2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Screenplay
1. Mike Leigh – Happy-Go-Lucky2. Arnaud Desplechin and Emmanuel Bourdieu – A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noël)3. Charlie Kaufman – Synecdoche, New York


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Cinematography
1. Anthony Dod Mantle – Slumdog Millionaire2. Pin Bing Lee – Flight of the Red Balloon (Le voyage du ballon rouge)3. Wally Pfister – The Dark Knight4. Yu Lik-wai – Still Life (Sanxia haoren)


2008 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Non-Fiction Film
1. Man on Wire2. Trouble the Water3. Encounters at the End of the World


2008 National Union of Teachers strike
The NUT teacher strike was a 24-hour strike by teachers on 24 April 2008, over the issue of pay. It was the largest strike in Britain for more than 20 years. It is also believed that up to 8000 schools were affected by this strike. There was also a strike by the UCU, which is the teachers' trade union for further education, with over 1000 members of the UCU joining a march in London


2008 National Union of Teachers strike, Causes
Members of the NUT were unhappy with a 2.45% pay deal, which they had said would leave teachers worse off, due to the rising cost of living in Britain.


2008 National Winter Games of China
The 11th National Winter Games of the People's Republic of China were held in Qiqihar from the 17-Jan to the 27-Jan, 2008. The snow events were held at nearby Yabuli. A total of 92 gold medals were handed out in a number of winter sports.


2008 National Winter Games of China, Participating units
This event is set up on city or district lines.


2008 National Women's Open
The 2008 USASA National Women's Open was the 13th edition of the annual national soccer championship, with FC Indiana winning their second title, (their first being 2005,) making up for their loss in last year's final to Ajax America.


2008 National Women's Open, National Finals
Games played at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.


2008 National Year of Reading
The 2008 National Year of Reading was a year-long celebration of reading, in all its forms. It aimed to help build a greater national passion for reading in England – for children, families and adult learners alike.


2008 National Year of Reading
The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, joined the Prime Minister,  Gordon Brown, children, writers, and reading champions at 10 Downing Street on 8 January 2008. He called for every employer, school, library, college and local authority to get involved.


2008 National Year of Reading, Purpose
The year aimed to encourage people to read in businesses, homes, and communities around the country, providing new opportunities to read and helping people to access help and support through schools and libraries.


2008 National Year of Reading, Partners
The National Year of Reading was led by the National Literacy Trust,  and a consortium which comprises:


2008 National Year of Reading, Monthly themes
Activities in the National Year of Reading included the following themes:


2008 National Year of Reading, Monthly themes
• April: Read all about it! Links to newspapers and magazines; library membership campaign.


2008 National Year of Reading, Monthly themes
• May: Mind and Body. Reading and learning at work. The knock-on benefits of reading.


2008 National Year of Reading, Monthly themes
• August: Read the Game. The influence of sport and how this can help promote reading.


2008 National Year of Reading, Monthly themes
• September: You are what you read. Cultural, personal and local identity.


2008 National Year of Reading, Monthly themes
• October: Word of Mouth. Storytelling, reading out loud, reading together, reading aloud, live literature.


2008 National Year of Reading, Monthly themes
• November: Screen reads. Exploring the diversity of reading and writing; scripts, TV and films.


2008 National Year of Reading, Values
Shared values underpinned the consortium and sat at the heart of the year. These were:


2008 National Year of Reading, Legacy
The work of the 2008 National Year of Reading has been continued by the  campaign, run by the National Literacy Trust. See the National Literacy Trust Wikipedia page for more.


2008 Nations Cup (women's rugby union)
The Nations Cup tournament was played for the first time at Esher RFC, England, in August 2008. An Under-20 version also took place in Canada a month before.


2008 Nations Cup (women's rugby union)
This was the first of what is planned to be a regular tournament involving major Northern Hemisphere women's rugby nations. The first event was originally promoted as including England, USA, Canada, Wales and France - but by the time the match schedule was published only the first three nations had confirmed their participation. The U20 had similar withdrawals, being eventually limited to only Canada, England and Wales.


2008 Nations Cup (women's rugby union)
England dominated both tournaments, only being pushed close by the USA in the opening game of the senior tournament. The USA were unable to maintain this performance against Canada, however, losing their fourth successive international against their North American rivals (their worst run ever) to finish third overall. For Canada, despite the heavy defeat to England, runners-up spot confirmed their position in the top four of women's rugby.


2008 Nations Cup (women's rugby union), Under 20 Nations Cup 2008 (Appleby College, Oakville, Canada), Final Table, Points scoring
4 points awarded for a win, 2 points for a draw, no points for a loss. 1 bonus point awarded for scoring four or more tries and 1 bonus point for losing by less than 7 points.


2008 Nationwide Tour
The 2008 Nationwide Tour season ran from January 24 to November 9. The season consisted of 30 official money golf tournaments, five of which were played outside the United States. The top 25 players on the year-end money list earned their PGA Tour card for 2009.


2008 Nationwide Tour, Schedule
The table below shows the Nationwide Tour's 2008 schedule. The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number of wins on the Nationwide Tour including that event. No one accumulates many wins on the Nationwide Tour because success at this level soon leads to promotion to the PGA Tour.


2008 Nationwide Tour graduates
This is a list of players who graduated from the Nationwide Tour in 2008. The top 25 players on the Nationwide Tour's money list in 2008 earned their PGA Tour card for 2009.


2008 Nationwide Tour graduates
*PGA Tour rookie for 2009. T = Tied Green background indicates the player retained his PGA Tour card for 2010 (finished inside the top 125). Yellow background indicates the player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 2010, but retained conditional status (finished between 126–150). Red background indicates the player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 2010 (finished outside the top 150).


2008 Nauruan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on April 26, 2008, following the dissolving of Parliament by President Marcus Stephen on April 18. The decision came after what Stephen referred to as "months of political deadlock". Of the parliament's eighteen members, nine supported the Stephen government and nine were in opposition.


2008 Nauruan parliamentary election, Events leading to election
The deadlock had been exacerbated by a crisis between the President and the Speaker of Parliament, Opposition member David Adeang. On March 22, Adeang had called a Parliamentary session, allegedly without informing government ministers, who therefore did not attend. Opposition MPs, Adeang included, constituted a majority of legislators present, and passed a ruling outlawing dual citizenship for Members of Parliament. The ruling, if applied, would have affected senior Cabinet ministers Dr. Kieren Keke and Frederick Pitcher. Had they been compelled to resign from Parliament, the Opposition would have controlled a majority of seats in Parliament. The law was overturned as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and Adeang subsequently sought to suspend all pro-government MPs from Parliament, citing their allegedly "unruly behaviour". A week later, Stephen dissolved Parliament.


2008 Nauruan parliamentary election, Events leading to election
Two observers from the Pacific Islands Forum were present to monitor the election, at the request of the Nauruan government.


2008 Nauruan parliamentary election, Events leading to election
There were 65 candidates for the 18 seats, among whom were former Presidents Ludwig Scotty and René Harris.


2008 Nauruan parliamentary election, Results
All nine supporters of Stephen (Stephen himself, Kieren Keke, Mathew Batsiua, Roland Kun, Frederick Pitcher, Sprent Dabwido, former Speaker Riddell Akua, Dominic Tabuna and Rykers Solomon) were reelected, while three opposition MPs (former President René Harris, Cyril Buraman and Fabian Ribauw) lost their seats; the government claims it has thus won the election. Indeed, all three newly elected MPs joined the government and thereby ended the legislative deadlock. The new parliament was expected to hold its first session on 29 April 2008.


2008 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 2008 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an indepepentn during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by first-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo. He was promoted from the offensive line coach before the season, after his predecessor, Paul Johnson, accepted the head coaching position at Georgia Tech.


2008 Navy Midshipmen football team
The Midshipmen finished the regular season with an 8–4 record to attain bowl eligibility. Navy secured a berth in the inaugural EagleBank Bowl, which had a tie-in with the two independent military academies, the other being Army. The other tie-in was with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Due to a chaotic and closely contested season in the ACC, in the EagleBank Bowl, Navy ended up playing Wake Forest in a re-match of a regular season game, despite a statement in their contracting disallowing it. Unlike the earlier game, Navy lost the rematch against Wake Forest, 29–19.


2008 Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council election
The fourth election to the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council was held on 1 May 2008. It was preceded by the 2004 election and followed by the 2012 election. On the same day there were elections to the other 21 local authorities in Wales and community councils in Wales.


2008 Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council election, Overview
All council seats were up for election. These were the fourth elections held following local government reorganisation. Labour retained its majority.


2008 Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council election, Results, Baglan (three seats)
Councillors Hopkins and Richards had been elected as Ratepayers in 2004.


2008 Nebelhorn Trophy
The 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy took place between September 25 and 29, 2008 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. The compulsory dance was the Viennese Waltz. The competition held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany and is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.


