Review of the Year 2008
By Julie Mullins

LONDON, December 22, Graphic News:  Captions accompany graphic GN23920

January
1-31: Over 800 people were killed and up to 600,000 people displaced after Kenya erupted in violence following DecemberÕs disputed presidential election result.

9. The Tata Nano, the worldÕs cheapest production car, was launched in Delhi, India.

23. Thousands of Palestinians surged across the Gaza border into Egypt to buy food and fuel made scarce by an Israeli blockade.

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February

2. French President Nicolas Sarkozy married singer and former supermodel Carla Bruni.

13. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to the countryÕs indigenous ÒStolen GenerationÓ.

17. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, despite fierce opposition from Belgrade and Moscow.

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March

2. Dmitry Medvedev won a landslide victory to become President of Russia. Predecessor Vladimir Putin became prime minister.

27. London's Heathrow airportÕs new Terminal Five got off to a rocky start as numerous flights were cancelled and thousands of items of luggage went astray.

29. ZimbabweÕs presidential election result was delayed for weeks as President Robert Mugabe refused to yield power in spite of a apparent victory by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

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April

15. Silvio Berlusconi was re-elected for the third time as Prime Minister of Italy.

26. Austrian police arrested 73-year-old Josef Fritzl, who confessed he had incarcerated his daughter in a cellar beneath his house for 24 years, and fathered seven children by her.

29. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon established a task force to tackle the world crisis over rising food prices, which had triggered rioting in 37 countries.

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May

2. Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta, causing catastrophic destruction and a death toll estimated at over 146,000.

8. The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay reached the peak of Mount Everest.

12. A powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Chinese province of Sichuan, killing around 87,000 people.

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June

7. Hillary Clinton pulled out of the race for the White House, endorsing Barack Obama for U.S. President.

8. SpainÕs Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer to win the French Open for the fourth year in a row, and beat him again in July to win his first Wimbledon title.

11. Dethroned King Gyanendra left the royal palace for the last time after Nepal was declared a republic.

29. Robert Mugabe was sworn in for his sixth term as President of Zimbabwe after Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from a run-off election.

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July

2. Former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, held captive by FARC guerillas for six years, was freed along with 14 other hostages.

18. South AfricaÕs revered former president Nelson Mandela celebrated his 90th birthday.

21. Bosnian Serb fugitive Radovan Karadzic, one of the worldÕs most wanted men, was arrested in Serbia after 12 years on the run.

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August

8. Stars of the Beijing Olympics included U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who shattered world records in 100m and 200m on the track.

8. Georgia launched a full-scale assault in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, sparking a brief, but fierce conflict with Russia.

16. Pop icon Madonna turned 50 and launched her new tour, Sticky and Sweet.

18. Pervez Musharraf resigned as president of Pakistan to avoid impeachment.

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September

10. Proton beams were successfully circulated in the main ring of the Large Hadron Collider for the first time.

15. The failure of Lehman Brothers triggered a collapse of major financial institutions, making the global economic crisis the worst of its kind since the Great Depression.

22. China revealed that over 50,000 children had been affected by baby milk and infant formula adulterated with the industrial chemical melamine.

26. Flying a prototype jet-powered fixed wing, Yves Rossy crossed the English Channel at 200km/h in just over nine minutes.

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October

1. The Ford Model T marked the 100th anniversary of the first production model.

22. India successfully launched its first unmanned lunar exploration mission.

27. Fighting in the D.R. Congo between rebel leader Laurent Nkunda and Congolese forces threatened to engulf the region.

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November

2. Lewis Hamilton, 23, became the youngest ever Formula One World Champion.

4. Democrat Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected President of the United States.

18. The Saudi oil tanker Sirius Star became the largest vessel to date to be hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

26. A series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, IndiaÕs financial capital, killed at least 172 people before security forces regained control 48 hours later.

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December

3. ThailandÕs main international airport resumed full operations after an eight-day occupation by anti-government protesters.

7. Rioters rampaged through central Athens and other Greek cities after a 15-year-old boy was shot dead by police.

15. The death toll from the cholera epidemic sweeping Zimbabwe topped 1,000, with 20,000 more infected.