2008 Central Asia energy crisis, Uzbekistan
Beginning in late December 2007, the unusually harsh weather had frozen the gas supply to numerous homes and businesses across Uzbekistan. As a result, there had been numerous demonstrations and protests against the government, in favor of an insured uninterrupted supply of gas and electricity. The government response was varied, and in Karakalpakstan, they met protesters and promised to rectify the situation, while the local government head of Hazarasp responded to a complaint by one woman by cutting off gas altogether to all the houses on her street.


2008 Central Asia energy crisis, Uzbekistan
Some in Uzbekistan were able to turn to "traditional methods" for heating, and it was reported that some villages which had no trees left because villagers have cut them down to heat their homes and cook food. This had an expected negative effect on the economy, because the leaves are essential to the local silk industry, and the fruit grown on these trees are the main source of income for many villagers.


2008 Central Asia energy crisis, Turkmenistan
In some provinces of Turkmenistan, villagers were burning saxaul plants, a traditional Turkmen way to heat homes, since in the cities, the central heating pipes have been neglected and failed to produce adequate heat.


2008 Central League Climax Series
The 2008 Central League Climax Series (CLCS) consisted of two consecutive series, Stage 1 being a best-of-three series and Stage 2 being a best-of-six with the top seed being awarded a one-win advantage. The winner of the series advanced to the 2008 Japan Series, where they competed against the 2008 Pacific League Climax Series (PLCS) winner. The top three regular-season finishers played in the two series. The CLCS began on with the first game of Stage 1 on October 18 and ended with the final game of Stage 2 on October 25.


2008 Central League Climax Series, First Stage, Summary
The Hanshin Tigers were awarded home-field advantage for the entirety of Stage 1; however, all three games were played in the Orix Buffaloes' Kyocera Osaka Dome, a neutral field, as renovations to Koshien Stadium prevented postseason play.


2008 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
The 2008 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Central Michigan competed as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Chippewas were led by second-year head coach Butch Jones.


2008 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
Central Michigan finished the regular season with an 8–4 overall record and 6–2 in conference play, which was good enough for second place in the MAC West. The team received a bid to the 2008 Motor City Bowl, where they faced the Florida Atlantic Owls led by head coach Howard Schnellenberger. The two teams were tied throughout the third quarter until the Owls pulled away. Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour led a touchdown drive in the final three minutes, but an onside kick attempt failed, and the Chippewas lost, 24–21.


2008 Centrobasket
The 2008 Men's Central American and Caribbean Basketball Championship, also known as 2008 Centrobasket, was hosted in Cancún and Chetumal, México. The four semifinalists of this edition qualified for the 2009 FIBA Americas championship.


2008 Centrobasket, Semifinals
The top 2 teams from each group advance to the semifinals, in which the top team of Group A plays against the second place team of Group B and the top team of Group B plays against the second place team of Group A.


2008 Centrobasket, Semifinals
Three-team ties are determined by the point differential in games played between the three teams, not counting the margin of victory or loss against a non tied team.


2008 Centrobasket Women
This page shows the results of the 2008 Centrobasket Championship for Women, which was held in the city of Morovis, Puerto Rico from July 17 to July 21, 2008.


2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen
The 2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen was the twenty-second race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and the second and final road course event of the season. The 90-lap, 220.5 miles (354.9 km) race was held on August 10, 2008 at Watkins Glen International Raceway in the New York namesake village. ESPN carried the race at 1 pm US EDT and MRN along with Sirius Satellite Radio had radio coverage starting at 1:15 pm US EDT.


2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen, Qualifying
For the second straight year, qualifying was cancelled due to rain, so the rulebook was used to set the starting field with Kyle Busch starting on pole based on owner's points.


2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen, Qualifying
Failed to make race as qualifying was cancelled due to rain: Boris Said (#60) and Brian Simo (#34).


2008 Centurion Boats at the Glen, Recap
Kyle Busch set a new NASCAR record with his eighth win of the season, his sixteenth in all three major NASCAR series and swept the road course races by winning. A major accident with eight laps remaining led by Michael McDowell and David Gilliland colliding with one another causing a total of nine cars to be in a wreck, delaying the race under a red flag for 45 minutes. Kyle Busch's win also clinched a spot in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, which includes the top seed.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election
The elections to Ceredigion County Council were held on 1 May 2008 along with elections to other Welsh councils, plus the London Mayor and  Assembly Elections, Metropolitan English councils and Non Metropolitan English councils elections. All 42 council seats are up for election. It was preceded by the 2004 election and followed by the 2012 election.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election
The previous council was controlled by Independents in coalition with the Liberal Democrat group and the single Labour member. Since 2004, there have been no by-elections to the council (the only council in Wales not to have any during the last four years). Nominations for the council elections closed on 4 April 2008. The last council meeting before the elections (when the council was formally dissolved) was held on 17 April 2008. The composition of the council prior to the elections was:


2008 Ceredigion County Council election
2 Independents had defected to Plaid Cymru and a further 2 Independents had retired. All existing councillors bar the 2 retirees are up for re-election.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Election results: overview
All parties received a higher share of the vote than in 2004. This was in part due to a fall in the number of non-party independents standing and previous non-party independents joining the independent grouping, but also due to a number of parties  (namely UKIP and Llais Ceredigion) not standing candidates this time around.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Election results: overview
Plaid Cymru made six gains. They gained a seat in the ward of Aberystwyth, Penparcau, as well as the wards of Cardigan, Mwldan, Cardigan, Teifi, Ciliau Aeron, Llanfarian, Llangeitho and Melindwr. The party also made four losses: Llandysilio-gogo, Llansantffraid, Tirymynach and Troedyraur.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Election results: overview
The Liberal Democrats made two gains, Tirymynach and Aberaeron, but lost Melindwr.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Election results: overview
The three non-party independents from 2004 were re-elected as Independents (Haydn Lewis in Pen-parc, Gethin James in Aberporth and Ray Quant in Borth), as well as John Ivor Williams, who had held his seat in 2004 under the label Cymraeg/Welsh. A single candidate was elected as a non-party independent (Gareth Lloyd Cletwr in Llandysilio-gogo).


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Election results: overview
Nine members of the original Council elected in 1995 were again returned.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Ward Results, Capel Dewi (one seat)
Cllr Peter Davies (Ind, Capel Dewi) was elected unopposed in 2008. He was first elected in 2004 (beating a Plaid Cymru candidate by 239 votes (40%) and sits on the Development Control Committee and the Standards Committee.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Ward Results, Llanarth (one seat)
Cllr. Eurfyl Evans (Lib Dem, Llanarth) was elected unopposed in 2008. He was first elected in 1995 (holding the ward from Cllr. Alan Thomas) and won re-election in 2004 by 188 votes over Plaid Cymru (31%) and in the last Cabinet (that was dissolved at the same time as the last meeting of the council) was the Cabinet member with responsibility for Economic Development


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Ward Results, Llanfarian (one seat)
Alun Lloyd Jones had left the Plaid Cymru group and joined the Independents after the 1999 election. However, since the 2004 election he rejoined the party.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Ward Results, Llangeitho (one seat)
Cllr. David Evans (Plaid Cymru, Llangeitho) was elected unopposed in 2008. First elected in 1999 (gaining the seat from the Liberal Democrats as an Independent candidate) joined Plaid Cymru at the close of nominations in 2008. As an Independent member he sat on the Development Control Committee and was vice chair of the Environmental Services and Housing Committee.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, Ward Results, Tregaron (one seat)
Cllr. Catherine Jane Hughes (Plaid Cymru, Tregaron) was elected in 2004 defeating an Independent candidate by 35 votes (5%) and was vice chair of the Social Service Committee as well as serving on the Development Control Committee and Education Committee.


2008 Ceredigion County Council election, By-elections 2008-12, Aberystwyth Rheidol 2008
A by-election was held in the Aberystwyth Rheidol ward following the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Eric Griffiths.


2008 Challenge Bell
The 2008 Challenge Bell was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 16th edition of the Challenge Bell, and was part of the Tier III tournaments of the 2008 WTA Tour. It was held at the PEPS de l'Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada, from October 27 through November 2, 2008.


2008 Challenge Bell, Entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw


2008 Challenge Bell, Champions, Doubles
Anna-Lena Grönefeld /  Vania King def. Jill Craybas /  Tamarine Tanasugarn, 7–6(7–3), 6–4


2008 Challenge Bell – Doubles
Christina Fusano and Raquel Kops-Jones were the defending champions, but decided not to compete together. Fusano partnered with Angela Haynes, but lost in the first round to Jill Craybas and Tamarine Tanasugarn. Kops-Jones partnered with Abigail Spears, but lost in the semifinals to Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Vania King.


2008 Challenge Bell – Doubles
Grönefeld and King went on to win the title, defeating Craybas and Tanasugarn 7–6(7–3), 6–4 in the final.


2008 Challenge Bell – Singles
Lindsay Davenport was the defending champion, but decided not to participate this year.


2008 Challenge Bell – Singles
Nadia Petrova won the title, defeating Bethanie Mattek 4–6, 6–4, 6–1 in the final.


2008 Challenge Cup
The 2008 Challenge Cup (also known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 107th staging of the most prestigious knock-out competition in the world of Rugby league, featuring teams from across Europe, including England, Scotland, Wales, France and Russia. It began in February 2008.


2008 Challenge Cup
Teams from the National League were given byes to round three, and teams from the Super League entered in round four. Teams from outside the UK were introduced at various stages.


