2008 Armenian Cup, Results, First round
The first legs were played on 21 March 2008. The second legs were played on 28 March 2008.


2008 Armenian Cup, Results, Quarter-finals
The first legs were played on 3 April 2008. The second legs were played on 10 April 2008.


2008 Armenian Cup, Results, Semi-finals
The first legs were played on 14 April 2008. The second legs were played on 23 April 2008.


2008 Armenian First League
The 2008 Armenian First League season began on 5 April 2008 and ended on 14 November 2008. At the end of 28 rounds, Shengavit were crowned champions; however, they were not eligible for promotion since they were the reserve team of Ulisses, which already participated in the Armenian Premier League.


2008 Armenian Premier League
The 2008 Armenian Premier League season (known as STAR National Football League due to sponsorship reasons) was the seventeenth since its establishment. It started on 6 April 2008, while the last matches were played on 15 November 2008. FC Pyunik were the defending champions. The Yerevan side won their seventh consecutive league title the previous season, their tenth overall. FC Dinamo Yerevan were supposed to be the team to get promoted, but they withdrew from the Premier League, and were disbanded.


2008 Armenian Premier League
On 30 April 2008, Football Federation of Armenia signed a contract with STAR retailing company by which STAR would become the sponsor of the 17th Armenian Premier League season, and henceforth the 2008 season would be called STAR National Football League.


2008 Armenian Premier League
The league was played in four stages. The teams played each other four times, twice at home and twice away. The champions would have been the team with the most points after round 28. However, since Pyunik and Ararat Yerevan were tied on points at the end of the season, they had to play a decision game for the championship.


2008 Armenian Premier League, League table, Decision game
Because Ararat and Pyunik were tied on points after the regular season, they played out the championship in a decision game.


2008 Armenian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Armenia on 19 February 2008. Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan was elected in the first round according to official results, but this was disputed by former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who was officially placed second.


2008 Armenian presidential election
The candidacy of Sargsyan was backed by incumbent President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who was ineligible to stand for a third consecutive term. Other candidates included Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Vahan Hovhannisyan, the Vice President of the National Assembly, representing the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The largest opposition party, Rule of Law, nominated former parliamentary speaker Artur Baghdasarian as its candidate.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Candidates
By the registration deadline of 6 December 2007, nine candidates had registered:


2008 Armenian presidential election, Candidates
Raffi Hovannisian from Heritage and Aram Karapetyan from New Times also tried to register, but were refused the certificates of residence in Armenia over the last ten years by the Armenian Police Department of Passports. Prosperous Armenia's Gagik Tsarukian, a business oligarch, whose party has the second largest faction in parliament endorsed Serge Sargsian.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Candidates
Ter-Petrosyan officially announced his candidacy in a speech in Yerevan on 26 October 2007. He accused Kocharyan of running "an institutionalized mafia-style regime" that was responsible for massive corruption involving the theft of "at least three to four billion dollars" over the previous five years. He was also critical of the government's claims of strong economic growth and argued that Kocharyan and Sargsyan had come to accept a solution to the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh that was effectively the same solution that he had proposed ten years earlier, although they had strongly opposed that proposal at the time.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
The electoral campaign began on 21 January 2008. At the opening of campaigning, Ter-Petrosyan fiercely denounced Sargsyan and Kocharyan, accusing them of "thieving and anti-popular" rule, and said that he was certain of victory, while acknowledging "disappointments" and "harsh criticisms" regarding his earlier presidency during the 1990s. For his part, Baghdasarian released a 32-page manifesto for his campaign, vowing to "eliminate corruption and embezzlement" and to provide "equality before law" and "a drastic rise in the living standards of the people".


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
Hovhannisyan was a candidate despite the participation of his party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, in the governing coalition; his campaign promises included the break-up of monopolies, the promotion of economic development, and anti-corruption measures. Geghamyan, the National Unity Party's candidate, devoted the opening of his campaign to denouncing Ter-Petrosyan and accusing others in the opposition of smearing him. Some members of the opposition suggested that Geghamyan was working for the government in an effort to undermine Ter-Petrosyan.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
Ter-Petrosyan criticized Baghdasarian for running his own campaign instead of rallying behind Ter-Petrosyan's candidacy, calling him a "traitor" and saying that he was effectively supporting Sargsyan. After Baghdasarian rebuffed Ter-Petrosyan's ultimatum, a pro-Ter-Petrosyan newspaper, Haykakan Zhamanak, insinuated that Baghdasarian was a "sexual deviant."


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
Aside from his own Republican Party (HHK), Sargysan was backed by Prosperous Armenia (BHK).


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
It was considered very likely that Sargsyan will finish in the first place in the first round, with either former president Ter-Petrosyan or Baghdasarian, who ran on a pro-EU and pro-NATO platform, in second place. First results and reports from OSCE election observers were expected on 20 February 2008, and the final result was to be announced within seven days.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
According to exit polls, Sargsyan won the election in the first round with 57%, with Ter-Petrosyan coming in second with 17%. The opposition parties have stated that they consider the election result fraudulent. Ter-Petrosyan, claiming victory, accused the government of rigging the election and called for a rally in Yerevan on 20 February that would protest the official results and celebrate his claimed victory. OSCE and Western monitors said that the election was largely free and fair. However, the report from the OSCE-led observers also described vote counting as "bad or very bad" in 15% of observed polling stations, and Edgar Vazquez of the United States Department of State said that the U.S. was "concerned" about this.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
On 20 February, results from all 1,923 polling stations showed Sargsyan with 52.86% of the vote (863,544 votes). Ter-Petrosyan was placed second with 21.5% (351,306 votes) and Baghdassaryan was placed third with 16.67% (272,256 votes Hovannisyan placed fourth with 6.2% and Manukyan placed fifth with 1.5%; the other candidates received less than 1% of the vote. Voter turnout was placed at about 70%.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
Sargysan thanked the people for giving him "overwhelming support" and said that he would be "the president of all Armenians". A spokesman for Sargysan's Republican Party claimed that the election was the most democratic ever held in Armenia; while he acknowledged flaws in the election, he said that they did not affect the outcome.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
The opposition requested dozens of recounts. In one of them, on 21 February, in a central Yerevan precinct showed that Sargsyan had won 395 votes there, rather than the 709 with which he had been credited in the initial count; votes had been taken from other candidates and added to Sargsyan's score. A criminal case was opened by state prosecutors regarding this possible fraud, and the chairman of the precinct commission was arrested; according to the HHK, recounts in over 30 other precincts showed results similar to the initial counts. Sargysan told police to investigate alleged electoral violations on 22 February.


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
Final results, released by the Central Electoral Commission on 24 February, confirmed Sargysan's victory, crediting him with 52.82% of the vote (862,369 votes); Ter-Petrosyan received 21.5% (351,222 votes) and Baghdasarian was said to have won 17.7% (272,427 votes).


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
A post-election poll conducted by the British Populus Opinion Polling Center between 21 and 24 February confirmed Central Electoral Commission's results giving Sargsyan 53%, Ter-Petrosyan 20%, and Baghdasaryan 13% of the vote


2008 Armenian presidential election, Campaign and election
Sargysan was inaugurated as the third President of Armenia on 9 April 2008.


2008 Armenian presidential election, International reaction
Both the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union (EU) have commended the conduct of the election and stated that they regard the result as broadly democratic. The EU Commission said: "The European Union congratulates the Armenian people for the conduct of a competitive presidential election in Armenia. The European Union notes the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission which concluded that the presidential election in Armenia, an important test for democracy in this country, was conducted mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards.


2008 Armenian presidential election, International reaction
The European Union welcomes the genuine efforts that were made to address the shortcomings in previous elections. However, the EU also notes that the report raised concerns about the electoral process and that further improvements are necessary to address the remaining challenges. It notes in particular that, according to ODIHR, improvements and additional political will are necessary to tackle concerns such as the lack of public confidence in the electoral process, the absence of clear separation between state and party functions and ensuring equal treatment of candidates. The European Union looks forward to the final results of the presidential election and calls on the competent authorities to ensure that complaints are adequately investigated and shortcomings addressed."


2008 Armenian presidential election, International reaction
A spokesman for the United States Department of State said: "We congratulate the people of Armenia on the active and competitive presidential election of 19 February and note the preliminary assessment of the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Parliamentary Assembly that the election was "mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards for democratic elections. At the same time, we also note that international monitors identified significant problems with electoral procedures. Armenian election authorities have responded with the positive step of recounts in a number of jurisdictions. We urge the Government of Armenia to ensure these recounts are conducted comprehensively and transparently, investigate all allegations of irregularities, and implement steps to improve future elections. We also urge all political forces to continue observing the rule of law and to work peacefully and responsibly for a democratic Armenia."


