From A to Z, the world in 2008

Kamna Arora and Deepak Nagpal

Time never stops. Days, weeks, months, and then the whole year just passes and leaves memories behind, some wonderful and some painful. Optimism, despair, resolve, grief, smile, tears, anger, truce, rise, and fall marked the events of the year 2008. The US embraced ‘change’ with Barack Obama, while the Thai hoi polloi changed three Prime Ministers. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe refused to step down despite immense pressure from the international community, while Japan’s PM Yasuo Fukuda surprised observers by resigning just because his proposals found no supporters in Upper House. Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal set foot on the democratic road, while Malaysia found its pseudo-democracy in chaos with ethnic Indians’ continued protests. Australia apologised to its oppressed minorities, while Congolese Army killed its own civilians. Iraq and Afghanistan continued to simmer with extremism. Terror groups like al Qaeda and Lashar-e-Taiba continued to kill innocent people the whole year. Today`s events are tomorrow`s information. Hence, the actions in 2008 will have repercussions in 2009. So, let’s have a look at the major events that shaped the year 2008. Pakistan – Election raises hope; terror despair New Year brings new hopes. But it was not the same in the case of Pakistan. The country had witnessed the assassination of its democratic leader Benazir Bhutto on December 27 and was struggling to keep its political system on track. But all went in vain as Parliamentary Elections, which were scheduled for January 08, got postponed until February 18. Prior to the elections, Scotland Yard investigators concluded that former Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto died of an injury to her skull when she hit her head on the car’s rooftop following a suicide blast at an election campaign rally. Her supporters, however, claim that their leader died of a bullet wound. The Parliamentary Elections on February 18 brought bad news for President Pervez Musharraf`s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q). After ruling the country for five years, the PML-Q managed to grab only 40 out of the 242 contested seats. The opposition Pakistan People`s Party (PPP), which was led by Benazir Bhutto’s widow, Asif Ali Zardari, got 80 seats, while Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) garnered 66. Zardari and Sharif later joined hands to form a coalition government and to sideline Musharraf. On March 22, Yousaf Raza Gillani became Pakistan’s new Prime Minister. The new government over the next few months pressurised Musharraf to quit and even threatened him with impeachment. Bowing to pressure, Musharraf stepped down from his President’s office on August 18, thus bringing to an end the rule of another dictator in Pakistan’s tumultuous history. The wedding of PPP and PML-N failed to survive for long, as Sharif withdrew from the governing coalition on August 25 in the wake of a disagreement over reinstatement of Supreme Court judges sacked by Musharraf during his regime. The South Asian country looked at Zardari with hope after he got elected to succeed Musharraf on September 06. The new President faced the task of crushing al Qaeda and the Taliban acting inside Pakistani territories. But the change of guard in Islamabad failed to rein in terror. In an attack that Pakistan had never witnessed inside its territory, a suicide truck bomb blast nearly gutted the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on September 20, killing over 50 people and injuring hundreds. The attack shook the political class as top government leaders, including the President and Prime Minister, were dining metres away, at the PM’s residence. United States – The rise of ‘Black’ man History created! Bush is finally on his way out with the first African American winning the Presidential Elections and the key to White House on November 04. Not only the US, but the whole world saw Barack Obama’s charisma – a man who made everyone believe in the “change” he can bring. With optimism and resolve, his supporters chanted the slogans “Yes, we can” during Obama’s first speech after winning the elections. The President-elect will formally enter the White House on January 20, 2009 with the burden of bringing back on track a recession-hit economy and paving the way for the finale of US-led two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Away from the home action, the US’ negotiations to set up an anti-missile shield in Europe finally made headway. In July, the Czech Republic paved the way for the US’ deployment of an antiballistic missile shield on its land. Despite Russia’s strong objections, the US moved ahead with its plans to construct a missile-defence base in Poland and underlined that the missile system would be in operation by 2012. Beijing Olympics – China shines with Games Event of the year! Olympics brought a golden chance for China to display its soft power and it tapped the opportunity to its fullest potential. The 16-day extravaganza mesmerised the world with an extra pinch of “Chinese element”. Beijing impressed the world by its efforts to turn a highly-politicised and competitive event into a harmonious experience for the world. While final touches were being given to the Olympics’ arrangements in Beijing, tensions were rising on the streets of Tibet. The whole world saw the Chinese crackdown on Tibetan monks in March, during the commemoration of the failed uprising of 1959, which had