2008 Nebelhorn Trophy
It is one of the first international senior competitions of the season. Skaters are entered by their respective national federations and compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The Fritz-Geiger-Memorial Trophy is presented to the team with the highest placements across all disciplines. In this year, it was awarded to the United States, with Canada coming in second and Germany coming in third.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team
The 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team was Mike Anderson's sixth year as head coach. The Cornhuskers played their home games at Hawks Field.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team, Preseason
Potential, Promise, Proven is the Huskers motto for the year. While 8 pitchers from 2007 left for the draft, the 2008 Cornhuskers team is the youngest for Mike Anderson with 15 newcomers plus 5 of last years redshirts. Nebraska plays 8 teams that made the 2007 NCAA tournament including 5 one seeds. The baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 by a vote of the league coaches with 36 points and no first place votes.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team, Rankings
* USA Today/ESPN did not release a poll after the first weekend of play.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Bo Pelini and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Before the season
Pelini returned to Nebraska as Head Coach after a previous one-year stint as Defensive Coordinator for Nebraska in 2003. At the conclusion of the 2003 season, Pelini was appointed as Interim Head Coach, following the firing of Frank Solich, for Nebraska's appearance in the Alamo Bowl against the Michigan State Spartans, a contest in which Nebraska triumphed 17–3, leaving Nebraska with a final AP Poll ranking of 19 and Coaches Poll ranking of 18. Despite this performance and significant fan support, Pelini was passed over as Solich's permanent replacement in favor of Bill Callahan. During Pelini's absence from Nebraska, he served as Co-Defensive Coordinator for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2004, and Defensive Coordinator for the LSU Tigers for 2005–2007  prior to his return to Nebraska following the dismissal of Callahan.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Western Michigan
Nebraska opened the season with expectations below average after finishing 5–7 in 2007. However, there was a buzz in the air as first year head coach Bo Pelini returned to Lincoln to improve a maligned defense and to re-energize the program. Nebraska played very well as the defense seemed much improved from 2007. LB Cody Glenn was the bright spot on defense and seemed to be in on almost every play. The offense continued to be as productive as usual with Joe Ganz at quarterback, en route to a 47–24 win.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, San José State
Nebraska came into its second game of the year with a little more certainty. San Jose State quickly put a stop to that. The Spartans marched all over Nebraska's defense on the first drive with Kyle Reed scoring on a 12-yard run. Nebraska scored two touchdowns to recapture the lead going into the second quarter. The game turned mostly defensive with San Jose State scoring field goals in the second and fourth quarters. After San Jose State's field goal in the fourth quarter, Niles Paul returned the kickoff 85 yards for a Nebraska touchdown. The return sparked the Cornhuskers as they scored three more touchdowns sealing the game.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, New Mexico State
Nebraska, entering the game 2–0, felt confident going against the New Mexico State Aggies who were playing their first game of the season. On their second drive, the Aggies went down the field with ease only to have their field goal kick blocked by Zach Potter. Nebraska's offense finally looked like it came together, scoring 35 points. The scoring included Marlon Lucky taking a toss and throwing it downfield to quarterback Joe Ganz and then Ganz running 33 yards on an option play.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Nebraska, 3–0, headed into the Virginia Tech game looking for a win over a ranked team in the first year of Bo Pelini's first year. Virginia Tech got on the board first, blocking a Dan Titchner punt for a safety. The Hokies controlled the game for most of the night, until senior Nate Swift returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Cornhuskers needed a big defensive stop and seemed to have got it on a 3rd down run by Tyrod Taylor.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Taylor was tackled out of bounds, but Nebraska defense tackle Ndamukong Suh appeared to have leaped on top of Taylor, prompting an official to throw a flag for a late hit. Bo Pelini, obviously upset, berated the official about the call until the official threw another flag for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Coach Pelini. The penalties put Virginia Tech near the end zone and continued the Hokies' drive, which resulted in Taylor scoring a touchdown to ice the game.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Missouri came into this game having not won in Lincoln since 1978. That streak was broken as the Tigers romped over Nebraska, scoring in bunches. Penalties were the biggest killers as the Cornhuskers had 14 of them for 101 yards.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas Tech
After being routed by Missouri, Nebraska was expecting more of the same against Texas Tech. Instead, they found themselves in the midst of a battle. Todd Peterson caught a touchdown pass with :29 left to tie the game at 31 forcing it into overtime. In overtime, the Red Raiders scored a touchdown but had their extra point blocked, opening the door for Nebraska to win. However, on 2nd down, Joe Ganz' pass was intercepted by cornerback Jamar Wall, ending the game. This was Nebraska's first overtime loss in school history.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Playing Iowa State was the trick for Nebraska to solve their three game losing streak. Nebraska roared to a 21–0 lead at halftime. Iowa State stifled Nebraska's offense for the third quarter and scored a touchdown of their own, but going into the fourth, Nebraska took back momentum, scoring twice to finish off the Cyclones.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Baylor
Nebraska let Baylor jump on them for a 20–17 lead going into the half. Nebraska came back from a halftime deficit for the first time since 2003, scoring 15 points in the third and fourth quarters including a safety and a 9-yard touchdown catch by Nate Swift, a catch that broke Johnny Rodgers' record for career catches.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Nebraska ran into an offensive explosion in Norman and in a matter of minutes was down 35–0. Three first-quarter turnovers doomed the Cornhuskers as Oklahoma capitalized on all of them. Nebraska fought through the circumstances to put up a respectable 28 points as the Cornhuskers looked to regroup.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
Nebraska vowed the start of a new season heading into this game, one that consisted of three games. Needing only one win to become bowl eligible, Nebraska played exceptional on a frigid day in Lincoln. Nebraska and Kansas went blow for blow until the fourth quarter when a 52-yard touchdown run by Roy Helu Jr. and a 2-yard touchdown catch by Ndamukong Suh opened up the game for Nebraska.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
Nebraska felt confident heading into Manhattan against Kansas Stae as lame-duck coach Ron Prince had never beaten them, nor had former Nebraska commit, Josh Freeman. Also, Nebraska's defense got their blackshirts back for the first time this season. Nebraska made a crucial mistake early allowing a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown. Barring that play and a long touchdown pass by Freeman, Nebraska played sparkling defense in the first half. Kansas State scored only twice more one on a methodical drive by backup Carson Coffmann and a kickoff return by Brandon Banks.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
Colorado came into this game fighting for bowl eligibility at 5–6. Nebraska had already secured a spot in a bowl game, but a win would help improve where they would be headed. Colorado would have none of it, taking an early 14–0 lead. Nebraska came back taking a 24–17 edge and was looking to add on going into the half. On a fake field goal play, holder Jake Wesch was supposed to flip it over his head and kicker Alex Henery was supposed to catch it and throw it, a play that was made against Kansas.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
This time, Colorado's Jimmy Smith picked off the flip in mid-air and returned it 58 yards to tie the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Nebraska trailed 31–30 and had the ball deep in the Buffalo's territory when Patrick Mahnke sacked Joe Ganz for a 15-yard loss, setting up a 4th & 25. It looked like Nebraska was out of Alex Henery's field goal range with the kick being 57 yards. Bo Pelini sent his kicker out anyway after Henery told him he could do it. With 1:55 left, he kicked the 57 yarder, giving Nebraska the 33–31 lead.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
On Colorado's next drive, Cody Hawkins pass was deflected by Zach Potter and intercepted by Ndamukong Suh who stiff armed Hawkins and rumbled 30 yards for a touchdown, icing the game at 40–31 and sending Colorado home with no bowl. Nebraska finished the regular season 8–4 and Big 12 North Co-Division Champions with Missouri.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Clemson
Nebraska defeated Clemson in a come-from-behind 26–21 finish at the 2009 Gator Bowl on January 1, 2009. All 21 of Clemson's points came following Nebraska turnovers. The outcome remained in doubt until the end, as Clemson marched from their own 23 to the Nebraska 10. With 1st and goal to go and about two minutes remaining on the clock, the Blackshirts made their stand, resulting in a 16-yard sack and three Clemson incomplete passes to seal the game. The game was played only days after head coach Bo Pelini and defensive coordinator Carl Pelini returned from their father's funeral in Ohio.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, After the season
The reputation of the Blackshirts, whose trademark black jerseys quietly disappeared during the disappointing 5–7 (2–6) 2007 season, was restored with emphasis during 2008 as the coveted black jerseys were once again distributed to defensive starters on November 11 following a key emotional win over the Kansas Jayhawks.


2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, After the season
The season concluded January 1, 2009 with a come-from-behind 26–21 Nebraska victory over the Clemson Tigers in the 2009 Gator Bowl. Nebraska finished as co-division Champions of the Big 12 North Division, with a final record of 9–4 (5–3). Head Coach Bo Pelini's overall career record improved to 10–4 (.714), 5–3 in conference, and 2–0 in bowl games. Pelini's 2008 regular season record of 9–4 was the highest among all 28 Division 1A teams with new head coaches and staffs that year.


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses
The 2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses took place on February 9, 2008, where 24 of the state's 31 convention delegates were chosen. Like he did throughout many other states that held caucuses instead of primaries, Barack Obama won the Nebraska Democratic Caucus by more than a two-to-one margin of victory over Hillary Clinton. On May 13, 2008, the state also held a non-binding primary election which Obama also won but the margin of victory was considerably smaller.


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
The Nebraska Democratic Caucus was open to all registered Democratic voters. Voters who were eligible to vote in the general election but were unregistered or registered with another party could register as Democrats at the caucus. Absentee votes for the disabled, those on active military duty, and full-time students were permitted.