2008 Challenge Cup
St. Helens successfully defended their title after beating Hull F.C. 28 - 16 in the final.


2008 Challenge Cup, Round 1
* ** - Match abandoned after Hunslet Old Boys had 4 players sent off. Hunslet Old Boys were subsequently thrown out of the competition.


2008 Challenge Cup, Round 2
Russian team Vereya joined in this round. Vereya were runners-up in the Russian Championship to Lokomotiv Moscow. Lokomotiv Moscow joined in the third round.


2008 Challenge Cup, Round 3
The National Leagues teams, together with Lokomotiv Moscow, Pia, Lezignan and Toulouse joined in this round. Super League teams joined in Round 4.


2008 Challenge Cup, Round 4
Super League teams joined in Round 4. From Round 4 onwards, the competition was a straightforward knock-out, with no more teams joining.


2008 Challenge Cup Final
The 2008 Challenge Cup Final was the final game of the 2008 Challenge Cup, also known as The Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons. The match was contested by two Super League teams: the defending champions St. Helens, and Hull F.C..


2008 Challenge Cup Final
The final was performed at Wembley Stadium on 30 August 2008, started at 14:30 BST. St Helens won the match 28-16 after a topsy-turvy game, ahead by 10 points at half time, then went 12-10 before roaring back to win by a clear margin.


2008 Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, St Helens
St Helens as a Super League club entered the competition in the fourth round. St Helens started by thrashing National League Two side London Skolars 56-0. In Round 5 St Helens narrowly beat fellow Super League side Warrington Wolves by 40–34. In the quarter finals, St Helens again recorded narrow victory against Hull KR, winning by 24 points to 18. The first semi-final between St Helens and Leeds Rhinos finished 26-16 sending St Helens to the final.


2008 Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Hull F.C.
Hull F.C. as Super League club also entered the competition in the fourth round. Hull F.C. started by thrashing National League Two side Rochdale Hornets 42-5. In Round 5 Hull comfortably beat National League One side Widnes. In the quarter finals, Hull recorded a narrow victory against Bradford, winning by 22 to 16. The second semi-final between Hull and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats saw a victory of 32-24 to place Hull into the final.


2008 Challenge Cup Final, Match details
St Helens: Paul Wellens, Ade Gardner, Matthew Gidley, Willie Talau, Francis Meli, Leon Pryce, Sean Long, Bryn Hargreaves, Keiron Cunningham, James Graham, Chris Flannery, Jon Wilkin, Paul SculthorpeReplacements: James Roby, Lee Gilmour, Paul Clough, Maurie Fa'asavalu  Coach: Daniel Anderson


2008 Challenge Cup Final, Match details
Hull: Todd Byrne, Matt Sing, Graeme Horne, Kirk Yeaman, Gareth Raynor, Danny Washbrook, Tommy Lee, Ewan Dowes, Shaun Berrigan, Peter Cusack, Willie Manu, Danny Tickle, Lee Radford (c),Replacements: Richard Horne, Garreth Carvell, Tom Briscoe, Jamie Thackray Coach: Richard Agar


2008 Challenge Tour
The 2008 Challenge Tour was a series of golf tournaments known as the Challenge Tour, the official development tour run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was started as the Satellite Tour in 1986 and was renamed the Challenge Tour ready for the start of the 1990 season.


2008 Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour Rankings was won by England's David Horsey.


2008 Challenge Tour, Tournament schedule
The table below shows the 2008 Challenge Tour schedule. The season started in November 2007, and was made up of 33 tournaments played in Europe, Latin America, East Africa and Central Asia.


2008 Challenge Tour, Tournament schedule
The numbers in brackets after winners' names indicate the player's total number of wins on the Challenge Tour including that event. No-one accumulates many wins on the Challenge Tour because success at this level soon leads to promotion to the European Tour.


2008 Challenge Tour graduates
This is a list of players who graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2008. The top 20 players on the Challenge Tour's money list in 2008 earned their European Tour card for 2009.


2008 Challenge Tour graduates
* European Tour rookie in 2009T = Tied   The player retained his European Tour card for 2010 (finished inside the top 120). The player did not retain his European Tour Tour card for 2010, but retained conditional status (finished between 121-153). The player did not retain his European Tour card for 2010 (finished outside the top 153).


2008 Challenger de Providencia
The 2008 Challenger de Providencia, also named Copa Kia for sponsorship reasons, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 4th edition of the event, and part of the 2008 ATP Challenger Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the tennis courts at the Club Providencia in Providencia, Santiago, Chile, from 25 February through 2 March 2008.


2008 Challenger de Providencia, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2008 Challenger de Providencia, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2008 Challenger de Providencia – Doubles
Brian Dabul and Marc López were the defending champions, but competed this year with different partners. Dabul teamed up with Jean-Julien Rojer and ended as runners-up, while López teamed up with David Marrero and lost in first round to Francesco Aldi and Simone Vagnozzi.


2008 Challenger de Providencia – Doubles
Mariano Hood and Eduardo Schwank won the title by defeating Brian Dabul and Jean-Julien Rojer 6–3, 6–3 in the final.


2008 Challenger de Providencia – Singles
Martín Vassallo Argüello was the defending champion, but chose to compete in Acapulco at the same week.


2008 Challenger de Providencia – Singles
Thomaz Bellucci won the title by defeating Eduardo Schwank 6–4, 7–6(7–3) in the final.


2008 Champ Car season
The 2008 Champ Car World Series season would have been the 30th season of the series and the fifth instance of the Champ Car World Series. It was scheduled to begin on April 20, 2008, and end on November 9 had the open-wheel unification not occurred. The season, with the sole exception of the Long Beach Grand Prix (won by Will Power), was canceled on February 21, 2008, because of the buyout of Champ Car by the rival IndyCar.


2008 Champ Car season
The Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton and the Gold Coast Indy 300 were retained and transferred to the IndyCar Series schedule. The schedule included what would have been the first Monterey Grand Prix since 2004 and the supposed debut of the Champ Car Grand Prix of Spain. Some of the Champ Car races were scrapped.


2008 Champ Car season
Later on, Toronto (2009), Houston (2013), Road America (2016), Portland (2018), and Laguna Seca (2019) would also be revived by the unified series.


2008 Champ Car season, Races
The 2008 Champ Car schedule was announced in November 2007 before the unification announcement


2008 Champ Car season, Team and driver lineup
The following teams and drivers were expected to compete for the 2008 Champ Car season. All teams would have used a Cosworth 2.65-litre turbocharged V8 engine, a Panoz DP01 chassis, and Bridgestone tires.


2008 Champion Hurdle
The 2008 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 11 March 2008. It was the 78th running of the Champion Hurdle.


2008 Champion Hurdle
The winner was the DSJP Syndicate's Katchit, a five-year-old gelding trained in Wiltshire by Alan King and ridden by Robert Thornton. The victory was the first in the race, for owner, trainer and jockey.


2008 Champion Hurdle
Katchit won at odds of 10/1 by a length from Osana. As of 2017, he remains the only five-year-old to win the race since See You Then in 1985. The field included Sublimity, the winner of the race in the previous year. Fourteen of the fifteen runners completed the course.


2008 Champions League Twenty20
The 2008 Champions League Twenty20 was scheduled to be the first edition of the Champions League Twenty20, an international club cricket tournament. It was due to be held in India between December 3 and December 10, 2008, where the winners were to earn around US$6 million. The bombing attacks in Mumbai just one week prior to the tournament resulted in its postponement. It was proposed that the tournament be held in early 2009, though dates for its rearrangement could not be found and the tournament was cancelled on December 12, 2008. The league was planned and successfully executed as the 2009 Champions League Twenty20.


2008 Champions League Twenty20, Format
The tournament has eight teams and is divided into a group stage and a knockout stage. If a match ends in a tie, a Super Over will be played to determine the winner. The group stage has the teams divided into two equal groups, with each playing a round-robin tournament. The top two teams of each group advance to the knockout stage. The knockout stage consists of two semi-finals, with the top team of one group facing the second from the other. The winners of the semi-finals play the grand final to determine the winner of the competition.


2008 Champions League Twenty20, Teams
Eight teams from five nations were invited for the tournament.


2008 Champions League Twenty20, Teams, England's participation
The organisers of the tournament confirmed that any team competing would be banned from fielding players who have competed in the Indian Cricket League, a rival to the Indian Premier League. As a result of this, England's participation in the tournament was put in jeopardy. For the 2008 season, 15 of the 18 counties fielded 25 players from the ICL. On 24 July 2008, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi confirmed their stance by stating that only Middlesex and Essex stood a chance of being invited to the Champions League because they didn't have ICL links.


2008 Champions League Twenty20, Venues
Three venues were chosen to host the league and knockout matches. Mumbai and Bangalore were chosen instead of Rajasthan Royals' home stadium which was under renovations. Chennai Super Kings' Chepauk Stadium was chosen to play two of the three matches the team had to play. The first semi-final was supposed to be held at Bangalore while the second semi-final and the final was to be held at Chennai.


2008 Champions League Twenty20, Aftermath
The teams participating especially the IPL teams were extremely disheartened with the cancelling of league. Both the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals received $1.3 million as compensation whereas the other teams were also offered petty amounts.


2008 Champions Tour
The 2008 Champions Tour was the 29th season for the golf tour now known as PGA Tour Champions since it officially began in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour. The season consisted of 29 official money events with purses totalling $55,625,000, including five majors. Bernhard Langer and Eduardo Romero won the most tournaments, three. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.