resulted in the Dalai Lama fleeing to India. Chinese police used force to suppress the demonstrations by Tibetans, who reportedly attacked Chinese citizens working in their territory. Violence spilled into Gansu, Qinghai, and Sichuan Provinces in western China as well. The international media criticised China’s act and cast aspersions over the Olympics. Ultimately, China did not even host the Olympics but also won praise for the spectacular manner in which the Games were held. In Taiwan, Nationalist Party’s Ma Ying-jeou, who is said to be pro-China, defeated Frank Hsieh of the Democratic Progressive Party to acquire the presidency. Russia-Georgia War Revisited The tensions knocked at the door of the Caucasus region in mid-2008. Fighting erupted when Georgian soldiers attacked their breakaway enclave, South Ossetia in the early days of August. Notably, South Ossetia won its de facto independence in the early 1990s. Following the deaths of civilians, Russia decided to enter the conflict with troops and tanks to support the disputed region. It further stationed its troops in Abkhazia, another breakaway region, and carried out airstrikes on the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The battle did not only claim scores of lives but also witnessed displacement of thousands of civilians. The fighting intensified when the Russian troops entered the Georgian territory and briefly acquired a military base in Senaki. Mediation efforts by the EU’s French presidency proved fruitful when Russia and Georgia reached a preliminary ceasefire agreement on August 12. Medvedev inked the revised ceasefire four days later. Defying the international community, Russia unilaterally recognised South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent regions on August 26. On September 08, Medvedev vowed to withdraw troops from Georgia by mid-October. Russia also allowed EU observers to scrutinise the withdrawal of troops from outside the breakaway enclaves. A month later, Russia withdrew troops from buffer zones. However, the story did not end there. Russian troops retook a village near the breakaway region of South Ossetia in the second week of December, just hours after pulling out. For Russia, the conflict with Georgia is believed to have become an opportunity for the Kremlin to establish its supremacy in the region. Russia – Putin introduces Medvedev to Presidency First President, then Prime Minister! This is the status of Vladimir Putin who left the Presidential office after the expiry of his term in March. He placed his former aide, Dmitri A Medvedev, in the Kremlin in May. Putin, however, failed to keep himself away from the Russian political scene and started serving as Prime Minister after gaining Parliament’s approval. Putin, however, seems to be in no mood to stay away from the spotlight. The Lower House of the Russian Parliament in November passed a bill extending the term of the office of the President from four to six years, a move which may lead to Putin’s return as President. Georgia – President tightens hold on chair Back with a bang! Mikheil Saakashvili won 52% of the vote in the January 06 Presidential Elections to retain his throne. The allegation of abuse of power had forced him to call early polls in November 2007. The year also saw new a new entry into the Prime Minister’s office. Lado Gurgenidze was replaced by Grigol Mgaloblishvili as the PM in October. Nepal’s Red Dawn Democratic dawn in Nepal! Nepalese citizens turned out in lakhs on April 10 to elect a 601-member Constituent Assembly, which decided to draft a new Constitution within two years. Prior to the elections, Maoist rebels entered into a peace agreement with the government, ending the guerrillas` 10-year insurgency. On April 21, a new chapter in the history of Nepal was written when the Maoists garnered 120 out of 240 directly elected seats. It was then the time to bid farewell to the 239-year-old monarchy in the Hindu Kingdom. The newly-elected Assembly voted to form a Republic and King Gyanendra stepped down. While India was celebrating its independence from the British rulers on August 15, its neighbour in the North was witnessing a revolutionary change. The Assembly elected Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known as Prachanda, as Prime Minister the very same day. Maldives The smallest Islamic country holds the world’s ‘best form of government’ in arms. Setting a great example, Maldivians moved ahead to embrace democracy in October. The first multi-party elections in the Indian Ocean nation ended President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s 30-year-rule and crowned former political prisoner Mohamed "Anni" Nasheed as the new top leader. The elections, hence, marked a historic milestone in the transition to political pluralism for Asia’s smallest nation as well as flowering of democracy in South Asia. However, there is a lot more than meets the eye. The nation of over 1,100 islands is bracing itself to handle the worst repercussions of climate change. Bhutan It’s official! Bhutan is a democratic country now! Positioned high in the Himalayas, Bhutan has transitioned from a century-old absolute monarchy to democracy. The country, which revels in isolation, held its first Parliamentary Elections in March 2008. It`s amazing to note that the country’s road to democracy has been a rather atypical, as it was the former King who pushed a move towards democracy, and not the people. Nestled in the Himalayas between Asia`s giants, India and China, Bhutan is now a democracy with Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley at the helm of the government. The isolated Himalayan Kingdom also welcomed the crowning of the new King. The 28-year-old, Oxford-educated King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the world`s youngest monarch. He is now the head of the state. Bangladesh Bangladesh is due to hold general elections on December 29 after being ruled by an Army-backed government for nearly two years. The military-backed caretaker regime came to power in January 2007 following widespread violence, suspended planned Parliamentary Elections due that month, and imposed an indefinite State of Emergency. The regime set reform of the political system and rooting out of corruption as its main targets and promised elections by 2008-end. However, like with any military government the caretaker government in Bangladesh did curb political rights and put democratic principles on the backburner. But the country is hoping to return to democracy soon, with Emergency all set to be lifted on December 17 in a bid to ensure the elections are free, fair and credible. Former Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia, who have shared power over 15 years to October 2006, were arrested along with hundreds of other politicians during the Emergency Rule for alleged corruption. Hasina and Khaleda, who lead the Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) respectively, are however free now after being held in jail for nearly a year. The military government released the two leaders amid mounting pressure from within the country as well as outside to ensure that their parties, the country`s biggest, contest the elections. Sri Lanka – The final battle LTTE on way to extinction? The year 2008 saw fierce battles between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), with the former closing in on the latter. LTTE is suffering heavy damages as security forces have been marching towards rebel capital of Kilinochchi and the strategic Mullaittivu in the embattled northern Sri Lanka. Last year, top Sri Lankan defence officials had anticipated the defeat of LTTE fighters in 2008. The goal has not been achieved yet, but Sri Lanka sans LTTE can soon be a reality, according to analysts. Another event that caught the headlines in Sri Lanka was the assertion of Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) to stop underage recruitments completely. According to Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, leader of the TMVP, which broke away from the LTTE in 2004, the group inked the action plan with the government and UN Children`s Fund on December 01, vowing to demobilise all underage recruits in the TMVP within three months. Zimbabwe – Turmoil deepens Political stalemate, uncontrollable inflation, cholera “genocide” and Robert Mugabe! This is how Zimbabwe is characterised these days. Once listed among Africa’s richest countries, Zimbabwe is now struggling to control its inflation rate running into millions. The political stalemate in the country deepened this year when President Robert Mugabe refused to accept the victory of Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai in March`s Presidential Election. Adding to the misery was the refusal of Zimbabwe`s High Court to issue orders to release the results of the election. Meanwhile, the Mugabe government continued its crackdown on the opposition. On May 02, election officials announced the results of the polls, declaring a runoff for June 27 as both the candidates failed to garner 50% of votes. Mugabe got 43.2%, while Tsvangirai managed to collect 47.9% votes. The twist came when Tsvangirai withdrew from the runoff on June 22, saying he cannot participate in “this violent, illegitimate sham of an election process”. Lone runner of the race, Mugabe, was re-elected with about 85% of the vote. The US’ efforts to impose UN sanctions on Zimbabwe were vetoed by China and Russia in July, forcing President George W Bush to expand existing US sanctions on the African country. Meanwhile, domestic reconciliation efforts were short lived as the power-sharing deal brokered between Mugabe and Tsvangirai soon fell through, hence pushing the country deeper into chaos. The political problems in Zimbabwe failed to curb economic and health distress. As the year nears end, more than 1,100 people have reportedly died of cholera in an outbreak that is spreading to South Africa as well. Rather than curbing the disease that has infected around 16,000 people, the Zimbabwean leadership is busy in the blame game. According to Mugabe, former colonial ruler Britain started the country`s cholera epidemic in a bid to commit "genocide of our people". On the economic front, Zimbabwe has crumbled under the world`s highest inflation rate, last estimated in July at more than 231 million percent. A new $10 billion note, worth USD 20 (EUR 15), was introduced in December by the central bank, which hardly proves enough for a Zimbabwean to see through the day. ‘Peaceful’ Iraq gives ‘farewell shoe’ to Bush ‘Peaceful’ year for restive West Asian region! Coming out of the shadow of US Army, Iraqi forces planned as well as executed their first major operation since the 2003 invasion. The Iraqi Army launched the Battle of Basra on March 25 to kick out Moqtada al-Sadr-led Mahdi Army militia and took control of the southern city in April. The Iraqi government also managed to ink a truce with the Shi’ite militia, bringing to an end the fighting in Sadr City area of Baghdad. After over five years of stay, the US finally inked the Security Agreement with Iraq in December to pull back all combat troops by the end of 2011, depending on the conditions in the Middle East country. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown too announced in mid-December that his country’s forces would pull out of Iraq in the first half of 2009 after a six-year stay. Iraq went into chaos with US President George W Bush’s decision to invade the country. And the ‘ruined nation’ gave unforgettable “farewell kiss” to outgoing Bush when an Iraqi journalist hurled shoes at him during a joint press conference with President Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad in December. Iran The nuclear standoff between international community and Iran continued this year too. So was Iran’s reiteration that it wants to wipe off Israel from the world map. In April, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that the Persian country has started the process of installing 6,000 additional centrifuges to its uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, which already has 3,000 centrifuges. The year also saw the Iranian Revolutionary Guards test-firing nine long- and medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel. Israel Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is all set to say final goodbye to the office, as the leader has already resigned and is continuing as interim premier till a new government takes office. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni had been asked by President Shimon Peres to form a new government, after being elected the head of Olmert’s Kadima party, but she failed to garner a majority. General elections are expected to be held in mid-February 2009. Israel also drew criticism this year for exchanging five Lebanese prisoners with two bodies of soldiers, who were captured by Hezbollah in a 2006 cross-border raid. Besides the political tussle, Israel also engaged itself in peace talks with Syria for the first time in eight years. Israel further went a step ahead on the Palestinian front in June by inking an Egypt-brokered truce with Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. However, as the year neared end, the hopes of a ceasefire extension were dashed when Hamas in December decided not to go ahead with truce with Israel. Afghanistan – Turmoil continues Bad, worse, worst! This is the fate of a country that fell into US hands in 2001. This year, security situation deteriorated, with US airstrikes mistakenly hitting civilian population. The volatility in the South Asian nation became evident when Taliban militants tried to assassinate President Hamid Karzai, who was participating in a parade to celebrate the Afghan National Day. Also, on July 7, 2008, the Indian Embassy was bombed in Kabul, in one of the deadliest attack in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. The suicide bombing killed 58 people and wounded 141. Unnamed US officials later claimed that members of Pakistan`s ISI were behind the attack. The Taliban militia also continued to carry out attacks on convoys of NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces. But what was significant this year was that pro-Taliban rebels started targeting NATO convoys in Pakistan too. In mid-December, pro-Taliban militants destroyed in Peshawar hundreds of NATO military vehicles and supply containers destined for Afghanistan. In other attacks this year, insurgents torched 40-50 NATO oil tankers near Torkham in March. The next month, a military helicopter valued at USD 13 million was hijacked. In November, some 60 Taliban fighters hijacked a convoy of trucks in broad daylight as it was travelling through the Khyber Pass. About 75 percent of supplies, including food, fuel, equipment and vehicles meant for the allied forces in Afghanistan pass through Pakistan’s Khyber Pass, after being offloaded from ships at the southern port city of Karachi. North Korea – Kim’s Hide-n-Seek A step towards denuclearisation! After years of nuclear tussle with the international community, North Korea finally came to an agreement at the six-party talks to start nuclear disablement in exchange for removal of its name from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. The ‘rogue’ nation handed over to China a list of its nuclear facilities along with information on the amount of reprocessed plutonium in its possession. On June 27, Pyongyang further destroyed a cooling tower at its main reactor. However, in August, an angry North Korea said that it would stop nuclear disablement due to a delay on the part of the US to remove its name from the list. Responding to the wrath, the US removed the name after North Korea agreed to give international inspectors access to its nuclear plant at Yongbyon. But as the year neared end, deadlock resumed with North Korea threatening to slow down disablement amid Washington’s move to suspend energy aid to the reclusive state due to stalled talks on verifying the latter’s nuclear operations. North Korea also kept the world busy this year with developments surrounding the health of its leader, Kim Jong-Il. Every time there was speculation at the international level that the long-time dictator was seriously ill, either he used to appear in public or his ‘latest’ pictures and videos released in the state media. There were also reports of him suffering a stroke and then undergoing a brain surgery, giving birth to questions as to who was in control of Asia`s only Communist dynasty and making decisions about its nuclear arms program. Speculation about Kim`s health had intensified after he missed