2008 Latvian Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 Latvian Figure Skating Championships (Latvian: Latvijas Čempionāts daiļslidošanā 2008) was held in Riga from December 26 to 28, 2007. Skaters competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles and Ice dance.


2008 Latvian Football Cup
Latvian Football Cup 2008 was the sixty-seventh season of the Latvian annual football knock-out competition. For the first time it was won by FK Daugava Daugavpils, by outrivaling FK Ventspils. The winners qualified for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League 2009–10.


2008 Latvian Higher League
The 2008 Virslīga season was the 17th Virslīga  season. It began on 5 April 2008 with the first round of games and ended on 9 November 2008 with the final matches of the championship and relegation rounds. Ventspils were the defending champions.


2008 Latvian Higher League, Season details
For the 2008 season the league has expanded to ten clubs, and the fixture format has changed. Due to expansion there was no relegation at the end of the 2007 season, and the top two clubs from the 1. līga 2007 season, champions FK Vindava (from Ventspils), and second placed SK Blāzma (from Rēzekne) were both promoted. From the 2008 season on, the league will be held in two rounds.


2008 Latvian Higher League, Season details
In the first round each club played all the other nine clubs twice, home and away starting with Matchday 1 on 5 April and finishing with Matchday 18 on 10 August.


2008 Latvian Higher League, Season details
In the second round there were two "mini leagues", with the top six clubs after the First Round, playing each other twice and clubs in 7th to 10th place after the First Round playing each other four times. Second round matches started on 24 August and finished on 9 November.


2008 Latvian Higher League, Season details
At the end of the season, the club finishing bottom of the Virslīga were automatically relegated to the 1. līga, and the champions of the 1. līga were automatically promoted, taking the place of the relegated club. The club that finished next to the bottom in the Virslīga play a two-legged playoff for the final place in the Virslīga for the next season with the club that finished second in 1. līga.


2008 Latvian Higher League, Second round, Relegation round, Relegation play-offs
Blāzma Rēzekne, the 9th placed team in the Virslīga, and 1. līga runners-up, Tranzīts Ventspils, competed in a two-legged play-off for a spot in the Virslīga 2009. Blāzma Rēzekne won 6–1 on aggregate and thereby kept their spot in the next season of the Virslīga.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum  to amend the constitution of Latvia in order to allow one-tenth of the total registered electorate to initiate a popular referendum to dissolve the Latvian parliament was held in Latvia on 2 August 2008.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum
The referendum on this issue was triggered when the Government of Latvia voted against an opposition motion to adopt this change to the constitution, which resulted in a referendum in Latvia by law. President Valdis Zatlers and the left-wing opposition were in favour of the referendum, while the government was against it, arguing that it would cause even more instability in a country which has seen 13 governments in the 18 years since independence. At least half of the total registered electorate (i.e. more than 757,607) had to approve the referendum proposal in order for it to be valid.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum
Preliminary results indicated that an overwhelming 96% of voters had voted in favour of the amendment, although only about 40% of the electorate voted in favour, which means the referendum is invalid. It is expected that the strong result, while failing to directly change the constitution, might press politicians to adopt a similar measure nonetheless.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum
If passed, the amendment would have represented the first time in an EU country that voters would have been able to dissolve their national parliament – a right traditionally reserved for the head of state.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Background
The moves to initiate the referendum began in Autumn 2007 at a time of public discontent with the government which had led to the largest street protests to date in the post-Soviet era.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Background
The movement to organise the referendum was led by the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia. The referendum also took place at a time of poor economic indicators with inflation exceeding 17 percent and economic growth expected to fall to near zero.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Background, Procedure for calling a referendum
Under the ‘Latvian Law on National Referendums and Legislative Initiatives’, the procedure on calling popular referendums has several stages. The first stage involves the collection of 10,000 signatures certified by notaries, which are then presented to the Latvian Central Election Commission (CEC). Following positive verification of these signatures, the Latvian Government must then provide facilities for signature gathering in every town and village in the country, to enable the population to sign in favour of a proposal for a referendum.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Background, Procedure for calling a referendum
In order to be successful, more than one-tenth of citizens eligible to vote in the previous parliamentary elections must sign in favour. Again, the signatures are verified by the CEC. If the 10% threshold is met, then the draft amendments are presented to the president who submits them to parliament for approval. If two thirds of MPs approve the changes at a sitting in which at least two thirds of the parliament is present then the changes are passed into law without the need for a referendum. If parliament rejects the laws, then a referendum is held.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Collection of signatures
In the event, 11,095 signatures were initially collected and positively verified. Collection of further signatures then took place from March 12 to April 10, 2008 in 660 designated places, of which 40 were abroad. In total, counting the initial signatures, 217,567 voters supported the introduction of the draft amendments. A further 6,814 signatures were disqualified. In the vast majority of cases this was due to citizens signing more than once. However, 35 were disqualified due to not being Latvian citizens, 22 on the grounds of insanity, 62 who were deceased or could not be identified and 1 person who was under the age of 18 upon signing.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Collection of signatures
As the total number of valid signatures represented 14.6% of the electorate, the amendments were duly presented by the president to parliament, which rejected them on 5 June 2008. Accordingly, under the terms of the referendum law, a referendum had to be held not earlier than one month and not later than two months after rejection.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Referendum campaign, "No" campaign
Opposing the referendum, Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis pointed out that political instability had also been a feature of pre-Soviet Latvia. He also argued that “Electing the parliament is a creative process, while a referendum would be a destructive process without any result." Parliamentary speaker Gundars Daudze argued that such referendums could create a huge crisis with neither parliament nor president operating. Meanwhile, the head of the People's Party in parliament, Māris Kučinskis, stated his belief that such referendums would allow a small number of people to change the election results.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Referendum campaign, "No" campaign
The advertisements of the no campaign also played on fears of Russian influence, with one advertisement, illustrated by pictures of ethnic Russian politicians from the opposition left wing parties playing a balalaika in a sauna, declaring “If you vote tomorrow, then you, brother, are crazy. In our places, the Russians will come. The Russians will come.”


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Referendum campaign, "Yes" campaign
Former Prime Minister Einars Repše, a member of the opposition New Era party, argued that a yes vote of the majority of the electorate would be in accordance with basic democratic principles and that many contemporary Latvian politicians were working not for the state interest but for the interest of “Godfathers.”  Civic Union party leader Sandra Kalniete also called for a yes vote on the grounds that the amendments could force MPs “to finally listen to the will of their voters.”  For Human Rights in United Latvia MP Juris Sokolovskis supported a yes vote on the basis of perceived alienation of the electorate from their MPs and on the grounds that, even if the 50% quorum was not reached, a large yes majority would still be difficult for politicians to ignore.


2008 Latvian constitutional referendum, Reactions
Following the anticipated large yes vote, President Valdis Zatlers said the support shown was strong enough to prompt Parliament to adopt similar amendments on its own. "The rights of the people to dissolve the Parliament have to be included in the Constitution as soon as possible," Zatlers was quoted as saying by local news agency BNS. "If 40% want that, the duty of the Parliament is making it possible."


2008 Latvian financial crisis
The 2008 Latvian financial crisis, which stemmed from the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, was a major economic and political crisis in Latvia. The crisis was generated when an easy credit market burst, resulting in an unemployment crisis, along with the bankruptcy of many companies. Since 2010, economic activity has recovered and Latvia's economic growth rate was the fastest among the EU member states in the first three quarters of 2012.


2008 Latvian financial crisis, Development
In 2008, after years of booming economic success, the Latvian economy took one of the sharpest downturns in the world, picking up pace in the last quarter in which GDP contracted by 10.5%. In February 2009 the Latvian government asked the International Monetary Fund and the European Union for an emergency bailout loan of 7.5 billion Euros, while at the same time the government nationalized Parex Bank, the country's second largest bank.


2008 Latvian financial crisis, Development
On concerns of bankruptcy, Standard & Poors subsequently downgraded Latvia's credit rating to non-investment grade BB+, or "junk", its worst ever rating. Its rating was put on negative outlook, which indicates a possible further cut. On February 20 the Latvian coalition government headed by Prime Minister of Latvia Ivars Godmanis collapsed.


