Berlin - Europe is gearing up to mark a series of major anniversaries next year, defining moments both in terms of European as well as world history.

Besides the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War, which began when Hitler's troops marched into Poland on September 1, 1939, 2009 will also mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism across Central Europe.

Starting with democratic elections in Poland in June 1989, the year of change across Central Europe culminated in November of that year with the fall of the Berlin Wall. That event became a symbol of the end of the Cold War and Europe's post-Second World War divide.

Washington, Dec. 11 : The United States Government and the Pentagon have confirmed that they will be sending thousands of soldiers to war-ravaged Afghanistan to bolster the 8,000-strong British contingent which has been struggling to keep the Taliban-led insurgents at bay.

US commanders have said they would like to almost double the number of American troops in Afghanistan, an increase from about 32,000 to 60,000. Most of the extra
20,000 already committed will be deployed in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Dublin - European Union officials will remember 2008 as the year Ireland rejected its reform treaty, but for most Irish people it was the year the bubble burst and the Celtic Tiger economic miracle came crashing to an end.

What started as whispers about economic downturn in spring turned to cries of crisis in autumn, with the economy grinding to a halt as a result of a construction industry meltdown and the credit crunch.

The government's defeat in the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty by referendum in June was a major political upset in a tumultuous year, in which Prime Minister Bertie Ahern in the south and First Minister Ian Paisley in Northern Ireland stepped down.

Washington, December 11 : Asian students turned out to be top performers at both the fourth and eighth grade levels in the latest math and science study.

Releasing the most recent reports of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the study''s directors Michael O. Martin and Ina V. S. Mullis of Boston College revealed that Hong Kong SAR and Singapore were found to be the top performing countries in maths at the fourth grade level, followed by Chinese Taipei and Japan.

The report also said that Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, England, Latvia, and the Netherlands also performed very well.

Ankara - As political distractions go, the court case to close down Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was up there with the biggest.

Ever since the Constitutional Court, in a case called by the party's political opponents, decided in July not to close down the AKP, momentum toward joining the EU seems to have stalled.

In September, the EU issued its progress report on Turkey's membership bid. For supporters of Turkish membership it was depressing reading.

Nicosia - Initial optimism from earlier this year that one of the world's most unmanageable conflicts might finally be solved has waned in Cyprus as peace talks failed to produce a breakthrough in 2008.

The only tangible outcome following the weekly meetings between Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat has been the realization that a long road still lies ahead of any breakthrough, despite the enthusiasm that greeted a new round peace talks in September following a four-year stalemate.