of the Space Shuttle program. November 20 – The 1996 Garley Building fire occurred in Hong Kong, resulting in 41 deaths and 81 injuries. November 21 – A propane explosion at the Humberto Vidal shoe store and office building in San Juan, Puerto Rico kills 33 people. November 23 The Republic of Angola officially joins the World Trade Organization as Angola. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 is hijacked, then crashes into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125. November 25 – An ice storm strikes the U.S. killing 26 directly and hundreds more from accidents. A powerful windstorm blasts Florida with winds gusts up to 90 mph. December December 9 – Jerry Rawlings is re-elected as President of Ghana. December 11 – Tung Chee-hwa is appointed to become the new leader of Hong Kong after it reverts to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, at the end a 99-year lease to the United Kingdom. December 13 – Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan is elected by the United Nations Security Council the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. December 17 – The Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement takes 72 hostages in the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru. December 25 – At least 283 migrants drown in the sinking of F174 near Capo Passero (Sicily). December 26 The largest strike in South Korean history begins. Six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado. December 27 – Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Air Base, solidifying their buffer zone around Kabul. December 29 – Guatemala and the leaders of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord that ends the 36-year Guatemalan Civil War. December 30 – In the Indian state of Assam, a passenger train is bombed by Bodo separatists, killing 26. Births January January 3 – Florence Pugh, English actress January 6 Soufiane El Bakkali, Moroccan steeplechase runner Courtney Eaton, Australian actress Harmanpreet Singh, Indian hockey player January 7 – Helly Shah, Indian actress January 10 Tara Fares, Iraqi model (d.2018) Tang Kai, Chinese mixed martial artist and current ONE Featherweight World Champion Joshua Pacio, Filipino mixed martial artist and former ONE Strawweight World Champion Anna Sztankovics, Hungarian swimmer January 11 Tyler Reddick, American racing driver Leroy Sané, German footballer January 12 – Ella Henderson, English singer January 13 – Taiki Naito, Japanese Muay Thai