2008 Champions Tour, Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 2008 season. "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Senior majors are shown in bold.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season
In 2008, the Championship Gaming Series began its second season as a worldwide sports league for professional video gamers. A total of 18 teams representing cities in seven countries played in the league. The games supported included Counter-Strike: Source, Dead or Alive 4, FIFA 08, and Forza Motorsport 2.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season
Once again, the CGS was broadcast throughout the world on DirecTV in the United States and Latin America, British Sky Broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Europe, and STAR TV in Asia. The World Final was to be shown live on DirecTV and rebroadcast on G4.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season
The Birmingham Salvo were the 2008 World Champions after defeating the San Francisco Optx by 22 points to 15, in the final on July 28, 2008.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Regional results, North America (Region 1)
The season in North America began on June 2, with the first televised game on DirecTV airing on June 16. The top four teams advanced to the playoffs: Carolina Core, Dallas Venom, New York 3D, and San Francisco Optx. The Chicago Chimera, winners of both World and North America titles in 2007, did not qualify for the '08 playoffs. The Los Angeles Complexity were also eliminated.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Regional results, North America (Region 1)
Both Dallas and Carolina qualified automatically for the World Final.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Regional results, Latin America (Region 2)
The Mexico City Furia defeated the Rio Sinistro, 22–16, on July 10 to gain the automatic qualifying spot for the World Final from this region.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Regional results, United Kingdom/Europe (Regions 3 and 4)
The Birmingham Salvo beat the Berlin Allianz, 24–22, on June 28 for the championship trophy. However, both teams earned spots into the World Final.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Regional results, Pan-Asia (Regions 5 and 6)
The Sydney Underground topped the Wuhan Dragon, 22–18, in the final game on July 10. Both teams were invited to the World Final.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Wild Card playoffs
The remaining spot in the eight-team World Final (reduced from 12 in 2007) was decided in a three-team playoff among the Optx, the 3D, and the London Mint. The Optx defeated the 3D, 23–17, and then the Mint 25–21. Both games were played on July 3.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Age Disqualifactions
Since Berlin Allianz had to replace the young talent 'reNzo', the roster shook a bit. Since the 14-year old could not fly to the venue where the tournament would be held, a replacement had to be found. Many players responded to this announcement with a slight relieve. Some even stating it would increase their win chances if Berlin Allianz showed up without 'reNzo', or as some called him 'the wonderkid'. Even 'wez', from Birmingham Salvo, called him 'super hands'.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, World Final
The World Final tournament began on July 14. All matches were held at the Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport in southern California.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, World Final, Semifinals
NOTES: The Salvo won the second semifinal in overtime when Messy defeated Offbeat Ninja in DOA 4 Male. This match was held on July 21, but not shown on DirecTV until July 23.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, World Final, Championship
NOTE: The match was halted after four of nine rounds of the second half of CounterStrike: Source, as the Salvo had clinched the championship at that point. The most valuable players were Daveyskills and Picaso, the Forza Motorsports drivers for the Salvo.


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, Individual finals
In addition to the team competition, the top players at each game competed for cash prizes. All events were held on July 12. The list of winners follows:


2008 Championship Gaming Series season, World of Warcraft
The CGS also organized a tournament for World of Warcraft players. Nihilum Arena won the 2008 tournament final on July 19, the event was webcast live on the CGS website.


2008 Championship League
The 2008 Championship League was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that was played from 25 February to 15 May 2008 at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, England.


2008 Championship League
Joe Perry won in the final 3–1 against Mark Selby, and earned a place in the 2008 Premier League Snooker.


2008 Championship League, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2008 Championship League, Group one
Group one matches were played on 25 and 26 February 2008. Ryan Day was the first player to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League, Group two
Group two matches were played on 27 and 28 February 2008. Ken Doherty was the second player to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League, Group three
Group three matches were played on 10 and 11 March 2008. Anthony Hamilton was the third player to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League, Group four
Group four matches were played on 12 and 13 March 2008. Shaun Murphy was the fourth player to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League, Group five
Group five matches were played on 14 and 15 April 2008. Joe Perry was the fifth player to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League, Group six
Group six matches were played on 16 and 17 April 2008. Mark Selby was the sixth player to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League, Group seven
Group seven matches were played on 12 and 13 May 2008. Mark King was the last player to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League, Winners group
The matches of the winners group were played on 14 and 15 May 2008. Joe Perry has qualified to the 2008 Premier League.


2008 Championship League Darts
The 2008 Championship League Darts is the inaugural edition of a darts competition – the Championship League Darts. The competition is organised and held by the Professional Darts Corporation and has a maximum prize fund of £189,000.


2008 Championship League Darts
The format of the tournament is similar to the Premier League Darts tournament, also organised by the PDC, except it is contested by a larger pool of players who are split up into a number of groups.


2008 Championship League Darts
In a first for darts the tournament will be shown in its entirety on the internet. Every match can be watched in the UK on the Ladbrokes and bet365 websites. The tournament will also be available globally through the internet, except in the United States of America where it can't be shown for legal reasons.


2008 Championship League Darts, Format
The first group will consist of the top 8 players from the PDC Order of Merit who are available for the competition. These 8 players will play each other over the course of a day and receive points for their performance. A win will earn a player two points, whilst a draw will earn them 1 point. All matches will be contested over 10 legs with a player winning the match when the reach 6 legs or the match being declared a draw should the score reach 5–5. When all players have played each other, the four players with the most points will progress to the semi-finals with the winners of those matches progressing into the final.


2008 Championship League Darts, Format
The winner of the final will progress to the winners group which shall take place at the end of the competition. The runner-up, losing semi-finalists and the players finishing fifth and sixth will move into group two, where they will be joined by the next three players in the Order of Merit. The format of the second group will be the same as the first group with players moving into the third group. In total there will be 8 groups before the final group takes place.


2008 Championship League Darts, Format
This format ensures that all players who don't win the group or finish in the last two positions will have another chance to qualify for the winners group.


2008 Championship League Darts, Qualification
Players must have been in top 29 places in PDC Order of Merit following 2008 World Matchplay Darts in order to qualify. 31 places used because of Raymond Van Barneveld and John Part withdrawing.


2008 Championship League Darts, Qualification
1. Phil Taylor|2. Raymond van Barneveld|3. James Wade|4. John Part|5. Terry Jenkins|6. Wayne Mardle|7. Adrian Lewis|8. Andy Hamilton|9. Colin Lloyd|10. Roland Scholten|11. Dennis Priestley|12. Peter Manley|13. Alan Tabern|14. Ronnie Baxter|15. Colin Osborne|16. Kevin Painter|17. Mervyn King|18. Denis Ovens|19. Mark Dudbridge|20. Vincent van der Voort|21. Chris Mason|22. Kirk Shepherd|23. Andy Jenkins|24. Barrie Bates|25. Andy Smith|26. Mark Walsh|27. Adrian Gray|28. Wayne Jones|29. Mick McGowan|30. Alex Roy|31. Wes Newton


2008 Championship League Darts, Player omissions and delays
Raymond van Barneveld, who is taking a two-month sabbatical from darts, and John Part, based in Canada, will not be competing in the tournament. Adrian Lewis will also enter in group 3, not group 1 as his ranking would suggest, because he has been suspended from playing in any PDC tournaments for two months following an altercation with Kevin Painter. Peter Manley is also entering the competition later than his ranking would suggest, for unknown reasons.


2008 Championship League Darts, Player omissions and delays
On 1 September it was announced that Dennis Priestley had withdrawn from group 2 due to his ongoing treatment for prostate cancer. As such he has been replaced in group 2 by Mervyn King. Subsequent group line-ups have also changed, with players from later groups being brought into earlier ones. Priestley hopes to return in time for group 7.


2008 Championship League Darts, Prize money
The prize money for the tournament is a unique concept with players winning a set amount of money for each leg that they win.


2008 Championship League Darts, Prize money, Groups 1 – 8
In groups 1 – 8 the prize money will be as follows:


2008 Championship League Darts, Prize money, Winners Group
In the winners group the prize money will be as follows:


2008 Championship League Darts, Prize money, Winners Group
In addition the winners group will have separate prizes for the winner, runner-up and losing semi-finalists. These prizes will breakdown as follows:


2008 Championship League Darts, Prize money, Prize money won
The following table shows the amount of prize money that has been won by each player.


2008 Championship League Darts, Prize money, Prize money won
*Final position money is awarded to the semi-finalists of the winners group (£2,500), the runner-up, (£5,000), and the overall winner (£10,000).


2008 Championship League Darts, Tournament Dates
The tournament will take place over 9 days throughout September and October 2008. One group will be played on each day. The dates are as follows:


2008 Championship League Darts, Tournament Dates
The tournament will take place at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex.


2008 Championship League Darts, Groups
Note: Bold indicates group winner, italics indicate the eliminated players. In groups 1–7, players are eliminated for finishing in the bottom two of the league, in group 8 and the Winners Group players are eliminated for failing to win outright.