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
After signing in, participants gathered into preference groups for each candidate. A minimum 15 percent of participants was required for viability. Only members of non-viable groups were permitted to realign to other viable groups. Afterwards, delegates were divided and elected to the county conventions in June.


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
The primary election held on May 13 was not binding on any county delegates, all of whom had been selected at the caucuses. However, it may have played a role in showing superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention the preference of Nebraska Democrats.


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
County delegates were committed to vote in the county conventions for the candidate they had supported during the caucuses. However, the same viability rules applied as at the precinct caucuses. The county conventions elected delegates to the Nebraska Democratic Party State Convention which took place June 20–22, who then elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention. The State Convention chose eight delegates pledged to Clinton and 16 pledged to Obama, the same number as the estimates following the main caucuses.


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Results, Precinct Caucus Results
Caucus Date: February 9, 2008National Pledged Delegates Determined: 16 (of 24)


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Results, Primary
The Nebraska Democratic Party does not use the results of the primary to determine its delegates.


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Results, Primary
Primary Date: May 13, 2008National Pledged Delegates Determined: 0 (of 24)


2008 Nebraska Democratic presidential caucuses, Analysis
Barack Obama performed extremely well throughout the state of Nebraska in the caucus, winning a majority of counties. His large margin of victory can be attributed to his overwhelming wins in Douglas County, which contains Omaha, where he won with 77.12 percent of the vote, as well as in Lancaster County, which contains the state capital of Lincoln and is home to the University of Nebraska. Most of Clinton's wins in the state came in the far more rural counties in Western Nebraska. However, during the non-binding primary, Clinton carried almost every county in Nebraska except for Douglas and Lancaster counties which gave Obama the edge and narrow victory.


2008 Nebraska Republican presidential primary
The 2008 Nebraska Republican presidential primary took place on May 13, 2008. John McCain won the primary, although he had secured his party's nomination weeks before the election through his performance in earlier primary contests.


2008 Nebraska Republican presidential primary
Nebraska's primary was non-binding and only indicated Republican voters' preference for President. Nebraska Republicans' State Convention ultimately chose the delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention, who formally nominated the Republican candidate for the Presidency. The State Convention took place on July 12. Delegates to the state convention were elected at county conventions held between the first and tenth of June. Predictably, nearly all of the delegates chosen by the state convention were McCain supporters, although "at least one" delegate was a supporter of Ron Paul.


2008 Nedbank Cup
Nedbank Cup is a South African club football (soccer) tournament. The knockout tournament, based on the English FA Cup format, was one of a weak opponent facing a stronger one. The competition was sponsored by ABSA until 2007, after which Nedbank took over sponsorship.


2008 Nedbank Cup, Format
The 16 Premier Soccer League clubs, 8 National First Division teams, as well as 8 teams from the amateur ranks compete for the prize money of R6 million. The winner also qualifies for the CAF Confederation Cup.


2008 Nedbank Cup, Format
The teams are not seeded at any stage, and the first 16 sides drawn out of the hat receive a home-ground advantage. There are no longer any replays in the tournament, and any games which end in a draw after 90 minutes are subject to 30 minutes extra time followed by penalties if necessary.


2008 Nedbank Cup, Teams
The 32 teams competing in the Nedbank Cup competition are: (listed according to the league that they are playing in).


2008 Negele Boran bombings
The 2008 Ethiopia Negele Boran bombings were two bombings on the night of 28 May 2008 at two hotels in the town of Negele Boran in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia which killed 3 and injured 5. The two bombs were detonated 3 minutes apart: the first exploded in the Kidane Mihret Hotel and the second in the Shuferoch hotel, just a few yards away.


2008 Negele Boran bombings
This attack occurred on the 17th anniversary of Meles Zenawis overthrow of Mengistu Haile Mariams former military government, the Derg. Although the Ethiopian government has not officially confirmed the perpetrators, a Mogadishu-based Somali radio station, Radio Shebelle, broadcast a statement by the leader of a Somali militant group, which said the explosions were aimed at "the Ethiopians, the enemy of Islam".


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election
Constituent Assembly elections were held in Nepal on 10 April 2008, having been postponed from earlier dates of 7 June 2007 and 22 November 2007. The Constituent Assembly was planned to draft a new constitution and therefore decide, amongst other things, on the issue of federalism. The number of eligible voters was around 17.5 million. The Constituent Assembly was originally set to have a term of two years.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN (M)), placed first in the election with 220 out of 575 elected seats, and became the largest party in the Constituent Assembly. It was followed by the Nepali Congress with 110 seats and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) with 103 seats. After months of power-sharing discussions and deliberations, CPN (M) Chairman Prachanda was elected as Prime Minister in August 2008. Due to its failure in drafting a new constitution, the CA was dissolved on 28 May 2012 after its original and extended total tenure of 4 years.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
The Election Constituency Delimitation Commission recommended the following number and distribution of seats: 335 members would be elected through a proportionate electoral system, 240 members through election in constituencies and 17 on recommendation by the Council of Ministers.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
The first delay for holding the assembly occurred due to the lack of preparation on behalf of the Election Commission as well as the seven parties that were at the helm of the government. The second delay, on 5 October 2007, occurred because the Maoists demanded that a republic be declared before the election and that a fully proportional system be used in the election instead of a mixed system. A compromise was agreed to on 4 November: the election would use a fully proportional system, but the republic would only be declared immediately after the Constituent Assembly election.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
On 4 November, most parties in the interim parliament voted in favour of a Maoist proposal calling for a fully proportional election system. However, an absolute majority could not be achieved because the then largest party in the parliament, Nepali Congress, vehemently opposed the idea. Later, the problem was resolved when all of the parties agreed to an election where 60% of the elected seats would be allocated by the proportional system, and the remaining 40% by the direct system of election.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
On 15 December, the government considered an amendment to the constitution. This amendment moved the deadline for Constituent Assembly elections from 15 December 2007 to 12 April 2008, and changed the membership of the Constituent Assembly: the seats for the proportional representation system were increased to 335 and the members nominated by the prime minister were increased to 26 from 17. As specified in the Election to Members of the Constituent Assembly Act (2007), party list representation will be calculated using a result divisor method, the Sainte-Laguë method.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
The seats for first-past-the-post elections remained at 240, making the total number 601 seats instead of the earlier 497. The word "republic" was also included, but will have to be confirmed by the Constituent Assembly. The agreement was officially adopted on 23 December 2007 by the government and the Maoists stated they would rejoin the government shortly. The interim parliament approved the deal on 28 December, with 270 in favor and three opposed.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
The Election Commission gave the parties which wished to register for the polls a new deadline of 14 January 2008; parties which had previously registered did not have to re-register. On 11 January, the Cabinet decided to hold the election on 10 April.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
Ahead of the election, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal party sought to form a front of royalist parties. Another monarchist alliance, Samyukta Samabeshi Morcha, was also formed before the election.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
An estimated 60% of the 17.6 million voters cast ballots, many of them lining up before dawn outside the 20,000 polling stations. The election of the 601-seat Constituent Assembly to write a new constitution was touted as the cornerstone of a 2006 peace deal struck with the Maoists-rebels, ending the Nepali Civil War in 2006 that forced Nepal's king Gyanendra to cede power, which he had seized in the year 2005. The election held great symbolic value for many in the impoverished Himalayan nation, where 60% of the 27 million people are under age 35 and many voted for the first time.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
The Maoists left the interim government on 18 September 2007, citing the non-fulfillment of their demands (which included declaration of a republic before the elections). They stated they would launch street protests in favour of a republic and to ensure the elections will be held, but would also keep to the ceasefire. The Prime Minister stated that declaring a republic through the interim parliament would lack legitimacy. According to some analysts, the Maoists were worried that they lack support and were trying to avoid suffering an embarrassing election defeat at the polls.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
On 26 September 2007, the Nepali Congress abandoned its tacit support for a constitutional monarchy and called on the Constituent Assembly to call for the monarch's abdication. The nomination deadline was extended on 30 September 2007 upon the request of the Seven Party Alliance.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
The United Nations Security Council on 26 October 2007 called for the election to be held before the end of 2007.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
An agreement with the United Democratic Madhesi Front was reached on 28 February 2008, thus ending their general strike. The agreement also included a provision increasing the proportion of seats reserved for the Madhesi minority from 20% to 30%.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Background
Furthermore, the parties were allowed to file for the election with an additional deadline set; the constituent parties of the United Madhesi Democratic Front (Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum, Tarai-Madhesh Loktantrik Party, Sadbhavana Party) did so, as well as some others (including the Anandisingh Devi-led NSP(A), Nepal Samyabadi Dal, Rastriya Janashakti Party – who had stated they would boycott the election unless the Madhesi issue was resolved –, Nawa Janabadi Morcha, Nepali Rastriya Janabhavana Party, Rastriya Bikas Party and Rastrabadi Yuba Morcha).


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Shortly before the election, Rishi Prasad Sharma, a CPN-UML candidate in Jahare Bazar town in Surket district, was killed, and the election there was delayed; another person was shot and killed by police during protests regarding Sharma's death. A Congress party rally on 7 April was attacked with a bomb; a bomb also went off near the UN mission in Kathmandu. On 8 April, police killed six Maoists who were engaged in clashes with Congress supporters in Dang district. Prachanda met with Koirala and emphasized the need to "show restraint and have a fair and free election". Gyanendra called "upon all adult citizens to exercise their democratic right in a free and fair environment".


