The **Colosseum**, inaugurated in 80 CE, was the largest amphitheater ever built. Its main purpose was to host public events, including **gladiatorial contests**, mock sea battles (*naumachiae*), animal hunts, executions, and historical dramas, providing mass entertainment for the Roman populace.

The **Septuagint** (LXX) is the oldest existing Greek translation of the **Hebrew Bible** (the Tanakh or Old Testament). The translation was begun in the 3rd century BCE in Alexandria, Egypt, primarily for the large Hellenized Jewish community that spoke Greek rather than Hebrew.

**Babylon** was the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and reached its greatest fame and glory under King **Nebuchadnezzar II** (r. 605–562 BCE). He is credited with the construction of the magnificent Ishtar Gate and possibly the legendary **Hanging Gardens**.

During the reign of Al-Walid I, Muslim armies led by Tariq bin Ziyad (Spain) and Muhammad bin Qasim (Sindh) expanded the empire significantly.

It is claimed by China (Zhongsha) and Taiwan, and parts are contested by the Philippines.

The transfer sparked protests in Egypt, as many considered the islands Egyptian, though the government argued they were Saudi territory under Egyptian administration.

It provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans.

Following the 2016 referendum, the UK formally exited the EU (Brexit).

It was the first deadly skirmish between Chinese and Indian troops on their disputed Himalayan border in decades.

The US-brokered accords marked a shift in Middle East alignments, with Arab states establishing ties with Israel largely due to shared concerns about Iran.