a parade commemorating the Communist state`s founding 60 years ago. In response, Pyongyang released pictures of Kim visiting many places such as Army units and a ceramics factory. A veteran Japanese expert even went on to claim this year that Kim died of diabetes in 2003 and world leaders have been negotiating with a double! According to him, Kim, fearing assassination, had groomed up to four lookalikes to act as his substitutes at public events. But with the North being a reclusive state, there’s little to authenticate Professor Toshimitsu Shigemura’s claims. Malaysia – Government shaken inside out The year 2007 ended on a rocky note for Malaysia, over the issue of massive demonstrations by ethnic Indians alleging marginalisation of the community in the Islamic country. The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a group representing the community, shook the government with a massive demonstration on November 25 last year in which over 20,000 ethnic Indians participated. While Malaysia denied allegations of marginalisation of Indians, the huge rally prompted the government to slap the draconian Internal Security Act on five prominent Hindraf leaders, among others, who were behind the protests. It also declared the movement led by Hindraf as illegal. Ever since, small and big protests began hitting headlines in Malaysia to demand the Hindraf leader`s release. In February too, over 200 ethnic Indian defied a ban and held a rally, which later turned violent, near the country`s Parliament demanding more rights for the minority community. More than a year has passed since that massive protest, but the `Hindraf 5` are still being detained by Malaysia without trial under the Internal Security Act. In January, Malaysia also issued orders restraining workers and professionals from India and Bangladesh from taking up any kind of jobs in the country. This, many said, was linked to the crackdown on ethnic Indians. In early March, Malaysia`s ruling party suffered its biggest electoral loss when they raced to victory in just five of 13 states that went to polls, casting a cloud of shadow over Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi`s political future. Badawi`s multi-racial National Front coalition could garner only a simple majority in Parliament and lost the crucial two-thirds majority it had held for most of its 50-year-long rule. The poll debacle came on the back of price rise, religious disputes and concerns over corruption. Works Minister Samy Vellu, chief of the Malaysian Indian Congress, one of the National Front parties, failed to retain his seat he had held for almost three decades. Many believed ethnic Indians were fed up with him because he was apparently out of touch with their concerns. However, detained Hindraf leader M Manoharan won a Parliamentary seat despite being held under internal security laws for organizing the November 25, 2007 anti-government protest. This made the Malaysian government face the reality, and in November this year it doubled the quota for the ethnic Indian community in the country`s civil service from 3.5 percent to 7 percent, hoping it might calm some of the anger. Somalia – Pirates of the Aden While the trilogy of the Hollywood blockbuster `Pirates of the Caribbean` is already complete, their counterparts in Somalia have just begun hitting top of the charts, with a number of hijackings every other week. The problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden was nothing new, but it picked up in the middle of 2008. And in November, Somali pirates netted a spectacular catch – Saudi supertanker Sirius Star carrying some two million barrels of oil, worth about USD 100 million. It was the first time that Somali pirates had seized an oil tanker, which has still not been freed. Even the US Navy described it as an "unprecedented" attack, which also highlighted the wide reach of the `fearless` pirates – the vessel was seized about 480 miles off the coast of Somalia. The waters off the coast of Somalia – a troubled nation – have now become the most dangerous in the world, recording a third of the world`s pirate attacks. So far this year, the pirates – heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s – have carried out 92 attacks and managed to hijack 36 vessels, including the Saudi supertanker and Ukrainian ship MV Faina carrying battle tanks. On November 16, MT Stolt Valor, a cargo ship owned by a Japanese company and with 18 Indian sailors on board, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in September, was released after the payment of an undisclosed amount of ransom. To tackle the menace, warships from at least nine countries, including India, are now stationed in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. But many believe this has only aggravated the problem. Somali pirates hijacked Sirius Star hundreds of miles away from Somalia. The pirates are now operating in a region that encompasses over 25% of the Indian Ocean, which is next to impossible to monitor. But there have been successes too in tackling the pirates. French commandos freed their captive citizens from the hands of the `pirates` earlier this year. The British Navy shot dead at least two pirates after they attempted to board a ship. The Indian Navy in December captured 23 Somali and Yemeni pirates who attempted to hijack MV Gibe, a ship flying under the Ethiopian flag, in the Gulf of Aden. In November too, the Indian Navy had sunk a pirate "mother vessel" off Somalia, but it later turned out to be a Thai fishing trawler that had been seized