2008 Latvian financial crisis, Development
The Baltic States have been amongst the worst hit by the global financial crisis. In December 2008 the Latvian unemployment rate stood at 7%. By December 2009, the figure had risen to 22.8%. The number of unemployed has more than tripled since the onset of the crisis, giving Latvia the highest rate of unemployment growth in the EU. Early 2009 estimates predicted that the economy would contract by around 12% in 2009, but even those gloomy forecasts turned out to be too optimistic as the economy contracted by nearly 18% in the fourth quarter of 2009, showing little signs of recovery.


2008 Latvian financial crisis, Development
However, by 2010 commentators noted signs of stabilisation in the Latvian economy. Rating agency Standard & Poor's raised its outlook on Latvia's debt from negative to stable. Latvia's current account, which had been in deficit by 27% in late 2006 was in surplus in February 2010. Kenneth Orchard, senior analyst at Moody's investors service argued that:


2008 Latvian financial crisis, Development
In June 2012 International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde lauded Latvia's accomplishments in bringing order to the country's economy, and emphasized Latvia must complete three more tasks - strive to join the eurozone, promote economic competitiveness, reduce social inequality. She concluded that by implementing its international loan program, Latvia has proven that it can be powerful and disciplined.


2008 Latvian pensions law referendum
A referendum on amendments in the pensions law was held in Latvia on 23 August 2008. It failed due to low turnout, as 453,730 votes (half of the votes cast in the previous parliamentary election) would have been necessary to make it valid. If it had succeeded, minimum pensions would have been tied (until the end of 2009) to the government-set subsistence benefit level with a higher coefficient than earlier, in effect tripling the minimum pension from 50 lati to at least 135 lati. The referendum was strongly supported by an organisation called Society for Different Politics, which aimed to become a political party.


2008 Laugavegur Ultramarathon
The 2008 Laugavegur Ultramarathon was an ultramarathon race held on July 12, 2008. Nearly 250 runners started the race; 215 runners finished, among them 162 men and 53 women. The oldest participant was Pétur H Blöndal of Iceland, who was born in 1944 and finished the race in 8:10:44 hours; the youngest participant was Elvar Þór Karlsson of Iceland, who was born in 1990 and finished the race in 6:56:27.


2008 Laurence Olivier Awards
The 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards were held in 2008 in London celebrating excellence in West End theatre by the Society of London Theatre.


2008 Laurence Olivier Awards, Productions with multiple nominations and awards
The following 20 productions, including one ballet and four operas, received multiple nominations:


2008 Laurence Olivier Awards, Productions with multiple nominations and awards
The following six productions, including one ballet, received multiple awards:


2008 Le Mans Series
The 2008 Le Mans Series was the fifth season of ACO's Le Mans Series. It was a series for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring style cars broken into 4 classes: LMP1, LMP2, GT1, and GT2. It ran from 6 April to 14 September 2008 with five rounds taking place.


2008 Le Mans Series, Schedule
The 2008 schedule remained largely unchanged from that of 2007, except for Circuit de Catalunya replacing Circuit de Valencia for the Spanish round. A large gap was built into the schedule between May and August to better allow teams to prepare for and recover from the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans.


2008 Le Mans Series, Schedule
An additional race was announced at a later date, with a 1000 km event in Shanghai. This event however would not replace the Mil Milhas Brasil round, but was instead to be a stand-alone event as a precursor to a new Asian Le Mans Series planned for 2009. Points for the Le Mans Series would not be awarded but class winners would gain automatic entry to the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race was cancelled and was later rescheduled be held on 8 November 2009, because of conflicts with the 2008 Summer Olympics schedule.


2008 Le Mans Series, Teams Championships
Points were awarded to the top eight finishers in the order of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Unlike the American Le Mans Series, where teams with multiple entries scored the points of their highest finishing entry in each race, teams with multiple entries did not have their cars combined and each entry number was scored separately in the championship. Cars which failed to complete 70% of the winner's distance were not awarded points.


2008 Le Mans Series, Teams Championships
The top two finishers in each team championship earned automatic entry to the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.


2008 Le Mans Series, Drivers Championships
Points were awarded to the top 8 finishers in the order of 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Drivers who did not drive for at least 45 minutes do not receive points.


2008 League of Ireland Cup
The 2008 League of Ireland Cup was the 35th staging of the League of Ireland knockout competition. It was won by Derry City.


2008 League of Ireland Cup
Twenty four clubs participated in this year's competition. The twelve Premier Division and ten First Division clubs were joined by Kildrum Tigers, the 2007 Ulster Senior League champions, and the Kerry District League representative side. For both the First and Second rounds of the competition, all participating clubs were split into four regional pools with the further rounds of the competition having an open draw.


2008 League of Ireland Cup
The 2008 eircom League of Ireland Cup officially kicked off on the Bank Holiday weekend of Monday, 24 March 2008 when 14 eircom league clubs were joined by Kildrum Tigers and Kerry in the First Round. Bohemians, Cork City, Drogheda United and St. Patrick's Athletic all received a bye into the Second Round of the competition due to their future participation in European competitions. Four more clubs received a bye into the Second Round as a result of an open draw: Derry City, Finn Harps, Limerick 37 and UCD.


2008 League of Ireland Cup
The competition ran until late September, with the final taking place on Saturday, 27 September 2008 at Ferrycarrig Park. where Derry City delivered a spectacular performance to defeat hosts Wexford Youths 6–1.


2008 League of Ireland First Division
The 2008 League of Ireland First Division season was the 24th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The First Division was contested by 10 teams and Dundalk won the division.


2008 League of Ireland First Division, Overview
The regular season began on 7 March and concluded on 15 November. Each team played the other teams four times, totaling 36 games. Only the champions, Dundalk, were automatically promoted and there was no promotion/relegation play-off between Premier Division and First Division teams. This was because the 2009 Premier Division would be reduced to 10 clubs.


2008 League of Ireland First Division, Promotion/Relegation play-offs
Kildare County and Mervue United, the highest ranked non-reserve team from the 2008 A Championship, played off to see who would play in the 2009 First Division.


2008 League of Ireland First Division, Promotion/Relegation play-offs
Mervue United won 5–2 on aggregate and were promoted to the First Division.


2008 League of Ireland First Division, Gallery
The clubs competing in the 2008 FAI eircom League of Ireland


2008 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2008 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 24th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 12 teams. Bohemians were champions while St Patrick's Athletic finished as runners-up.


2008 League of Ireland Premier Division, Overview
The regular season began on 7 March and concluded on 14 November. Each team played the other teams three times, totaling 33 games. Bohemians finished the season as champions, winning by a margin of nineteen points. There was no promotion/relegation play-off between Premier Division and First Division teams. This was because the 2009 Premier Division would be reduced to 10 clubs. This saw three clubs relegated out of the Premier Division.


2008 League of Ireland Premier Division, Overview
For the first time in the history of the league the national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann started showing highlights of every Premier Division game played on its new show Monday Night Soccer. This show was presented by Con Murphy. This replaced eircom League Weekly which had run on TV3 on Monday nights from 2002 to 2007. The final season of live weekly radio coverage was provided by national broadcaster RTÉ with live reports and commentary on match nights, which was dropped from the end of 2008. Live games were shown by RTÉ, Setanta Sports and TG4's  Sacar Beo.


2008 League of Ireland Premier Division, Gallery
The clubs competing in the 2008 FAI eircom League of Ireland


2008 Lebanese Elite Cup
The Lebanese Elite Cup 2008 was the 11th edition of this football tournament in Lebanon. It was held from August 27 to September 11, 2008 in Beirut and Sidon. This tournament includes the five best teams from the 2007-08 Saison and the Cup Winner. Since Al-Mabarrah finished 4th in the league and won the cup, Shabab Al-Sahel qualified to the tournament too.


2008 Lebanese Elite Cup
League Champions Al Ahed won the tournament after beating Al-Ansar 3–1 in the final, it was the first win for Al Ahed in this tournament. Al Ahed players Salih Sadir and Hassan Maatouk were the top scorers of the Lebanese Elite Cup, scoring three goals each.


