Recent Highlights from Synchrotron Radiation Facilities.

A brief overview of synchrotron radiation facilities world-wide is presented. Different kinds of synchrotron radiation sources and their matching to the particle beam parameters are then discussed. The recent development at some facilities and the expected impact in different fields are fmally overviewed. 1. Introduction. The synchrotron radiation facilities are used for basic research in a large number of disciplines like atomic and molecular physics, solid state physics, surface physics, astronomy, medicine, biology