2008 Armenian presidential election, Protests
Following the election result, opposition protests began in Yerevan's Freedom Square, in front of the Opera House. On 1 March the demonstrators were violently dispersed by police and military forces killing at least 10 people and President Robert Kocharyan declared a 20-day state of emergency. This was followed by mass arrests and purges of prominent members of the opposition, as well as a de facto ban on any further anti-government protests.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests
March 1 events, a series of anti-government riots in Armenia following the February 19, 2008 presidential elections. Riots were held in the capital of the country, Yerevan and organized by supporters of presidential candidate and first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan and other opposition leaders, with the aim of violent seizure of power.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests
The protests began on 20 February, lasted for 10 days in Yerevan's Freedom Square, and involved tens of thousands of demonstrators during the day and hundreds camping out overnight. Despite the urges of the government to stop the demonstrations, the protests continued until 1 March. After nine days of peaceful protests at the Freedom Square, the national police and military forces tried to disperse the protesters on 1 March. On the morning of 1 March, police and army units dispersed the 700–1,000 persons who remained overnight, beating them with truncheons and electric-shock devices. As a result, 10 people were killed. As of 4 March, many protesters were still missing. On 1 March, Ter-Petrosyan was placed under de facto house arrest.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests
At noon on 1 March, a crowd of at least 10,000 protesters held a rally in front of the French Embassy. Police officers pulled away from the area by 16:00, as they were overwhelmed by the growing number of demonstrators. Activists then used abandoned police buses to set up barricades. In the evening, clashes broke out between riot police and about 2,000 protesters who barricaded themselves at Miasnikyan Square.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests
At around 22:00, President Robert Kocharyan, with the approval of the Armenian parliament, declared a 20-day state of emergency, banning future demonstrations and censoring the media from broadcasting any political news except those issued by official state press releases. Kocharian justified the decision on the grounds that a minority of demonstrators looted a nearby grocery store on Mashtots Avenue and set fire to a handful of police vehicles and buses Opposition leaders say that the looters had nothing to do with the demonstration, and that they were led by agent provocateurs. With the state of emergency in effect, at around 4:00 on 2 March, Levon Ter-Petrosyan asked the protesters near the French Embassy to go home, thus ending the protests.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests
The tragic events of 1 March 2008 are simply referred to as Marti mek (Armenian: Մարտի մեկ "March First") in Armenia.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Background
Levon Ter-Petrosyan was the President of Armenia from 16 October 1991 to 3 February 1998. Ter-Petrosyan was forced to step down in February 1998 for a number of reasons, including allegations of election fraud and generally having lost support in the parliament. He was succeeded by his then Prime Minister Robert Kocharyan. Kocharyan was re-elected for a second term as president on 5 March 2003 amid allegations of electoral fraud. In early 2004 there were demonstrations by opposition-led protestors and calls for Kocharyan's resignation.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Background
Kocharyan completed his second term as president in February 2008 and under the Armenian constitution was not eligible for a third term. Kocharyan's Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan had Kocharyan's backing for his candidacy as the next president. Ter-Petrosyan was also a candidate for this election, having announced his candidacy during a speech in Yerevan on 26 October 2007, in which he accused Kocharyan's government of massive corruption involving the theft of "at least three to four billion dollars" over the previous five years.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Background
The election was held on 19 February 2008 and Sargsyan won the election with 53% of the vote, according to official results, with Ter-Petrosyan in second place with 22% of the vote. Under Armenia's electoral law, if neither candidate wins at least 50% of the votes, the top two contenders have to face each other in a second round of the elections. International observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, PACE and the European Parliament had said that "the presidential election in Armenia mostly satisfied the international standards".


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline
The protests began on 20 February; about 25,000 opposition supporters were reportedly present on 21 February. Ter-Petrosyan said that the army would not act against the protesters, claiming to have the support of two deputy defense ministers. An aide to Ter-Petrosyan vowed that the protests would continue "nonstop" and demanded that the government agree to holding a new election by 22 February.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline
On 21 February, two members of the Central Election Commission who are representatives of the opposition said that they did not accept the results, and on the next day, Vahan Hovhannisian resigned from his position as deputy speaker of National Assembly of Armenia due to his disapproval of the handling of the election and said that the mechanism of falsifications were put in operation in 1996 by Ter-Petrosyan. Protests continued on 22 February, and Deputy Prosecutor-General Gagik Jhangirian condemned the election, urging the people to act immediately to defend their votes, rather than complaining later about the government's behavior.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline
A spokesperson for Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian asked Kocharyan to dismiss Jhangirian because prosecutors cannot be members of any party or to be involved in politics in any way The Defense Ministry denied Ter-Petrosyan's claim that the two deputy defense ministers had said that they would prevent the army from being used against the protesters, but the veterans' group Yerkrapah disputed this denial.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline
Protests were held without an official permission. Part of the cause for the protest were oppositions claim that there were widespread violations, and the suppression of this belief. Armenian Public Television (H1) has received criticism for failing to show the intense protesting, instead promoting a peaceful aura following the election.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 22 February
On the third day of the protests, 22 February, the number of protesters was reported as about 30,000. Sarkisyan called the protests "blackmail' and said that if they violated the law, order would be restored through force. The opposition's Alexander Arzoumanian, however, said that the government did not have the courage to attempt to break up the protests. On 23 February, the number of protesters was reported as about 50,000. Kocharyan accused the opposition of trying to seize power and warned that the government would act to preserve order. Meanwhile, the police released a statement saying that they were "prepared to resolutely respond to any attempts to disturb public order and destabilize the situation, prevent extremist manifestations, and protect people's constitutional rights". The statement denied the rumored resignation of police chief Hayk Harutyunyan.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 23 February
Jhangirian was dismissed as Deputy Prosecutor-General by Kocharyan on 23 February and detained later that day. On 27 February Gagik Jahangiryan was arrested and accused of violating the article 235.1 of the Armenia Penal Code (illegal purchase, traffic and storage of weapons, explosive assemblies) and article 316.1 (application of force against a public agent).


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 25 February
25 February saw steady numbers of protesters at Opera Square during the day, estimated at 40,000–50,000. Ter-Petrosyan made several appearances, and in each called for a peaceful rally, frequently alluding to the late-1980s when the Karabakh Committee was arrested by the Soviets. Ter-Petrosyan said that he does not fear arrest nor assassination, and that if the ruling party had him killed, it would only accelerate its own demise.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 25 February
Also on 25 February, Sarkis Hatspanian, a diasporan Armenian from France, spoke twice, and alluded to the participation of Armenians in revolutionary movements in France and Germany, and how the turn has come for Armenia. Around 10–15,000 people continued to participate in the rally well into midnight, some staying overnight in tents.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 26 February
On 26 February, there were widespread reports that high school administrators had been directed by the ruling party to have their students participate in a pro-Sargsyan rally held in Republic Square. Many e-mail services had been blocked since the morning of 26 February, including Hotmail, Gmail, and thick-client email programs using the IMAP protocol.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 26 February
Several prominent supporters of Ter-Petrosyan were arrested on 26 February. On that day competing rallies were held, with Sargysan's supporters reported to number up to 100,000. Ter-Petrosyan claimed that the numbers attending his rally had doubled because people were leaving Sargysan's rally to come to his. Meanwhile, the National Security Service said that it had prevented an opposition plot to seize a television broadcasting tower in Yerevan; it said that the purpose of this alleged plot, for which several people were arrested, was to enable Ter-Petrosyan to make a live broadcast. An opposition spokesman dismissed this as "psychological pressure". Also on 26 February, Kocharyan suggested that his government's patience with the protests had "a limit" and urged people to "come to their senses".


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 27 February
On 27 February, an even larger group of protesters than previous days marched on the streets along Abovian and Mashdots Avenue. The evening again saw protester numbers in the tens of thousands, with an increasing number of tents. The crowd was mixed, there were groups of villagers (tens in each), students, families with children, government workers, in addition to opposition leaders. At around 11:30 pm some protesters started to rush towards the café adjacent to Freedom Square named "Karapi Lij" (Swan Lake).