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group One
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Gold – Did not qualify for semi-finals but returns in next group, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group Two
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Gold – Did not qualify for semi-finals but returns in next group, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group Three
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Gold – Did not qualify for semi-finals but returns in next group, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group Four
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Gold – Did not qualify for semi-finals but returns in next group, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group Five
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Gold – Did not qualify for semi-finals but returns in next group, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group Six
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Gold – Did not qualify for semi-finals but returns in next group, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group Seven
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Gold – Did not qualify for semi-finals but returns in next group, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Group Eight
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Winners Group
NB: Players separated by +/- leg difference if tied. Green – Qualified for the semi-finals, Red – Out of the tournament


2008 Championship League Darts, Results, Winners Group
Final Winner: £10,000 & 2008 Grand Slam of Darts place, Runner-up: £5,000


2008 Champs Sports Bowl
The 2008 Champs Sports Bowl was the 19th edition of the college football bowl game that was played on Saturday, December 27, 2008, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The game, which had a 4:30 PM US EST kickoff and was broadcast on ESPN, pitted the Wisconsin Badgers against the Florida State Seminoles. At the end, the Florida State Seminoles were the winners, 42–13.


2008 Champs Sports Bowl, Game summary
Florida State's Graham Gano was able to kick three punts that died or went out of bounds inside Wisconsin's  3-yard line in the first quarter and a 58-yarder that was returned for 3 yards to the Wisconsin 7. He finished the game with 5 punts averaging 48.2 yards. He also drew a roughing the kicker penalty that extended a Florida State scoring drive (Replay revealed that he had not been touched). Gano was also the team's kicker and winner of the 2008 Lou Groza Award.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire
On 11 September 2008, a France-bound Eurotunnel Shuttle train carrying heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and their drivers caught fire while travelling through the Channel Tunnel. The fire lasted for sixteen hours and reached temperatures of up to 1,000 °C (1,830 °F).


2008 Channel Tunnel fire
Of the 32 people on board the train, 14 suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and were taken to hospital. When the fire was reported, the tunnel was immediately shut to all services except emergency traffic. The undamaged south tunnel was reopened on 13 September with a freight train entering the tunnel at Folkestone at 00:08 BST and a limited service provided with trains travelling in turn in alternating directions in the one tunnel. By the end of September, two-thirds of the north tunnel had reopened. Full service resumed in February 2009 after repairs costing €60 million.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire
This fire was the third to close the tunnel since it opened in 1994, the first being the 1996 Channel Tunnel fire and, in August 2006, the tunnel was closed for several hours after fire broke out on a truck loaded onto a HGV Shuttle.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Fire
The fire was reported on 11 September 2008, at approximately 13:57 UTC (14:57 BST / 15:57 CEST) 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from the French entrance to the tunnel in the North Tunnel. The blaze spread to other trucks on the train during the evening, destroying six carriages and one locomotive. The fire continued to burn overnight and was reported to have been put out by 06:00 UTC the following day, although fire crews continued to smother minor fires nearby for a further two hours. More than 300 firefighters from both sides of the English Channel helped tackle the blaze, with emergency services from East and West Sussex, London and Essex providing support.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Fire
32 people on board the train were led to safety down a separate service tunnel; fourteen people suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation, and were taken to hospital. The shuttle was carrying 27 vehicles.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Fire
A lorry carrying 100 kilograms (220 lb) of phenol (carbolic acid), a toxic product used in the pharmaceutical industry, was initially thought to be close to the seat of the fire; however, this was discovered to be an error and only 100 grams (3.5 oz) was carried. Eyewitness accounts state that two loud bangs, described as explosions, were heard and then thick smoke swept through the carriage. The train came to a grinding halt, and the lights went out. Further eyewitness accounts suggest that the emergency exit was jammed, and one passenger smashed a window with a hammer in order to climb out. The temperature in the tunnel was described as "very hot".


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Fire
About 650 metres (2,130 ft) of tunnel was damaged by the fire, 50% more than during the fire of November 1996.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Aftermath, Tunnel closure and reopening
Eurotunnel initially announced that all services would be suspended until 14 September; however, after inspection found no damage to the south tunnel, empty test shuttles were trialled during the evening of 12 September. A freight train was permitted to enter the tunnel in the early hours of the morning on 13 September, and limited Eurostar services resumed at 06:00 BST later that morning, with 18 services in each direction, including a return journey from London to Disneyland Paris. Some passengers arriving at St Pancras Station reported smelling smoke whilst travelling through the tunnel.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Aftermath, Tunnel closure and reopening
A limited passenger shuttle service restarted on 14 September with the 06:18 BST from Folkestone. Services were increased when the section of the north tunnel was reopened from Folkestone to the UK crossover on 22 September, and again on 29 September when the tunnel between the crossovers was brought back into service. While the final sixth of the tunnel was being repaired, trains were limited to 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) by the Intergovernmental Commission. Service levels were reduced so that only 90% of Eurostar services, 60% of Eurotunnel passenger vehicle shuttles and 70% of the HGV shuttles were able to run, costing Eurotunnel an estimated £185 million (€200 million) in lost revenue.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Aftermath, Tunnel repair
Repair works were estimated at £60 million. On 18 October, the investigation authority released the damaged section of tunnel back to Eurotunnel who then assessed the tunnel lining and replaced over one thousand bolts holding the concrete lining. The damaged concrete was then removed with high pressure water jets, damage to the reinforcing steel mesh repaired and a new concrete lining applied by a shotcreting process. This used about 4000 tonnes of new concrete and was completed in early January 2009. During the remainder of January, tunnel equipment was repaired and replaced as necessary, with the installation of overhead line equipment on 28 January. After test running, Eurotunnel reopened on 9 February 2009.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Aftermath, Eurotunnel response
When the train stopped in the tunnel due to a fire, the procedure was that the smoke had to be removed by the high powered ventilation before evacuation could be allowed. However, when the train came to a halt, people saw the smoke and some panicked, broke a window and started to evacuate on their own. The evacuation procedure is now shown in nine languages in the lorry driver's club car.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Aftermath, Eurotunnel response
Eurotunnel was also concerned because it took 75 minutes before the fire services started to tackle the blaze and that the ventilation was on during this time, fanning the fire and increasing the damage. After tests in April 2010, Eurotunnel built four "fire-fighting stations" in the tunnel. When a fire is detected on a train, it continues to the next station, passengers and crew are evacuated into the service tunnel and an automatic system puts the fire out with water mist. These were operational in autumn 2011,and tested in January 2012.


2008 Channel Tunnel fire, Aftermath, Investigation
The investigation was led by the French Land Transport Accident Investigation Bureau (Bureau d'Enquêtes sur les Accidents de Transport Terrestre) and supported by the British Rail Accident Investigation Branch. The report was published on 22 November 2010.


2008 Charsadda bombing
In the Charsadda bombing of 9 February 2008, a suicide bomber killed at least 27 people and another 50 were injured in Charsadda, Pakistan attending a political rally for the opposition Awami National Party. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan suspected Al-Qaeda or Taliban-linked groups were responsible after threatening all political parties in the North-West Frontier Province. The bombing occurred nine days before the 2008 Pakistani general election which was postponed in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.


2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup
The 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup was contested in the final ten races of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to determine a champion. The Chase began with the Sylvania 300 on September 14, 2008 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and ended with the Ford 400 on November 16, 2008 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 Chase was won by Jimmie Johnson, his third consecutive championship.


2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup
From 2004 through 2007, the championship system was known as the "Chase for the Nextel Cup", but with the 2005 merger of Sprint and Nextel, the name of the series became known as the Sprint Cup Series in 2008.


2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, Drivers, Seeding
♦ – Edwards was docked the ten-point winner's bonus as a result of a violation found during post-race inspection at the UAW-Dodge 400 in Las Vegas.


2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, Schedule
≠ — Non-qualifier for the 2007 Chase. Italics denotes non-qualifier for 2008 chase. ♣ – Denotes night race or race that will start in the late afternoon and finish at night.


2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, Television
This marked the second year of exclusive national television coverage of the Chase for the Sprint Cup on ABC. Dr. Jerry Punch remained in the play-by-play position, with Andy Petree in one color commentary position, but there were changes in the booth and host position.


2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, Television
Brent Musburger and Suzy Kolber were out in the host position, and former MRN Radio, TNT and NBC play-by-play voice Allen Bestwick took their place after spending the 2007 season on pit road. Joining him were 1989 NASCAR series champion Rusty Wallace and JTG Daugherty Racing owner and former Cleveland Cavaliers center Brad Daugherty in the on-site studio, while 1999 series champion Dale Jarrett took Wallace's spot in the broadcast booth and Shannon Spake replaced Bestwick on pit road, joining Jamie Little, Dave Burns and Mike Massaro.


2008 Chatham Cup
The 2008 Chatham Cup is the New Zealand's 81st knockout football competition. The final was played on 13 September at North Harbour Stadium, North Shore.


2008 Chatham Cup
In all, 132 teams took part in the 2008 competition. Note: there is some confusion as to the round numbers. Some publications list a preliminary round, a qualification round, and four rounds proper before quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final; others list a preliminary round and five rounds before the quarter-finals. the latter numbering system is used in this article.


2008 Chatham Cup
The 2008 competition's final rounds were unusual for two reasons: only one of the four semi-finalists had ever previously reached the semi-finals (Dunedin Technical - the only team to have done so - won the cup in 1999), and two South Island teams reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1995. A change of venue for the final was mooted - possibly to Christchurch - had both finalists been South Island teams.


2008 Chatham Cup, The 2008 final
In the final, 1999 Cup-winners Dunedin Technical faced finals debutants East Coast Bays in front of a crowd of some 3000 spectators at North Harbour Stadium. Technical had the better of the early stages of the match, as East Coast Bays took time to settle, but were unable to press home any advantage. By the mid-stages of the half Bays had begun to exert their dominance, particularly in the midfield area. The only goal of the match came from a long Ryan Zoghby throw-in in the 34th minute which was deflected by Technical defender Blair Scoullar into his own net.


