Xinhua News Agency selected the top ten international news in 2006 (the picture cannot be copied, you can go to Xinhuanet home page >> International Channel >> News Center Picture Query)

1. Palestinian and Israeli politics Changes and conflicts between the two sides intensified

In January, Israeli Kadima Party leader Olmert replaced seriously ill Prime Minister Sharon, and Hamas gained power in the Palestinian Legislative Council

election. . The Israeli and Palestinian governments do not recognize each other and are hostile to each other, and the United States and other Western countries have reduced their mediation efforts, leading to the continuous rise and fall of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. Israel launched the "Summer Rain" and "Autumn Cloud" military operations against Gaza in June and November, causing thousands of Palestinian casualties. Israel and some Western countries have suspended financial aid to Palestine, which has worsened the situation for the Palestinian economy. The efforts of all parties in Pakistan to form a coalition government have not yielded results, and the political situation in Pakistan has been violently turbulent.

2. The Egyptian passenger ship crashed in the Red Sea, killing thousands of people

On February 2, the Egyptian passenger ship "Salam (Peace) 98" was sailing from Duba Port in Saudi Arabia to Egypt. The ship sank in the Red Sea after a malfunction en route to Sefaj Port. More than 1,000 people on board were killed and more than 380 injured. The investigation showed that the passenger ship had major safety hazards before the incident. The Attorney General of Egypt accused the six persons responsible for the sinking of the passenger ship of dereliction of duty, formally launched a lawsuit against them, and issued an international arrest warrant for the boss of the company that owned the ship that escaped the accident overseas. In addition, the Egyptian Administrative Court also transferred 59 personnel suspected of neglecting their duties to the disciplinary court for trial.

3. Deterioration of the security situation in Iraq

Since February, the security situation in Iraq has been deteriorating. Anti-American forces in Iraq are active, violent attacks are frequent, sectarian conflicts are intensifying, and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in the conflict and about 420,000 people have fled their homes. Since the outbreak of the Iraq War in 2003, 600,000 Iraqi civilians have died in violent activities, and nearly 3,000 US troops stationed in Iraq have died. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that Iraq has descended into civil war. The chaos in Iraq has had a major impact on U.S. domestic politics. The U.S. Democratic Party regained control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, who had a tough stance on Iraq policy, resigned.

4. The Lebanese-Israeli armed conflict caused disaster

On July 12, Israel launched a large-scale military invasion of Lebanon on the pretext of rescuing kidnapped soldiers, and the Lebanese Hezbollah armed forces resisted tenaciously. . The bloody conflict that lasted for 34 days killed about 2,000 people, turned nearly one million people into refugees, and caused direct economic losses to Lebanon of more than 3 billion US dollars. On August 11, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1701. On August 14, Lebanon and Israel achieved a comprehensive ceasefire. The Lebanese-Israeli conflict has intensified the confrontation between the Arab world and Israel, and the situation in the Middle East has become more complicated and turbulent.

5. International crude oil prices fluctuate violently

On July 14, the price of crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange was affected by the Iranian nuclear issue and other factors, and once hit a record high of US$78.40 per barrel. . Since then, as global crude oil inventories have increased and market concerns about tight crude oil supply have eased, oil prices have begun to fall sharply, once falling below $60 per barrel. On October 20, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to cut crude oil production to prevent oil prices from continuing to fall sharply. Oil prices in the New York market are currently fluctuating around $60 a barrel. The fall in oil prices is conducive to continued growth of the world economy.

6. Pluto is no longer listed as a planet in the solar system

On August 24, the 26th International Astronomical Union Congress held in Prague, the Czech capital, passed a resolution to no longer list its status as a planet. The controversial Pluto is listed as a planet in the solar system, thus reducing the number of planets in the solar system from the traditional 9 to 8. According to the new definition of planets adopted by the General Assembly, the planets in the solar system include Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet. Planets and dwarf planets are two different categories of celestial bodies.

7. Abe quickly visited China after taking office

On September 26, Shinzo Abe was elected Prime Minister of Japan, succeeding Junichiro Koizumi. In October, China and Japan reached an agreement on overcoming political obstacles affecting bilateral relations and promoting the healthy development of friendly cooperative relations between the two countries, creating conditions for the improvement and development of Sino-Japanese relations. On this basis, Abe successfully visited China, and the leaders of China and Japan reached the goal of building a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between China and Japan and achieving the two countries' major goals of "peaceful coexistence, ever-lasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common development." Broad knowledge. Sino-Japanese relations have ended the political deadlock that lasted for five years and are on the track of normal development.

8. Nuclear non-proliferation efforts encountered major setbacks

On October 9, North Korea ignored the widespread opposition of the international community and brazenly carried out a nuclear test. On October 14, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning North Korea's nuclear test, demanding that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons and nuclear programs, immediately and unconditionally return to the Six-Party Talks, and decided to adopt sanctions against North Korea's nuclear, missile and other weapons of mass destruction-related fields. During this year, the Iranian nuclear issue continued to heat up. The intervention of the United Nations Security Council and the efforts of the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany have not made substantial progress. On December 23, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to impose sanctions on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but Iran stated that it refused to implement this resolution.

9. The United Nations has a new Secretary-General

On October 13, the 61st United Nations General Assembly held a plenary meeting and passed a resolution, officially appointing South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon as the next Secretary-General. The fierce election for the United Nations Secretary-General has come to an end. Ban Ki-moon, who will succeed current Secretary-General Annan, will be the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations and the second Secretary-General from an Asian country after U Thant of Myanmar. His term will be from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2011. .

10. The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held

From November 4th to 5th, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held. The heads of state and government of China and 48 African countries or representatives and representatives of international organizations. In line with the purposes of friendship, peace, cooperation, and development, the leaders of China and Africa discussed the plan to promote the development of China-Africa relations and promote unity and cooperation among developing countries, and unanimously agreed to establish and develop political equality, mutual trust, and economic cooperation* A new type of China-Africa strategic partnership based on win-win and cultural exchanges and mutual learning. The "Beijing Summit Declaration" and "Beijing Action Plan" reviewed and adopted at the summit have important guiding significance for the future development of China-Africa relations.