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 27 February
A protest leader announced that all available journalists should go there to photograph "something interesting" that was about to happen, and also called for the general populace to return to the square. Several score of military police, civil police, as well as secret police went into the subterranean café, emerging after 15–20 minutes with 3 arrested suspects who were secret agent provocateurs with undercover recording equipment trying to get opposition leaders (who were in the café) to say or perform illegal acts.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 27 February
Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) acknowledged that the agents urging the opposition leaders to resort to violence were its employees. Secret police (which outnumbered uniformed police and military 3 to 1) would not allow journalists to take pictures; however, some were able to (despite their threats of impending danger to journalists' personal safety or destruction of their cameras). The rally later continued without interruption.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 28 February
On 28 February, starting from the morning, police cars surrounded the streets around Freedom Square, not allowing passengers to be dropped off or picked up, let alone to park.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 29 February
On 29 February, another march around town attracted an even larger group of ralliers, with at least 100,000 participants. At night, there were 132 tents set up in Freedom Square and occupied by 24-hour protesters.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
On 1 March, at 7:30 am, Armenian security forces violently dispersed the protesters, who were then reported to number about 700–1,000, and broke up a tented camp being used by the protesters in Freedom Square. Witnesses say that the government authorities planted guns and grenades among the sleeping protesters, and then claiming that they were thwarting an attempted coup, attacked the protesters. Police used bludgeons and electric shockers to beat and electrocute the ralliers. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was captured at Freedom Square and placed under house arrest. Some fled when police attacked them.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
Dozens were reported to have sustained severe injuries and more than 100 protesters were arrested. A witness told Human Rights Watch that several rows of Special Forces in riot armor, with helmets, plastic shields and rubber truncheons, started approaching from the left and right sides of Freedom Square. The witness said that police, without prior warning, sprayed water and descended on the demonstrators, using rubber truncheons and electric prods. "People started running towards Northern Avenue, but were chased by the police."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
By 11:00 am, Freedom Square was completely cordoned off by police and large water cannons were being used to clear the site of debris and blood (with riot police trying to prevent passersby from taking photographs). The Karapi Lich café was cordoned off with a large canvas so that it could not be seen what took place inside.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
At about 11:30 am, a peaceful march of about 1,000 people from near Freedom Square, down North Avenue, and to the French Embassy at Miyasnikyan Square (where riot police were quickly redeployed to). By 1:30 pm, a police armored personnel carrier was brought in, which the growing crowd quickly surrounded. By 2 pm, about 150,000 protesters—larger than on any other day—had gathered in the square. By that time there were about 3,000 riot police and special police forces present. The sheer number of protesters outnumbered the police, who were forced by the peaceful protesters to retreat.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
By 5 pm, all armored personnel carriers and all other military special vehicles as well as troops had been evacuated from the square. Protesters gradually confiscated the remaining buses and moved them to strategic locations to block incoming traffic to the square. It is notable that several agent provocateurs were detected by the crowd and swiftly removed. At around 3:30 pm, an unmarked white police car drove straight through the crowd at high speed. At least two women were run over and taken to hospital with injuries. The car was stopped by the crowd and set afire, as the policeman driving it fled the scene.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
As of 6:30 pm, at least 30 buses, each with about 30 army soldiers armed with AK-47 and M-16 assault rifles, were seen near Republic Square (in anticipation of Kocharian's state of emergency).


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
Around 10:30 pm, Kocharyan declared a 20-day state of emergency. This meant that "all rallies and other public gatherings will be banned in Yerevan until March 20. It also places serious restrictions on press freedom, with local media outlets allowed to report only official news communiqués."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
Clashes between the police and security forces and agitated protesters seem to have occurred on at least three occasions during the course of 1 March: The first in the morning hours, the second at around 9:15 pm, and the third late night. According to eyewitnesses (among them an RFE/RL correspondent) security forces—without prior warning—fired tracer bullets over the crowd for more than 40 minutes in an attempt to disperse the crowd (this is confirmed in an independent YouTube video). In the meantime, a unit of riot troops charged towards one of the barricades but fled the scene after unsuccessful pitched battles with opposition supporters who were armed with sticks, stones and Molotov cocktails.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 1 March
Shortly after the event, a controversial independent video appeared on YouTube showing special forces firing automatic weapons directly into the crowd, directly followed by a clip in which the Prosecutor General's press secretary (Sona Truzyan) claims that police did not fire any weapons into the crowd. Government sources claimed that the video footage was faked and that it was digitally doctored.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Midnight and early morning
By 12:00 am, the area around the French embassy had only about 5,000 activists left. The police stood about 1/2 km north at Shahumyan Square, passively watching as anarchy reigned on the area below. Miyasnikyan square to Mashdots Avenue was completely devoid of any law enforcement, and authorities watched passively as some of the crowd looted some stores. Despite calls from opposition leaders throughout the demonstrations to restrain the use of violence, some in the crowd (allegedly encouraged by agent provocateurs) resorted to property destruction (of cars, windows, public places) and looting of a grocery store and a shoe store.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Midnight and early morning
(ArmeniaNow reports that the 2 pharmacies and 4 electronics and computer stores were not looted.) By 1:00 am, several buses and cars had been destroyed, set ablaze, or turned over near Miyasnikyan square. By 2:30 am, some of the bus loads of army soldiers were bused into Shahumyan square to join rows of riot police. Demonstrators were seen armed with metal bars (removed from park gates) and Molotov cocktails made from water bottles.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Midnight and early morning
Many of the demonstrators were not there to specifically support Levon Ter-Petrosyan, but were there to show their support for a change in government. Only a minority of the group resorted to looting, and most of the crowd stayed within the vicinity of Miyasnikyan Square.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Midnight and early morning
Official reports say that ten people died on the night of 1 March; however, according to representatives of non-governmental organizations, the official number of injured civilians may be underreported, as several of those injured were turned away from hospitals and medical clinics on 1 March. According to the information given by the Head of Police and Prosecutor General, a police officer died trying to prevent a hand grenade from going off. Three civilians died from teargas cartridge and four from bullets. The Prosecutor General stated that the ammunitions had penetrated the bodies, which appears to indicate that they must have been fired at a very close range.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Midnight and early morning
According to the Head of Police some protesters were armed with wooden sticks, iron sticks and "hedgehogs". He also stated that the protesters used fire arms – but this was contested by the representatives of the opposition who met with the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Day time
As of 9 am, Ter-Petrosyan urged his supporters to go home from the protest, citing Kocharian's state of emergency. The government alleged that protesters were carrying firearms. However, other than metal bars and some Molotov cocktails, no reporters had seen arms in the possession of protesters.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Day time
By 11 am, at least a dozen army armored personnel carriers and about 500 soldiers wielding assault rifles were positioned in Republic Square, maintaining the state of emergency's policy of a ban on public demonstrations and meetings. The stage at Freedom Square has been surrounded by 6 army transportation trucks. Photography was strictly prohibited.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Day time
Yerevan was said to be all but a ghost town, with soldiers outnumbering citizens.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 2 March, Day time
The National Assembly confirmed Kocharyan's state of emergency, with 81 of the 131 members of parliament present voting in favor of it.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 21 March
Following the end of the state of emergency, thousands of people in Yerevan held a candlelight vigil for the victims of 1 March and a silent protest on 21 March 2008 to protest the 106 protesters who had been arrested in the original protests. Their plan was to assemble at Freedom Square at 3 pm and hold a candlelight vigil there for those who died on 1 March, followed by a silent protest from 5 pm to 7 pm of a single line stretching from Freedom Square, down Northern Avenue, to Myasnikian Square.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 21 March
However, riot police confronted the protesters and used force to disperse them. Senior police officers told protesters to leave the area and cross the streets surrounding it, citing a continuing government ban on rallies. "Ten people standing together means a rally, and I have the right to disperse a rally," Major-General Sasha Afian, deputy chief of Armenia's Police Service, told a group of angry women.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 21 March
Freedom Square was occupied by busloads of police and interior troops who prevented citizens to enter Freedom Square; Shahumyan Square and Myasnikian Square similarly had rows of riot police who prevented a public assembly in the area. At 7 p.m. the assembled crowds of silent protesters dispersed as planned. Although the state of emergency has been lifted by law, the ban on public rallies is de facto still in place.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 21 March
On the same day, the following campaign team members of Levon Ter-Petrosyan were taken into custody: Vardan Galstyan, Davit Tzaghikyan, Onik Hakobyan, Suren Sujyan, Edvard Sarajanyan and Hakob Semirjyan.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Timeline, 22 March
Riot police continue to block public access to Freedom Square, Shahumyan Square, and Myasnikian Square; they were also in formation at Republic Square. Police dispersed a growing crowd—mostly composed of women—that was assembling at Northern Avenue. A Reuters reporter was notified by the police that any attempt by the public to hold a similar "silent protest" as the day before would be met by resistance from the police.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency
Late in the evening on 1 March, President Kocharian declared a State of Emergency in the capital Yerevan for twenty days. The National Parliament endorsed the Presidential decree on Declaration of state of emergency the following day, 2 March. The State of Emergency entered into force immediately. The decree established the following temporary limitations under the State of Emergency:


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Ban on public gatherings
The Armenian military is maintaining a strict ban on public gatherings of even the smallest size.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Media censorship
Under the state of emergency, mass media can only publish official government news.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Media censorship
Several opposition media have been shut down, including A1plus and Haykakan Zhamanak.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Media censorship
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Armenia Liberty radio service has been terminated by the Armenian authorities. The radio service's airings were at first accessible from their website at , but since 6 March even this website has been blocked by the Armenian government.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Internet censorship
In the evening of 2 March, the Internet Society of Armenia (ISOC) froze the Internet domain name server entries in its DNS servers for several domains, including:


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Internet censorship
The YouTube web site was blocked from 6 to 13 March; all IP addresses of  (208.65.153.253, 208.65.153.238, and 208.65.153.251) were unreachable from within Armenia during this time. YouTube hosts a1plusnews as well as ArmeniaLiberty Channel in addition to numerous eyewitness videos of the events of 1 and 2 March.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Internet censorship
As of the evening of 6 March, the IP addresses hosting the following web sites have been blocked by Armenian authorities:


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, State of Emergency, Internet censorship
As of 7 March, the websites of RFE/RL and Armenia Liberty were once again accessible from within Armenia, but as of the morning of 8 March, they are once again inaccessible. As of May 2009, several major websites were still blocked and/or disabled.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response
The President Elect Sargsian, during his meeting with EU special envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby, said "We are ready to cooperate with all those who wants Armenia to develop, its citizens to prosper, the country to be stable and strong, and we are ready for an open, straightforward and honest discussion". He also said that "those who incited recent riots had committed a crime and should be punished". The Incumbent President Kocharian said that "Armenian authorities were seeking to normalise the situation as soon as possible and restore stability".