2008 Lebanese Elite Cup
It was the first edition after a 3-year break caused by the political protests and the 2006 Lebanon War. The draw took place on July 2, 2008 in Beirut.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 25 May 2008, after the term of incumbent President Émile Lahoud expired on 24 November 2007 at midnight. General Michel Sleiman, the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, was elected as the consensus candidate after months of delays in holding the election due to an ongoing political dispute.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
By convention, the presidency is always attributed to a Maronite Christian personality. Under the article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the members of the 128-seat Lebanese Parliament is required to elect the president. After the second round of election, the president is elected by an absolute majority of 65 MPs out of 128.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
The requested quorum was not formed in the first round (scheduled on 25 September 2007) since opposition MPs boycotted the parliamentary session. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri initially postponed the session to October 23, 2007, as previously suggested. The session was then further postponed to 12 November 2007, then to 21 November 2007 and finally to 23 November 2007, when the incumbent's term ends. However, on 23 November the session was further postponed until 30 November 2007, and then to 7 December 2007.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
On December 7 the reforms to the Constitution needed to elect consensus candidate General Michel Sleiman had not been finished yet and the vote was postponed again to 11 December 2007. On that date, it was postponed to 17 December 2007, and then again to 22 December 2007 and to 29 December 2007. On 28 December, it was again delayed to 12 January 2008; on 11 January it was again delayed to 21 January 2008, and then, on 20 January, it was delayed to 11 February 2008.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
On 9 February, it was again delayed to 26 February 2008, and on 25 February 2008 again delayed until 11 March 2008, then on 9 March 2008 delayed until 25 March 2008. It was then delayed on 24 March 2008 to 22 April 2008. On 22 April 2008, the session was postponed and on 26 April the new date was set to 13 May 2008. Parliament postponed a vote on a new Lebanese president for the 19th time, delaying the session to June 10, 2008. After the Doha Agreement was decided upon on 21 May 2008, a session to elect the president was called on 22 May 2008 to occur on 25 May 2008. On this date, Michel Sleiman was finally elected.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
Four candidates from the March 14 Alliance were among the possible standing candidates: MP Boutros Harb, Minister of Justice Charles Rizk,MP Robert Ghanem and former MP Nassib Lahoud. MP Michel Aoun from the Free Patriotic Movement is the single opposition candidate.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
The vote was expected to be tense, especially after the assassination of Phalangist MP Antoine Ghanem on 19 September 2007. March 14 leaders, who blame the Syrian government for the assassination of Ghanem, vowed to hold the presidential election as scheduled and to possibly elect a March 14 candidate as president even by simple majority after the second round.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
The opposition, which includes Hezbollah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement, demanded the formation of a national unity cabinet and warned that an election by simple majority would result in the formation of a shadow cabinet.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
An opinion poll by IPSOS and published on 17 September 2005 suggested that the majority of Lebanese may look favourably at a consensual candidate. The LAF Chief Commander Michel Sleiman, the Governor of the Central Bank Riad Salame and the former FA Minister Jean Obeid were credited as possible "consensual" candidates. Sleiman turned out to be the eventual consensus candidate, but his election required constitutional amendments allowing senior state officials to become president.


2008 Lebanese presidential election
The term of the ex-president Émile Lahoud was extended for three years in 2004, allegedly under pressure from the  Syrian government. Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April 2005, after the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri and the subsequent mass demonstrations known as Cedar Revolution. The general election in Spring 2005 resulted in a majority of 72 seats out of 128 for the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance.


2008 Lebanese presidential election, Consensus emerges
On 29 November 2007, opposition leader Michel Aoun announced that he was in favour of Michel Sleiman becoming the next president of Lebanon. A constitutional amendment will have to be passed with a two-thirds majority in Lebanon's parliament to allow military commanders to move directly into the presidential office, but it seems certain that the majority will be achieved with both Aoun and the 14 March Alliance in favour. On 3 December, the March 14 Alliance announced it would draft a constitutional amendment to allow Sleiman to become president.


2008 Lebanese presidential election, Consensus emerges
Sleiman, however, threatened to withdraw from the presidential race if the parties were not able to come to agreement.


2008 Lebanese presidential election, Consensus emerges
A compromise deal was finally reached on 21 May 2008 (dealing with the issues of a new electoral law, a unity government and Hezbollah's disarmament), leading to Sleiman's election on 25 May 2008 as planned. Out of the 127 votes, Sleiman received 118, while three members of parliament voted for others and six abstained.


2008 Lebanon conflict
The 2008 Lebanon conflict (Or the 7 May 2008 clashes, Arabic: أحداث 7 أيار) was a brief (invasion of Beirut by armed militias) intrastate conflict in May 2008 in Lebanon between pro-government and opposition militias after its 18-month-long political crisis spiraled out of control, pitting both sides against each other in fighting along sectarian lines.


2008 Lebanon conflict
The fighting between pro-government and opposition militias affiliated to respectively the Future Movement and PSP political parties on one side and Hezbollah, Amal, SSNP, LDP and the Arab Democratic Party on the other side, was sparked by a government move to shut down Hezbollah's telecommunication network and remove Beirut Airport's head of security after the discovery of a hidden remote-controlled camera monitoring one of the airport's runway and his alleged ties to Hezbollah.


2008 Lebanon conflict
Clashes first occurred on May 7 after a general strike called for by the country's union federation to demand higher wages and decry high consumer prices became overshadowed by the government's decisions and escalated into low-level violence between pro-government and opposition protesters. Violence severely escalated the next morning on May 8 after a televised speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. In his speech, Nasrallah responded to the government's decision to declare the organization's telecommunication network illegal by calling it a declaration of war on the organization, shortly after which fighting between pro-government and opposition militias broke out in Beirut.


2008 Lebanon conflict
Within two days, Hezbollah-led opposition fighters had seized control of several West Beirut neighbourhoods from pro-government Future Movement militiamen. In the following days, fighting between pro-government and opposition militias spread to other parts of the country with major clashes in the Aley District and Tripoli. On May 15, an intervention by the Arab League brokered an immediate end to hostilities and a pledge from warring parties to send emissaries to Doha for a mediation process. The resulting Doha Agreement, reached on May 21, 2008, brought an end to the 18-month political feud that exploded into fighting and nearly drove the country to a new civil war.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Background
On December 1, 2006, a series of protests and sit-ins began in Lebanon, led by the March 8 political coalition which opposed the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Formed after the Cedar Revolution in 2005, the March 8 coalition was up of the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal, the Christian Free Patriotic Movement and a number of smaller parties such as the SSNP, LDP and the Arab Democratic Party. On the other side of the political divide stood the March 14 coalition, at the time holding the majority of cabinet and parliamentary seats. The March 14 coalition was made up of the primarily Sunni Future Movement and a number of smaller parties including the Druze Progressive Socialist Party and the Christian Lebanese Forces.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Background
At the core of commencement of the protests was the unhappiness of Hezbollah with the division of power under the current status quo and the pro-Western course of the Lebanese government. It argued that too much executive power was in the hands of the Future Movement, the primary political party of March 14, which it in their view misused by too closely aligning with Western states, most notably the United States, thereby compromising Lebanon's sovereignty and security.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Background
In addition, the period was marked by political strife between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions over the international investigation on the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri, the creation of the future Lebanon Tribunal to prosecute the perpetrators this assassination and the question of Hezbollah's armed status. Hezbollah was the only organization allowed to retain its weapons after the ratification of the Taif Agreement, which brought an end to the Lebanese Civil War, although UN Security Council Resolution 1559 of September 2004 denied the organization the right to retain its arms.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Background
By 2008, the military strength of the organization had grown to such levels that it was widely considered to be stronger than the Lebanese Armed Forces. To ensure its interests, Hezbollah demanded a new national unity government in which March 8 would have at least a third plus one of the cabinet seats in order to grant them the ability to veto cabinet decisions.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Background
After Shi'a ministers of Hezbollah and Amal had resigned from the cabinet in December 2006 in protest against a decision concerning the Lebanon Tribunal, the opposition demanded the immediate resignation of the cabinet as it now was unbalanced with regard to the proportional representation of religious groups as stipulated by the Lebanese Constitution and therefore was deemed illegitimate. When Prime Minister Siniora refused to resign his cabinet, Hezbollah and its allies on March 8 called on its supporters in early December 2006 to protest against the perceived illegitimacy of the cabinet of Siniora to increase pressure on it.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Background
In the face of massive protests, Siniora and the remaining ministers in his cabinet still refused to step down as long as they enjoyed the support of the majority of the parliament. As protestors kept up the pressure on the government with their encampment near the Grand Serail, the prime ministerial office in downtown Beirut, Siniora and his minister were under virtual house arrest due to security concerns since the assassination of Pierre Gemayel, one of Siniora's ministers, in late 2006.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Background
With Siniora not giving in, the opposition organized a general strike in January 2007, which ended in sectarian clashes leaving multiple dead and hundreds wounded. Political deadlock took a new turn with the end of term of President Émile Lahoud in late 2007 as the March 8 and March 14 blocs could not agree on his successor, leaving the country in a presidential vacuum further worsening the political crisis.


