Selected jointly by People's Daily and China Radio International (CRI), in chronological sequence.

1, Iran's nuclear crisis led to UN sanctions

Iran restarted its nuclear fuel research program on January 10 with high concerns from the international community. In June, the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany set forth a joint proposal with a solution package. On July 31, the UN Security Council passed Resolution No. 1696 with a call for Iran to suspend all its uranium enrichment activities by August 31; or it will be faced with economic and diplomatic sanctions. On September 1, Iran announced it would continue with its nuclear program, underlining "its right for the peacefully use of nuclear energy." On December 24, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution No. 1737 and decided to impose a series of sanctions relevant to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

2, Pluto phased out of planetary family

US "Stardust" Probe brought back comet dust samples from the space for the first time on January 15. Afterwards, the European Space Agency's "Venus Express" Probe approached Venus and entered into the oval track without a hitch. So the "Intelligent No. 1" collided with the Moon to explore the secrets of the outer space. In 2006, the United States launched its space shuttles "Discovery" and "Atlantis" on three occasions. On December 22, "Discovery" had a safe landing after a 13-day space trip.

The humanity keeps increasing its knowledge of the universe. The International Astronomical Union announced on August 24 the removal of Pluto from the "planetary family", and then there are only eight major planets left in the solar system. And the relevant contents in textbooks of all countries on the globe will therefore be revised..

3, Mid-east Situation deteriorated with Palestinian-Israeli and Lebanon-Palestinian conflicts

January 25, Palestine's radical organization Hamas won in the election of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and ended the long-standing domination of Fatah in the Palestinian politics for half a century. And the Palestinian-Israeli relations became strained again. From June to August and in November, the Israeli troops launched the "Operation Summer Rain" and "Operation Autumn Clouds" against the Palestinians, killing hundreds of them. On November 25, the two sides reached a cease-fire agreement.

July 12, Lebanon's Hezbollah launched a military operation against Israel and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, and the Israeli force intruded into Lebanon in the name of rescuing the hostages. The war lasted for 34 days with a toll of about 2,000 lives and an economic loss of billions of dollars for both sides.��

4, International oil price hikes despite an active energy diplomacy

International oil price stays high in year 2006, with a drastic rise as off April. The prices of light crude futures hit $78.40 per barrel in the New York Mercantile Exchange on July 14, reaching an all-time high. The tensed oil supply eased with its prices continuing to drop since August. In November, the prices of oil ebbed to about 55 dollars a barrel at times.

In January this year, Russia and Ukraine disputed over natural gas supply. Energy security has become one of the leading topics of concern at the G-8 summit held in St. Petersburg in July. The United States has continued to beef up its control of foreign oil and gas resources. In the summit held during the spring, the EU proposed a "Common Energy Policy." On December 16, energy ministers of five countries, namely China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States, met in Beijing for a joint exploration of a safe, stable and sustainable development avenue of global energy. The total energy consumption volume of these five countries accounts for nearly a half of the world's total energy consumption.

5, Bush acknowledges "US not winning in Iraq"

The first post-war Iraqi government of national unity was sworn in, with Al-Maliki as its prime minister on May 20. On the 29th of November, former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed. In 2006, sectarian conflicts have escalated in Iraq and terrorist attacks continued. Since the outbreak of the Iraq war, more than 2,900 US service men have lost their lives in Iraq and about 20,000 civilians injured. According to figures released by the Iraqi Ministry of Health in November, about 150,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in violence. And another estimated figure indicated the death toll in the war reached as high as 600,000.

US President George W. Bush acknowledged in December that "US not winning in Iraq". UN Secretary General Kofi Annan believes that Iraq has been plunged into a civil war. Bogged down in the Iraq war, the Republican Party suffered a crushing defeat at the American mid-term elections on November 7, and the Democratic Party regained the control of Congress.����

6, Regional trade flourishes despite suspended Doha Round Talks

The Doha round of global trade talks, launched in November 2001 with an aim of reducing trade barriers and promoting economic growth in the poorest countries through the creation of a more fair trade environment, was formally suspended in late August, owing to serious differences among the United States, Europe, and other key WTO members on agricultural and non-agricultural market access issues. And no specific timetable was set for the resumption of negotiations.

Although the suspension of the Doha Round landed global multilateral trade reform into a predicament, the growth momentum of world trade has not been hampered. Thanks to fast global economic growth, both bilateral and regional trade flourished, and the global trade growth in 2006 is expected to hit 8.9%.

7, DPRK nuclear tests shocked the world and 6-party talks resumed

On October 9, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported a nuclear test had been conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "safely and successfully" on the same day. On October 14, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 1718 with a call for DPRK to abandon nuclear weaponry and nuclear program and to immediately and unconditionally return to the Six-Party talks. And the second phase of the Fifth Round of the Six-Party Talks was held in Beijing from December 18 to 22. The parties reiterated the common goal and will of all sides to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and peaceful means. They also reiterated that all sides would seriously carry out the commitments enshrined in the Joint Statement published on September 19, 2005 and take coordinated steps to implement the joint statement in the light of "action for action" principle.

8, Ban Ki-moon appointed UN Secretary-General

On October 9, the UN Security Council formally recommended to the General Assembly Ban Ki-Moon, ROK minister of foreign affairs and communication, as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. On October 13, the 61st session of the General Assembly formally appointed 62-year-old Ban to succeed Kofi Annan as the 8th UN Secretary-General from January 1st, 2007 to December 31st, 2011. After a lapse of 35 years, Ban becomes the second Asian to be assigned to the top UN post following Myanmar's U Thant who served as the UN Secretary-General from 1961 to 1971.

9, China-Africa Summit successfully held in Beijing

From November 3rd to 5th, the China-Africa Summit and the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Beijing. Chinese leaders and heads of states and governments and representatives of 48 African countries attended the meeting. This is a grand gathering in the annals of Sino-African relations and China's diplomacy. China and African countries decided to establish a new type of strategic partnership based on political equality, mutual trust, "win-win" economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and mutual learning. The Summit adopted the "Beijing Declaration of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation" and the "Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2007-2009)". China-Africa friendly cooperation has entered a new historical stage. In addition, China also successfully held the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit meeting and the China-ASEAN summit. China's successful diplomatic activities have drawn wide global attention with their tremendous achievements..

10, Left-wing forces dominate Latin America and Castro's health arrests global attention

On November 7, Daniel Ortega, former president of Nicaragua and general secretary of the left-wing political party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), was elected president again in an interval of 16 years. In the past year, 10 Latin American countries held presidential elections. In Brazil, Chile and Venezuela, left-wing parties successfully defended their positions; in Nicaragua, Ecuador, Haiti and Peru, left wing forces or the leftists and neutralists' coalition seized the political power. Together with Argentina, Uruguay, Panama, Cuba, Bolivia, Dominica, etc. which are under the ruling of left wings, left-wing or neutralism power have accounted for 80% of the Latin American countries, with over 70% of the total population of the continent.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro had a surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding on July 31, and he temporarily transferred his power to his brother Raul Castro during his recovery. The Cuban leader's health has thus aroused worldwide attention.

By People's Daily Online