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response
Government officials have portrayed the events of 1 March purely as an attempted coup by the opposition. At least 97 Ter-Petrosyan supporters have been jailed by authorities since the election, and have been charged with organizing "mass riots" and attempting to overthrow the government. The government-controlled National Assembly stripped four deputies allied to Ter-Petrosyan of their legal immunity from prosecution.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response
On 3 March, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Armen Harutyunyan, issued a report critical of President Kocharyan's order of force.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response, New law banning rallies
The President and the Prime Minister expressed their wish to have the State of Emergency ended on 21 March. They were however concerned over the possibility of new demonstrations, rallies and riots in the streets. In this context, on 17 March, the Parliament initiated a first reading of proposed amendments to the law on holding meetings, rallies, marches, and demonstrations in an extraordinary session.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response, New law banning rallies
On 18 March, President Robert Kocharian signed into law a parliament bill that will make it easier for the Armenian authorities to ban fresh anti-government demonstrations planned by opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response, New law banning rallies
The existing law had until then allowed authorities to ban those demonstrations which they believed were aimed, among other things, at a "violent overthrow of constitutional order." One of the amendments of the new law complements the clause with cases where authorities have "reliable information" that street protests would pose a threat to "state security, public order, public health and morality," and that any such information coming from the Armenian police and the National Security Service (NSS) will be automatically deemed "reliable."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response, New law banning rallies
Also, a more significant amendment to the existing law allows the authorities to "temporarily" ban rallies for an unspecified period of time after street gatherings resulting in casualties. The ban shall remain in force until the end of the official investigation into a particular case of deadly street violence. Furthermore, the amendments also stipulate that a responsible agency examine a request for holding a public event for 72 hours. Requests are to be submitted 5 days prior to the date of holding a public event.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response, New law banning rallies
According to the Council of Europe, these amendments entail "important changes and serious restrictions on the current national regime of freedom of assembly." Previously the municipal authorities only needed to be notified of the intent to hold rallies, demonstrations or manifestations. According to the Council of Europe, the amendments full conformity with article 11 paragraph 2 (the right to freedom of assembly and association) of the European Convention can be questioned.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Government response, New law banning rallies
In addition to Sarkisian's Republican Party (HHK), parliamentary leaders of the Prosperous Armenia, Dashnaktsutyun and Orinats Yerkir parties supported the new bill; Only members of Zharangutyun, the sole opposition party represented in the parliament, and independent lawmaker Victor Dallakian voted against the legislation.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Response of coalition government parties
Artur Baghdasarian, leader of the Rule of Law party and former opposition leader who switched sides after the election, and Gagik Tsarukian, leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party made a joint statement with Sarkisian where they blamed the deadly clashes on Ter-Petrosyan, claiming that they had been "methodically and cruelly" planned by Ter-Petrosyan beforehand as part of his plan to illegally seize power.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Response of coalition government parties
In a 3 March statement, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation defended the deadly use of force against thousands of Ter-Petrosyan supporters who demonstrated in Yerevan on 1 March and called the protest an attempted coup d'état.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Opposition response
Opposition leaders who organized the rally disavowed and condemned 1 March's looting of dozens of a nearby supermarket and burning of parked cars, blaming them on government "provocateurs." "We have nothing to do with that," said Nikol Pashinian, an opposition leader. "The authorities themselves are destabilizing the situation."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Opposition response
During his 11 March news conference, Ter-Petrosyan alleged that government agents provoked the unrest. "Not even one car had been scratched [during protests and marches] prior to March 1. So what happened?" Ter-Petrosyan said, according to a report distributed by the Regnum news agency. "Provocateurs went after the protesters with clubs. … That was the reason the situation spiraled out of control, although it was brilliantly managed by authorities."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Opposition response
During the weekend of 15–16 March, Ter-Petrosyan and his opposition allies remaining at large held a meeting for the first time since the 1 March government attack, and said they will continue to work for regime change in Armenia by "legal and democratic means." Ter-Petrosyan's office said that the participants of the meeting "reaffirmed their determination to fight against the kleptocratic system." During the week of 10 March, the Ter-Petrosyan's representatives requested permission from Yerevan mayor's office to hold a rally on 21 March (the day after the anticipated end of emergency rule); this request has been rejected.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Opposition response
Raffi Hovannisian's Zharangutyun party said in a statement that "the schism between the Armenian people and its government continues to expand," that the presidential ballot was fraudulent and that Armenians had a legitimate right to dispute its official results in the streets. It said the 1 March bloodshed resulted from the break-up of non-stop protests in Yerevan's Freedom Square staged by the Ter-Petrosyan camp. "The unconscionability displayed on February 19 and the brutality used to protect it on March 1 remain unresolved issues," said the statement. "No state of emergency, accompanied as it is by an aggressive, one-sided 'public information' vertical which deepens the public divide rather than healing it, will succeed in securing the collective amnesia of state and society."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Opposition response, Response to new law banning rallies
On 18 March, Levon Ter-Petrosyan rejected as unconstitutional the new amendments to Armenia's law (passed at an emergency session of the National Assembly on 17 March) that will make it easier for authorities to ban new anti-government demonstrations. In a statement, his office said that the enacted amendments "blatantly violate" Armenians' constitutionally guaranteed freedom of assembly and can therefore be ignored by citizens. "In these circumstances, it is the people's legitimate right to ignore the illegal ban and reaffirm their freedom to hold rallies which is guaranteed by the constitution and international law."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Opposition response, Response to new law banning rallies
"In reality, this is an attempt to perpetuate the state of emergency," Levon Zurabian, an aide to Ter-Petrosyan, told RFE/RL. "A regime which attacked peaceful demonstrators and whose illegal actions left many people dead is using its own crime as a pretext to restrict our people's right to hold peaceful rallies... This shows that the authorities are terrified by the existing situation and that they admit having no popular support"


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Response of media
ArmeniaNow has announced that it will remain under a media blackout until the State of Emergency has been suspended, because it feels that the "latest changes in Yerevan's State of Emergency still leave wide control and leeway for media censorship which has already been exercised in state restrictions of newspapers on the first day of the revised provisions."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
The European Union and some Western governments have demanded from the Armenian government a lifting of the 20-day state of emergency.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 2 March, Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement: "The Armenian government should refrain from using violence and make clear that it won’t tolerate excessive use of force by police... A political crisis doesn’t give the government carte blanche in how it responds to demonstrators." "The Armenian government prides itself on having a democratic image," said Cartner. "Beating peaceful demonstrators is inconsistent with that image and violates its obligations under human rights law." In a second statement, Cartner said, "The Armenian government should swiftly investigate whether the police and army used lethal force against protesters in accordance with international standards. While the government has a duty to maintain civic order, lethal force may only be used when strictly necessary to protect life."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 3 March, the Committee to Protect Journalists said that Armenian authorities "should immediately lift restrictions on independent news reporting and the censorship of independent news Web sites." "We're alarmed by this blatant attempt to censor news of the disputed election," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. "We call on Armenian authorities to withdraw the ban on independent news gathering and dissemination, and restore access to independent and opposition media."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 5 March, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all non-military U.S. international broadcasting, said it "strongly objects to the blackout of independent media in Armenia." "Censorship and harassment of the media are the antithesis of democracy," said James K. Glassman, Chairman of the BBG.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 7 March, Kurt Volker, the US acting assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: "We don't believe that [a] further crackdown, further arrests, are the right way to go." He went on to urge the immediate lifting of the state of emergency imposed by Kocharian on 1 March.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
Before his 13 March trip to Armenia, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's visiting commissioner for human rights, said "I am concerned about the human rights situation in Armenia and the consequences of the declaration of the state of emergency... It is urgent to restore a situation where the activities of the media, political parties and non-governmental organisations are not hindered."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 12 March, the European Union reiterated its calls for the Armenian authorities to lift the state of emergency in Yerevan, release all political prisoners and agree to an "independent investigation" into the country's deadly post-election unrest. The government of Slovenia, holder of the EU's rotating presidency, also said on behalf of the block, "The Presidency calls again upon the Armenian authorities to release citizens detained in connection with their political activities and to refrain from further arrests of opposition leaders."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 14 March, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, called for an independent investigation into Armenia's deadly post-election unrest and said opposition supporters arrested by the authorities in recent weeks have been ill-treated in custody. "There have been cases where there were problems... Some of those arrested have been beaten, which of course is not acceptable" he said after his meetings in Armenian prisons of the political prisoners. Hammarberg "appeared to have serious misgivings about the official version of events."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
"I really think that there is a need for a professional, independent and impartial inquiry into what happened," he said, adding that it should be conducted by special commission made up of individuals "trusted by the public." Hammarberg also told Kocharian and Sarkisian that the recent day's easing of civil liberty restrictions stemming from the state of emergency in Yerevan is "not sufficient" and specifically urged them to abolish "censorship" of the Armenian media.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 18 March, after a 3-day visit to Armenia, Thomas Hammarberg called on the Armenian government to lift emergency measures, ensure media freedom and initiate an impartial investigation into recent violent acts. "The State of Emergency should be lifted in Armenia and an independent, impartial and transparent inquiry initiated to clarify what actually happened during the confrontations in Yerevan between the police and opposition demonstrators on 1 March," he said.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
On 20 March, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights released a report summarizing his findings during his 12–15 March trip to Armenia. The report is critical of the government's abuse of force, stating, "It seems clear that excessive use of force was used by police and the security forces." According to the report the two sides—government authorities and opposition protesters—describe the events of 1 March "very differently."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, International reaction
Since it is important in a human rights perspective to establish the basic facts, the report calls for a "comprehensive inquiry" that is "independent, impartial and transparent and perceived as credible by the whole population." Also, it criticized the behavior of riot police, stating, "A review seems necessary of the current riot control measures used by the police as serious mistakes were made."