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
About 135,000 police troops were deployed to provide security for the election, and there were about 20,000 polling stations. Travel and the sale of alcohol were banned while the election was held. On election day, Maoists reportedly tried to seize a polling station in Galkot and then set fire to it; 15 attackers were said to have been arrested. The Maoist leadership said that it was investigating this and that it was not trying to interfere with the election or disrupt it. In Chitwan district, "scuffles among party representatives" led to the suspension of voting at three polling stations. In Janukpur, a candidate was fired upon but was not injured; in Sarlahi district, an independent candidate was shot and killed. An activist was killed in clashes in Sunsari district. Despite such incidents, the election was deemed generally peaceful although held in a 'general atmosphere of fear and intimidation.'


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Although voting was called off at 33 polling stations, the overall national voter turnout stood approximately at 60%. In many places, there was applause at the beginning and ending of voting.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
On 12 April 2008, it was reported that the CPN (M) had won in three of the five constituencies where vote-counting had been completed. The Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) each won one constituency. Early results also appeared favorable to the CPN (M) in 55 other constituencies where counting was continuing. A complete count in all 240 constituencies was expected to take several weeks.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Results from later on the same date showed that CPN (M) has won five of the seven declared seats, and was leading in 56 of the other 102 currently being counted; it was noted that the CPN (M) were more successful than analysts expected, as they were believed to be likely to come only in third place.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Polls were ordered to be repeated in at least 60 polling stations across 16 constituencies and 10 districts, though that number is likely to increase. The numbers were announced to have increased to 98 polling stations, 21 constituencies, 12 districts on 14 April 2008.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
With the CPN (M) appearing to have won the election, Prachanda pledged that the party would work together with other parties in crafting the new constitution, and he assured the international community, particularly India and China, that the party wanted good relations and cooperation. He also said that the party had expressed its commitment to multi-party democracy through the election and that it would be faithful to its mandate from the people "to consolidate lasting peace".


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Gyanendra expressed satisfaction at "the enthusiastic participation of the Nepali people" in the election.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Results from 17 April 2008 showed CPN (M) winning 116 seats, CPN (UML) 31 seats and the Nepali Congress 32 seats of the 218 seats declared so far.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
As of 17 April 26 women have secured seats in the new assembly, 22 from the CPN (M), one from the Nepali Congress, two from the Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum, Nepal and one from Tarai-Madhesh Loktantrik Party.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Pro -monarchy politician Rudra Bahadur from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, who had failed to be elected in his constituency, was found murdered on 18 April 2008 in his home. Around the same time, Prachanda stated that he would "take the initiative to talk to the king in person" in hopes of convincing him to abdicate; he said that, after leaving the throne, Gyanendra could still live in Nepal and remain involved in business.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
The CPN (M) won a plurality of seats in the election: 220 out of 575 (the remaining 26 members are to be chosen by the government formed after the election), with 120 seats through first-past-the-post constituencies and 100 through proportional representation. The party has said that, because it won more seats than any other party, it is entitled to lead the government.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Election
Communist Party of Nepal (United) list MP Sunil Babu Pant is the first openly gay MP elected in Nepal.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Opening of the Constituent Assembly, declaration of the Republic
The official and final list of members elected under the PR system was released on 8 May 2008; this meant the first meeting of the CA (which has to be held within 21 days of the publication of the final result) would be held before the end of May 2008. On 12 May 2008, it was announced that the first session of the CA would be held on 28 May 2008. The members of the CA were sworn in on 27 May 2008.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Opening of the Constituent Assembly, declaration of the Republic
At the first session of the Constituent Assembly on 28 May, it voted to declare Nepal a federal democratic republic, thereby abolishing the monarchy. 564 members of the Constituent Assembly voted on this motion, with 560 in favor and four opposed. Of all the parties represented in the Constituent Assembly, only the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal (RPP-Nepal) opposed the motion. Koirala said that Nepal was entering a new era and that "the nation's dream has come true", while celebrations took place in Kathmandu; 29 and 30 May were declared to be public holidays by the government. The Constituent Assembly also decided that Gyanendra should leave the Narayanhity Palace within 15 days.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Opening of the Constituent Assembly, declaration of the Republic
Earlier on 28 May, the major parties agreed on the creation of the position of president, while the prime minister was to hold executive powers; however, they reached no agreement on exactly what powers the President should have or who should become president, and these deliberations led to a delay in the opening of the constituent assembly.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Opening of the Constituent Assembly, declaration of the Republic
On 29 May, the royal standard was removed from Narayanhity Palace and replaced with the national flag. Gyanendra reportedly said on 2 June that he accepted the Constituent Assembly's decision.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
13 parties, including the CPN (M), the NC, and the CPN (UML), met at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction on 1 June; no agreement was reached regarding power arrangements. The CPN (M) pressed its demand for both the positions of President and Prime Minister, but the NC and CPN (UML) were unwilling to accept this. The NC wanted these positions to be chosen through a simple majority vote in the Constituent Assembly.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Addressing a rally in Gorkha district on 1 June, Prachanda gave Koirala an ultimatum to present his resignation to the Constituent Assembly within two or three days, warning that if he failed to do so, the Maoist members of the government would resign and the party would lead street protests.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
After Gyanendra requested that the government make arrangements for his residence on 1 June, the government decided on 4 June to give another palace, the Nagarjuna Palace, to Gyanendra.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Also on 4 June, Prachanda and Koirala met; at this meeting Prachanda demanded that the government step aside by 5 June and again threatened street protests On the same day, the three main parties held a meeting at which they again failed to reach an agreement, but the parties agreed on the need for a few more days and the CPN (M) postponed its deadline for the government to step aside to allow for this period.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
On 5 June, the CPN (M) softened its position, deciding at a meeting of its Central Secretariat that it would not press its claim to the presidency and that it would instead favor having a member of civil society become president. The party expressed continued opposition to a proposal that would allow the Prime Minister to be dismissed by a simple majority vote of the Constituent Assembly.< Despite the Maoist desire to have a neutral figure as president, the Nepali Congress proposed Koirala for the position.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
The Constituent Assembly held its second sitting on 5 June; due to the three major parties' deadlock, this sitting was very brief, lasting less than a half-hour, and took no major decisions.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
On 11 June, Gyanendra gave a brief press conference at Narayanhiti, stating his acceptance of the republic and promising cooperation. He also said that he intended to stay in Nepal, asserted that he held no property outside of Nepal, and expressed his hope that he would be allowed to keep his property. He left Narayanhiti on the same evening and went to his new residence at Nagarjuna.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Shortly after another meeting between Prachanda and Koirala, the CPN (M) ministers announced their resignations and sent a joint resignation letter to Prachanda on 12 June. According to the CPN (M) Minister for Local Development, Dev Gurung, the purpose of the resignations was to "accelerate the process of formation of a new government and bring an end to the current transitional period". However, some considered the resignations to be a means of increasing pressure on Koirala. The resignations were not immediately submitted to Koirala by the CPN (M), and therefore were not made effective. Gurung said that he expected a coalition government to be formed by 18 June.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Also on 12 June, CPN (UML) General Secretary Jhal Nath Khanal asserted that a member of his party should become president. On 14 June he blamed the CPN (M) for the deadlock. At a meeting with Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) General Secretary C. P. Mainali on 14 June, Koirala stressed the importance of power-sharing according to the popular mandate and consensus.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Mainali expressed the view that the Maoists should be allowed to lead the government, while the post of President should go to someone from the Nepali Congress and the post of Chairman of the Constituent Assembly should go to someone from the CPN (UML). Meanwhile, Prachanda rejected the possibility of Koirala becoming president, saying that this would be a "dishonour to the people's mandate"; he also expressed concern that having Koirala as president could cause the development of a separate power center from the government, in addition to noting Koirala's advanced age and health problems. Prachanda said that the President should come from a smaller party rather than from the Nepali Congress or the CPN (UML).