2008 Lebanon conflict, May 2008 controversies
In May 2008, the tensions between the pro-government and opposition parties escalated when the cabinet announced a series of security decisions. Tensions began with revelations on Friday May 2 made by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, a key politician in the ruling March 14 alliance. He announced that a remote-controlled camera had been set up in a container park overlooking Beirut international airport's runway 17, which was frequently being used by March 14 politicians.


2008 Lebanon conflict, May 2008 controversies
In March 14 circles, fear was that the monitoring could be used for a possible attack on its leaders, as Lebanon had faced a series of political assasIsinations in recent times. Although Jumblatt did not accuse the party directly, he made clear that he thought March 8's Hezbollah was behind the monitoring system's installment. Hezbollah dismissed the accusations, calling the allegation a product of Jumblatt's imagination and saying that those who leveled them were scaremongering and simply parroting a US campaign against it and other groups which are resisting Israel.


2008 Lebanon conflict, May 2008 controversies
In addition to the monitoring system, Jumblatt stated that Hezbollah had laid down a fiber optic telecommunication network connecting its powerbase in Dahiya in South Beirut with cities and towns in South and East Lebanon in predominantly Shiite areas. Although this was known to the government, it was now claimed that the network was being extended to the predominantly Christian and Druze areas of Mount Lebanon.


2008 Lebanon conflict, May 2008 controversies
In its response to these allegations, the Lebanese cabinet announced that it regarded the telecommunication network and the monitoring system as a breach of law, undermining the state's sovereignty and the security of its citizens. Therefore, it declared that the matter would be referred not only to the Lebanese judicial system, but also to the Arab League and the United Nations. In addition to infringing state sovereignty, the network was regarded by the government as an infringement on public funds since it claimed that it competes with its own and used the Lebanese infrastructure.


2008 Lebanon conflict, May 2008 controversies
The cabinet announced that it would uproot the telecommunication network and in addition also ordered the removal Brigadier General Wafic Shkeir, head of security at Beirut's international airport and considered to be sympathetic to Hezbollah and Amal, on account of failing to deal with the monitoring system. These moves severely antagonized Hezbollah, bringing tensions between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions to a boiling point.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 7: Protests and minor clashes
Coincidentally, a day after the cabinet's decision, on Wednesday May 7, the Lebanese General Workers Union had planned a general strike to demand higher wages and decry high consumer prices. The strike turned violent as the opposition threw their weight behind the strike, paralyzing large parts of Lebanon's capital Beirut. Instigated by the recent developments and the strike, pro-government and opposition supporters took the streets coming into conflict with each other at multiple places.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 7: Protests and minor clashes
Clashes were first reported when government and opposition supporters in a pro-government sector of Beirut exchanged insults and began throwing stones at each other after Hezbollah supporters insisted on blocking the roads. Witnesses said security forces intervened and gunshots were heard, apparently troops firing in the air to disperse the crowds. In the afternoon, verbal violence and stone throwing turned into more violent clashes, with gunfire sporadically going off in the city. Around the city, armed opposition supporters blocked roads including the strategic road towards Beirut international airport, cutting it off from the rest of the city, and roads to the city's sea port.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
After a tense night with sporadic gunfire, Hezbollah's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah addressed the country in a speech televised on Hezbollah affiliated al-Manar station in the morning of May 8. He referred to the cabinet's decisions of that week as "despotic" and having inaugurated a new phase in Lebanese history, similar to the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri in 2005. He stated that the telecommunication network was not a simple commercial operation aimed merely at generating profit for the organization, but "integral and fundamental" as part of its military apparatus.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
He claimed that his opponents had already known about the existence of the telecommunication network years before and in drawing attention to the timing of the decision, insinuated that the cabinet's actions were aimed at obstructing the forces of the Resistance (against Israel) in the region. Hezbollah had the right to defend itself, he argued, and metaphorically stated that they would cut-off the hand of anyone that would touch the Resistance. "All red lines had been crossed", according to Nasrallah, and the actions therefore amounted to no mere than a "declaration of war."


