从美国总统布什2003年5月称伊拉克战争的“主要战斗行动”已经结束到现在，美军已有1000名士兵阵亡。虽然，美国已开始伊拉克战后的重建工作，但伊拉克人仍在抱怨战争给他们带来的是缺水、缺电、缺乏安全的困苦生活。

　　America suffered its 1,000th casualty since George W Bush announced an end to major combat in May 2003. The military launched a major offensive in Fallujah in an attempt to flush out insurgents in the Sunni-held town ahead of elections in January. America handed over authority to Iraq in late June but Iraqis complained of lack of electricity, water and security.

　　苏丹被联合国指责为世界上最缺乏人道主义的地方。2004年，在苏丹西部的达尔福尔地区，由于一个少数族裔发动反叛，苏丹政府利用阿拉伯民兵对达尔福尔地区的平民和反叛人士实施了斩草除根的政策。这使得达尔福尔地区数万无辜平民惨遭杀害，百万民众流离失所，逃亡他乡。

　　Sudan was dubbed the worst current humanitarian crisis by the UN after tens of thousands were killed and a million people were forced to flee their homes in the western region of Darfur after fighting between Arab militias and rebels.

　　2月，海地前总统让·贝尔特朗·阿里斯蒂德辞去总统职务，前往中非，并声称自己是被美国强迫流亡，而美国对此表示否认。阿里斯蒂德是海地200年来首个民选出来的总统，这也是他生命中的第2次逃亡。1991年，海地塞德拉斯将军领导的一次军事政变推翻了通过民主选举产生的阿里斯蒂德政府，阿里斯蒂德被迫流亡到美国。2000年，阿里斯蒂德在美国的扶持下再度当选为总统，但反对派指责选举舞弊，要求阿里斯蒂德下台。

　　Jean-Bertrand Aristide was forced out of office and out of the country - one of the poorest in the world. A former priest, he was installed with the help of America before becoming deeply unpopular amid allegations of corruption. It was the second time the first freely elected president in 200 years of independence had been forced into exile.

　　3月，西班牙首都马德里发生火车连环爆炸案，造成近200名乘客死亡。事发后，西班牙政府迅速指出这是巴斯克分裂主义恐怖组织“埃塔”所为。在几天后的西班牙总统大选中，这次惨案使愤怒的西班牙选民抛弃当时的执政党——民众党，而反对伊拉克战争的社会党迅速夺权。

　　Nearly 200 commuters died in twin train bomb attacks in Madrid. The government's immediate response was to blame the armed Basque separatist group ETA. Such a move is believed to have cost the Popular Party the election a few days later. The anti-Iraq war socialists swept to power.

　　4月，美军特种部队在伊拉克巴格达阿布·格哈拉耶布监狱的虐囚丑闻曝光。

　　America's moral authority in Iraq suffered a severe setback when photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib jail were released.

　　5月，印度前总理拉吉夫·甘地之妻、印度国大党主席、反对党领袖索尼亚·甘地在印度大选中胜出。5国大党及其盟友一致同意索尼亚出任新一届印度总理，但5月18日，索尼亚表示她不愿意出任，并提议由国大党元老、原财政部长曼莫汉·辛格出任。5月19日辛格被任命新总理。

　　Sonia Gandhi shocked India when she turned down the premiership despite leading the Congress Party to a surprise election victory in the world's biggest democracy. The Italian-born widow of Rajiv Gandhi, the former prime minister, showed the name still held sway in the country. Manmohan Singh, a Sikh economist, became the country's first non-Hindu prime minister.

　　5月1日，欧盟新增10个成员国，使其成员国总数达到25个。

　　Ten new countries joined the EU on May 1, bumping up membership to 25. Bulgaria and Romania concluded entry talks in December and are set to join in 2007. A date of 2005 was given for talks to possibly begin on Turkey's entry.

　　6月，美国前总统罗纳德·里根因老年性痴呆症并发肺炎而去世。

　　America lost its former president, Ronald Reagan, after many years of suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He has been lauded as having won the Cold War during the 1980s.

　　8月，飓风“查利”袭击美国佛罗里达州和加勒比海附近地区，造成26人死亡。一个月后，飓风“法兰西斯”、“伊凡”和“珍妮”造成海地2000人死亡，而古巴、牙买加和格林纳达等地的死亡人数达到60人。

　　The hurricane season brought havoc to Florida and the Caribbean. Hurricane Charley in August killed 26 people in the American sunshine state. A month later hurricanes Frances and Ivan, as well as tropical storm Jeanne, left 2,000 dead in Haiti and at least 60 dead across Cuba, Jamaica and Grenada.

　　9月，俄罗斯北奥塞梯共和国别斯兰镇第一中学发生震惊世界的人质事件，300多名儿童和成人遇害。在俄罗斯政府长达3天的营救行动中，制造惨案的车臣分裂分子大部分已被击毙。

　　More than 300 adults and children were killed after terrorists took siege of a school in Beslan, Russia. The suspected Chechen separatists rigged School Number 1's gym with explosives. Many of those who died at the end of the three-day siege were shot as they ran for safety after a bomb accidentally exploded.

　　11月，伊拉克问题和美国经济的缓慢发展并未影响美国总统布什的连任。在获得俄亥俄州的关键选票后，布什打败民主党候选人克里再度当选美国总统。

　　Troubles in Iraq and the economy did not stop Mr Bush winning the US presidential election, defeating Democratic candidate John Kerry after taking the key swing state of Ohio. Major figures to resign after the election included Colin Powell, the secretary of state.

　　11月，巴勒斯坦领导人阿拉法特在法国去世，当阿翁灵柩抵达拉姆安拉时，数万人聚集在阿翁官邸周围，已表达对阿翁逝世的悲痛之情。

　　Chaos surrounded the funeral of Yasser Arafat as tens of thousands of mourners stormed the Ramallah compound to get a chance to touch the Palestinian leader's coffin. Mr Arafat, a soldier turned politician, had died in a Paris military hospital from an undisclosed illness at the age of 75.

　　11月，乌克兰总统选举风波一波未平，一波又起。反对派总统候选人尤先科指责选举中存在舞弊现象，对选举结果提出质疑；后来，尤先科遭人投毒的事件引起数十万乌克兰民众走上街头要求选举重新进行。

　　Hundreds of thousands took to the streets of the Ukraine in freezing temperatures to overturn the presidential election result. The Western leaning Viktor Yushchenko, whose face was severely disfigured by toxin poisoning on the eve of the poll, won the chance of a re-run after the Supreme Court backed his claim of mass fraud.

　　(蒋黎黎)