2008 Chatham Cup, The 2008 final
Technical responded well to being behind, increasing the pressure on the Bays defence throughout the second half, but were unable to square the match.


2008 Chatham Cup, The 2008 final
The Jack Batty Memorial Cup is awarded to the player adjudged to have made to most positive impact in the Chatham Cup final. The winner of the 2008 Jack Batty Memorial Cup was Ryan Zoghby of East Coast Bays.


2008 Chatsworth train collision
The Chatsworth train collision occurred at 4:22:23 p.m. PDT (23:22:23 UTC) on Friday, September 12, 2008, when a Union Pacific freight train and a Metrolink commuter train collided head-on in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The scene of the accident was a curved section of single track on the Metrolink Ventura County Line just east of Stoney Point.


2008 Chatsworth train collision
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigated the cause of the collision, the Metrolink train ran through a red signal before entering a section of single track where the opposing freight train had been given the right of way by the train dispatcher. The NTSB blamed the Metrolink train's engineer, 46-year-old Robert M. Sanchez, for the collision, concluding that he was distracted by text messages he was sending while on duty.


2008 Chatsworth train collision
This mass casualty event brought a massive emergency response by both the city and county of Los Angeles, but the nature and extent of physical trauma taxed the available resources. First responding officer Tom Gustofson described the wreck as “beyond human description”. Response included CEMP (California Emergency Mobile Patrol Search and Rescue) as a first responding unit requested by Los Angeles Police Department. With 25 deaths, this became the deadliest accident in Metrolink's history. Many survivors remained hospitalized for an extended period.


2008 Chatsworth train collision
Lawyers quickly began filing claims against Metrolink, and in total, they are expected to exceed a US$200 million liability limit set in 1997, portending the first legal challenges to that law. Issues surrounding this accident have also initiated and reinvigorated public debate on a range of topics including public relations, safety, and emergency management, which has also resulted in regulatory and legislative actions, including the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Collision
Metrolink commuter train 111, consisting of a 250,000-pound (110 t) EMD F59PH locomotive (SCAX 855) pulling three Bombardier BiLevel Coaches, departed Union Station in downtown Los Angeles at 3:35 p.m. PDT (22:35 UTC) heading westbound to Moorpark in suburban Ventura County. Approximately 40 minutes later, it departed the Chatsworth station with 222 people aboard, and had traveled approximately 1.25 miles (2 km) when it collided head-on with an eastbound Union Pacific local freight train. The freight train was led by two EMD SD70ACe locomotives, #8485 and 8491, and was pulling 17 freight cars. The Metrolink locomotive telescoped rearward into the passenger compartment of the first passenger car and caught fire. All three locomotives, the leading Metrolink passenger car, and ten freight cars were derailed, and both lead locomotives and the passenger car fell over.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Collision
The collision occurred after the Metrolink passenger train engineer, 46-year-old Robert M. Sanchez, failed to obey a red stop signal that indicated it was not safe to proceed into the single track section. The train dispatcher's computer at a remote control center in Pomona did not display a warning prior to the accident according to the NTSB. Metrolink initially reported that the dispatcher tried in vain to contact the train crew to warn them; but the NTSB contradicted this report, saying the dispatcher noticed a problem only after the accident, and was notified by the passenger train's conductor first.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Collision
Both trains were moving toward each other at the time of the collision. At least one passenger on the Metrolink train reported seeing the freight train moments before impact, coming around the curve. The conductor of the passenger train, who was in the rear car and was injured in the accident, estimated that his train was traveling at 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) before it suddenly came to a dead stop after the collision. The NTSB reported that it was traveling at 42 miles per hour (68 km/h). The freight train was traveling at approximately the same speed after its engineer triggered the emergency air brake only two seconds before impact, while the Metrolink engineer never applied the brakes on his train.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Collision, Location
The accident occurred after the freight train emerged from the 500-foot-long (150-meter-long) tunnel #28, just south of California State Route 118 (Ronald Reagan Freeway) near the intersection of Heather Lee Lane and Andora Avenue near Chatsworth Hills Academy. The accident was in Chatsworth, a neighborhood of Los Angeles located at the northwestern edge of the San Fernando Valley. The trains collided on the Metrolink Ventura County Line, part of the Montalvo Cutoff, opened by the Southern Pacific Company on March 20, 1904, to improve the alignment of its Coast Line. Metrolink has operated the line since purchasing it in the 1990s from Southern Pacific (now owned by Union Pacific), which retained trackage rights for freight service.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Collision, Railroad physical characteristics
Both trains were on the same section of single track that runs between the Chatsworth station (which is double tracked) through the Santa Susana Pass. The line returns to double track again as it enters the Simi Valley. Three tunnels under the pass are only wide enough to support a single track, and it would be very costly to widen them. This single-track section carries 24 passenger trains and 12 freight trains each day.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Collision, Railroad physical characteristics
The line's railway signaling system is designed to ensure that trains wait on the double-track section while a train is proceeding in the other direction on the single track. The signal system was upgraded in the 1990s to support Metrolink commuter rail services, and Richard Stanger, the executive director of Metrolink in its early years of 1991 to 1998, said the system had functioned without trouble in the past. The Metrolink train would normally wait in the Chatsworth station for the daily Union Pacific freight train to pass before proceeding, unless the freight train was already waiting for it at Chatsworth. The location was not protected by catch points.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Timeline
The events on September 12, 2008 leading up to the collision (all times local):


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Emergency response
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) originally dispatched a "physical rescue" assignment at a residential address near the scene in response to a 9-1-1 emergency call from the home. The crew arrived at the address four minutes later, just before 4:30 p.m. PDT and accessed the scene by cutting through the backyard fence. Upon arrival, the captain on the scene immediately called for an additional five ambulances, then 30 fire engines, and after reaching the wreck he called for every heavy search and rescue unit in the city.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Emergency response
Hundreds of emergency workers were eventually involved in the rescue and recovery efforts, including 250 firefighters. Two Los Angeles city firefighters received medals for risking their lives to enter a confined space with smokey and potentially toxic air, without their air bottles, to rescue one of the freight train crew members. LAPD Devonshire Division, Patrol Officers arrived on scene shortly after the first LAFD Engine Company.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Emergency response
As firefighters were putting out the flames of the burning diesel fuel that had spilled out of the freight engine, Patrol Officers entered the damaged, smoke-filled train cars to rescue/administer first aid to several passengers who were stranded on the upper decks due to their critical injuries. Two Officers received medals, and two received commendations and were credited with potentially saving the lives of several injured passengers.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Emergency response
The event was operationally identified as the "Chatsworth Incident" and was reclassified as a "mass casualty incident". All six of LAFD's air ambulances were mobilized, along with six additional helicopters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The helicopters were requested under a mutual aid arrangement. A review of the emergency response and the on-site and hospital care was initiated by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe immediately after the event, and was expected to take 90 days to complete.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Casualties
A total of 25 people died in the collision, including engineer Sanchez and two victims who died at hospitals in the days following the crash. This event is the deadliest railway accident in Metrolink's history, and the worst in the United States since the Big Bayou Canot train disaster in 1993.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Casualties
A total of 135 others were reported injured, 46 of them critically, with 85 of the injured transported to 13 hospitals and two transported themselves. Air ambulance helicopters medevaced 40 patients. LAFD Captain Steve Ruda reported that the high number of critically injured passengers taxed the area's emergency response capabilities, and patients were distributed to all 12 trauma centers in Los Angeles County. Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills treated 17 patients, more than any other hospital.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Casualties
Captain Ruda said his firefighters had never seen such carnage. Austin Walbridge, a train passenger, told a TV news reporter that the interior of the train was "bloody, a mess. Just a disaster. It was horrible." Emergency responders described the victims as having crush-type injuries. Dr. Amal K. Obaid, a trauma surgeon who practices at USC University Hospital where several victims were treated, described their injuries in more detail, "They have head injuries, multiple facial fractures, chest trauma, collapsed lungs, rib fractures, pelvic fractures, leg and arm fractures, cuts in the skin and soft tissue. Some have blood in the brain."


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Casualties
The Los Angeles County Coroner set up an air-conditioned tent that functioned as a temporary morgue at the site. One off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer was among the confirmed deaths, as was the Metrolink train's engineer,an employee of Veolia Transport, a contracted operator of Metrolink. One of the passengers who died was a survivor of the 2005 Glendale train crash. Another had been commuting by train since Metrolink's inception in 1992. Many victims were residents of suburban Simi Valley and Moorpark on their way home from work in the Los Angeles area.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Casualties
The four other crew members of the two trains survived. The conductor and engineer of the freight train were trapped inside the lead locomotive while it was engulfed in flames; the firefighters who rescued the pair found them banging on the thick glass windshield, unable to escape. The freight crew also had a brakeman riding in the second locomotive who was injured in the crash.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Casualties
The search for victims came to an end shortly after 14:30 PDT on September 13, approximately 22 hours after the collision.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Service disruptions
The crash disrupted service on the Pacific Surfliner and the Coast Starlight. Amtrak canceled service on the Pacific Surfliner between San Luis Obispo and Union Station in Los Angeles and Thruway Motorcoach buses transported Coast Starlight passengers from Union Station to Santa Barbara to board the trains. Metrolink service on the Ventura County Line was interrupted north of Chatsworth, and all service resumed four days after the accident.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Preliminary investigation controversy
Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell disclosed the day after the crash that a preliminary investigation of dispatch records and computers showed the engineer of the Metrolink passenger train failed to stop his train for a red railway signal, which indicated his train did not have authority to proceed on the main track . She was quoted as saying, "We don't know how the error happened, but this is what we believe happened. We believe it was our engineer who failed to stop at the signal." Tyrrell said that if the engineer had obeyed the signal, the accident would not have occurred. However Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metrolink board member Don Knabe said it was premature to blame the engineer, speculating that "there could always be a technical malfunction where ... there was a green light both ways."