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Minutes after Nasrallah's speech, heavy street battles began between pro-government and opposition militias. Fighting erupted along Corniche Mazraa, an avenue separating Shiite and Sunni areas, later spreading to the western, southern and eastern parts of Beirut where Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods overlapped. Combat was also heard near the office of Lebanon's Sunni religious leader - an ally of the government - and the palatial compound of the Hariri family in Koreitem was hit by RPG fire. More barricades were set up, closing major highways.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Opposition militants eventually overran the positions of pro-government militias in West Beirut and burnt-down three pro-government offices. Saad Hariri, leader of the Future Movement, quickly responded to the outbreak of violence, describing the events as a form of fitna, criticizing the actions of Hezbollah as a threat to the unity of the country and calling on Nasrallah to stop the descendance towards civil war.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Faced with large-scale inter-communal violence erupting all over the city, the Lebanese Armed Forces decided not to intervene in the clashes for fear of sparking divisions in the army along sectarian lines, as had happened during the civil war. Other factors that as to why the army did not act in line with the cabinet are, according to political scientist Aram Nerguizian, the apprehension among army commanders at how the cabinet chose to address the issue of Hezbollah's telecommunication network.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Secondly, the perception among them that cabinet also did not sufficiently consult the army prior to their decision to dismiss Beirut's airport head of security. Thirdly, the presidential ambitions of Army Commander Michel Suleiman - who would indeed within two weeks become the country's next president - and his resulting need not to antagonize the March 8 coalition and its Syrian allies may also have influenced his decision not to intervene against Hezbollah according to Nerguizian. The army's decision to refrain from intervention did spark objections from within however.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Some saw it as a "missed opportunity" for the army to "signal its objection to domestic military action by any of the country's competing political/sectarian forces." Around 120 Sunni officers later even offered their resignation as response to "the humiliation felt from the military's conduct during the militias' invasion of Beirut" as their resignation letter stated. All of the officers except one later repealed their resignation however.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Fighting from the previous day lasted throughout the night and only stopped for a short time a little bit after dawn on May 9, 2008. However, fighting quickly resumed after the brief lull. Pro -government militias were however no match to the Hezbollah led opposition forces. All over West Beirut, pro-government militias had lost ground. Media outlets related to the pro-government Future Movement, amongst which Future TV, Al Mustaqbal Newspaper, Future News, Radio Orient and Future-owned Armenian radio station Sevan had been raided by opposition fighters and forced to close.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Future TV and Al Mustaqbal were particularly targeted by opposition fighters. RPG missiles were launched from empty adjacent buildings under construction to Mustaqbal's offices, setting fire to two floors. Future TV offices were raided by Hezbollah members who subsequently cut all of its broadcasts. According to Habib Battah, a media analyst, shutting down Future TV was not only a psychological attack on Future Movement's supporters, but also gave the opposition a monopoly on propaganda messages.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut
Overpowered by Hezbollah's military apparatus and besieged in his residence, Saad Hariri had by then ordered militia members loyal to his Future Movement to stand down. The opposition had now firmly moved in and taken over abandoned positions of pro-government fighters, seizing large parts of the capital's western neighbourhoods. The Lebanese Army also stepped in to take over position deserted by pro-government militiamen and in some instance were handed over control of recently conquered position by Hezbollah. In some neighbourhoods, the takeover had been peaceful with opposition fighters facing no resistance as they moved throughout West Beirut.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North
As fighting in Beirut dwindled down, violence began to spread to other parts of the country, in particular the Aley District south of Beirut and the north of the country. In the evening of May 9 sporadic clashes erupted in Sidon, where two civilians were killed; and in Bar Elias in the Bekaa Valley where a woman was killed. Also, eight people were killed near the town of Aley in clashes between government supporters and opponents. Seven people who were Hezbollah supporters were killed.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North
On May 10, 2008, a funeral procession was attacked by a shop-owner affiliated with the Amal Movement, whose shop was previously burned down by Sunni militants, leaving six people dead. An Associated Press photographer who witnessed the shooting said the attack came as a procession of 200 people headed toward a nearby cemetery to bury a 24-year-old pro-government supporter killed in previous fighting. At least 14 people were killed in the town of Halba, in the Akkar region of north Lebanon, as about 100 pro-Future Movement gunmen attacked an office of the SSNP.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North
10 of the dead were SSNP members, three were government loyalists and one was an Australian citizen of Lebanese descent on vacation in Lebanon, who was trying to get information at the SSNP offices about evacuating from the city. The Australian father of four, Fadi Sheikh, reportedly had his hands and feet cut off. The SSNP says Fadi Sheikh was a member of the party - but was not a militant. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. One other person was killed in fighting in Sidon and two soldiers died in fighting east of Beirut. Heavy fighting had also broken out between Alawite Hezbollah sympathizers and Sunni supporters of the government in the neighbourhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, two neighbourhoods in Tripoli notorious for its sectarian violence, leading thousands to flee their homes.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North
Faced with the escalated situation as a result of the cabinet's decisions, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora announced on May 10 that the cabinet would handover the issue of telecommunication network to the army and, in addition, announced the reinstatement of the head of security of Beirut's international airport. Subsequently, the Lebanese army took a more active stance in the events and announced it had frozen the measures taken by the government and called for all armed militants to withdraw from the streets.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North
In response, Hezbollah announced that it would withdraw its fighters together with other opposition fighters from West Beirut in compliance with the Lebanese army's request, but that a civil disobedience campaign will continue until the group's political demands are met. The next day, Beirut was quiet as control of areas seized by the opposition was handed over to the Lebanese army. Many roads in the capital remained blockaded however, including the strategic airport road, as the opposition continued their campaign of civil disobedience.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North, Battle of Mount Barook and Aley District
On May 9, heavy fighting broke out in Mount Lebanon between pro-government Progressive Socialist Party fighters and Hezbollah. The clashes started in Aytat, near Kaifun and soon expanded to cover many spots in Mount Lebanon including the cities of Baisour, Choueifat and Aley. Most of the fighting was concentrated on Hill 888. Fighting started when four Druze members of the Aley municipal police were kidnapped by Hezbollah. Soon after the news of the kidnapping spread, the mayor of Aley assembled a group of PSP fighters and went up to Hill 888.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North, Battle of Mount Barook and Aley District
As they reached the hill they were attacked by Hezbollah gunmen who wounded a few of the PSP and municipality members. PSP members retaliated by killing 3 of the kidnappers. The incident developed into a significant armed clash. Artillery and mortars were used for the first time during these battles. A ceasefire agreement was supposed to take place at 18:00 of the same day, but fighters from both sides continued to exchange fire. Negotiations were ongoing for the PSP members to give up the fight and surrender their positions to the Lebanese Army, but it never happened.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North, Battle of Mount Barook and Aley District
The battles at Aley stopped for several hours, but the two sides clashed again in Mount Barouk to the southeast shortly before midnight. Barook separates the Druze heartland of Shouf from the mainly Shi'ite southern end of the Bekaa Valley. That night Hezbollah's fighters deployed from southern Beirut to the Qmatiye area tried to attack the hills near Aley but they were beaten back. After that Hezbollah tried to go on the offensive again and attacked their rival's positions. The Druze fighters had fought the Hezbollah militants from dug-in positions left over from the 1975–90 Civil War.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North, Battle of Mount Barook and Aley District
The Druze used hunting guns, AK 47s and other machine guns, RPGs and allegedly even 23mm anti-aircraft guns to blast at the advancing Hezbollah fighters. Opposition forces bombarded the pro-government Druze area with artillery while ground forces attacked Druze positions using rockets and machine guns. By morning, the Druze fighters agreed to cease hostilities and several villages loyal to Lebanon's pro-government Druze leader Walid Jumblatt had been handed over to the army. The kidnapped municipality police members were released by Hezbollah on May 12 in exchange of at least 30 Hezbollah members that were kidnapped by PSP in Mount Barook. Hezbollah were defeated.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Armed clashes, May 10 - May 12: Fighting spreads to Aley and the North, Clashes in Hamra and Tripoli
After a day of relative quiet in Beirut renewed gunfire was heard in the commercial area of Hamra in the western part of the city shortly after midnight on May 12. The fighting occurred near the home of Future Movement leader Saad al-Hariri. A two-man Al Jazeera camera crew suffered injuries while trying to film the fighting and were evacuated by the Lebanese army. Meanwhile, in Tripoli, clashes left one person dead and at least six others wounded. Now taking a proactive role in the events, the Army stated that if the clashes did not end by Tuesday May 13, it would intervene and use force if necessary to end the fighting. The next days saw only limited and sporadic fighting.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Resolution process, Arab League intervention
As fighting was spreading to other parts of Lebanon, the Arab League, which had been involved as a mediator in Lebanese political crises since 2005, decided to intervene in Lebanon at an emergency meeting on May 11. The League Council mandated the formation of a Ministerial Committee headed by the Foreign Minister of Qatar and the League's Secretary General which was to go to Lebanon and mediate in the crisis.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Resolution process, Arab League intervention
The League Council also called for a halt to the fighting, the withdrawal of militiamen from the streets, the facilitation of the Lebanese Army to restore calm and talks between the Lebanese political leaders. On May 15, after a round of talks with Lebanon's prime political leaders, the Ministerial Committee announced an initial agreement that marked a cessation of all hostilities and entailed that major Lebanese political leaders would enter into a national dialogue the next day in Doha for further mediation.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Resolution process, Doha Agreement
After half a week of deliberations in Doha, Lebanese political leaders signed an accord on May 21 that brought an immediate end to the 16-month political crisis that had been plaguing the country. Following the principle of "no victor, no vanquished", which entails that no political party or sect can eliminate one of the other political parties or sects, the Doha Agreement was regarded as a compromise deal between government and opposition demands.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Resolution process, Doha Agreement
The accord stipulated (1) the immediate election of Army Commander Michel Suleiman as president; (2) the formation of a national unity government with a blocking third for the opposition; (3) adaption of the electoral law aimed at redistricting based on the 1960 electoral law; (4) a commitment by the signatories not to resort to violence for political gains; (5) initiation of a national dialogue on the promotion of Lebanon's internal sovereignty and (6) a commitment by signatories to abstain from resorting to rhetoric of treason or political and sectarian incitement.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Resolution process, Doha Agreement
The accord was considered a victory for the Lebanese opposition as they secured their key demands for veto-wielding power in the new government and a new electoral law which could benefit the opposition in the upcoming 2009 parliamentary elections. In addition, the question of Hezbollah's weapons was postponed, to be dealt with in a future national dialogue. Nonetheless, the opposition had to give concessions regarding the reappointment of Fouad Siniora as Prime Minister, the distribution of ministerial portfolios and the distribution of parliamentary seats in certain electoral districts.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Resolution process, Doha Agreement
Despite Hezbollah's tactical victory on the streets of Lebanon and the securing of it demands in the accord, analysts have pointed out that the events greatly reduced its legitimacy as a popular resistance movement and that it was seen more than ever as a "Shiite militia brutally defending its parochial interests." In addition, it increased the distrust and fear of it among other political parties and heightened domestic opposition to its armed status as a result of the use of its weapons against other Lebanese actors, despite its earlier pledge not to do so.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, Domestic reactions
Many March 14 leaders decried the events as a coup, pointed towards the Hezbollah's intricate relationship to the Iranian government and assigned a role played in the events to the latter. Hani Hammoud, a senior adviser to Saad Hariri referred to the events as a "one-sided civil war" with the result that "Iran has taken over the country" Christian leaders Samir Geagea and Amine Gemayel also accused Hezbollah of staging a coup, with the former calling on moderate forces in the Arab world to intervene and asked the international community not to stand idly by.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, Domestic reactions
A US diplomatic cable revealed by Wikileaks also showed how on May 11, Gemayel, together with Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad and Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh urged the US to provide more support to the March 14 coalition. Believing that a Hezbollah victory could be imminent, they proposed several ideas, including extending UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to Beirut's airport, sea port and access roads, an imposement of an air ban against Syria by the US and immediate US military aid to their own militias.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, Domestic reactions
PSP leader Walid Jumblatt stated that he still stood behind his support for the government's decisions that week, however he acknowledged that he had underestimated the response from Hezbollah. Regarding Hezbollah's next moves he told reporters to "ask [Iranian President] [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad", stating that "this situation goes beyond Lebanese borders." Furthermore, he linked the events to regional geopolitics stating that "the Iranians chose the moment America is weak in the Middle East. The balance of power has completely changed in Lebanon and now we wait to see what new rules Hezbollah, Syria and Iran will lay down."


