Vietnam News Agency (VNA)

VNA selects world’s top 10 events in 2007

20/12/2007 -- 8:34 PM

Ha Noi (VNA) – Following are the world’s top 10 events in 2007 as selected by Viet Nam News Agency:

1. First Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed at the 13th ASEAN Summit. The document was signed by ASEAN leaders on November 20 in Singapore with the aim of stepping up the process of regional integration, building the ASEAN Community by 2015 and turning ASEAN into a legal inter-governmental organisation in the region.

2. The International Conference on Climate Change was successful at the last minute. The United Nations’ largest climate change conference was held in Bali, Indonesia, from December 4-15, attracting more than 11,000 delegates from nearly 190 nations. Highlight on the agenda were discussions on the building of a new international convention replacing the Kyoto Protocol which will expire in 2012, on climate change – a course which has adversely impacted on every nation.

3. The US-sponsored Middle East peace conference was held in Annapolis, Maryland, the United States in late November. The conference aims to seek a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine in the context that the Middle East continues to be a “frying pan” in the world with a series of violence in Iraq where the US gets bog down.

4. The Lisbon Treaty was endorsed at the European Union summit in Portugal on October 18. The new treaty takes the place of the failed EU Constitution. It is an important step in the institutionalisation of the 27-member bloc.

5. The process of the six-party talks on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula achieved breakthrough. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea pledged to disable its nuclear facilities in return for aid in energy and finance, insurance of security and diplomatic recognition by the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China and Russia.

6. The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China took place in Beijing from October 15-21, reviewing 30 years of reform and putting forward a comprehensive direction for the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which bases on a harmonious society and scientific development.

7. Russia’s Duma (parliament) election on December 2 finished with the overwhelming victory to the “United Russia ” party, which supports President Vladimir Putin. With 315 seats gained in the 450-seat Duma, the United Russia party could maintain President Putin’s policy and political influence after the presidential election.

8. Oil and gold prices reach high records (close to 100 USD/per barrel of oil and 850 USD per ounce of gold). In circumstances where the US dollar (USD) loses its value, many countries with huge foreign currency reserves in USD and OPEC member countries have to consider the possibility of using other hard currencies for oil pricing. High oil prices and risks of fuel exhaustion trigger conflicts relating to sovereignty over regions in North Pole and South Pole.

9. Success in creating stem cells from human skin – a medical breakthrough publicised by US and Japanese scientists on November 20. The success opened the possibility of producing stem cells with certain gene codes, helping treatment of fatal diseases. In the future, the success will also help stop debates on ethical problems on the production of human stem cells by cloning embryos.

10. Typhoons, whirlwinds havoc Bangladesh and central US. Tropical cyclone Sydr with whirlwind at 250km-per- hour speed hit Bangladesh on November 15, triggering five-metre tide, killing over 3,300 people and injuring more than 40,000 others. One of 75 whirlwinds sweeping six states in central United States in 24 hours from May 5-6 cleared out a town in the Kansas state.-Enditem

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