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath
The Armenian police arrested 30 protestors accusing them of starting the riot.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath
The Armenian Medical Centre (the former Republican hospital) treated civilians which had concussions from the beating by the police in connection with arrest. A number of them claimed to have been persons only passing by the demonstration. One patient had been hit by a bullet which had perforated his jaw and he could not speak. Another civilian could not be visited as he was in severe condition and held in reanimation.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath
Several civilians who had sought medical assistance following the riots of 1 March had been denied assistance or turned down by the some hospitals. Also, it happened that patients released from the hospitals had been immediately arrested.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath
At least 106 members of the opposition have been arrested, and Levon Ter-Petrosyan has been under de facto house arrest since 1 March.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath, Arrests
According to article 130 of the Criminal Procedures Code, a person can be held for twenty-four hours without charges. Over 400 persons have been apprehended and asked to give testimony of the events on 1 March.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath, Arrests
On 13 March the Prosecutor General informed that over 95 persons had been arrested for having organized or participated in demonstrations and mass disturbances of public order. Information provided by non-governmental sources on 15 March stated that an additional 50 persons had been arrested, mostly outside of Yerevan in major cities of Armenia like Gyumri.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath, Police brutality
According to the Council of Europe Commissioner of Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg who visited a number of detainees in Nubarashen Prison, the Temporary holding facility of the National Security Service and the Holding Centre of Yerevan City Police Department, "the number of injured persons and detainees still after fourteen days showing marks of beating is clearly a matter of grave concern." The Commissioner has stated that allegations of police brutality should be investigated.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Aftermath, Fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh
Skirmishes between the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army and the Military of Azerbaijan were reported along the contact line near the Mardakert. These skirmishes were the worst fighting along the contact line since the ceasefire after the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994 and have caused several fatalities. The Armenian side blames Azerbaijan for trying to take advantage of unrest in Armenia. The Azeri side blames Armenia claiming that they are trying to divert attention from problems at home but Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has also said his country is ready to re-take the region by force, and has been buying the military hardware and ammunition to do so.


2008 Armenian presidential election protests, Constitutional Court decision
On 9 March 2008, the Constitutional Court officially rejected the opposition's claim that the election was rigged.


2008 Army Black Knights football team
The 2008 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy (USMA or "West Point") as an independent during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by second-year head coach Stan Brock, who, amidst pressure from critics, had changed from a pro-style offense to a triple option-like offensive scheme after the previous season. Some pundits dubbed it the "Brock Bone" or "quadruple" option, due to an added passing element. The team finished the season with a disappointing 3–9 record, which culminated in a 34–0 rout by archrival Navy.


2008 Army Black Knights football team
Brock was subsequently fired and replaced by former Cal Poly head coach, Rich Ellerson. The 2008 Army–Navy Game was the first shut-out of Army by Navy since 1978. One consolation was that in the game's final play, Army fullback Collin Mooney, in the last play of his college football career, broke the school record for single-season rushing by a single yard.


2008 Artistic Billiards World Championship
The 2008 Artistic Billiards World Championship was held between 1 and 5 April 2008 in Schelle, Belgium.


2008 Artistic Billiards World Championship
Yaman Haci Arap won in the final 3–2 against Xavier Fonellosa.


2008 Artois Championships
The 2008 Artois Championships (also known traditionally as the Queen's Club Championships) was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 106th edition of the Artois Championships, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Queen's Club in London, United Kingdom, from 9 through 15 June 2008.


2008 Artois Championships
The singles draw was headlined by ATP No. 2, four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, Australian Open winner and Roland-Garros semifinalist Novak Djokovic, and Queen's Club defending champion Andy Roddick. Also present in the field were Buenos Aires winner David Nalbandian, 2007 Mumbai titlist Richard Gasquet, Andy Murray, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Ivo Karlović.


2008 Artois Championships, Finals, Doubles
Daniel Nestor /  Nenad Zimonjić defeated  Marcelo Melo /  André Sá, 6–4, 7–6(7–3)


2008 Asia Cup
The 2008 Asia Cup (also called STAR Cricket Asia Cup) was a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament, held in Pakistan from 24 June to 6 July 2008, at two venues. The six teams which took part in the tournament were India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Asian associate nations UAE and Hong Kong. This was the first Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan; previously political tensions between India and Pakistan did not permit Pakistan to host the event in 1993. It was broadcast in India by Star Cricket and ESPN and in Pakistan by Geo Super. Sri Lanka won the tournament after beating India by 100 runs in the final.


2008 Asia Cup, Format
Originally, the ninth version of the Cup was supposed to take place in 2006, however packed international cricket schedules did not allow for the tournament to be held.


2008 Asia Cup, Format
Group A consisted of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.


2008 Asia Cup, Format
The two groups first had a separate round-robin competition. The top two teams from each group advanced to the Super Fours. There was again a round-robin competition between the teams in the Super Four, the first two from which advanced to the final.


2008 Asia Cup, Venues
13 matches were played in 2008 Asia Cup at National Stadium, Karachi and Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.


2008 Asia Series
The 2008 Asia Series was contested on November 13–16 by the champions of Nippon Professional Baseball's Japan Series, the Korea Baseball Organization's Korean Series, Chinese Professional Baseball League's Taiwan Series, and the championship of the China Baseball League of the People's Republic of China. In 2008, it was the first time that the champion of the China Baseball League participates in instead of the all-star team China Stars. The winning team will receive ¥50 million yen ($0.5 million), the second place team will receive ¥30 million yen, and the other teams will receive ¥10 million yen each. All games were held in Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan. The Saitama Seibu Lions defeated the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in the title game to win the championship for Japan. Outfielder Tomoaki Satoh was named the MVP of the series.


2008 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
The 2008 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship season (APRC) was an international rally championship organized by the FIA. The champion was Australian driver Cody Crocker. In winning the 2008 Malaysian Rally, Crocker successfully defended his title from the previous two years, to equal the record of three APRC titles set by Possum Bourne, Kenneth Eriksson and Karamjit Singh.


2008 Asian Airgun Championships
The 2008 Asian Airgun Championships were held in Nanjing, China between April 4 and 9, 2008.


2008 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2008 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships were the 4th edition of the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships, and were held in Doha, Qatar from November 15 to November 18, 2008.


