1. The oil price soared and plummeted, and the market panic intensified. In 28, the oil price took a roller coaster ride. Affected by financial speculation and global inflation, oil prices soared in the first half of this year. On the first trading day after the New Year, the international crude oil futures price broke through the $1 mark per barrel, and reached an all-time high of $147.27 per barrel on July 11th. Since then, oil prices have plummeted. Because the financial crisis and economic recession have not bottomed out for a long time, energy demand has been continuously reduced, and market confidence is seriously insufficient. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has cut production twice in September and October, but it has not curbed the downward trend of oil prices. The futures price of light crude oil for January delivery in the New York Mercantile Exchange closed at USD 4.81 per barrel on December 5, 24, the lowest level since December 1, 24. The Wenchuan earthquake ravaged the earthquake relief. On May 12, the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, which was the most destructive, widespread and difficult to rescue, occurred since the founding of New China. The magnitude is 8 on the Richter scale, the maximum intensity is 11 degrees, and there are more than 3, aftershocks, involving 1 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, with a total area of about 5, square kilometers. According to incomplete statistics, the earthquake has killed 69,227 people, left 17,923 missing, affected 15.1 million people and caused direct economic losses of more than 845.1 billion yuan. The China Municipal Government quickly organized the earthquake relief struggle with the fastest rescue speed, the widest mobilization scope and the largest investment in history. As of October 6, the government has invested a total of 82.514 billion yuan in earthquake relief funds, 84,17 people have been rescued from the ruins, 1.49 million trapped people have been rescued, and more than 4.3 million wounded and sick people have been treated in time. The international community has lent a helping hand. Rescue teams from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore, medical teams from Russia, Japan, Cuba, Italy, Germany, France, Britain, Pakistan and Indonesia, as well as some international organizations and volunteer groups went to the disaster area to reinforce. The people of China are united in one mind, and the great spirit of earthquake relief and the efficient and effective rescue of the government have been highly affirmed by the international community. 3. Ireland vetoed the Lisbon Treaty, and the European constitutional process suffered another setback. Ireland held a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on June 12, and rejected it with 53.4% against and 46.6% in favor. The process of European integration has suffered another setback. Lisbon Treaty was signed by EU heads of state on December 13th, 27 to replace the EU Constitutional Treaty which was rejected by France and the Netherlands in 25. The treaty was originally planned to enter into force in January 29 after being ratified by 27 member States. The referendum in Ireland forced the EU constitution-making process, which lasted for more than six years, to slow down again. 4. The armed conflict between Russia and Georgia affected the adjustment of relations between major powers. On the night of August 7 this year, Georgian troops dispatched artillery, tanks and armored personnel carriers to attack Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. The Georgian army's attack immediately caused a strong reaction from the Russian side. An armored unit of the Russian army entered Tskhinvali, and the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia broke out. This conflict affects the adjustment of Russia's relations with the United States and the European Union. In Europe, Russia resolutely opposes Kosovo's independence and accuses the West of adopting double standards on the South Ossetia issue. In the Middle East, Russia strengthens its relations with Iran, Syria and other anti-American countries and restores its traditional influence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. In Latin America, Russia actively promotes cooperation with Cuba, Venezuela and other countries in military and energy fields. 5. Two Olympics are equally wonderful. Writing a new chapter in Olympic history On August 8th and September 6th, the 29th Olympic Games and Paralympics were grandly unveiled in Beijing. 132 Olympic records and 43 world records were set for the Beijing Olympic Games, and more than 1 world records were set for the Paralympic Games. The China team won 51 gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, ranking first in the gold medal list for the first time. The Beijing Olympic Games also set many records in the Olympic history: 24 countries and regions participated, 87 teams won medals, 4,8 doping tests were conducted, 28, journalists participated in reporting, 4.5 billion people around the world watched the games, 1.7 million Chinese and foreign volunteers served, and more than 8 foreign dignitaries attended the opening ceremony. The Beijing Olympics and Paralympics were highly praised by the international community, which not only became an important milestone in the Olympic history, but also achieved the goal of "distinctive and high-level". 