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, Domestic reactions
Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement and a Hezbollah ally whose supporters did not participate in the fighting, spoke in more neutral terms, calling for the return for normality on the streets.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, International reactions
The White House condemned Hezbollah's actions with a spokesman denouncing the organization as a "destabilizing force" which had turned "its arms against the Lebanese people and challenged Lebanon's security forces for control of the streets." In addition, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pronounced the continuing support by the US for the Lebanese government.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, International reactions
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal accused Iran of "backing what happened in Lebanon, a coup" and called for "all regional parties to respect the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon and to stop meddling in its affairs and inciting sectarian tensions". He further accused Hezbollah of taking "violent, offensive measures, which aim at an annihilation of people."


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, International reactions
A diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks two years later show, however, that Prince Saud al-Faisal had proposed to the US Ambassador in Saudi Arabia the creation of an "Arab force" to be supported by the US and NATO which was to restore order in Beirut in response to "Hezbollah's military challenge to the Government of Lebanon." Furthermore, he feared that a Hezbollah victory would lead to the fall of the Siniora cabinet and the "Iranian takeover of Lebanon."


2008 Lebanon conflict, Reactions to the fighting, International reactions
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini has called on national unity among the Lebanese adding that the situation can be "managed through talks and consensus-building." Hosseini blamed the U.S. and Israel for the ongoing hostilities in Lebanon.


2008 Lebanon conflict, Casualties
The exact total number of casualties as resulting from the fighting in May remains uncertain, but figures range from approximately 70 to 110 deaths. A UN report published in June 2008 reports 69 fatalities, among which civilians, and more than 180 wounded. A Human Rights Watch Report from 2009 states a minimum of 71 deaths. In an article from September 2008 entailing a series of interviews on the events, Beatriz Martínez and Francesco Volpicella note that the official number of casualties up to 15 May is 80 deaths and more than 200 wounded.


2008 Leeds City Council election
The 2008 Leeds City Council election took place on Thursday 1 May 2008 to elect members of Leeds City Council in England.


2008 Leeds City Council election
As per the election cycle, one third of the council's 99 seats were contested, plus an additional vacancy in Calverley and Farsley ward as Amanda Carter stood down. Those seats up for election were those of the first-placed candidate elected for every ward at the 2004 all-out election, who had been granted a four year term to expire in 2008.


2008 Leeds City Council election
It saw the Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition administration continue their control of the council. Despite both Labour and the Liberal Democrats winning more seats, the Conservatives won the majority of votes cast for the first time since 1992.


2008 Leeds City Council election
The Liberal Democrats regained a total of 24 seats on the council by defeating former Liberal Democrat-turn-independent and then Conservative councillor for Weetwood ward, Brian Jennings. This had followed Hyde Park and Woodhouse councillor, Kabeer Hussain, defecting from the Liberal Democrats to Labour in October 2007, who he then left less than six months later to sit as an independent before the 2008 election.


2008 Leeds City Council election, Election result
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:


2008 Leeds City Council election, Councillors who did not stand for re-election
Incumbent Labour councillor, Sharon Hamilton (Chapel Allerton), was selected as her party's candidate for Roundhay ward and lost to the Conservative incumbent. Hamilton was later elected for Moortown in 2010.


2008 Leeds Rhinos season
The 2008 Leeds Rhinos season saw the club compete in Super League XIII as well as the 2008 Challenge Cup tournament.


2008 Leeds Rhinos season, 2008 Fixtures/Results
*Round 4 played before round one to accommodate World Club Challenge on Round 4 weekend


2008 Leeds Rhinos season, 2008 Fixtures/Results
* **Carnegie Challenge Cup Semi-Final played at the Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield


2008 Leeds Rhinos season, 2008 Fixtures/Results
* ***engage Super League Grand Final played at Old Trafford, Manchester.


2008 Leeward Islands Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2008 Leeward Islands Junior Championships in Athletics took place on June 28–29, 2008. The event was held in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Reports and photos were published.


2008 Leeward Islands Junior Championships in Athletics
A total of 47 events were contested, 24 by boys and 23 by girls.


2008 Leeward Islands Junior Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Complete results can be found on the Nevis Amateur Athletic Association webpage.


2008 Leeward Islands Junior Championships in Athletics, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 102 athletes from 7 countries participated.


2008 Legends Tour
The 2008 Legends Tour was a series of professional golf tour for women aged 45 and older sanctioned by the Legends Tour. Based in the United States, it is an offshoot of the main U.S.-based women's tour, the LPGA Tour. The tour was founded in 2001, and is intended to allow women to prolong their competitive golf careers on the model of the successful Champions Tour for men.


2008 Legends Tour, Schedule and results
In 2008, the Legends Tour had four events. The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Legends Tour events she had won up to and including that tournament.


2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The 2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C., United States, from August 9 through August 17, 2008.


2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The singles were led by ATP No. 9, San Jose and Dubai titlist, Los Angeles finalist, and defending champion Andy Roddick, winner of back-to-back titles in Stuttgart, Kitzbühel and Los Angeles Juan Martín del Potro, and Dubai finalist and Wimbledon quarterfinalist Feliciano López. Other seeds were Indian Wells quarterfinalist Tommy Haas, Indian Wells runner-up and Los Angeles semifinalist Mardy Fish, Marat Safin, Marc Gicquel and Marcel Granollers.


2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Finals, Doubles
Marc Gicquel /  Robert Lindstedt defeated  Bruno Soares /  Kevin Ullyett, 7–6(8–6), 6–3


2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Doubles
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were the defending champions, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Doubles
Marc Gicquel and Robert Lindstedt won in the final 7–6(8–6), 6–3, against Bruno Soares and Kevin Ullyett.


2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Singles
Andy Roddick was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Viktor Troicki.


2008 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Singles
Juan Martín del Potro won in the final 6–3, 6–3, against Viktor Troicki.


2008 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team
The 2008 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Lehigh finished third in the Patriot League.


2008 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team
In their third year under head coach Andy Coen, the Mountain Hawks compiled a 5–6 record. Kevin Bayani, Tim Diamond, Matt McGowan and Brendan VanAckeren were the team captains.


2008 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team
The Mountain Hawks outscored opponents 282 to 231. Their 4–2 conference record placed third out of seven in the Patriot League standings.


2008 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team
Lehigh played its home games at Goodman Stadium on the university's Goodman Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.


2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301
The 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 was the seventeenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and was run on June 29 of that year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, located in Loudon, New Hampshire. This was the first race under the new ownership of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. after purchasing the track from Bob Bahre in the autumn of 2007.


