THE ANNUAL REGISTER, 2008. -- THE ANNUAL REGISTER WORLD EVENTS 2008 -- CONTENTS -- CONTRIBUTORS -- ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- FOREWORD TO 250TH ANNIVERSARY VOLUME OF THE ANNUAL REGISTER -- ENDORSEMENTS OF THE ANNUAL REGISTER BY ITS NOMINATING INSTITUTIONS -- EXTRACTS FROM PAST VOLUMES -- PREFACE -- I. THE ANNUAL REGISTER, 2008. -- THE ANNUAL REGISTER 250TH EDITION: A PERSONAL HISTORY -- THE ANNUAL REGISTER 300TH EDITION: A PERSONAL FUTURE -- 2008: THE YEAR IN REVIEW -- II. WESTERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPE -- UNITED KINGDOM -- SCOTLAND -- WALES -- NORTHERN IRELAND -- REPUBLIC OF IRELAND -- GERMANY -- FRANCE -- ITALY -- BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS, AND LUXEMBOURG -- NORDIC COUNTRIES -- AUSTRIA -- SWITZERLAND -- EUROPEAN MINI-STATES -- SPAIN -- GIBRALTAR -- PORTUGAL -- MALTA -- GREECE -- CYPRUS -- TURKEY -- III. CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE -- POLAND -- ESTONIA-LATVIA-LITHUANIA -- CZECH REPUBLIC -- SLOVAKIA -- HUNGARY -- MAIN GAS PIPELINES IN EUROPE -- ROMANIA -- BULGARIA -- ALBANIA -- MACEDONIA -- KOSOVO -- KOSOVO: MAIN ETHNIC DIVISIONS -- SERBIA -- MONTENEGRO -- BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA -- CROATIA -- SLOVENIA -- RUSSIA -- BELARUS-UKRAINE-MOLDOVA -- ARMENIA-GEORGIA-AZERBAIJAN -- GEORGIA-RUSSIA CONFLICT, AUGUST 2008 -- IV. THE AMERICAS AND THE CARIBBEAN -- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA -- US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION -- HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION -- SENATORIAL AFFILIATIONS AND SENATE ELECTIONS, NOVEMBER 2008 -- GUBERNATORIAL AFFILATIONS AND GOVERNORSHIP ELECTIONS, NOVEMBER 2008 -- CANADA -- MEXICO -- CENTRAL AMERICA -- CUBA, JAMAICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI -- WINDWARD AND LEEWARD ISLANDS -- BARBADOS, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, THE BAHAMAS -- GUYANA, BELIZE, AND SURINAME -- UK OVERSEAS TERRITORIES -- NETHERLANDS ANTILLES AND ARUBA -- US DEPENDENCIES -- BRAZIL -- ARGENTINA -- PARAGUAY-URUGUAY-CHILE-PERU-BOLIVIA-ECUADOR-COLOMBIA-VENEZUELA.

V MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA -- ISRAEL -- PALESTINE -- EGYPT -- JORDAN -- SYRIA -- LEBANON -- IRAQ -- SAUDI ARABIA -- YEMEN -- ARAB STATES OF THE GULF -- SUDAN -- LIBYA -- TUNISIA -- ALGERIA -- MOROCCO -- WESTERN SAHARA -- VI. EQUATORIAL AFRICA -- HORN OF AFRICA-KENYA-TANZANIA-UGANDA -- ETHIOPIA-ERITREA-SOMALIA-DJIBOUTI -- KENYA -- TANZANIA -- UGANDA -- NIGERIA -- GHANA-SIERRA LEONE-THE GAMBIA-LIBERIA -- WEST AFRICAN FRANCOPHONE STATES-CENTRAL AFRICAN FRANC ZONE -- SENEGAL-MAURITANIA-MALI-GUINEA-CÔTE D'lVOIRE- BURKINA FASO-TOGO-BENIN-NIGER -- CAMEROON-CHAD-GABON-CONGO-CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC-EQUATORIAL GUINEA -- CAPE VERDE-GUINEA-BISSAU-SÃO TOMÉ & PRÍNCIPE -- VII. CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA -- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO -- BURUNDI AND RWANDA -- MOZAMBIQUE -- ANGOLA -- ZAMBIA -- MALAWI -- ZIMBABWE -- BOTSWANA-LESOTHO-NAMIBIA-SWAZILAND -- SOUTH AFRICA -- VIII. SOUTH ASIA AND INDIAN OCEAN -- IRAN -- AFGHANISTAN -- KAZAKHSTAN-TURKMENISTAN-UZBEKISTAN- KYRGYZSTAN-TAJIKISTAN -- INDIA-PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH-SRI LANKA-NEPAL-BHUTAN -- INDIAN OCEAN STATES -- IX. SOUTH-EAST AND EAST ASIA -- BURMA-THAILAND-MALAYSIA-BRUNEI-SINGAPORE-VIETNAM-CAMBODIA-LAOS -- INDONESIA-EAST TIMOR-PHILIPPINES -- PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA-HONG KONG-TAIWAN -- JAPAN -- SOUTH AND NORTH KOREA -- MONGOLIA -- X. AUSTRALASIA AND THE PACIFIC -- AUSTRALIA -- PAPUA NEW GUINEA -- NEW ZEALAND -- PACIFIC ISLAND STATES -- XI. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS -- UNITED NATIONS AND ITS AGENCIES -- UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS 2008 -- UNITED NATIONS POLITICAL AND PEACEBUILDING MISSIONS 2008 -- DEFENCE ORGANISATIONS -- ECONOMIC ORGANISATIONS -- THE COMMONWEALTH -- INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF FRANCOPHONIE -- NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES -- ORGANISATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC) -- THE EUROPEAN UNION -- THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE.

ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE(OSCE) -- EUROPEAN BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT(EBRD) -- OTHER EUROPEAN ORGANISATIONS -- AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN ORGANISATIONS -- ARAB ORGANISATIONS -- AFRICAN ORGANISATIONS AND CONFERENCES -- EURASIAN ORGANISATIONS -- ASIA-PACIFIC ORGANISATIONS -- XII. THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY IN 2008 -- XIII. THE SCIENCES -- SCIENTIFIC, INDUSTRIAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH -- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -- THE ENVIRONMENT -- XIV. THE LAW -- INTERNATIONAL LAW -- EUROPEAN COMMUNITY LAW -- LAW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM -- LAW IN THE USA -- XV. RELIGION -- XVI. THE ARTS -- OPERA -- MUSIC -- BALLET AND DANCE -- THEATRE -- CINEMA -- TELEVISION AND RADIO -- VISUAL ARTS -- ARCHITECTURE -- LITERATURE -- XVII. SPORT -- XVIII. DOCUMENTS AND REFERENCE -- SPEECH BY BARACK OBAMA ACCEPTING VICTORY IN US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION -- STATEMENT BY US TREASURY SECRETARY ON PROPOSED BAILOUT OF BANKING SYSTEM. -- DECLARATION OF THE G-20 SUMMIT ON FINANCIAL MARKETS AND THE WORLD ECONOMY -- STATUS OF FORCES AGREEMENT BETWEEN USA AND IRAQ -- KOSOVO DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE -- THE ILULISSAT DECLARATION -- AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER KEVIN RUDD'S APOLOGY TO AUSTRALIA'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES -- CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER'S APOLOGY TO INDIAN NATIONS -- VERDICT OF THE JURY IN THE CORONER'S INQUEST INTO THE DEATHS OF DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES AND MR DODIAL FAYED -- REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY INTO POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN KENYA -- UNITED KINGDOM LABOUR GOVERNMENT -- UNITED STATES REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION -- MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION -- NOBEL LAUREATES 2008 -- INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS: POPULATION, GDP AND GROWTH -- XIX. OBITUARY -- XX. CHRONICLE OF PRINCIPAL EVENTS IN 2008 -- JANUARY -- FEBRUARY -- MARCH -- APRIL -- MAY -- JUNE -- JULY -- AUGUST -- SEPTEMBER -- OCTOBER -- NOVEMBER -- DECEMBER.

MAJOR WORLD EVENTS FROM THE ANNUAL REGISTER ARCHIVE -- INDEX.