6. The launch of the Large Hadron Collider helps to solve the mystery of the universe. On September 1th, the world's largest Hadron Collider, which was built in 1 years, was successfully launched at the European Nuclear Research Center in Geneva, and the first proton stream was injected into the collider and completed. More than 7, scientists from more than 8 countries and regions, including Europe, the United States and China, participated in the construction and experiment of the collider. It is called "Hubble telescope in inner space" by scientists, which is helpful to understand the mystery of the origin of matter and how the universe came into being. It is of great significance to medicine, materials, national security, industrial manufacturing, computers, science and human resources, and will promote the progress and development of human society. 7. China mastered extravehicular technology and achieved fruitful results in space exploration. On September 25th, three astronauts from China successfully entered space in the Shenzhou VII manned spacecraft, and after the first extravehicular spacewalk and space science experiment, they returned to the ground safely on the 28th. China has become the third country to independently master the key technology of space extravehicular activity after Russia and the United States. This year, global space exploration has achieved fruitful results. On May 25th, the American Phoenix probe successfully landed near the North Pole of Mars after more than nine months' flight, and sent back a weather report on Mars. Since then, India has successfully launched the first lunar probe "Moon Ship I". On November 14th, the lunar impact probe it carried completed the impact on the lunar surface. On December 13th, American astronomers published a set of photos of four newly discovered planets outside our solar system. This is the first time that humans have directly photographed planets outside our solar system. 8. The financial turmoil is fierce and the prospects of the world economy are worrying. Since September 28, American financial institutions, such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Lehman Brothers, have been in trouble one after another, which has triggered the most serious financial crisis in the world since 1929, and has led to a slowdown in global economic growth. At the same time, the call for reforming the existing international monetary system has become increasingly louder. In order to save the financial system on the verge of collapse and prevent the world economy from falling into a deep recession, the United States, the European Union, Japan, China and other countries * * * spent about $2 trillion to rescue the market, and major central banks around the world jointly cut interest rates several times to boost market confidence. Although the financial and economic situation is still deteriorating, the global desire to join hands in fighting the crisis is unprecedented. 9. The Six-Party Talks are progressing with twists and turns. The relationship between the DPRK and the United States is ups and downs. The main content of the Six-Party Talks on the Korean nuclear issue this year is to implement the initial stage actions, and both the DPRK and the United States have taken some friendly actions. New York Philharmonic made a historic visit to the DPRK in February, and in May, the US government announced that it would provide 5, tons of food aid to the DPRK within one year from June. North Korea formally submitted its nuclear declaration list on June 26th, and the next day it blew up the cooling tower of Yongbyon nuclear facility, taking the first step towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The head of delegation meeting, which ended on July 12, will draw up a blueprint for the implementation of the remaining actions in the second phase. There have been several serious differences between the DPRK and the United States on nuclear declaration and verification methods, and there have been repeated actions on disabling nuclear facilities and "uncapping" respectively, but they finally reached a certain understanding. On October 11th, the United States announced that it would remove North Korea from the list of "state sponsors of terrorism", while North Korea indicated that it would continue the process of disablement. The head of delegation meeting that ended on December 11th assessed the progress made in reaching a consensus on the verification terms. 1. The spirit of change won the hearts of the people. Obama was elected president of the United States. In the 28 US general election, on November 4, Democratic candidate Barack Obama overwhelmingly defeated * * * and party candidate John McCain and was successfully elected as the 44th president of the United States, thus becoming the first African-American president since the founding of the United States. Obama's historic election to the White House in January next year shows that his slogan of "change" conforms to the general trend of Americans' changing minds and voters' dissatisfaction with * * * and the party's eight-year administration, and also marks that the domestic and foreign affairs of the United States will enter a new period of policy adjustment.