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Koirala said on 15 June that he would not "run around pleading" for the presidency. Prachanda, meanwhile, said that he expected the new government to be formed imminently, calling on other parties to support this and warning that anyone contravening the people's mandate would have a "heavy price" to pay. Another meeting of the three main parties on 16 June ended in continued disagreement on the key issues, and the CPN (M) said that it would submit the resignations of its ministers to Koirala if the next meeting on 17 June did not produce an agreement.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
CPN (UML) General Secretary Khanal said on 17 June that it was important for the left-wing parties to work together. While saying that the CPN (UML) and the CPN (M) would cooperate in the future, he noted that it would be necessary for the parties to improve their difficult relationship. The CPN (M) Central Secretariat met on the same day and approved the decision to hold firm on the key issues and for its ministers to resign if an agreement was not reached later in the day. The party chose to support Ramraja Prasad Singh for the presidency.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Upendra Yadav, the Coordinator of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, also said on 17 June that his party would not participate in the government and would instead be an opposition party, and he stressed the importance of cooperation among the Madhesi parties. Although he criticized the three main parties for focusing on their power struggle, he endorsed the Maoist claim to lead the government, while asserting that some of the key portfolios should be given to other parties.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
The Constituent Assembly went into indefinite recess on 18 June. The three main parties continued their discussions on that day, but did not reach an agreement. However, CPN (M) spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said that they were getting closer to an agreement, and he said that the party had postponed its deadline to 19 June.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
On 19 June, the three main parties reached an agreement providing for a constitutional amendment that would enable a government to be formed or dismissed by a simple majority vote of the Constituent Assembly, rather than the previously required two-thirds majority vote. An agreement was also concluded on the issue of integrating Maoist fighters into the national army. However, the parties did not yet agree on a way to resolve the question of power-sharing. Later that day, the Seven-Party Alliance held a meeting at which Koirala said that he was prepared to resign at any time.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
The CPN (M) and the CPN (UML) leadership met early on 20 June, and afterwards Khanal said that the CPN (M) had "responded positively" to the CPN (UML)'s proposal to have someone from the CPN (UML) as president. A leading member of the CPN (UML) said that the two parties had agreed on the candidacy of Madhav Kumar Nepal, the former General Secretary of the CPN (UML).


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
However, a leading member of the CPN (M) disputed this, saying that the two parties were closer to an agreement but that their party had not agreed to support a CPN (UML) candidate; he said that both Nepal and Sahana Pradhan (whose name was proposed by the CPN (M)) had been discussed as candidates.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NFIN) met with Koirala on 20 June, seeking a recommendation that indigenous peoples not already represented in the Constituent Assembly be included in it through the 26 nominated seats. Koirala, who was supportive of the NFIN's request, also sharply criticized his rivals on this occasion, saying that they were practicing petty politics and were not respecting the people's mandate to work on a consensus basis. The Maoist ministers submitted their joint resignation at a meeting of the seven parties on 20 June.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress said on 24 June that the CPN (M) was responsible for the deadlock and claimed that it was working to divide the Seven-Party Alliance. He also said that Koirala would resign after the election of a President and that the CPN (M) had no authority to demand his resignation before then. Also on 24 June, the seven parties agreed on the introduction of a constitutional amendment providing for the election of a President and the formation of a government through simple majority votes.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
There was, however, disagreement over the Nepali Congress proposal to include a member of the opposition on the National Security Council; the CPN (M) and the CPN (UML) described this as undemocratic. There was also a proposal to include members of each of the seven parties on the National Security Council. Despite the failure to agree about the opposition's inclusion on the National Security Council, it was agreed to give the opposition a place on the Constitutional Council. The parties also reached agreement on a number of issues related to peace, disarmament and reintegration.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Power-sharing discussions
A decision was also reached with to divide the 26 nominated seats in the Constituent Assembly between nine parties: the CPN (M) was to receive nine of these seats, while the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML) would each receive five, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum would receive two, and the Sadbhavana Party, the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, Janamorcha Nepal, and the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist would each receive one nominated seat.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
The Council of Ministers approved the constitutional amendment late on 25 June. At a meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 26 June, Koirala announced his resignation, although it will not be finalized until after the election of a President, to whom the resignation must be submitted. Although it was expected that the constitutional amendment would be approved at the same meeting, it was not introduced after Madhesi members of the Constituent Assembly demanded that the amendment be expanded to incorporate a March 2008 agreement between the Madhesis and the government that provided for Madhesi autonomy, among other things.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
As a result of this, the Constituent Assembly meeting was suspended until 28 June. After meeting with Koirala on 27 June, Hridayesh Tripathy of the Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) said that Koirala was in favor of incorporating the Madhesi agreement into the amendment and that he asked the Madhesis not to disrupt the Constituent Assembly again.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
On 28 June, the seven parties met to discuss the Madhesi demands; although no decision was reached, all of the parties opposed the Madhesi demand for a single province. The Constituent Assembly met later that day and was again disrupted by representatives of the Madhesi parties, forcing the cancellation of the meeting after only a few minutes. The next Constituent Assembly meeting on 29 June was also disrupted by the Madhesis and was cancelled.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
Jaya Prakash Gupta, a leading figure in the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), also warned on 29 June that the Madhesi parties would "not only obstruct the Constituent Assembly but also paralyse the entire nation to force [the seven parties] to meet our demands." Prachanda, in an interview on 30 June, expressed frustration with the Madhesi parties' disruption, which occurred just after Koirala's resignation, when it appeared the road to forming a new government was clear. He said that he favored Madhesi autonomy, but opposed their demand for all of Terai to become one Madhesi province. Khanal, the CPN (UML) General Secretary, flatly rejected the demand for a single Madhesi province, condemning it as "a game to disintegrate the nation". He said that the demand ignored the wishes of other ethnic groups in the Terai.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
The Constituent Assembly met on 30 June but was again disrupted by the Madhesis and the meeting was cancelled. The three main parties reached an agreement with the three Madhesi parties, the MJF, the TMLP, and the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, on 1 July, providing for a supplementary amendment bill that would meet the Madhesi demands. Another meeting of the Constituent Assembly was disrupted by the Madhesis and aborted on 2 July, while the CPN (M), Nepali Congress, and CPN (UML) met to decide the draft text of the supplementary amendment bill.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
The CPN (M) and MJF met on 3 July, and the CPN (M) agreed to include a reference to Madhesi autonomy in the bill, while also saying that it wanted the bill to mention other indigenous groups' desire for autonomy. 13 small parties in the Constituent Assembly said on 3 July that they were completely opposed to the Madhesi demand for a single autonomous province, and they criticized the larger parties for the political deadlock that prevented discussion of the issues from taking place in the Constituent Assembly.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
Sessions of the Constituent Assembly were attempted on 3 and 4 July, but both were immediately disrupted by the Madhesi members and were aborted. On the latter occasion, Kul Bahadur Gurung, who chaired the session, urged the Madhesi members to respect the right of other members to be heard, but they ignored him. On 4 July, the CPN (M), Nepali Congress, and CPN (UML) agreed on a draft supplementary amendment bill intended to satisfy the Madhesi demands.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
The draft requires the State Restructuring Commission to consider the March 2008 agreement between the government and the Madhesis when drawing up Nepal's federal structure. A meeting of the Seven Party Alliance followed the three-party agreement, and at this meeting, the People's Front Nepal, United Left Front, and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party objected to the draft, saying that it would endanger national unity. The cabinet approved the bill late on 4 July; at the same time, it decided to nominate the 26 remaining members of the Constituent Assembly, dividing the seats between nine parties in accordance with the parties' earlier agreement and the lists of names they presented.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
The Madhesi parties quickly deemed the supplementary amendment bill to be an unacceptable "betrayal". Khanal, the CPN (UML) General Secretary, said that the bill should satisfy the Madhesi demands, and he warned that opposition to the bill would not be in Madhesi interests or in the interests of any of the peoples of Terai. He called on the Madhesi members to make proposals and engage in discussion in the Constituent Assembly instead of disrupting it.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
On 6 July, at a meeting between the three main parties and the Madhesi parties, the former agreed to formulate a new bill to replace the one agreed upon two days prior, while the latter agreed to stop disrupting the Constituent Assembly. 23 of the 26 nominated members of the Constituent Assembly were sworn in on 7 July; the remaining three were unable to attend the swearing in ceremony. On 8 July, the Seven Party Alliance, with the exception of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, agreed on the content of a new draft bill, according to which federal structures would be created in line with the wishes of the Madhesis and other ethnic groups.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
The Constituent Assembly was able to meet and function on 9 July, for the first time since the Madhesis began pressing their demands on 26 June. Although they did not disrupt the Constituent Assembly on this occasion, the three Madhesi parties furiously condemned the proposed bill and vowed that their struggle would continue. During the Constituent Assembly meeting, they submitted a protest notice, and when this was rejected, they chose to boycott the Constituent Assembly's proceedings. Narendra Bikram Nemwang, the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, tabled the bill regardless.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
Koirala said on 11 July that forming a government was the responsibility of the CPN (M). However, the CPN (M) criticized the Nepali Congress on 12 July for "obstructing the process [of forming a government] for the past three months". To protest the amendment bill, the Madhesi parties boycotted the Constituent Assembly meeting held on 13 July, at which the amendment bill was considered. The bill was passed on the same day; 442 members of the Constituent Assembly voted for the amendment and seven voted against it. It thus became the interim constitution's Fifth Amendment.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Resignation of Koirala, Madhesi demands
The amendment allows for the formation of a government based on a Constituent Assembly majority; it also allows the President, vice-president, Chairman of the Constituent Assembly, and the Deputy Chairman of the Constituent Assembly to be elected by majority vote if there is no consensus. In addition, the amendment provides for the Leader of the Opposition to become a member of the Constitutional Council; however, the Constituent Assembly rejected a proposal from the cabinet that the Leader of the Opposition be included on the National Defense Council.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Presidential and vice-presidential elections
In a meeting with the Nepali Congress on 14 July, the CPN (M) urged it to participate in the new government. A Nepali Congress leader replied that the party had still not decided whether to participate.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Presidential and vice-presidential elections
On 15 July the date of the presidential election was set for 19 July, while the CPN (UML) and CPN (M) failed to reach an agreement on a presidential candidate; despite the CPN (M)'s agreement to support a CPN (UML) candidate for president, it balked at the CPN (UML)'s choice of Madhav Kumar Nepal, saying that the President should be from the Terai, female, or a Janajati. In a meeting with the CPN (M) on the same day, the Nepali Congress proposed Koirala's presidential candidacy, but the CPN (M) again said that it would not support his candidacy. The CPN (M) proposed the candidacy of Ram Raja Prasad Singh on 17 July, upsetting the cooperation between the CPN (M) and CPN (UML).