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Preliminary investigation controversy
After a Metrolink board meeting two days after her remarks, Tyrrell resigned. Tyrrell stated that she quit because a Metrolink Board statement called her announcement premature and inappropriate; she maintained that it was proper to get out in front of the story before the NTSB took over the investigation. She stated that she asked for and received authorization to make the comments from David Solow, Metrolink's chief executive. Solow confirmed that he did give authorization, but said that, in hindsight, he would not have given permission.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Preliminary investigation controversy
After her resignation, some good government proponents praised Tyrrell for her candor, including the chief public advocate with California Common Cause. The Los Angeles Times also published an editorial by columnist Patt Morrison sympathetic to Tyrrell's position, in which she says, "I am unclear of the concept of how the truth can somehow be premature. The truth is the truth."


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Official investigation
The NTSB led the official investigation to determine the probable cause, but NTSB officials had not commented on the accident prior to the Metrolink statement. In a subsequent press conference at the scene two hours after Tyrrell's comments, an NTSB official cautioned that the cause of the accident was still under investigation. The NTSB studied the data from the train event recorders, which had been recovered by NTSB investigators working at the scene. The Metrolink train had two data recorders, one badly damaged, and the freight train had a data and a video recorder. The NTSB said it would collect other evidence and interview witnesses to try to officially report within a year's time why the crash occurred.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Official investigation
Tests of the railway signal system after the accident showed it was working properly, and should have shown proper signal indications to the Metrolink train, with two yellow signals as the train approached the Chatsworth station, and a red signal at the switch north of the station. "We can say with confidence that the signal system was working," the lead NTSB board member stated at a news conference after the tests. This focused the NTSB investigation on human factors.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Official investigation
Before releasing the accident scene and allowing restoration of service, the NTSB also conducted a final sight distance test. An identical Metrolink train and pair of Union Pacific locomotives were brought together at the point of impact and slowly backed away from each other. The test showed that the trains' engineers could not see each other until less than five seconds before the collision.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Official investigation
The surviving crew members could not be interviewed by the NTSB immediately after the accident because they were still recovering from their injuries. The NTSB was able to interview the Metrolink conductor about recorded radio communications, which did not capture the required communication between the conductor and engineer on the aspects displayed by the last two signals the train passed before the accident. He confirmed they did not call out the last two signals.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Official investigation
The NTSB also stated that a railroad switch showed evidence of damage consistent with the Metrolink passenger train "running through" the trailing switch points while they were set to allow the freight train to proceed onto the adjacent track, forcing them out of the way. "The switch bars were bent like a banana. It should be perfectly straight," according to the NTSB official. The NTSB member in charge of the investigative team said they were also concerned with possible fatigue issues related to the engineer's split shift. The engineer worked an 11.5-hour shift split with a 3.5-hour break, leaving only nine hours away from work between workdays.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Official investigation
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is also investigating to determine if any federal safety regulations were violated. The California Public Utilities Commission, the state agency responsible for regulating railroads, also reported that it has ten investigators with railroad experience working in conjunction with the NTSB, and will also be looking into the matter of the Tyrrell resignation.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Official investigation
Before the conclusion of the formal investigation, three witnesses came forward to say that they observed the signal to be green as the Metrolink train departed the Chatsworth station just before the collision. A newspaper reporter interviewed the witnesses at the station, and confirmed that the signal was visible from the station, and that the witnesses could correctly identify the colors displayed. A safety consultant said that although this type of signal failure is extremely rare, he had seen it twice before in his 13-year career as a locomotive engineer. The NTSB considered the eyewitness' accounts and, based on the results of its tests of the signal system and on the distance between the witnesses and the signal, rejected them as "contrary to the other evidence".


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Text messaging
Local television news broke the story that the Metrolink engineer was exchanging brief text messages with a 16-year-old railfan while operating the train, a violation of Metrolink rules according to the agency. The last message received from the engineer, time-stamped at 4:22:01, 22 seconds before the collision, reportedly said, "yea ... usually @ north camarillo," referencing Camarillo, CA, a town farther down the line, where the engineer expected to meet another train.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Text messaging
The NTSB did not recover the engineer's cellphone in the wreckage and said the teenagers were cooperating with the investigation, initially noting that similar rumors about an engineer using a cell phone from an investigation recently conducted in Boston were unfounded. After receiving the engineer's cell phone records under subpoena, the NTSB confirmed that the engineer was texting while on duty, but had not yet correlated the messages with the accident timeline. After completing a preliminary timeline, the NTSB placed the last text message sent by the engineer at 22 seconds before impact.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Text messaging
An NTSB representative refused to comment further on the preliminary timeline, which investigators were still refining. Two University of Southern California academics used the information in the NTSB statement to determine that the last text message sent by the Metrolink train's engineer would have been sent a few seconds after he had passed the last red signal. This would make unconsciousness an unlikely cause for this error, since the engineer was able to compose and send the message; instead a psychology professor from the University of Utah raised the possibility that "inattentional blindness" caused the engineer to fail to see the signal.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Text messaging
The day after the NTSB confirmed the engineer was texting, and less than one week after the accident, the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously passed an emergency order to temporarily ban the use of cellular communication devices by train crew members, citing this accident and a previous San Francisco Municipal Railway accident where the train operator was using a cell phone. A week later, texting while driving an automobile was outlawed in California, effective January 1, 2009.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Text messaging
There was no federal regulation prohibiting cell phone use by train crews at the time of the accident, but the NTSB had recommended the Federal Railroad Administration address the issue in 2003, after concluding cell phone use by a freight train engineer contributed to a fatal head-on train collision in Texas in 2002. However, 19 days after the accident the FRA administrator issued Emergency Order No. 26 restricting the use of "personal electronic or electrical devices" by railroad operating employees.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Text messaging
On March 3, 2009, federal investigators released records showing that the train engineer Robert M. Sanchez had allowed a train enthusiast to ride in the cab several days before the crash, and that he was planning to let him run the train between four stations on the evening of the crash. "I'm gonna do all the radio talkin' ... ur gonna run the locomotive & I'm gonna tell u how to do it," Sanchez wrote in one text. Records also show Sanchez had received two prior warnings from his supervisors about improper use of cellphones while in the control cab.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Conductor's role
The operating rules for trains with a single engineer is that all signals are to be reported to the conductor. This allows the conductor to 'pull the air' (apply the emergency brakes) should the engineer appear to be incapacitated for any reason. However, in this incident, according to the data video, the last two signals were not reported, nor did the conductor apply the brakes.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, Conductor's role
Unusually, the conductor told the engineer that the starting signal was green, rather than the other way around.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Investigation, NTSB's conclusions and recommendations
On January 21, 2010, the NTSB issued a press release announcing its conclusions from the investigation into the collision. In the report, the NTSB concluded that the cause of the accident was most likely the result of the Metrolink engineer's use of text messaging while on duty, which led to the train  passing a signal at danger and traveling into the path of the oncoming Union Pacific freight train. In addition, the Board cited the lack of positive train control on the Metrolink train as a contributing factor. The investigation has led the NTSB to recommend that the federal government require the installation of video and audio recording equipment in all locomotive and train operating cabs, and to reiterate its calls for positive train control, which had been on the Board's Wanted List since 1990.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Positive train control
Positive train control (PTC) is a system of functional requirements for monitoring and controlling train movements and is a type of train protection system. Attention was focused almost immediately about the lack of PTC on equipment involved in the Chatsworth collision; Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman told a reporter days after the accident that PTC "would have stopped the train before there was a collision". The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member leading the investigation also said she was convinced that such a system "would have prevented this accident".


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Positive train control
In 2008, Congress passed the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 in direct response to the accident. It required Class I Railroad mainlines with regularly scheduled intercity and commuter rail passenger service to fully implement PTC by December 31, 2015. By 2015, few railroads were anywhere close to implementing PTC and asked for an extension; the deadline was extended to December 31, 2018, with a provision extending compliance to December 31, 2020 if railroads submit plans for doing the work by December 31, 2018. The failure to implement PTC earlier was cited by the Board as a contributing factor in the 2015 Philadelphia train derailment.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Positive train control
Metrolink was the first commuter system to deploy the technology, and it is currently fully active on 341 miles of trackage owned by Metrolink. Regarding the other 171 miles of Metrolink track that are owned by freight lines BNSF and UPRR, the agency states as of 2017 that they are "working towards PTC interoperability".


