Top 10 world events of 2015 selected by VOV
(VOV) - Historic agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the establishment of ASEAN Community, China’s construction of artificial islands, and migrant crisis in Europe are among prominent events in 2015.
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1. Historic agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions Representatives of 195 countries approved the Paris agreement to slow global warming at the 21st UN Conference on Climate Change (COP21). The agreement is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit the mean global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius above its pre-industrial level in the 19th century. The agreement will take effect in 2020 after it is ratified by at least 55 countries. |
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2. ASEAN Community established on December 31, 2015 The 2015 Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the establishment of the ASEAN Community was an important milestone in ASEAN’s 48-year history. The establishment of the ASEAN Community on the 3 main pillars of Politics-Security, Economics, and Culture-Society will step up ASEAN’s integration and increase its competitiveness and central role. It will help member countries access markets, reduce prices of goods and services, reduce unemployment, and facilitate travel. |
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3 .World public concerned by China’s construction of artificial islands in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago Maritime disputes in the East Sea were a major discussion topic at many bilateral, regional and global forums in 2015. China’s unilateral land reclamation, changing the status quo in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago, has dismayed the world community and threatened navigation and aviation security, safety, and freedom in the East Sea. A number of countries have demanded that China end such activities. |
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4 .Migrant crisis in Europe The migrant crisis in Europe has been one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters since the 1940s. In the first 10 months of 2015 the number of migrants entering the EU illegally was 1 million, most of them Syrians fleeing their country’s civil war. The migrant crisis has posed a serious threat to the security of the EU, which is considering halting its Schengen Agreement, which permits visa-free travel within the EU. |
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5. Terrorist attacks conducted by IS A series of terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13 killed 129 people and wounded more than 350. A Russian passenger plane exploded over Egypt’s Sinai peninsula on October 31, killing all 224 people on board. A couple with links to IS killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California on December 2. |
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6. Russia’s military intervention in Syria On September 29 Russia’s State Duma approved the use of Russian air forces to support the Syrian army’s fight against terrorist organizations, particularly IS. Russia’s intervention has changed the anti-IS fight in the Middle East, but, it has strained relations between Russia and several other countries, particularly Turkey, which shot down a Russian jet flying a mission near the Turkish border. |
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7. Historic nuclear agreement between Iran and P5+1 On July 14 Iran and the P5+1 reached a comprehensive nuclear agreement, which ended 12 years of negotiations and marked the beginning of a new era in relations between Iran and western countries. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program for at least a decade, sanctions on Iran will be removed, and measures to control Iran’s nuclear program will be increased. The agreement took effect on October 18. |
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8. TPP negotiation completed On October 5, 2015, Trade Ministers of 12 Asia-Pacific countries completed negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), the biggest regional trade agreement in the world. The purpose of the TPP is to open commodity and service markets, eliminate tariffs, remove trade barriers, and create new development momentum for member countries. Once it takes effect, the TPP will comprise the world’s biggest trade region with 800 million people, 30% of the world’s trade turnover, and 40% of the world’s economic output. |
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9. 70th anniversary of the victory over Fascism celebrated in many countries Russia held its largest ever military parade on May 9, 2015, at Red Square in Moscow to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism. The victory saved mankind from fascism and restored world peace. It opened a new era of peace, cooperation, and development with the establishment of the United Nations. |
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10. China devalued the Yuan In August China repeatedly adjusted the exchange rate between the Yuan and the US dollar, weakening the world financial market and causing declines in all stock markets around the world. Investors and economists are afraid that China’s growth will affect global growth. On November 30 the International Monetary Fund said it will add the yuan to its basket of reserve currencies. |