2008 Asian Beach Games
The 2008 Asian Beach Games or ABG 2008 (Indonesian: Pesta Olahraga Pantai Asia 2008, Pesta Olahraga Pantai Asia Dua Ribu Delapan), officially the 1st Asian Beach Games (Indonesian: Pesta Olahraga Pantai Asia Pertama) and commonly as Bali 2008 (Indonesian: Bali 2008, Bali Dua Ribu Delapan), the inaugural Asian Beach Games, was held in Bali, Indonesia, from 18 to 26 October 2008. The opening ceremony was held in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park in Nusa Dua.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Bidding process
There was no bidding process for Bali to host the games. Although six other countries showed an interest, Bali was chosen by acclamation.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Bidding process
It was the second time that Indonesia had hosted an Asia-level multi-sport event, after Jakarta held the 1962 Asian Games.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Logo
The official logo of the games represents the water element that embodies the sporting event.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Logo
The shining sun comes from the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and represents its vital role in Asia's sport development and the spreading energy created by the solidarity of the OCA. The selection of the light and deep-blue effects represents the color of Balinese waters. The two vertical lines represent two pura (Balinese Hindu temple), an image of the gate to a Balinese house of worship which signifies the ultimate hospitality of the Bali society in honouring and welcoming people from all over Asia. The two big waves represent the commitment as well as the enthusiasm of the host city to holding the first Asian Beach Games.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Logo
The letters "BALI 2008" are in red to show the spirit of sportsmanship and the typeface selection emphasizes the pride of all athletes competing in Bali.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Mascot
The official mascot of the First Asian Beach Games was the Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi), locally known as "jalak Bali", the official mascot of Bali and a bird species endemic to the island.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Mascot
The bird symbolizes Bali with all its uniqueness and serves as a reminder that the bird, like Bali, is beautiful, yet sacred. It is therefore apt that the official mascot of Bali was chosen as the official mascot for the first Bali Asian Beach Games.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Sponsorship
Sponsors include Swatch (official timekeeper and information system provider), Carisbrook (official wardrobe), Pertamina (Indonesian state-owned oil company), Panasonic and Samsung.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Organisation, Broadcasting
A joint venture between Host Broadcast Services and IMG Media named the International Games Broadcast Services (IGBS) served as the games' host broadcaster. This was the first sporting event broadcast by the company as it previously broadcast the Doha 2006 Asian Games under the name Doha Asian Games Broadcast Services (DAGBS).


2008 Asian Beach Games, Torch relay
The Bali Asian Beach Games Torch Relay started on 8 October 2008 at Mrapen in Grobogan, Central Java, famous for its eternal flame. The flame was lit with the aid of natural gas.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Torch relay
From Mrapen, the torch was carried to Semarang, the capital city of Central Java, where the torch was carried to the Governor Office by Indonesia's famous sprinter, Suryo Agung Wibowo.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Torch relay
On 9 October 2008, the torch arrived in Jakarta. On the next day, the torch was paraded from the City Hall to Indonesia's Minister of Youth and Sport Office, and finally arrived at the Istana Merdeka to be given to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Torch relay
On 10 October 2008, the torch headed to Bali for a nine-day inland tour across ten regions (one city and nine regencies).


2008 Asian Beach Games, Torch relay
More than 500 people (45 per district) were involved in the torch relay as torch bearers. They came from the sports world as local, national and international athletes, coaches and officials. More than 2,000 people participated in the parade.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Torch relay
The journey was a showcase of Indonesian culture to international audiences, especially Balinese traditional art, dance and music.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Highlights
The opening ceremony was held in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana, a great monumental cultural park in Nusa Dua, the most luxurious region in Bali.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Highlights
President Yudhoyono officially opened the games when the torch reached the Garuda Wisnu Kencana.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Highlights
The ceremony highlighted Indonesian cultural arts and included international performers such as Mark Lazarro from India and Christian Bautista from the Philippines, as well as famous Indonesian singers and composers, such as Reza Artamevira, Andre Hehanusa and Erwin Gutawa.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Highlights
Andre Hehanusa, Christian Bautista and Mark Lazarro sang "To Be One" while the Indonesian female singer, Reza Artamevira, performed the games anthem, "Together We Inspire the World".


2008 Asian Beach Games, Highlights
About 41 country leaders and several very important persons, including members of the British Royal Family and the Qatari Royal Family, attended the opening ceremony.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Highlights
The 2008 Asian Beach Games were closed by Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, on 26 October 2008.


2008 Asian Beach Games, Highlights
A countdown clock cost Rp800 million (US$87,521) was situated at Lumintang Field.


2008 Asian Beach Volleyball Championships
The 2008 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship (8th tournament) was a beach volleyball event, that was held from April 3 to 6, 2008 in Hyderabad, India.


2008 Asian Cycling Championships
The 2008 Asian Cycling Championships took place at the Nara Keirin Velodrome, Nara, Japan from 10 to 17 April 2008.


2008 Asian Fencing Championships
The 2008 Asian Fencing Championships was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 24 April to 29 April 2008.


2008 Asian Five Nations
For divisional competitions, see: 2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments


2008 Asian Five Nations
The 2008 Asian Five Nations, known as the 2008 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to its sponsorship by HSBC, was the inaugural series of the newly formatted Asian rugby union tournament, the Asian Five Nations. It is the flagship competition devised by the International Rugby Board to develop the sport in the Asian region. Ten matches were played over five weekends from 26 April to 24 May, with Japan winning all four of their games to become the first Asian Five Nations champions on 18 May 2008.


2008 Asian Five Nations
Scoring system: 5 points for a win, three for a draw, one bonus point for being within seven points of the winning team, and one for four tries.


2008 Asian Five Nations, Teams
The teams involved, with their world rankings pre tournament, were:


2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments
For main Top 5 Division, see: 2008 Asian Five Nations


2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments
The 2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments, known as the 2008 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the HSBC, refer to the Asian Five Nations divisions played within the tournament. This was the 1st series of the Asian Five Nations, following the merge of the ARFU Asian Rugby Series and Asian Rugby Championship.


2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments
There were two main divisions, with three further regional divisions. The winners of Division 1 would be promoted up to the Top Division for 2009, as will the winner of Division 2 being promoted to Division 1. The loser of Division 1, drops to Division 2.


2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments
Scoring system: 5 points for a win, three for a draw, one bonus point for being within seven points of the winning team, and one for four tries.


2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments, Teams
The teams involved, with their world rankings pre tournament, were:


2008 Asian Five Nations division tournaments, Division 2
Division Two served as the first round of qualifying for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, as the Division Two champion would be promoted to Division One for 2009 and have the opportunity to be promoted to the HSBC Asian Five Nations for the 2010 season. The 2010 HSBC Asian Five Nations will be the final qualifying stage for the Asian representative at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.


2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
The 2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships was an international indoor athletics event took place in Doha, Qatar, between 14 and 16 February.


2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, Participating nations
A total of 29 nations were represented by athletes competing at the 2008 championships.


2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships – Results
These are the official results of the 2008 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships which took place on 14–16 February 2008 in Doha, Qatar.


2008 Asian Judo Championships
The 2008 Asian Judo Championships were held in Jeju City, South Korea from 26 April to 27 April 2008.


2008 Asian Junior Athletics Championships
The 2008 Asian Junior Athletics Championships was the 13th edition of the international athletics competition for Asian under-20 athletes, organised by the Asian Athletics Association. It took place from 12–15 July at the Madya Stadium in Jakarta. It was the third occasion that the Indonesian capital had hosted the event, following the inaugural edition in 1986 and the fifth hosting in 1994. A total of 44 events were contested, which were divided equally between male and female athletes.


2008 Asian Junior Badminton Championships
The 2008 Asian Junior Badminton Championships were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 13–20 July.


2008 Asian Junior Men's Volleyball Championship
The 2008 Asian Junior Men's Volleyball Championship was held in Azadi Sport Complex, Tehran, Iran from 23 August to 31 August 2008.


2008 Asian Junior Men's Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2006 Asian Junior Men's Volleyball Championship.


2008 Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship
The 2008 Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship was held in Taipei, Republic of China from 20 September to 28 September 2008.


2008 Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2006 Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship.


2008 Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
Chinese Taipei (Host & 3rd) Thailand (4th) Kazakhstan Australia Indonesia


2008 Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
China (1st) Japan (2nd) Sri Lanka India New Zealand South Korea


2008 Asian Junior Women's Volleyball Championship, Final standing
Team RosterYuki Kawai, Kotoe Inoue, Kaori Kodaira, Saki Minemura, Nana Iwasaka, Hiroko Matsuura, Airi Kawahara, Rina Urabe, Aika Akutagawa, Erika Sakae, Miyu Nagaoka, Sayuri TamuraHead Coach: Aihara Noboru


2008 Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships
The 14th Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships 2008 were held in Singapore, from  23 ‐ 27 July 2008. It was organised by the Singapore Table Tennis Association under the authority of the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).


2008 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship
The 2008 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship was the 9th staging of the AVC Club Championships. The tournament was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.


2008 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2007 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship.


2008 Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
Iran (1st) Qatar (3rd) * China United Arab Emirates Indonesia *


2008 Asian Men's Handball Championship
The 2008 Asian Men's Handball Championship was the 13th Asian Championship, which was taking place from 17 to 26 February 2008 in Isfahan, Iran. The championship was held in Isfahan's Pirouzi Arena and acted as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship in Croatia.


2008 Asian Men's Handball Championship, Placement 5th–10th, 5th/6th
* Bahrain didn't not show up and was penalized to the last place.


2008 Asian Men's Junior Handball Championship
The 2008 Asian Men's Junior Handball Championship (11th tournament) took place in Amman from 25 July – 5 August. It acts as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2009 Men's Junior World Handball Championship in Egypt.