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Presidential and vice-presidential elections
The Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), and the MJF agreed on the morning of 19 July to back one another's candidates for the positions of President, vice-president, and Chairman of the Constituent Assembly, with each of the parties receiving one of the three posts. The Nepali Congress put forward Ram Baran Yadav for the presidency, while the MJF put forward Parmanand Jha for the vice-presidency; a CPN (UML) candidate was to become Chairman of the Constituent Assembly.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Presidential and vice-presidential elections
The MJF refused to back Singh, the CPN (M) candidate for the presidency, because the CPN (M) was unwilling to support the MJF candidate for the vice-presidency. In the presidential vote held later on 19 July, neither Singh nor Yadav received the necessary 298 votes, with Singh receiving 270 and Yadav receiving 283. As a result, a second round was scheduled for 21 July. In the vice-presidential vote, also held on 19 July, MJF candidate Jha was elected with 305 votes, while CPN (M) candidate Shanta Shrestha received 243 votes.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Presidential and vice-presidential elections
The Nepali Congress said on 20 July that the newly formed three-party alliance was not intended to form a government.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Presidential and vice-presidential elections
In the second round presidential vote held in the Constituent Assembly on 21 July, Ram Baran Yadav—supported by the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), and MJF—was elected as the first President of Nepal, receiving 308 out of 590 votes and defeating CPN (M) candidate Ram Raja Prasad Singh, who received 282 votes. Earlier, during the vice-presidential election and the first round of the presidential election, the CPN (M) had threatened to refuse to form a government if their choice for the presidency did not succeed as they feared that certain electoral pledges such as land reform would not able to pass. Yadav was sworn in on 23 July 2008], and accepted Koirala submitted his resignation to Yadav later on the same day.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Beginning of the CA's work
The newly formed alliance agreed to support CPN(UML) member Subash Chandra Nemwang as Chairman of the Constituent Assembly, and he was elected to that post without opposition on 23 July 2008. Subsequently, the CPN (M) announced they would still be willing to form the government, provided the other parties would guarantee three points:


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Beginning of the CA's work
In the subsequent vote for Prime Minister, held in the Constituent Assembly on 15 August 2008, Prachanda was the CPN (M) candidate and was backed by the CPN (M)'s alliance partners, the CPN (UML) and the MPRF. A total of 20 parties supported Prachanda. The Nepali Congress presented Sher Bahadur Deuba as its candidate, but Prachanda won the vote overwhelmingly, receiving 464 votes against 113 votes for Deuba. 577 members of the Constituent Assembly took part in the vote. Yadav congratulated Prachanda and invited him to be sworn in on 18 August. The three alliance partners held discussions regarding the composition of the new Cabinet and agreed that it should include 24 portfolios. The parties had already agreed that the CPN (M) would hold nine portfolios, the CPN (UML) would hold six, and the MPRF would hold four.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Beginning of the CA's work
Prachanda was sworn in by Yadav at the President's office on 18 August. In swearing the oath of office, he altered it slightly, taking the oath "in the name of the people" rather than "in the name of God". Among the politicians and dignitaries present were Vice-president Jha, Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nemwang, and Deuba; Koirala was not present. The Indian and U.S. ambassadors congratulated Prachanda on this occasion.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Beginning of the CA's work
Eight members of the Cabinet—four from the CPN (M) and four from the MJF—were sworn in on 22 August. The CPN (UML) ministers were not sworn in on this occasion; they refused to take the oath due to an unfulfilled demand that the party receive the second-ranking position in the Cabinet.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Parties
Notably, the Nepali Congress and Nepali Congress (Democratic) merged prior to the elections on 25 September 2007.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Parties
The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Centre), which had registered itself ahead of the elections and which held 1 MP, has merged into the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Parties
On the day before the filing deadline, the Rastriya Janashakti Party announced it would boycott the election, citing the fact that the government "ignored the worsening situation in the Terai plans". The Green Nepal Party had earlier also announced a boycott, demanding that a neutral caretaker government supervise the polls.


2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Parties
Of the 74 registered political parties, 38 submitted closed candidate lists for the proportional representation by the deadline of 20 February 2008. The deadline for filing for the FPTP seats is 25 February 2008.


2008 Nepalese presidential election
Indirect presidential elections were held in Nepal in July 2008. The first round of voting was held on 19 July, with a run-off on 21 July. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly (CA) elected in April 2008 elected a new president and vice-president after the Fifth Amendment to the Interim Constitution was passed on 14 July. This would be the first President to be elected after Nepal became a republic a few months earlier.


2008 Nepalese presidential election
In the newly passed amendment, the majority party will form the government, the CA will elect the new president on the basis of majority and a new provision that the Opposition Leader will be a member of the Constitutional Council. The leading political parties, Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) engaged in discussions regarding who would be the new president. The Nepali Congress wanted Prime Minister and interim Head of State Girija Prasad Koirala while the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) wanted its former Secretary-General Madhav Kumar Nepal as president. However, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) wants an independent figure as president rather than party figures such as Koirala or Nepal. The Maoists won the most seats in the CA, though their party needs to form a coalition government with the other parties.


2008 Nepalese presidential election, Organisation
The election is conducted by the Office of the Election Officer (OEO). On 16 July 2008 OEO released a voters list of 593 CA members. The CA was 601 seats in total, but by-elections are due in five constituencies and three CA members had not been sworn in at the time.


2008 Nepalese presidential election, Candidates
On 9 June 2008, the CPN (Maoist) declared that five names from outside their party they would consider for the presidency:


2008 Nepalese presidential election, Candidates
Negotiations between CPN(Maoist) and CPN(UML) appeared to have broken down by 17 July 2008 so the three major parties all nominated their own candidates for president and vice-president. All three main presidential candidates were Madhesis. The largest Madhesi party, the MJF, announced that they'd support Singh as president, but nominated their own candidate for vice president.


2008 Nepalese presidential election, Candidates
On the day of the poll the CPN(UML) and MJF agreed to back the NC candidate for the presidency and the CPN(UML) and NC agreed to back the MJF candidate for the vice-presidency, thus nullifying the agreement the Maoists had with the three Madhesi parties.


2008 Nepalese presidential election, Results
578 CA members participated in the poll on 19 July 2008. Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Janamorcha, the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) boycotted the election. The sole CA member of the Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekta Party, Keshav Prasad Mainali, only participated in the vice-presidential poll.


2008 Nepalese presidential election, Results
On 19 July, Parmananda Jha was declared the first Vice President of Nepal. Jha received 305 votes beating his nearest rival Shanta Shrestha from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) with 243 votes. However, the President of Nepal could not be elected as neither candidate got a clear majority. Ram Baran Yadav received 283 votes and Ram Raja Prasad Singh won 270 votes. A run-off election was thus called for.


2008 Nepalese presidential election, Results
On 21 July, Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress, who was supported by the CPN (UML) and MJF, got support from around 308 Constituent Assembly members in 594 Constituent Assembly members. His rival was Ram Raja Prasad Singh, nominated by the CPN (M). Prasad won 282 votes. Earlier, during vice-presidential election and first round of presidential elections, Maoists had threatened to refuse to form a government if their choice for the presidency did not succeed as they feared that certain electoral pledges such as land reform would not able to pass. Kul Bahadur Gurung, the speaker of constituent assembly, declared Ram Yadav winner of second-round presidential election on Monday. Yadav would be the first President of Nepal after it became a republic. The new president will replace the deposed King Gyanendra as the head of the state.


2008 Nestea European Championship Final
The 2008 NESTEA European Championship Final (or the 2008 European Beach Volleyball Championships) was held from July 10–13, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany. It was the sixteenth official edition of the European Beach Volleyball Championships men's event, which started in 1993, while the women competed for the fifteenth time.


2008 Nestea European Championship Final
The Championships were part of the 2008 Nestea European Championship Tour.


2008 Nestea European Championship Final
The teams could earn qualifying points for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, from one of their two finishes at the 2008 or 2007 Championships.


2008 Nestea European Championship Final, Women's competition
The teams Gemise-Fareau-Giordano (FRA), Faure M.-Sarpaux V. (FRA), Nyström Em.-Nyström Er. (FIN), Baburina-Osheyko (UKR), Alseda Aizcorbe-Hopf Aguilar (ESP), Kolocova-Slukova (CZE), Gschweidl-Hansel B. (AUT) and Hanzelova-Tomasekova (SVK) were placed 25th, with 80 points each and no prize money.


2008 Netball Superleague Grand Final
The 2008 Netball Superleague Grand Final featured Galleria Mavericks and Loughborough Lightning. Having played in both the 2006 and 2007 grand finals, this was Mavericks' third successive grand final appearance. It proved third time lucky for Mavericks who defeated Lightning 43–39.