by pirates off Yemen. In another operation, INS Tabar, while patrolling in the Gulf of Aden waters, thwarted an attempt by pirates to capture an Indian merchant vessel the same month. Rest of the World Thailand Uproar in Thailand! The year saw Thais filling the streets, shouting slogans against government since August. For over a week in September, thousands of protesters, under the name of People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), staged a sit-in outside the government buildings in Thai capital Bangkok, demanding resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. A few days later, Sundaravej was kicked out of the office when the Constitutional Court issued a ruling saying that he had breached the Constitution by being paid to make an appearance on a cookery show. Later, Somchai Wongsawat, brother-in-law of exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, became the Prime Minister. The new leader also failed to calm protesters who were calling for corruption-free leadership. Intensifying their processions and demonstrations, anti-government protesters shut down the Suvarnaabhumi airport leaving millions of foreigners stranded. As the year waned, the uproar seemed to have been calmed, as the Constitutional Court disbanded the governing party citing its engagement in fraud during the 2007 elections. On December 15, the articulate, Oxford-educated Abhisit Vejjajiva, who heads the Democrat Party, became the country’s new PM. His rise to the country’s top post has brought a ray of hope in the country. Italy – Berlusconi returns The year brought fortunes for former premier Silvio Berlusconi. As Prime Minister Romano Prodi stepped down after losing a confidence vote in the Senate in January, Berlusconi shone on the political scene of Italy again and won the Parliamentary Elections in April. As the year moved towards culmination, Italy prepared itself to tackle the menace of heavy rains. Rome declared a state of emergency as the swollen Tiber River threatened to flood. Milan in the north to Palermo and Sicily in the south were also flooded. Serbia – Karadzic nabbed after 13-year chase Finally! Fugitive Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb President during the Bosnian War (1992-95), was nabbed in Belgrade on July 18. He was charged with genocide, persecution, deportation, and other crimes against non-Serb civilians. Karadzic orchestrated the massacre of almost 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995 in Srebrenica. He is currently at The Hague in the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, Boris Tadic retained presidential power in February. Later in July, the Serbian Parliament approved a new government composed of the Tadic-led Democratic Party and the Socialist Party, formerly led by Slobodan Milosevic. Mirko Cvetkovic becomes the new Prime Minister. Kosovo – An independent state now! The wait is over! Kosovo is now an independent state. After months-long talks between the EU, Russia and the US over the status of Kosovo ended without any breakthrough, the disputed region’s PM Hashim Thaci declared independence from Serbia on February 17. While Serbia and Russia refused to recognise Kosovo’s independence, the US, France, Germany, and the UK welcomed the world’s 195th country. Cuba – Fidel Castro retires End of an era! Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz resigned as President of Cuba in February. The world watched with bated breath the transition of power in the Latin American country. The ailing Cuban revolutionary leader handed over power to his younger brother, Raul Castro. Colombia – Betancourt rescued from FARC captivity Colombian commandos rescued 15 hostages, including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, from the clutches of FARC rebels this year. Betancourt was freed after being in captivity for almost six years. Ireland Brian Cowen, a former Finance Minister, rose to become Ireland’s Prime Minister on May 07 after winning a vote in the Dáil, the country’s Parliament. Cowen’s antecedent, Bertie Ahern, stepped down in May due to a row over his alleged acceptance of bribe in the early 1990s when he was Finance Minister. Mauritania Bloodless coup took place in Mauritania when top four military leaders deposed President Sidi Mohamed Ould Sheik Abdallahi and Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar in August. Japan In a sudden turn of events this year, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stepped down, after he found little or no support for his policies even within his government. Conservative Taro Aso succeeded Fukuda. Angola In the country`s first elections in 16 years, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won about 82% of the vote in the Legislative Election. Canada In a bid to turn his minority Conservative government into majority in Parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper set national elections for October 14. Albeit Harper-led Conservative Party defeated the Liberal Party, yet it failed to garner a majority in the House of Commons and returned as a minority government. In December, Harper attempted to stop a no-confidence vote by the opposition by suspending Parliament until January 26, 2009. Myanmar The military government of Myanmar freed this year more than 9,000 prisoners, including the longest-serving political prisoner, Win Tin. According to estimates, around 2,000 political prisoners continue to stay in detention. Syria Syria hit headlines in October when the American Special Operations Forces carried