2008 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup
The 2008 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup was the 1st edition of the AVC Cup for Men, played by top eight teams of the 2007 Asian Championship. It was held at MCC Hall Convention Center, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand from 20 to 26 September 2008.


2008 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2007 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship.


2008 Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship
The 2008 Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship (3rd tournament) took place in Amman from 11 July–21 July. It acts as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2009 Men's Youth World Handball Championship in Tunisia.


2008 Asian Taekwondo Championships
The 2008 Asian Taekwondo Championships are the 18th edition of the Asian Taekwondo Championships, and were held at The Sports Centre Gymnasium of Luoyang in Luoyang, China from April 26 to April 28, 2008.


2008 Asian Tour
The 2008 Asian Tour was the 14th season of the modern Asian Tour, the main men's professional golf tour in Asia excluding Japan, since it was established in 1995. Prize money for the season exceeded US$43 million and Jeev Milkha Singh topped the Order of Merit for the second time with a record US$1,452,702.


2008 Asian Tour, Tournament results
The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Asian Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Asian Tour members.


2008 Asian Tour, Tournament results
Only 50% of the prize money from major championships and World Golf Championships are counted towards the Order of Merit, but are not shown below.


2008 Asian Tour, Leading money winners
There is a complete list on the official site .


2008 Asian Weightlifting Championships
The 2008 Asian Weightlifting Championships were held at Ishikawa Sports Center in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture Japan between April 26 and May 5 2008. It was the 39th men's and 20th women's championship. Much of the responsibility for the event lay with the Japan Weightlifting Association overlooked by the Asian Weightlifting Federation. The event had major significance for Asian weightlifters as the championships were the official qualifications for Weightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics.


2008 Asian Weightlifting Championships, Medal table
Ranking by all medals: Big (Total result) and Small (Snatch and Clean & Jerk)


2008 Asian Women's Amateur Boxing Championships
The 4th edition of the Women's Asian Amateur Boxing Championships were held from September 23 to September 28, 2008 in Guwahati, India.


2008 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship
The 2008 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship was the 9th staging of the AVC Club Championships. The tournament was held in Vinh Yen Gymnasium, Vĩnh Yên, Vĩnh Phúc Province, Vietnam.


2008 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2007 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship.


2008 Asian Women's Handball Championship
The 2008 Asian Women's Handball Championship was the twelfth Asian Championship, which was taking place from 21 to 30 November 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. It acted as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2009 World Women's Handball Championship in China.


2008 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup
The 2008 Asian Women's Cup Volleyball Championship was the first women's volleyball tournament of its kind, this tournament that qualified for 4 Asian team to the FIVB World Grand Prix 2009, played by top eight teams of the 2007 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship from October 1 to October 7, 2008. Tournament was staged in MCC Hall Convention Center The Mall  Nakhon Ratchasima Shopping Mall, Thailand.


2008 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2007 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship.


2008 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup, Pools composition
Thailand (Host & 3rd) South Korea (4th) Chinese Taipei Vietnam


2008 Asian Wrestling Championships
The 2008 Asian Wrestling Championships were held in Jeju, South Korea. The event took place from March 18 to March 23, 2008.


2008 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship
The 2008 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship was held in Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka from 14 to 22 October 2008.


2008 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2007 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship.


2008 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
Sri Lanka (Host) China (3rd) Chinese Taipei Maldives Indonesia * Australia


2008 Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Championship
The 2008 Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Championship was held in PhilSports Arena, Manila, Philippines from 11 to 18 October 2008.


2008 Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Championship, Pools composition
The teams are seeded based on their final ranking at the 2007 Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Championship.


2008 Assam bombings
The 2008 Assam bombings occurred on 30 October 2008, before noon in markets in Guwahati city and the surrounding area of western Assam. Reports indicated as many as eighteen bombs went off, causing at least 81 deaths and 470 injuries.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks
Union Minister Shakeel Ahmed confirmed 10 blasts took place, however, reports did indicate the number could have been as high as eighteen. The blasts ripped apart Guwahati, Barpeta Road, Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks
The explosions in Guwahati ripped through Pan Bazar, Fancy Bazar and Ganeshguri, which were crowded with shoppers and office goers. Three blasts occurred in Kokrajhar, with another possible grenade explosion; one in Bongaigaon and two in Barpeta Road. Indian media outlets pointed out that the blasts took place just after the Diwali holidays making the blasts even more unexpected and adding to a toll count. The bomb at Ganeshguri was planted in a car and took place about 100 meters from Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi's official residence.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks
In Guwahati, 41 people were killed; in Kokrajhar, 21; and in Barpeta Road, 15. On 2 November, four more succumbed to their injuries here. Three died at Gauhati Medical College Hospital, while another died at the Basistha Army Hospital. Twenty others were also in a critical condition.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks
Police officials added that huge amounts of explosives like RDX or other plastic explosives, like C4, have been used as a fire erupted immediately following the blasts. Timers were also speculated to have been used to execute the blasts, which were seen with timing almost to perfection as the blasts took place within a short span of 15 minutes. It was further speculated after investigations were initiated, that motorbikes may have been used. However, Assam police chief RN Mathur also said most of the bombs were "planted in cars." In addition to the immediate casualty toll seven more people succumbed to their injuries overnight.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks, Follow up
On the same day a convoy of police cars in Assam came under fire from rebels resulting in seven police and three civilian casualties.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks, Consequences
A spontaneous bandh total shut down, was observed the next day at Kokrajhar on a call given by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Bajrang Dal, while schools and educational institutions also remained closed in Guwahati. Only a few shops in the capital were opened and vehicular traffic was thin with most people choosing to stay indoors.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks, Consequences
BJP leader L. K. Advani, who arrived in Assam on the same morning, visited the blast site near the Deputy Commissioner's office, where he also faced a group of angry lawyers who shouted slogans saying "Advani go back." He also visited the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and met the injured. The Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who was arrived later in the day, visited Kokrajhar and Barpeta. He also held a high-level meeting at the Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in the evening.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks, Consequences
Attendance in commercial areas where offices are located was thin, and in many areas shops and business establishments, particularly those in and around the blast sites remained closed. Few public transports were seen plying on the roads in the morning. The opposition Asom Gana Parishad observed a Black Day with all its leaders and cadres sporting black badges. Lawyers from both Gauhati High Court and the Sessions Court in Guwahati abstained from work and held protests outside the court premises.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks, Consequences
A curfew was again clamped on the worst-hit Ganeshguri in the afternoon after the initial curfew was relaxed the previous evening, as an angry mob braved tight security in the presence of the city SS and went on a rampage. The police then resorted to firing blanks, injuring at least five people in the ensuing melee. The leader of the opposition and former Deputy Prime Minister Advani visited the spot just minutes before the disturbance.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks, Consequences
On 1 November the prime minister was set to visit his home constituency to take the stock of the situation after the blasts. He would meet the Assam Governor Shiv Charan Mathur and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, as well as visit the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital to see the injured in the blasts.


2008 Assam bombings, Bomb attacks, Consequences
As a result of this blast, the biggest in Assamese history, CM Gogoi moved to recruit 4,000 more police personnel in all ranks to augment the strength of the police force to over 65,000 before the end of the year as part of Assam's counter-terrorism plan. He added the necessity of such a move was predicated by having experienced 605 bomb blasts in the last eight years, each of which caused significant devastation to life and property. He added that police and other security personnel had also recovered or defused more than 5,000 bombs and grenades.


2008 Assam bombings, Investigation
The Union home secretary, Madhukar Gupta, said a team of National Security Guards experts from New Delhi also visited the blast sites at Ganeshguri, the deputy commissioner's office and Fancy Bazaar. When asked about the nature of the explosives, he said forensic experts were already examining the blasts sites. In regards to more paramilitary forces, saying there were already enough forces deployed, he added: "We will retain them for some more time and probably not deploy them on poll duties (in six states)." A high-level team consisting of senior Home Ministry officials also visited Assam to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation arising out blasts.


2008 Assam bombings, Investigation
Police said they had picked up about a dozen suspects for interrogation within the first 24 hours. An official in the police department said: "We are making good headway in our investigations and should be able to zero in on the people or groups involved in the serial bombings." Two persons from Nagaon district were arrested in connection with the attacks. Asib Mohammed Nizami and Zulfikar Ali were the owners of two vehicles in which the bombs were planted in the Ganeshguri area of Guwahati and Bongaigaon.


2008 Assam bombings, Investigation
On 1 November, the army told the Prime Minister that it had previously intercepted a message from Calcutta one week before the incident that said: "Attack Guwahati." The army told the PM that had known about the impending terror strikes in the western Assam towns for six weeks and had tried to prevent them. Lt . Gen. B.S. Jaswal, of the GOC 4 Corps, told the PM the army had received "non-specific" information on 17 September about possible strikes in Guwahati, Barpeta Road and Kokrajhar.