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Litigation
As the result of a provision in the Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-134), there is a US$200 million cap on the aggregate of all passengers' damage claims in a railroad accident against a passenger railroad, including punitive damages. In dividing the $200 million among the 25 dead and more than 100 injured in the Chatsworth case, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman characterized the awards as "judicial triage", stated victims were undercompensated by at least $64 million, and admitting that awards were unlikely to cover future medical expenses.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Memorials
Unfinished JourneysIn memory of those who have diedWith empathy for those affectedIn gratitude to those who responded and rescued


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Memorials
Following the collision a temporary, spontaneous memorial of flowers and notes was erected at the Simi Valley Amtrak/Metrolink Station. On September 8, 2009, the first permanent memorial, a plaque, was placed in Union Station. The Metrolink Memorial Plaza was dedicated on September 12, 2009 at the Simi Valley station. The plaza features 11 columns, one each for the ten deceased passengers from Simi Valley and an additional one for the 14 other deceased victims.


2008 Chatsworth train collision, Aftermath, Memorials
There are also 25 markers on the grounds to commemorate each victim as well as a seating area and a plaque in remembrance to the 2005 Glendale train crash. Two days later, on the first anniversary of the crash a memorial ceremony was held at Stony Point Park, near the location of the collision.


2008 Chattanooga Mocs football team
The 2008 Chattanooga Mocs football team represented the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon)in the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Mocs were led by sixth-year head coach Rodney Allison and played their home games at Finley Stadium. They finished the season 1–11 overall and 0–8 in SoCon play to place ninth. Allison was relieved of his coaching duties at the end of the season.


2008 Chechnya earthquake
The 2008 Chechnya earthquake occurred October 11 at 09:06:10 UTC in Chechnya, Russia, with a Mwc magnitude of 5.8. At least 13 people from the districts of Gudermes, Shalinsky and Kurchaloyevsky were killed. The mainshock and a series of aftershocks were felt throughout the North Caucasus, and even in Armenia and Georgia. About 116 people were injured.


2008 Chechnya earthquake
Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Stavropol also experienced the tremors, with a total of 16 shocks between 3 and 6 on the Richter magnitude scale. Some tremors lasted up to 30 seconds, causing serious structural damage in two Chechen districts, and left 52,000 people without power in three districts. Communications and roads in Chechnya were also disrupted.


2008 Chechnya earthquake
Five-hundred families in the heavily affected town of Kurchaloy needed tent shelters, and the local hospital in that town was evacuated. There was only minimal damage in the Chechnya capital of Grozny, consisting mostly of broken windows.


2008 Chechnya earthquake
Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechnya said, "We have received information on damage from various districts... each and every [victim] will receive the necessary help and support."


2008 Chechnya earthquake
A magnitude 5.3 aftershock struck the region approximately 16 minutes after the initial quake.


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
The 2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil was the penultimate race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup. To date, it is the final career race for Kyle Petty.


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Summary
The 312-lap, 500 kilometres (310 mi) event on the 1 mile (1.6 km) circuit was held on November 9 at Phoenix International Raceway in the Phoenix, Arizona suburb of Avondale. ABC broadcast the race on television beginning at 3 PM US EST while MRN along with Sirius Satellite Radio had radio coverage starting at 2:45 PM US EST.


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Summary, Qualifying
Jimmie Johnson won the Pole for Sunday's race, while the man closest to him, Carl Edwards starts fifth.


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Summary, Recap
In a race delayed by rain for almost half an hour, then held up another twenty minutes due to a major accident, Johnson all but clinched the 2008 Sprint Cup Championship, his third in a row. Also, a second major accident happened at the end of the race. When the field came to the finish line to take the checkered flag, Matt Kenseth, knocked A. J. Allmendinger into Juan Pablo Montoya.


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Summary, Recap
As Kenseth continued to a 15th-place finish, Allmendinger & Montoya became hooked together, slid across the line & hit the inside wall, sending Montoya spinning back across traffic, collecting, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Bill Elliott, Ken Schrader & others. Nevertheless, Allmendinger managed slide across the line to finish 16th, get his car back straight & move on, while Montoya also slid across the line & finish 17th. However, he lost his back-end bumper cover & his car came to rest against the fence.


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Summary, Lap 284: ESPN's Heidi Game Ruse
Viewers in the Eastern and Central Time Zones of the USA were forced to switch from ABC to ESPN2 to see the finish of the race on Lap 284 as the network broadcast America's Funniest Home Videos at 7:30 PM EST, while ABC continued the race to its conclusion (313 laps) in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones. NASCAR Chairman Brian France was enraged by this decision:


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Summary, Lap 284: ESPN's Heidi Game Ruse
Other broadcast networks since 2001 (when the national television contracts took place) had previously broadcast races to the conclusion, even in rain delay cases. The 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the 2005 Aaron's 312 (NNS) at Talladega Superspeedway, and the 2005 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway each ran late past network hours and were retained on the broadcast network until their conclusions. ESPN, on the other hand, pulled a similar "Heidi Game" rule at the 2007 LifeLock 400 at the Kansas Speedway.


2008 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, Summary, Lap 284: ESPN's Heidi Game Ruse
Both Phoenix races during the 2008 season had incidents with other events. During the spring race, the broadcast started when the cars were in the dogleg of the first lap. And 20 years ago during the first Cup race at Phoenix, ESPN joined the race after 30 laps had been completed.


2008 Chelopechene explosions
The 2008 Chelopechene explosions were a series of explosions that began early on Thursday morning 3 July 2008 at around 6:30 am local time at a munitions depot in the suburb of Chelopechene, 10 kilometres east of the centre of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The initial explosions were powerful enough to be heard in the entire capital and surrounding villages. The depot was part of a military facility (Podelenie 18 250) that specialised in dismantling obsolete ammunition.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline
At 6:28 am, Sofia residents were awakened by a powerful, deafening explosion so loud it set off car alarms in districts as far away as Lyulin, some 15 km from the blast. Further east there was great panic among residents as the shockwave shattered windows and some trees were blown down. There was another powerful blast at 6:45 am. Explosions continued throughout the day prompting authorities to evacuate the residents of Chelopechene, Chepintsi and Botunets. A mushroom cloud formed after the first explosion and rose quickly into the morning sky, obscuring the sun. Smaller explosions occurred after midnight on the morning of July 4.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline
A total of 1,494 tonnes of ageing artillery shells, rocket propelled grenades, depth charges, hand grenades and other explosives were stored at the depots, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The communist-era ammunition had been due for disposal by army experts.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Panic and first media reports
The first official reports of the blast came on the Bulgarian National Radio 7:00 am news bulletin. TV stations and Internet media also reported that "loud explosions were heard in Sofia but the source was not immediately clear".


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Panic and first media reports
Bulgarian Nova Television, which is in close proximity to the blast site, showed residents leaving their homes in panic. Some complained of difficulty breathing. Two men wept on TV, saying their homes were absolutely devastated.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Panic and first media reports
Police and emergency services were inundated with calls from frantic residents. Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene but there was little they could do since loud explosions were still being heard in the area.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Official response
The mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borisov, was among the first officials to arrive at the scene. He arrived and issued a warning to local residents to stay indoors or leave the area and to the inhabitants of Sofia to stay at home, and close all windows.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Official response
Later, all residents were ordered to evacuate an 8-km zone around the site for fear of another, more powerful explosion. Representatives from the Bulgarian Red Cross, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Defense, Civil Defense Units and Pirogov paramedics were all at the scene. The first few hours were characterised by many accusations in front of television crews between Borisov and Etem that the situation had not been, and was not, being handled well.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Official response
It is an interesting coincidence that a modernised system of the pan-European 112 emergency telephone line had only become operational at midnight on the same day. "Even if we had organized it, we could not have planned it so well," the Emergency Situations Minister told MPs.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Injuries and property damage
Two people suffered cuts from broken glass and one man was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. Four soldiers on duty at the depots escaped unscathed.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Injuries and property damage
Damage to the area was extensive. Aerial photos showed that the facility was completely obliterated. The ammunitions depot and surrounding buildings were destroyed.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Injuries and property damage
Nearby homes suffered broken windows and smashed doors and cracks appeared on several homes. Sofia Airport and the Russian Cultural and Information Centre also suffered broken windows. The airport was closed after debris from the blasts fell near a taxiway.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Timeline, Sofia Airport closure
Sofia Airport had to close down as broken glass was reported at Terminal One and some debris landed on the runways. All flights were redirected to Plovdiv International Airport, about 160 kilometers east of Sofia.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Possible causes
By Sunday, July 6 there were already rumours circulating that the explosions were intentionally caused. Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev said that a fire (such as the one that caused the explosions) could not have accidentally occurred, and if it had indeed been an accident, that "whole blocks of flats would have been toppled". Instead, it was carefully engineered to spare casualties, Tsonev told reporters. He said that information from as far back as 2002 had suggested of wrongdoing at the unit.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Possible causes
Prosecutor General Boris Velchev considers the security of the facility inadequate and intends to investigate why the 1,500 tonnes of munitions were guarded only by two retired servicemen. The commander of the base is also under investigation for improprieties in the auctioning of the products of the dismantling.. On June 10, it became clear that 200 tonnes of munitions had been missing from the warehouses; one version being circulated was that the explosions aimed to cover up wrongdoings.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Possible causes
On Friday, July 11, it became clear that investigations would be carried out on suspicions into the possibility that the explosions were carried out on land due to be privatised.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Afternoon earthquake
To make matters worse, there was a moderate earthquake at 15:12 EET measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was 15 km south of the centre of Sofia, in the borough of Pancharevo. Residents thought this was another explosion and rushed to the streets in panic, especially those living in high-rise buildings in the Mladost district. Scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences said it was extremely unlikely that the earthquake was triggered by the blasts. The geological institute also said that there was no link to the blasts. Bulgaria's defense minister Nikolay Tsonev said that there were no underground galleries at the military facility and thus no underground blasts that could have caused the recorded tremor.