2008 Netball Superleague Grand Final
Lightning were leading 21–14 at half time thanks to an outstanding shooting performance from 19-year-old Joanne Harten. However Mavericks, inspired by Louisa Brownfield and Karen Atkinson, subsequently began to create more shooting opportunities. Mavericks defence – Amanda Newton, Clare Elsley and Naomi Siddall – also played a vital part in a second half fight back. By the end of the third quarter, Mavericks had reduced Lightning's lead to 28–31. During the final quarter Mavericks drew level at 34–34, before pulling ahead by six goals thanks to clinical finishing from Brownfield and Michelle Hall. Harten scored four goals to help keep Lightning in touch before three goals from Brownfield secured the title for Mavericks.


2008 Netball Superleague Grand Final, Teams
Starting 7:GS Louisa Brownfield GA Monique WoodWA Karen AtkinsonC Deb JonesWD Clare ElsleyGD Amanda NewtonGK Naomi Siddall (c)


2008 Netball Superleague Grand Final, Teams
Starting 7:GS Joanne HartenGA Becky JamesWA Natasha HampshireC Olivia MurphyWD Jade ClarkeGD Verona TomlinGK Hannah Reid


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses
The 2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses took place on January 19, 2008 after having been moved from a later date by the Nevada Democratic Party. The Nevada Democratic Caucus was considered important in determining the eventual party nominee, as many described it as the "Bellwether of the West" seeing as how it is the first Western state to vote in the Democratic Presidential Primary season.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses
Nevada's 25 "pledged" delegates to the Democratic National Convention were chosen on May 17, 2008, when the Nevada Democratic Party held its State Convention. Barack Obama ended up receiving 14 national delegates compared to Hillary Clinton who received 11 national delegates. However, Clinton did ultimately prevail in terms of the number of votes received during the Nevada Democratic Caucus. It was the only state that held a caucus that she won during the course of the Democratic Presidential Primary.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
The Nevada Democratic Caucus was open to all voters who would be 18 by November 4, 2008, regardless of party affiliation. Republicans, unaffiliated voters, and members of other parties could change their registration at the door, and new voters could register as well.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
As with all Democratic caucuses, voters gathered into preference groups for each candidate. A minimum threshold of 15 percent was required in each precinct in order to achieve viability. If a candidate's preference group was not viable, they chose to caucus with another group, or be uncommitted. Unlike the Iowa Caucus, "raiding" of other, already viable caucus groups, was prohibited. Delegates to the county convention were then selected amongst the candidate groups. A similar process occurred at the county convention. Although they file statements of support for their chosen candidate, all delegates are technically unbound until the state convention.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
In addition to the 1,754 neighborhood caucus locations, nine at-large caucus locations were available for shift workers who could not return to their home precincts to caucus. These at-large precincts were at the Wynn, Bellagio, The Mirage, Paris Las Vegas, New York-New York, Flamingo, Caesars Palace, and The Rio, all located in Clark County. Workers who worked within 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of the caucus site, were scheduled to work during or within one hour of the caucus period, and those who had an employer ID showing their employment in the zone were permitted to attend. Unlike regular caucuses where delegates are apportioned based on registered voters, the at-large locations were allocated based on attendance, which caused controversy (see below).


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Process
The Nevada Democratic Party reported county convention delegate totals to the media and not actual votes, similar to the way the Iowa Democratic Party did in its caucus.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Pre-caucus events, predictions, and polls
The date of the Nevada Democratic Caucuses were moved from a later date to January 19, 2008. Analysts from CNN believe that this occurred because of many factors, such as the growing West, a large Hispanic population, a heavily unionized work force, the influence of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the idea that earlier caucuses increased voter participation. In addition, Democrats in the working class hold sway over liberal activists; this would allow candidates to discuss practical issues and policy details.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Pre-caucus events, predictions, and polls
After Barack Obama's win in the Iowa Democratic Caucuses and Hillary Clinton's surprise comeback win at the New Hampshire Democratic Primary, the Nevada Democratic Caucuses were seen as a potential tie-breaker. A victory in the Nevada Democratic Caucus would provide a candidate with momentum heading into Super Tuesday. In addition, the Nevada Democratic Caucuses were seen as a test of the organizing abilities of its unions and the growing influence of the state's Latino community, which makes up more than 20 percent of the population.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Pre-caucus events, predictions, and polls
On January 9, 2008, Obama received his first key national labor endorsement from leaders of the 450,000-member UNITE HERE union. This endorsement was made on behalf of Nevada's largest union, the 60,000-member Culinary Workers Union, Local 226. As a result, Obama received a huge boost in support from the Latino population.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Pre-caucus events, predictions, and polls
A pre-caucus opinion poll conducted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal on January 18, 2008, showed that Hillary Rodham Clinton was leading with 41 percent of the vote. Barack Obama had 32 percent of the vote, and John Edwards had 14 percent. Another poll by the American Research Group five days before the caucuses on January 14, 2008, showed that Clinton was leading with 35 percent, Obama had 32 percent, and Edwards at 25 percent. These polls only showed the results of the top-tier candidates who were viable to win the caucuses.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Pre-caucus events, predictions, and polls, Casino caucus lawsuit
In an attempt to block nine at-large caucus precincts from being held on the Las Vegas Strip, the Nevada State Education Association and six Las Vegas area residents filed a 13-page lawsuit on January 11, 2008. The at-large sites were created to facilitate the caucus participation of casino workers, and others working within 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of the Strip, but the plaintiffs said that these sites would both elect more state delegates than others and violate state election law.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Pre-caucus events, predictions, and polls, Casino caucus lawsuit
While the suit was not officially supported by any presidential campaign, the fact that it was filed two days after the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 endorsed Obama and that several of the State Education Association's leaders endorsed Clinton led some political commentators to describe it as a proxy battle between the two campaigns.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Pre-caucus events, predictions, and polls, Casino caucus lawsuit
After a court hearing, Judge James Mahan of the U.S District Court for Nevada ruled that the caucus locations were fair and valid and disagreed with the group's argument. Therefore, the nine caucus sites located in casinos in Las Vegas were allowed to operate.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Results
Hillary Clinton won the most local delegates while Barack Obama was projected to win the most delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Nevada's delegates to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) were not allocated to the candidates for a few months, so current DNC delegate projections assumed that local and state delegate preferences remained the same through the county conventions, which occurred in February, and the state convention, which occurred in April,  The reason for the so-called "split-decision" is Nevada's chosen method of electing DNC delegates. Six distinct sets of pledged DNC delegates were elected in April.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Results
The three sets determined exclusively by Clark County delegates were split evenly for a total of six for Obama and six for Clinton. The statewide pot was split five for Clinton and four for Obama. Obama's advantage was due to his strength in Northern Nevada, particularly of Washoe County's three DNC delegates Obama received two as well as the one "rural" DNC delegate who backed Obama as well.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Results
Unlike in Iowa, the Nevada Democratic Party reports only the number of county convention delegates won statewide by supporters of the candidates (in Iowa "state delegate equivalents" are reported). In neither Iowa nor Nevada are individual voter preferences reported. And like Iowa, all local delegates selected in the January 19 caucuses are technically free to support any candidate during later stages of the nominating process.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Results
At the controversial At-Large caucuses on the Vegas Strip, many workers who belonged to unions other than Local 226 attended; contrary to the statements of President Bill Clinton leading up to the vote, all workers on shift within 2.5 miles (4.0 km) were permitted to caucus. Clinton supporters won the Strip, 268 local delegates to 224. Widely publicized statements by President Clinton that voters in "casinos" would have at least 5 times the influence of other voters  turned out to be incorrect; Strip voters had only twice the influence that voters in the rest of the state on average had.


2008 Nevada Democratic presidential caucuses, Results, County conventions
All of Nevada's county conventions took place on February 23, but one county's convention (Clark County) had attendance that overwhelmed its ability to continue. That convention was therefore recessed to April 12.


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses
The 2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses was held on January 19, the same day as the 2008 South Carolina Republican primary, with 31 delegates at stake. Mitt Romney was the winner in Nevada with 51% of the votes, with Ron Paul in second place. Half of Romney's votes came from Mormons, while two-thirds of the independent voters favored Paul. According to the Las Vegas Sun, Republicans crossed over in large numbers to vote Democratic; CNN exit polls indicated that Republican voters made up 4% of the Democratic caucus turnout.


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, Process
The Nevada Republican Party caucus is a closed caucus open to those who were registered 30 days before the caucus date, and 17-year-olds who are eligible to vote in the general election in November. As in most Republican caucuses, there are two components. First, delegates are elected from the attendees. These delegates represent the caucusgoers at the county conventions in March, and generally announce who they support for President, and why they should go to the county convention. Election of delegates is by show of hands. Then, a supporter of each campaign speaks on behalf of their candidate. Finally, a straw poll, called a presidential preference poll, is taken of the individuals in the room. This preference poll is a secret ballot with candidate names printed on them.


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, Process
Although the news media report the results of the straw poll, and assigns delegates proportionally based on it, in Nevada it is the county conventions and the state convention which determine who actually goes to the Republican National Convention. Thus, all delegates are unbound until the state convention in April, although they generally will represent the preferences expressed by fellow Republicans in the straw poll.