2008 Assam bombings, Investigation
CM Gogoi, who heads Assam's unified command that includes the army, corroborated the message with Singh. In admitting such knowledge he added that the government did not anticipate the scale of the blasts. The government then also formed a special team, headed by the inspector-general of police (special task force), R. Chandranathan, to probe the blasts and issue a report within 30 days.


2008 Assam bombings, Investigation
Evidence emerged that a hit-team of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) executed the bombings in Assam. This undermined earlier claims of HuJI responsibility. Police were quoted as saying a text message sent to a local television station claiming responsibility for the bombings on behalf of the hitherto unknown Islamic Security Force-Indian Mujahideen turned out to be a hoax. Assam police investigators determined that two of the three Maruti 800s used as bombs were purchased by NDFB activists less than six weeks before the attacks.


2008 Assam bombings, Investigation
Interrogation of suspects linked to the fabrication of the car-bombs led investigators to believe that there were orders to initiate the operation by the NDFB founder-chief, Ranjan Daimary, as early as September. Daimary, believed to shuttle between Bangkok, Manila and Singapore, is said to have authorised the attacks to signal frustration with the lack of progress in talks between the NDFB and the Indian government. Following this, the Indian government decided to clamp down on the organization and other regional outfits. A ban on the NDFB, set to expire in 2008, was extended by two years. The Cabinet Committee on Security also decided to re-impose a ban on the outlawed ULFA, Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), however, it spared the ANVC.


2008 Assam bombings, Investigation
On 12 November, a Bhutanese man who lived in Nepal and fought against the monarchy was arrested for aiding the Assam attacks. Tenzing G. Zangpo, a senior leader of the Druk National Congress (DNC), a formation by Bhutanese exiles in Nepal, was picked up with the "home secretary" of the NDFB, Sabin Boro, from a rented house at Japorigog in Guwahati. An unknown source was quoted as saying, "After interrogation, both of them were arrested this morning on the charge of being part of the conspiracy behind October 30 blasts." The arrest attention from Bangladesh based forces to Bhutan for the first time since the probe was initiated. Police said the DNC claimed to be a political outfit opposing the alleged discrimination of Bhutanese people of Nepali origin by the monarchy since the 1990s.


2008 Assam bombings, Perpetrators
Union Minister Shakil Ahmed hinted that communal riots in Assam for the preceding several days could be inter-linked to the attacks. He said that the politics of hate was a plausible reason behind the attacks.


2008 Assam bombings, Perpetrators
Fresh evidence put forth by the Assam Police now suggests that the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) engineered the attacks based on orders issued by its founder and chief, Rajan Daimary, in September 2008.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Central reactions
Leader of the opposition, L. K. Advani, used the blasts to lambaste the ruling UPA-led government. He said: "I believe that these blasts are symbolic of the sense of insecurity in the country. This also proves the total failure of the government in combating terrorism", adding that it was likely that illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Assam, with an increasing influx of such immigrants, could be involved in the blasts.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Central reactions
The next day he came out again blaming illegal infiltration from Bangladesh as the main reason for the breeding of terrorism in Assam saying "I blame the state and the central government for the blasts in Assam." He continued to question the PM, "I ask the prime minister, who is elected from Assam, what his government has done after the Supreme Court's landmark judgment on the IMDT (Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunals) Act indicating the Government of India for having colluded with external aggression. The government only incorporated all those provisions in the struck down IMDT in the Foreigners Act, which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional." He also visited blast sites and met injured victims at the hospitals.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Central reactions
Union Minister of State for Home, Shriprakash Jaiswal, also condemned the blasts and added: "The blasts will have no impact on the forthcoming Assembly elections in Mizoram. The Home Ministry has asked for a report on the serial blasts from the Assam government." He claimed that due to the sincere efforts of the ruling central coalition government, incidents of terror in the northeastern sister states had gone down by as much as 50 per cent in the last four years.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Central reactions
The prime minister also strongly condemning the blasts and added that his government would take all possible steps to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. Along with the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, were set to visit Assam on 1 November. The day before Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, also arrived in Assam and visited blast sites in Kokrajhar and Guwahati, as well as holding a security meeting with the chief minister, and senior police and administrative officials. He said: "We shall nab the culprits involved in the blasts. Investigations are on and we should be able to come out with something concrete."


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Central reactions
Former Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee hinted at a call for greater national unity and what he termed a collective war on terror after the blasts.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Pan-Indian reactions
The Jharkhand government also came out strongly condemning the serial blasts, while having summoned a cabinet meeting in Ranchi for the next day to discuss the security situation in his region. Deputy Chief Minister, Sudhir Mahto, described the act as one of "cowardice" and said the state machinery had been alerted in Jharkhand following the incident.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Pan-Indian reactions
He added that he expressed confidence that the UPA government at the centre would initiate all necessary steps to rein in anti-national elements who are bent upon weakening the prevailing peace and tranquillity, while appealing to the central government to provide adequate compensation to the family members of the victims. While he also denied the fact that the militant activities were on the rise in the country at large during the rule of the UPA government, he expressed concern over the recent revelation that Hindu militants' were involved in the Malegaon incident.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Pan-Indian reactions
He said this by alluding to the fact that vested interests were keen on dividing the country by creating panic. Vigilance was also stepped up along the West Bengal border with Assam following the blasts. Additional security forces were rushed to assist in combing operations to track down those responsible for the blasts attempting to flee from Assam through the border with north Bengal. State's Home Secretary, Ashok Mohan Chakavarty, said an alert had been sounded across West Bengal, with security tightened in the capital city.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Pan-Indian reactions
Further security arrangements were under review, particularly in the border districts where check-posts have been set up. A senior police official in West Bengal said: "A special alert has been sounded in the region. Vehicles passing through the border with Assam are being checked." He added that surveillance had also been considerably tightened at West Bengal's international borders with Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, Pan-Indian reactions
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati, also strongly condemned the serial blasts, while demanding that the Prime Minister take effective measures to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, International reactions
U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who was in India at the time of the attack, issued a statement via a spokesman expressing his deep sorrow and sympathy to the government and people of India for the loss of life and destruction caused by the attacks. He also stated that he "strongly condemns this act of terrorism in its targeting of civilians", also declaring that there can be no justification for such indiscriminate violence.


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, International reactions
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev resolutely condemned the deadly blasts dubbing them as an "inhuman and monstrous" crime which cannot have any justification. In a message to Indian President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Singh, he expressed his indignation at the "barbarous" act and called for strict punishment for those responsible. He said: "I learnt with deep indignation about the series of coordinated terrorist acts in Assam, which led to the deaths of scores of innocent people. Such inhuman and monstrous in cruelty crime have no justification. Terrorists guilty of committing this barbarous act must be severely punished." The Russian Foreign Ministry also said: "The Foreign Ministry of Russia resolutely condemns the acts of terrorists. They have no and cannot have any justification. The criminals must be severely punished for their acts."


2008 Assam bombings, Reactions, International reactions
Bangladesh also strongly condemned the attack. Foreign adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury term the attack an act of "cowardly terrorism." Adding: "We strongly condemn the bomb blast in the North-Eastern India that led to so many deaths and injuries. It is a cowardly act of terrorism. Violence cannot be a tool for the achievement of political objectives."


2008 Assembly of Experts by-election in Tehran Province
A by-election was held on 14 March 2008 for the vacant seat of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran Province, caused by death of Ali Meshkini who held office as chairman of the assembly. It was held along with the 2008 Iranian legislative election.


2008 Assembly of Experts by-election in Tehran Province
The seat was won by conservative Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani, the secretary-General of Combatant Clergy Association, who was endorsed by Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom in addition to his own organization. The parliamentary electoral alliance United Front of Principlists also supported him.


2008 Assembly of Experts by-election in Tehran Province
The candidate supported by the reformists ended up in the third place.


2008 Assen Superbike World Championship round
The 2008 Assen Superbike World Championship round was the 4th round of the 2008 Superbike World Championship. It took place on the weekend of April 25–27, 2008, at the TT Circuit Assen located in Assen, Netherlands.


2008 Associates Tri-Series in Canada
The 2008 Associates Tri-Series in Canada was a One Day International cricket tournament held in Canada. The tri-series involved the national teams of Bermuda, Canada and West Indies.


2008 Associates Tri-Series in Kenya
The 2008 Associates Tri-Series in Kenya is a One Day International cricket tournament which was held in Kenya from October 17 to October 25, 2008. The tri-series involves the national teams of Ireland, Kenya and Zimbabwe.


2008 Associates Tri-Series in Scotland
A tri-series in Scotland took place between 1 July and 3 July involving New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland. On 1 July, New Zealand beat Ireland by 290 runs. This became a new world record for the biggest margin of victory by runs. The previous world record was India's 257 run drubbing of Bermuda in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.


2008 Astana season
The 2008 season for the Astana cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under and ended in October with the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTour team, they were automatically invited and obliged to attend every event in the UCI ProTour.