Yearender: Debt crisis puts EU presidencies under high pressure 12-30 20:29 As Europe rings in the New Year with church bells at midnight this Saturday, Denmark will officially take over the European Union presidency and the mission of further containing the debt crisis in the euro zone. Yearender: Security transfer on the way in Afghanistan 12-29 11:01 After decade of presence in Afghanistan and fighting Taliban-led insurgency, the NATO-led forces began handing over security charge to Afghan troops in 2011 and the Afghan government in a bid to get the militancy-plagued nation out of the endemic strife has accelerated efforts for initiating dialogue with the Taliban.

Video  >> 2011's biggest music stars: Lady Gaga, Beyonce Notable deaths in 2011 A critic's choice: The best movies of 2011 10 years: War-weary Afghan long for peace

In-Depth   >> 2011 Year in Review - Apology Yearender: Obama administration's Asia pivot strategy sows more seeds of suspicion than cooperation Yearender: Calm prevails election year as sub-Saharan Africa faces democracy tests U.S. troops' exit to usher in bitter-sweet era of U. S.-Iraq relationship

Spotlight  · Yearender: China's top ten sports news in 2011 · U.S. troops leave as insecurity still haunts Iraq's future · EU moulds foreign policy on depressed economic reality · No end in sight to acrimony between S. Korea, DPRK · Crisis persists in Syria, no quick solution in sight · EU trudges ahead with multiple reforms · Uncertainties linger as world enters 2012 · Deeper than the debt abyss · Uncertainties haunt Middle East, North Africa after sweeping unrest · "Steve Jobs" tops Amazon's 2011 best-seller list · Guinness world records of 2011

Photos  >> Glamorous cover girls in 2011 Top 10 beautiful royals in history 100 most beautiful faces of 2011 (I) Top 10 athletes in 2011 Posters of hot movies in 2011 Top-earning female singers of 2011: Forbes Top 10 world athletes of 2011 Memorable moments around world of 2011 Funny animal pictures of 2011: Telegraph Ten sports stars who retire in 2011

People in Focus   Kim Jong Il Muammar Gaddafi Osama bin Laden Steve Jobs Fidel Castro Rupert Murdoch Hugo Chavez Silvio Berlusconi Julian Assange Hosni Mubarak Ali Abdullah Saleh Naoto Kan Cristina Fernandez Salim Basindwa Lucas Papademos Dominique Strauss-Kahn George Papandreou Kamal al-Ganzouri Michael D Higgins Otto Perez Molina China  >> Xinhua's top 10 domestic news events of 2011 On the top of the list is the State Council introduced a policy package urging enhanced efforts to ensure the healthy development of the property sector. • Yearender: A Billion Buyers: China's vast market potential lures foreign businesses • Yearender: Seeking to bridge development gap, China broadens strategy • Yearender: Rising China, a stabilizer for world peace in turbulent 2011 • Yearender: From Beijing to Taipei, travel closes hearts World  >> U.S. troops leave as insecurity still haunts Iraq's future Nearly nine years after the U.S.- led invasion, the U.S. troops at last withdrew from Iraq late in 2011. • Yearender: Major news events in the Middle East in 2011 • Yearender: Myanmar new gov't makes progress in political development • Yearender: Pakistan-U.S. ties suffer blow in 2011 • Yearender: Xinhua's top 10 world news events in 2011 Business  >> Yearender: EU trudges ahead with multiple reforms EU is on the right track. But the road ahead will be anything but smooth. • Beijing's home sales plummet in 2011 on curbs: report • Yearender: Tiger in a bind: Vietnam's economy weakens amid high inflation • Yearender: Debt crisis puts EU presidencies under high pressure • Yearender: Global economy still stumbling as U.S., Europe constantly miss targets to heal ills Science  >> Yearender: Mankind faces long road in space exploration Space exploration programs have taught them that they still face a long, rough road to unlock more secrets of the universe. • Science names HIV study 2011 Breakthrough of Year • NASA's Kepler confirms first planet in habitable zone of Sun-like star • Facebook fixes photo privacy bug • App downloads top 10 billion in Android Market Sports  >> Yearender: Djokovic, new king of tennis in 2011 "I had an unbelievable year. Nothing can really ruin that. I will always remember this year as the best of my life." • Danish swimmer Ottesen, footballer Kvist, win 2011 sports awards • Top 10 athletes in 2011 • Top 10 world athletes of 2011 • Ten sports stars who retire in 2011 Entertainment  >> Sexiest Woman of All Time: Men's Health Jennifer Aniston has been voted the Sexiest Woman of All Time by Men's Health magazine. Check out the top 10 list. • Glamorous cover girls in 2011 • Top 10 beautiful royals in history • 100 most beautiful faces of 2011 (I) • Top-earning female singers of 2011: Forbes Top 10    • Top-earning female singers of 2011: Forbes • Top 10 world athletes of 2011 • Yearender: Xinhua's top 10 world news events in 2011 • Top 10 athletes of China in 2011 • Top 10 beautiful royals in history • Time's top 10 news stories of 2011 • Top 10 weird animals of 2011 • Top 10 greatest movie prequels • Top 10 " ghost ships" • Top 10 Chinese wine brands • Top 10 inspirational movies for youth • Ten great movies for women • Top ten classic kisses in movies • Ten great movies for men • Top 10 Hollywood romantic movies Biz China Weekly   >> Dec. 26 - Jan. 1 China will open more sectors to foreign investors, encouraging investment in strategic emerging industries, the central government said Thursday. Dec. 19 - Dec. 25 The more affordable housing built, the more it is likely to get China's skyrocketing housing price under control, and more people will have a chance to make their dreams of owning a housing unit come true. Dec. 12 - Dec. 18 Stability is still the key word at China's annual Central Economic Work Conference that closed in Beijing to set tone for the country's 2012 economic and social development. Dec. 5 - Dec.11 Dec. 11 marked the 10th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization to be its 143rd member. China’s membership has yielded rich win-win results for itself as well as the world. Nov. 28 - Dec. 4 Analysts said RRR cut, implying a fine tuning of macro policy, will contribute to keeping the stable and relatively fast economic growth in the current complex situation. Nov. 21 - Nov. 27 China's automobile market has cooled down this year, but automakers remain confident about the long-term outlook for its market. Special Reports   >> Global Climate Change Situation in Libya Iran Nuclear Crisis Global Financial Crisis Palestine-Israel Conflicts