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, Campaign
Republican candidate Mitt Romney campaigned hard in Nevada, while the other leading Republican candidates, John McCain and Ron Paul, focused on South Carolina during the run-up to January 19. The Republican party did not cut Nevada's delegates to the national convention in half; therefore, Nevada had more delegates at stake than South Carolina. He was expected to benefit from Nevada's large Mormon population.


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, Campaign
A poll ahead of the election predicted John McCain to win the election with 22 percent, followed by Rudy Giuliani (18 percent),Mike Huckabee (16 percent), Mitt Romney (15 percent), Fred Thompson (11 percent) and Ron Paul (6 percent).


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, Campaign
On January 17, Ron Paul's Nevada campaign representatives warned state GOP officials that thousands of caucus goers had been given incorrect information on where to go to caucus. Party officials addressed the problem with a message on the Nevada GOP website that morning, two days before the caucus.


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, Results
Romney's win in Nevada extended the lead that he then held in total delegates. After coming last in this caucus, Duncan Hunter withdrew his bid for the nomination.


2008 Nevada Republican presidential caucuses, Results
Although delegates were not pledged to candidates until the state convention, the news media allocated delegates proportionally for reporting purposes.


2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Nevada competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Wolf Pack were led by Chris Ault in his 24th overall and 5th straight season since taking over as head coach for the third time in 2004. They played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
Nevada utilized Ault's own creation, the "Pistol" offense. The offense was directed by offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis in his 15th overall and 8th straight season and defense was led by first–year defensive coordinator Nigel Burton.


2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
Nevada finished the regular season with a 7–5 mark and 5–3 in WAC play, which resulted in a three-way tie for second-place in the conference. Hawaii and Louisiana Tech both likewise finished with 5–3 conference records. During the season, the Wolf Pack played three ranked teams: Texas Tech, Missouri and Boise State. Nevada lost each game, but gave Boise State its closest contest in conference play, losing by seven points. Nevada, however, suffered a setback when they lost to New Mexico State, who were called by one publication the "perennial WAC bottom feeders".


2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was named 2008 WAC Offensive Player of the Year. During the regular season, he passed for 2,479 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 1,115 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was aided by running back Vai Taua, who ran for 1,420 yards and 14 touchdowns. It was the first time in school history that Nevada had two 1,000 yard rushers on the team simultaneously.


2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
Nevada secured its fourth straight bowl game appearance and faced Maryland in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. The Wolf Pack lost in a high–scoring and record–setting game by 35 to 42.


2008 Nevada Wolf Pack football team, Previous season
The Wolf Pack finished the 2007 season 6–7 and 4–4 in WAC play to finish in a three–way tie in fourth place and lost the New Mexico Bowl to New Mexico by 0 to 23.


2008 Nevada budget crisis
The 2008 budget crisis in Nevada is an ongoing fiscal crisis in which the state faces a budget shortfall of at least US$1.2 billion out of a $6.8 billion budget. The budget crisis is a result of the larger subprime mortgage crisis and the late-2000s recession.


2008 Nevada budget crisis
The budget shortfall resulted Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons and the Nevada Legislature making large cuts to many state programs and agencies.


2008 Nevada budget crisis, Origins
As the fastest growing state in the U.S. during the United States housing bubble, Nevada was hit especially hard by subprime mortgage crisis. The Nevada Policy Research Institute argues that the state government raised taxes during an economic boom and increased government spending more than 20% in 2004. The shortfall for 2008 and 2009 resulted from, they argue, government spending money at unsustainable levels.


2008 Nevada budget crisis, Origins, Las Vegas Housing Crisis
The libertarian Nevada Policy Research Institute blames the financial crisis in Nevada, especially Las Vegas, on poor monetary policies, moral hazards created by government bailouts, and bad regulations such as the Community Reinvestment Act and the Security and Exchange Commission allowing several investment banks to increase their capital ratios. The result, according to NPRI was to rapidly increase home prices in Nevada, from a median level of about $130,000 to about $330,000 in less than 3 years.


2008 Nevada budget crisis, Origins, Las Vegas Housing Crisis
NPRI created a chart that documents this rapid rise in home prices. It can be viewed here:


2008 Nevada budget crisis, Solving the Budget Crisis
Several camps have emerged with solutions to solving the budget crisis.


2008 Nevada budget crisis, Solving the Budget Crisis
Governor Jim Gibbons has successfully pushed for spending cuts, which have so far allowed Nevada to balance its budget. Gibbons has opposed placing limits on government spending and currently opposes raising taxes.


2008 Nevada budget crisis, Solving the Budget Crisis
State Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley has proposed restructuring the tax code so it is less reliant on gaming and sales taxes which she claims makes up more than 60% of the general fund revenue. She also supports increasing the rainy day fund. Barbara Buckley is supported by Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers and TV personality Jon Ralston.


2008 Nevada budget crisis, Solving the Budget Crisis
The Nevada Policy Research Institute supports balancing the budget by reducing spending but argues that Nevada needs spending limits and a larger rainy day fund. NPRI, state senator Bob Beers and Chuck Muth of Citizen Outreach all oppose raising taxes.


2008 New Brunswick electoral reform referendum
A referendum on electoral reform was supposed to be held in the province of New Brunswick, Canada on May 12, 2008. The date was announced by Premier Bernard Lord on June 20, 2006 in announcing his response to the 2004 report of the Commission on Legislative Democracy. However, Lord and his Progressive Conservatives were defeated in the September 2006 election and the new Liberal government, which had always expressed skepticism about the model proposed by the Commission and its mandate opted not proceed with a referendum in an announcement on June 28, 2007.


2008 New Brunswick electoral reform referendum
The proposal was on a mixed member proportional representation system which would see 36 members elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in first past the post single member ridings and 20 additional members elected from 4 regions, using closed lists, to ensure proportionality. The threshold for proportional representation seats would be 5% of the provincial vote.


2008 New Brunswick electoral reform referendum
In October 2010, after the 2010 New Brunswick election, the group New Brunswickers For Proportional Representation was formed to push for the implementation of proportional representation as outlined by the Commission on Legislative Democracy.


2008 New Brunswick municipal elections
Municipal elections were held in the Canadian province of New Brunswick on May 12, 2008. Here is a summary of results in the major communities in the province.


2008 New Delhi ITF Open
The 2008 New Delhi ITF Open, a women's tennis tournament within the 2008 ITF Women's Circuit, was the first and only edition of the tournament. The singles event was won by Ekaterina Dzehalevich of Belarus, an unseeded player, who defeated Yanina Wickmayer in the final with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. In the doubles final, the Chinese pair Ji Chunmei and Sun Shengnan defeated Sunitha Rao (India) and Aurélie Védy (France) by 2-6, 6-2 [10-4].


2008 New England Patriots season
The 2008 New England Patriots season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and 49th season overall. The Patriots were defending AFC champions. Despite finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, the Patriots did not qualify for the playoffs—becoming the first, and only, 11-win team since the expansion to a 12-team playoff in 1990 to miss the playoffs, as well as only the second team (after the 1985 Denver Broncos) since the NFL expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978. They also were the first team to go undefeated in the previous regular season and miss the playoffs the next season.


2008 New England Patriots season
In the season opener, quarterback Tom Brady, the NFL's MVP in 2007, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during their season-opening victory against the Chiefs and missed the remainder of the season. Backup quarterback Matt Cassel replaced Brady. Cassel led the team to a win in Week 2 against the New York Jets, his first start since high school. A loss the following week against the Miami Dolphins ended the Pats' record 21 game regular-season winning streak. This record was broken by the Indianapolis Colts in 2009.


2008 New England Patriots season
Despite entering the last week of the season with a three-game winning streak, the Patriots found themselves not controlling their own destiny. In addition to a Week 17 win, they also needed either a Dolphins loss to win the AFC East, or a Baltimore Ravens loss to earn a wild card berth. However, both Baltimore and Miami won, and the Dolphins, Ravens and Patriots each finished the season with an 11–5 record. Miami qualified for the playoffs by winning the AFC East division over the Patriots on the fourth divisional tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). Baltimore qualified for the playoffs as a wild card team, defeating the Patriots on the second wild card tiebreaker (better conference record: 8–4 to 7–5). Because of this, the Patriots were excluded from the playoffs for the first time since 2002.


2008 New England Patriots season
This was the only season since 2002 that the Patriots failed to win their division or qualify for the playoffs until the 2020 season.


2008 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Incidents off the field
Two days after Super Bowl XLII, defensive back Willie Andrews was arrested in Lowell, Massachusetts on February 5 for possession of a half pound of marijuana and driving an unregistered car. On May 9, Andrews' case was continued without finding for one year, during which time Andrews was ordered to pay a fine, speak to student athletes about the dangers of narcotics, and complete an NFL substance abuse program.


2008 New England Patriots season, Offseason, Incidents off the field
On June 30, Andrews was arrested again and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in Mansfield, Massachusetts, after his fiancée accused him of pointing a gun at her head. Andrews' fiancée called police, who searched Andrews' vehicle but did not find a gun; she later took her child to a hotel for the night, where Andrews then met her again before being arrested. The weapon, a Glock pistol, was later recovered in a dumpster near Andrews' apartment. Andrews was released on July 1.