Hong Kong criticised police action and said that the fire of resistance had been ignited by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. "Hongkongers must remember the totalitarian regime and unite," it said.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Activist groups
Scholarism, a student activist group that took a leading role in the 2014 protests, condemned police for the excessive use of force since the 2014 protests. The group expressed shock at the police's deliberate provocation of citizens and for escalating violence on protestors. Joshua Wong, the group's convenor, disagreed with the violence, noting that peaceful protest did not achieve any change, blamed the government for the increasing divisions in Hong Kong society and the radicalisation of protests since 2014 Hong Kong protests. Wong questioned the rapidity of the police arrests on this occasion compared with the apparent stalling in prosecuting the officers accused of beating Ken Tsang during the Umbrella Revolution.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Activist groups
Ray Wong, convenor of Hong Kong Indigenous who also took a role in the early stage of the protests, disagreed with Leung Chun-ying framing the clashes as "riot", stating that protestors were only helping the hawkers to do business until the police rushed into Shantung Street at midnight. He dismissed the claim that the violent clashes were staged. He thought that throwing bricks should not be considered as fierce, as compared to other countries. He also believed that firing warning shots was inappropriate.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Journalists
The Hong Kong News Executives' Association, the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association, and the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) all released statements condemning the acts of violence and verbal assaults against reporters, as well as the prevention of reporters from reporting. The Hong Kong News Executives' Association stated that these actions were a serious impediment to the freedom of the press, destroyed the rule of law in Hong Kong, and deprived the public of their right to know.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Social media
Hong Kong social media users took to Twitter using the hashtag #fishballrevolution, in reference to a popular street food. Some highlighted the fact that the protest was about the problems faced by street food hawkers, while the other suggested that violent factions had hijacked the protest for their own ends.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Reactions, Social media
Google Trends showed a sharp uptick in interest over fishball in the light of the unrest, with searches for "fishball" jumping 34 per cent and "fish ball" 26 per cent, mainly from Singapore and the Philippines.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Arrests
Between the end of the protests and 10 February 54 men and 9 women have been arrested for suspected involvement in the unrest. Edward Leung and around 20 members and volunteers of the group were arrested. A member of Youngspiration and another from Civic Passion, two localist groups, were also arrested. Their alleged offences include participating in unlawful assembly, attacking police officers, refusing to be arrested, obstructing police and carrying weapons. 38 of them have been charged with rioting under the Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245 ), which was amended in 1970 in the wake of the 1967 Leftist riots.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Arrests
A lone man, who was walking towards Argyle Street on 8 February and who then found himself surrounded by ten police in riot gear, was arrested on charges of obstructing police but later charged with "rioting". A video showing the events leading up to the arrest, showing that he followed orders shouted at him by police, quickly went viral.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Arrests
On 10 February, Derek Lam (林淳軒), a 22-year-old member of Scholarism, was arrested by the police at the Hong Kong airport while en route to a vacation in Taiwan with his family. He was taken into custody and subsequently charged with rioting. The group confirmed that Lam was present in Mong Kok from 10:00 pm Monday night to 2:15 am, but was not involved in the violence. The police also attempted to search Lam's flat without a warrant but were prevented by Lam's lawyer. Scholarism protested at the "arbitrary" arrest, and the Divinity School of Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where Lam was a student, also defended Lam and denied he had been involved in the riots. The school also demanded the police provide justification for his arrest.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Arrests
Police suspected a possible link of an eco-warehouse in Kwai Chung to the Mong Kok unrest. On 11 February morning, three people, a 34-year-old architectural draftsman, an unemployed woman aged 46 and a woman aged 47 who sold organic food, were arrested on suspicion of possessing offensive weapons with intent after the police raided their leased unit in the Vigor Industrial Building.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Arrests
A number of items that police deemed were offensive weapons, including 18 knives, wooden batons, metal rods, water pipes, surgical masks, work gloves, Walkie-talkies, a toy gun and bottles of liquid and crystallised chemicals of unknown composition were seized. However, the environmental protection group "Oh Yes It's Free" – which operates the warehouse aiming to categorising rubbish and recycling it – protested that those arrested were innocent and the confiscated articles were donations they had received from the public. The goods and materials found at the site were collected as part of the group's philosophy of reuse and recycling and were temporarily stored in the warehouse awaiting treatment, disposal or collection by the next public.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Arrests
On 11 February, police raided the home of Hong Kong Indigenous convener Ray Wong in Tseung Kwan O but did not find him. Subsequently, Wong disappeared from all media contact. Wong was arrested at a friend's residence in Tin Shui Wai on 22 February for "incitement to riot and possessing prohibited items".


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Arrests
By 23 February, a total number of 74 people had been arrested in connection to the clashes, of which more than 40 were charged with rioting.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Complaints against police
A Ming Pao journalist, surnamed Tang, filed a formal complaint with the Complaints Against Police Office after he was filmed being pushed down and beaten by officers. In the video, Tang is heard identifying himself repeatedly as a journalist. Ming Pao released a statement condemning the police officers involved and called upon the force to investigate.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Official inquiry
The Hong Kong government flatly rejected holding an independent inquiry into the civil unrest, and its official statement caused controversy. In referring to the Mong Kok incident as a "riot" and the 1967 leftist riots, lasting over six months and led to over 50 deaths, as "disturbances", the government apparently sought to redefined the 1967 riots as legitimate political struggle. On 9 February, police commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung announced that a "full investigation" will be held to determine whether the firing of two warning shots by an unidentified police officer was appropriate.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Disappointment within police force
Frontline police officers were reported deeply disappointed with their senior management that left more than 90 officers wounded. They were disappointed with Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung's announcement of a full investigation. "What does he need to investigate? Lo should have stood up for the frontline officers who were beaten up and attacked by the mob, like [former commissioner Andy Tsang] did in the past," an officer said. Lo was questioned whether he could safeguard the pride and dignity of the force when he appeared "soft" and "feeble" to the public.


2016 Mong Kok civil unrest, Subsequent events, Disappointment within police force
An officer slammed the force for poor arrangements and inadequate gear, citing the least equipped traffic officers being at the very front to handle the protestors. He questioned if a political agenda was behind the decision not to use tear gas. He suggested the use of rubber bullets would be justified in the face of such a violent, large-scale riot. Junior Police Officers’ Association chairman Joe Chan Cho-kwong appealed to Legislative Council to back the use of "new model weapons and gears", including water cannons to maintain public order.