out aerial attack into the country to kill a suspected al Qaeda facilitator, Abu Ghadiya. The militant was accused of smuggling weapons, money, and fighters into Iraq from Syria. Congo Humanitarian crisis intensified in Congo when rebels took over a major Army base of Rumangaboebel and advanced towards Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. The crisis deepened as the UN peacekeeping troops came under attack from angry civilians who were frustrated over the world body’s inability to thwart the rebels. According to reports, nearly 250,000 civilians have been displaced since a peace agreement collapsed in August. The rebels, loyal to a Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda, later stopped outside of Goma and announced a truce in October. Later, a UN report said that government soldiers and rebels committed serious human right abuses, including mass killings, arbitrary executions, rape and torture. The report described the human rights situation in the central African country as "a cause for grave concern." Indonesia Six years after Bali was bombed, its perpetrators were brought to justice. On November 09, Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Imam Samudra, and Mukhlas were executed by firing squad for their role in the bombing at a nightclub in Bali that claimed 202 lives. In response, Islamist extremists launched protests in the country. Nigeria First food riots and then sectarian clashes marred Nigerian peace this year. A dispute over local elections led to fighting between Muslims and Christians in Jos. The fighting in November witnessed the killing of at least 400. Hundreds others were wounded and 7,000 displaced. Greece Riots, riots, riots! Greece witnessed its worst civil disturbances in decades when on December 06, police shot dead 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Exarchia, a district of central Athens that is a regular scene of clashes between police and leftist groups. In the aftermath of the incident, protesters chanting "cops, pigs, murderers" hurled petrol bombs at Athens riot police and continued their demonstrations for more than a week. The protests sent Greece into chaos, causing hundreds of millions of dollars of damage. At least 430 people have been detained. What intensified the anger of protesters was the economic hardship faced by them. Spain, Denmark and Italy also witnessed protests in support of Greek demonstrators. Two police officers have been charged since the incident took place -- one with murder and the other as an accomplice. Australia Apology to Stolen Generations! The Australian government in February made an unprecedented apology for the past policies that degraded its Aboriginal population. On behalf of all the Australians, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised in Parliament to all Aborigines for "laws and policies of successive governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss”. With the apology, Australia placed itself in the list of those few nations that have offered official apologies to oppressed minorities. In 1998, Canada apologised to its native peoples, South Africa expressed regret for apartheid in 1992, and the US Congress’ 1988 law apologised to Japanese-Americans for their confinement during the World War II. South Africa Nelson Mandela’s home witnessed a change of guard this year. Thabo Mbeki stepped down as the President of South Africa in September, amid mounting pressure to do so from within his African National Congress (ANC) party, following the judiciary’s clean chit to ANC leader Jacob Zuma. While clearing Zuma of corruption charges, a High Court judge said that the government mishandled the ANC leader’s prosecution and that President Mbeki himself tried to influence Zuma’s prosecution. Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, a labour leader, who was put behind bars during apartheid, was then appointed as the interim President of the African nation. According to ANC, Motlanthe – the deputy president of the party – will hold the post until next year’s general election, when Zuma is expected to take over the role. Belgium Belgium’s Prime Minister Yves Leterme resigned in December following an 18-month-long political crisis. The resignation came when Belgium is mired in economic woe. Leterme’s government was under pressure to step down over its handling of the Fortis bank bailout, amid the global financial crisis. The PM’s resignation came after his Justice Minister Jo Vandeurzen stepped down in the wake of allegations by the country’s highest court that the government had tried to influence a court case on the bailout and sale of the troubled bank. Coup in Guinea One of Africa’s last strongmen, Guinea’s long-time dictator Lansana Conte died on December 23, triggering turmoil in the mineral-rich West African nation. Within hours of Conte’s death due to illness being made public, a military group – calling itself the National Council for Democracy – began announcing its takeover on state-run radio and TV. "The government is dissolved. The institutions of the republic are dissolved. ... From this moment on, the council is taking charge of the destiny of the Guinean people," the group`s spokesman announced. The group however said that Presidential Elections would be held within 60 days and an interim President and Prime Minister would be appointed. The turmoil in Guinea raises the prospect of violence flaring in a region where neighbours Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Liberia all have been devastated by years of war.