2008 Chelopechene explosions, Environmental impact
"Large quantities of conventional ammunition are stored in the facility, but there are no toxic chemicals or radioactive substances stored there," said Nikolai Kolev, a former army chief of staff. There was visible air pollution in the area and residents said there was a strange smell in the air near the blast zone.


2008 Cheltenham Borough Council election
The 2008 Cheltenham Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Cheltenham Borough Council in Gloucestershire, England. Half of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.


2008 Cheltenham Borough Council election, Campaign
Before the election the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats had 17 seats each, People Against Bureaucracy 5 and Labour 1 seat, with the Conservatives forming the administration. 20 seats were being contested with both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats contesting all of the seats, while Labour contested 9, Greens 4 and People Against Bureaucracy 3 seats. The only Labour councillor Diana Hale stood down at the election, along with 2 Conservative and 1 People Against Bureaucracy councillors, while Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Coleman contested Leckhampton instead of his existing seat in St Paul's ward.


2008 Cheltenham Borough Council election, Campaign
During the campaign the national Conservative leader David Cameron briefly visited Cheltenham to campaign, raising the issues of post offices being closed, garden grabbing, preserving local shops and house building on flood plains.


2008 Cheltenham Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw the Liberal Democrats become the largest party on the council with 20 of the 40 seats after making 3 gains. The Liberal Democrats held vulnerable seats in All Saints and St Peters wards, while making gains from each of the other 3 groups which had been defending seats. They also almost defeated the Conservative leader of the council Duncan Smith who held on by 33 votes in Charlton Kings ward.


2008 Cheltenham Borough Council election, Election result
The Conservatives stayed on 17 seats, while the People Against Bureaucracy group lost 2 seats to have 3 councillors. Labour was wiped out after losing their last seat in Oakley, with the party only coming in third place in the ward. Overall turnout in the election was 35.1%.


2008 Cheltenham Borough Council election, Election result
As a result of the election the Liberal Democrats took over control of the administration of the council from the Conservatives. The change in control came in a vote with the Liberal Democrat leader Steve Jordan receiving 18 votes, compared to 19 abstentions and the remaining 3 councillors being absent.


2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup
The 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup was a horse race which took place at Cheltenham on Friday 14 March 2008. It was the 80th running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and it was won by Denman. The winner was ridden by Sam Thomas, and the first three horses were all trained by Paul Nicholls. The odds-on favourite Kauto Star finished second and Neptune Collonges was a close third.


2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup
The race had been billed as the most anticipated Gold Cup since Arkle and Mill House clashed in 1964, with Kauto Star racing against Denman for the first time. However, a close contest failed to materialise as Denman defeated his rival by a comfortable margin.


2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Full result
* The distances between the horses are shown in lengths or shorter. shd = short-head; PU = pulled-up.† Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.


2008 Chennai Open
The 2008 Chennai Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the Chennai Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai, India, from 31 December 2007 through 6 January 2008.


2008 Chennai Open
The singles draw was headlined by Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) No . 2, three-time French Open champion and 2007 Chennai semifinalist Rafael Nadal, 2007 Paris Masters semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis, and 2007 US Open quarterfinalist and 2004 and 2005 Chennai winner Carlos Moyá. Also competing in the field were 2007 St. Petersburg semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny, 2007 Metz semifinalist Nicolas Mahut, Jürgen Melzer, Werner Eschauer and Marc Gicquel.


2008 Chennai Open, Notable stories, Longest three-setter
The semifinal that opposed fellow Majorcans Carlos Moyá and Rafael Nadal entered ATP Tour history as the longest three-setter since a 1993 Andrei Cherkasov win over Andrea Gaudenzi in Tel Aviv on the score of 6–7, 7–6, 7–5. Both matches lasted three hours and fifty-four minutes. Moya and Nadal's match featured three tie-breaks, with Moya looking on course for victory in the second set, gaining four match points, before Nadal caught up and won the set decider 10–8. An aggressive Moya kept coming to the net, while Nadal's passing shots kept him in the match.


2008 Chennai Open, Notable stories, Longest three-setter
Moya had yet another opportunity to win as he served for the match at 5–4 in the third, but Nadal prevented him to capitalize again, eventually claiming a 6–7, 7–6, 7–6 victory. After the match Moya commented: "the crowd reaction was unbelievable, this is one of the things that motivates you to go on at 31 years of age." Nadal admitted it was an "emotional match" and said of Moya "I don't remember the last time I saw him play so well."


2008 Chennai Open, Finals, Doubles
Sanchai Ratiwatana /  Sonchat Ratiwatana defeated  Marcos Baghdatis /  Marc Gicquel, 6–4, 7–5


2008 Chennai Open – Doubles
Xavier Malisse and Dick Norman were the defending champions, but Norman chose not to participate, and only Malisse competed that year. Malisse competed with Gilles Müller, but lost in the first round to Igor Kunitsyn and Jim Thomas.


2008 Chennai Open – Doubles
Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana won in the final 6–4, 7–5, against Marcos Baghdatis and Marc Gicquel.


2008 Chennai Open – Singles
Xavier Malisse was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Mikhail Youzhny.


2008 Chennai Open – Singles
Fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny won in the final 6–0, 6–1, against first-seeded Rafael Nadal.


2008 Cherwell District Council election
The 2008 Cherwell District Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Cherwell District Council in Oxfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2008 Cherwell District Council election
The results saw the Conservatives win all of the seats that were contested in the election in a clean sweep. They gained 2 seats from Labour to have 44 of the 50 seats on the council, while the Liberal Democrats were not defending any seats in the election. In Banbury Neithrop ward, Martin Weir, a former Labour party member who joined the Conservatives earlier in the year, defeated his former colleague and mayor Surinder Dhesi to take the seat. The other gain came in Banbury Ruscote, with the defeats for Labour being blamed on the national political situation. The results meant that Labour were reduced to holding only 2 seats on the council behind the Liberal Democrats on 4.


2008 Cheshire East Council election
Elections to the newly created Cheshire East Council took place on 1 May 2008. Elections occurred in all 27 wards, with each ward returning three councillors to the council. The wards were identical to the former Cheshire County Council wards.


2008 Cheshire East Council election
From May 2008 until April 2009, the elected members formed a "shadow" council, which made preparations for the changeover from the county and borough structure to the new unitary authority structure. Thereafter, the members serve for two years from May 2009 with the next elections are scheduled for May 2011.


2008 Cheshire East Council election, Results
The Conservative Party took overall control of the council with a majority of 37 councillors.


2008 Cheshire East Council election, Results
N.B. The change in voting percentages refers to the change since the 2005 Cheshire Council election, the last time that voting took place in the same wards.


2008 Cheshire East Council election, Results, Comparison with projections based on the 2005 results
At the 2005 Cheshire County Council election, there were 15 Conservative controlled wards, 6 Labour controlled wards, 5 Liberal Democrat controlled wards and 1 ward controlled by an independent. Based on the 2005 results, the Cheshire East Council election would have resulted in 45 Conservative councillors, 18 Labour councillors, 15 Liberal Democrat councillors and 3 independents; the projected results would have given the Conservatives overall control of the council, with a majority of 9 councillors.


2008 Cheshire East Council election, Results by ward, Sandbach ward
Current county councillor: Neville Price (Independent) (elected as a Conservative in 2005)


2008 Cheshire West and Chester Council election
Elections to the newly created Cheshire West and Chester Council took place on 1 May 2008. Elections occurred in all 24 wards, with each ward returning 3 councillors to the council. The wards are identical to the former Cheshire County Council wards.


2008 Cheshire West and Chester Council election
From May 2008 until April 2009, the elected members formed a "shadow" council, which made preparations for the changeover from the county and borough structure to the new unitary authority structure. Thereafter, the members will serve for two years from May 2009. The next elections were held in May 2011.


2008 Cheshire West and Chester Council election, Results
The Conservative Party took control of the council, with a majority of 38 councillors.


2008 Chevy Rock & Roll 400
The 2008 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 was the twenty-sixth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and served as the final "regular season" race before the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, where the top twelve drivers were "locked into" the ten-race playoff.


2008 Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Summary
The 400 lap (300 miles (480 km)) event was scheduled to have been held on Saturday night, September 6 at the 0.75 miles (1.21 km) Richmond International Raceway in Henrico County, Virginia, outside Richmond, the Commonwealth's capital city. However, Hurricane Hanna altered the plans and forced the race to be moved to the next day, September 7 at 1 PM  US EDT. This was to have been the first race to be carried on ABC, however due to a prior commitment to carry both a WNBA game and an Indycar Series race in Chicago, ESPN carried the race. In place of the race that night, ABC aired the movie Catch Me If You Can. Radio coverage via MRN along with Sirius Satellite Radio commenced at 12 noon US EDT Sunday.


2008 Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Summary, Chasing The Chase
As this is the final race before the Chase is set, five drivers have clinched their positions in the 2008 playoff, while two more will clinch a spot when the green flag drops.


2008 Chevy Rock & Roll 400, Summary, Chasing The Chase
Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Burton have all wrapped up positions in the Chase, where Kyle Busch will be ranked number one with at least 5,080 points. Edwards will be seeded second with a minimum of 5,050 points, even though he has six wins; one win was taken away as part of punishment after a post-race inspection following the UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas in March.