2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301
Televised coverage was handled by TNT starting at 12:30 PM US EDT, and radio being handled in their swan song at this facility by MRN starting at 1:15 PM US EDT and simulcast via Sirius Satellite Radio. Starting with the fall race, SMI-owned Performance Racing Network will carry the events at this track, as this was a result of a compromise on who had radio rights for the 2008 events (save for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in September, as MRN holds all rights to that series.)


2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301
This race also was planned to be the first year of an additional lap on the 1.058 miles (1.703 km) track, as suggested by race sponsor Lenox Industrial Tools that says that their employees "go the extra mile" for their customers. However, due to a severe thunderstorm that bore down on the region, the race was stopped with seventeen laps to go.


2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Qualifying
In what may have been 2008's biggest surprise, Québécois Patrick Carpentier won the pole position over Bobby Labonte following a rain delay of almost two hours.


2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Race recap
There were seven cautions in all, including one that involved an incident between points leader Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya after the yellow flag waved. Montoya broadsided Kyle Busch just after crossing the start-finish line in what turned out to be the last of several confrontations in the race between the two, and following the race, Montoya was penalized two laps for aggressive driving. A rainstorm shortened the race seventeen laps shy of the scheduled distance, and thanks to pit strategy and fuel mileage, Kurt Busch won the race, while Michael Waltrip had his best finish since winning the fall race at Talladega Superspeedway in 2003, and J.J. Yeley finished  third.


2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Race recap
NOTE: Race was cut short to 284 laps due to rain.


2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Race recap
Failed to qualify: Marcos Ambrose (#21) and Tony Raines (#34).


2008 Lexus Cup
The 2008 Lexus Cup was a professional women's golf event contested by two teams of 12 members each: one representing Asian countries and the other representing the rest of the world, known as the "International" team. Since the event's inception in 2005, it has been sanctioned by the world's dominant women's professional golf tour, the LPGA Tour in the U.S., although it is an unofficial event in which no earnings by the competitors affect their positions on the LPGA money list.


2008 Lexus Cup
The competition took place on the Bukit Course at The Singapore Island Country Club in Singapore from 28–30 November 2008. Lexus was the title sponsor; Rolex, DBS, Singapore Airlines, Callaway Golf, and Singapore Sports Council were main sponsors.


2008 Lexus Cup
This was the last official LPGA appearance for Team International captain Annika Sörenstam, who had previously announced her retirement at the end of the 2008 season.


2008 Lexus Cup, Teams
As in the similar team events of the Solheim Cup (USA vs. Europe women), Ryder Cup (USA vs. Europe men), and Presidents Cup, each team is made up of twelve players. Four players for Team Asia and four for Team International earn sports through the Rolex Rankings. Four additional players for each team qualified through their position on the LPGA Official Money List, as of 2 November 2008. Once the top eight players for each team were confirmed, four additional players—two captain's picks and two sponsor's exemptions—were selected for each team.


2008 Lexus Cup, Day one
Day one saw six foursome matches with each team putting two golfers on the course for each match and the pairs playing alternate shots. The teams split the matches with each team winning three. Only one of the six matches — Paula Creamer and Nicole Castrale vs. Se Ri Pak and Eun-Hee Ji — went to 18 holes.


2008 Lexus Cup, Day two
The teams remained locked in tie after the day two fourball matches where each side won three matches. All of the wins by the International Team went to 18 holes, compared to only one of the wins by Team Asia.


2008 Lhasa violence
The 2008 Lhasa violence was one of a number of violent protests that took place during the 2008 Tibetan unrest.


2008 Lhasa violence, The riot
Tibetan rioters appeared to be targeting shops and vehicles owned by Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group in China, and Hui, who are a Muslim minority. According to the BBC and The Wall Street Journal, rioters focused on setting fire to and looting businesses owned by them; The Wall Street Journal stated that first-hand accounts of their stories have been relatively rare in Western news reports, in part because it is difficult to reach people by phone in Lhasa." Tibetans face similar problems due to the strict controls on media reporting of events in Tibetan areas of China. James Miles, in an interview with CNN, made the following assessment, "What I saw was calculated targeted violence against an ethnic group, or I should say two ethnic groups, primarily ethnic Han Chinese living in Lhasa, but also members of the Muslim Hui minority in Lhasa."


2008 Lhasa violence, The riot
Also according to The Economist, "The mobs, ranging from small groups of youths (some armed with traditional Tibetan swords) to crowds of many dozens, including women and children, rampaged through the narrow alleys of the Tibetan quarter. They battered the shutters of shops, broke in and seized whatever they could, from hunks of meat to gas canisters and clothing. Some goods they carried away, while other goods were thrown into large fires lit on the street." Little children could also be seen looting a toy shop as well and mobs were attempting to ram the defenses of banks. The mobs also attacked any ethnic Chinese on the streets. James Miles reported seeing a Han Chinese teenage boy plead to a monk to help him hide because of the violence around the city.


2008 Lhasa violence, The riot
The Guardian reported that according to a foreign eyewitness account, rioters  attacked Han, Muslim Hui and other ethnic minorities. Foreigners were not attacked. With the exception of Tibetan-owned hotels, many other hotels were vandalized and smashed. The foreign eyewitness also reported seeing three rioters repeatedly stabbing an unconscious man. After the Monday deadline, Chinese police announced on loudspeakers that anyone who took part in the violence and gave themselves up would be treated with leniency.


2008 Lhasa violence, The riot
According to the London-based Free Tibet Campaign, an eyewitness in Lhasa saw rioters set a mosque on fire late on Friday night and throw stones at people who appeared to be Hui.


2008 Lhasa violence, The riot
Other Western tourists emerged from Tibet with graphic descriptions of the level of violence that had occurred. Some claimed that they had seen non-Tibetan Chinese, including the elderly, being beaten and stoned to death by groups of Tibetans, supported by the crowd.


2008 Lhasa violence, Other events
An eyewitness stated that police cars, fire engines and other official vehicles were set on fire after anger erupted following the police's dispersal of a peaceful demonstration near a small temple in Lhasa. According to CNN, Police used gunfire and tear gas to break up the protest. "The monks are still protesting. Police and army cars were burned. There are people crying," she said. Tensions in Lhasa increased as the city's three biggest monasteries were sealed off by thousands of soldiers and armed police amid the largest protests in nearly two decades.


2008 Lhasa violence, Other events
Chinese authorities reportedly fired warning shots and used tear gas and electric prods to disperse hundreds of protesters, in addition to detaining up to 50 monks. US embassy officials in Beijing told the Associated Press that U.S. citizens had reportedly seen gunfire and rioting in Lhasa. Tibetan exiles quoted in the Times of London report that at least five people had been killed in police firing by March 15.


2008 Lhasa violence, Other events
According to a Tibetan who fled Tibet after the demonstrations in Lhasa, knife-wielding Chinese troops attacked Tibetan demonstrators on March 14, and several demonstrators died from gunshot and knife wounds.


2008 Lhasa violence, Aftermath
In the aftermath of the riot, residents appeared to have mixed reactions to the violence. Some Tibetans celebrated by throwing toilet paper that resembled traditional Tibetan scarves over wires across the streets. However, "others appeared aghast at the violence."


2008 Lhasa violence, Casualties
The official Chinese media source Xinhua has reported that on March 14 in Lhasa "rioters injured 623 people including 241 police and armed police and killed 18 others. They also set fire to more than 300 locations, mostly private houses, stores and schools, smashed vehicles and damaged public facilities."


2008 Lhasa violence, Casualties
The official Chinese media has now published details including names and photographs of some of those they say were killed or injured during the rioting. According to Xinhua, local police have "confirmed" the identities of 14 out of the 18 "innocent civilians" killed in "Lhasa riots," including one "eight-month-old infant" and one "ethnic Tibetan woman" in a fire, set by "arson".


2008 Lhasa violence, Casualties
According to the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy, no less than 101 Tibetans were killed by Chinese security forces in Lhasa on March 14, 2008. The organization claims that a leaked Chinese government document from the "Criminal and Medical Examination Department of the Lhasa Public Security Bureau" confirms this number.


2008 Lhasa violence, Casualties
Radio Free Asia and the International Campaign for Tibet reported that fresh protests broke out at the Ramoche Temple, situated in the northwest of Lhasa, March 29, 2008, as a 15-member group of diplomats from the United States, Japan and Europe returned to Beijing after a two-day visit to the Tibetan capital. However, independent verification of the protest could not be obtained.


2008 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election
A leadership election was held in the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan on 22 September 2008 after the incumbent party leader and Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda announced that he would resign on 1 September 2008, only 11 months after taking office on 25 September 2007 following a leadership election on 23 September 2007. Taro Aso, who had lost to Fukuda in the 2007 leadership election, was widely seen as the frontrunner to replace him, and announced on 2 September 2008 he was ready to take over as party leader. Aso won the leadership election against four opponents, receiving 67% of the vote.


2008 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election
It was reported that Yuriko Koike, a former defence chief who is seen as close to former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, might stand against Aso; in that case, the LDP leadership election would be a decision between the conservative traditionalist Aso and the unorthodox reformist Koike. Economics minister Kaoru Yosano and former transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara, the son of the controversial right-wing nationalist governor of Tokyo Shintarō Ishihara, also indicated they might run, as did  former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, senior vice foreign minister Ichita Yamamoto and former science and economic minister Yasufumi Tanahashi. Campaigning began on 10 September 2008; a total of 528 people are eligible to vote (387 Diet members and 141 prefectural representatives).


2008 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election
To stand in the election, candidates had to gather twenty signatures from electors. Aso formally declared his candidacy on 5 September 2008, and Koike on 8 September 2008. Yosano, Ishiba and Ishihara also filed to run, while Yamamoto and Tanahashi decided not to stand for the leadership. Koizumi announced he would support and vote for Koike.


2008 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election
By election day, Aso had secured the votes of at least 60% of the electors and was assumed to win the election in the first round.


2008 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election
Aso went on to win the election by a landslide 351 votes. Yosano got 66 votes, Koike 46, Ishihara 37 and Ishiba 25. Aso was sworn in as Prime Minister on 24 September 2008. Some speculated that a general election would be called on 3 October for 26 October 2008 following the leadership election, but this failed to materialise.


2008 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill
A spill of the leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia took place on 15 September 2008. At a ballot on 16 September, Shadow Treasurer Malcolm Turnbull defeated the incumbent leader Brendan Nelson 45 votes to 41.


2008 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, Background
The Liberal-National coalition led by Prime Minister John Howard was defeated at the 2007 federal election by the Australian Labor Party led by Kevin Rudd. In the aftermath, Brendan Nelson was elected leader in an ensuing ballot, in a 45-42 vote against former Minister for the Environment, Malcolm Turnbull.


2008 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, Background
Nelson's leadership came under intense pressure throughout 2008. Newspoll polling in February 2008 set a record low "Preferred Prime Minister" rating for any opposition leader at 9 percent, with March polling setting another record of 7 percent, with two party preferred setting another Newspoll record at 37-63 percent. In response to increased speculation about his leadership Nelson commented in April that he "will keep fighting and standing up for everyday Australians."


2008 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, Background
Support for Nelson as leader within the Liberal Party had all but collapsed by the end of July 2008, in part due to repeated gaffes on emissions trading and climate change. Expected to challenge him was either Peter Costello or Malcolm Turnbull, upon the release of Costello's book, The Costello Memoirs. Costello stated he would not be making any move for the Liberal leadership, but media outlets capitalised on Costello's failure to categorically rule out any future leadership challenge. Some MPs said he "still remained ready to assume the leadership later in the electoral cycle".


2008 Liberian Premier League, Overview
It was contested by 16 teams, and Monrovia Black Star Football Club won the championship.


2008 Libertarian National Convention
The 2008 Libertarian National Convention was held from May 22 to May 26, 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel (formerly the Adam's Mark Hotel) in Denver, Colorado. The delegates at the convention, on behalf of the U.S. Libertarian Party, nominated Bob Barr for president and Wayne Allyn Root for vice president in the 2008 presidential election. The convention was televised nationally on C-SPAN.


2008 Libertarian National Convention
Libertarians hold a national convention every two years to vote on party bylaws, platform and resolutions and elect national party officers and a judicial committee. Every four years it nominates presidential and vice presidential candidates.


2008 Libertarian National Convention
The theme of this convention was A Better Choice for America.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Platform
In 2006 the self-styled Libertarian Party "reformers" at the National Convention in Portland, Oregon took out 46 platform planks detailing party positions, leaving just fifteen. In 2008 more "radical" libertarians attempted to restore that platform. They did not succeed, but they narrowly prevented the reformers from softening the language of the non-aggression principle in the party's “Statement of Principles”.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Platform
The revised platform did replace the plank on secession, deleted in 2006, with a definition of self-determination drawn from the Declaration of Independence: "Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty."


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for presidential nomination, First ballot
After the first round, six of the eight candidates running moved on to the second round of voting. Mike Jingozian and Christine Smith were both eliminated due to their small percentage of votes. Jingozian endorsed former Senator Mike Gravel, and Smith presented a speech attacking Bob Barr after the results were announced.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for presidential nomination, Second ballot
After the second round, five of the six candidates running moved on to the third ballot. Steve Kubby, after receiving only 5% of the total vote, dropped out of the race and endorsed Dr. Mary Ruwart.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for presidential nomination, Third ballot
After the third round of voting, four of the five remaining candidates moved on to the fourth ballot. Dr. George Phillies was eliminated after receiving approximately 5% of the vote.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for presidential nomination, Fourth ballot
After the fourth vote, three of the four candidates went on to the fifth round of voting. Fmr . Sen. Mike Gravel was eliminated after not getting a sufficient number of votes, and subsequently announced that his political career was over.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for presidential nomination, Fifth ballot
After the fifth ballot, the final two of three candidates continued on to the sixth ballot. Wayne Allyn Root was therefore eliminated, and after the vote, he made a speech endorsing Barr and stating that he would like to be Barr's candidate for vice-president. Barr and Root then stated that they would run together.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for presidential nomination, Sixth ballot
With only Barr and Ruwart remaining on the ballot, Barr received 324 votes to Ruwart's 276 and 26 NOTA. Barr thus won the nomination with 51.8% of the final vote.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for presidential nomination, Sixth ballot
Ruwart made a concession speech following the announcement of the results with her campaign staff on the stage.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for vice presidential nomination
A separate vote was held for the vice presidential nomination. Presidential nominee Barr endorsed Root, while Presidential runner-up Ruwart endorsed Kubby.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for vice presidential nomination, First ballot
After the first ballot, three of the six active candidates running moved on to the second ballot.


2008 Libertarian National Convention, Voting for vice presidential nomination, Second ballot
After the second ballot, Wayne Allyn Root was nominated as the vice presidential candidate, prevailing by a difference of 30 votes over Steve Kubby, and 279 votes over Daniel Williams.


2008 Libertarian Party presidential primaries
The 2008 Libertarian Party presidential primaries allowed voters to indicate non-binding preferences for the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate. These differed from the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in that they did not appoint delegates to represent a candidate at the party's convention to select the party's nominee for the United States presidential election. The party's nominee for the 2008 presidential election was chosen directly by registered delegates at the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, which ran from May 22 to 26, 2008. The delegates nominated former congressman Bob Barr (who did not run in the primaries) for president and media personality Wayne Allyn Root for vice president.


2008 Libertarian Party presidential primaries
Two primaries were held, one in Missouri and one in California. A total of 18,915 votes were cast in these primaries.


2008 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, California primary
In the California primary on February 5,  the Libertarian Party had a state-run primary held alongside those for the Republicans, Democrats, the Green Party, the American Independent Party and the Peace and Freedom Party.


2008 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, Primaries and caucuses, Missouri primary
In the Missouri primary on February 5, the Libertarian Party had a state-run primary held alongside the Republican and Democratic primaries.


2008 Libyan Al-Fatih Cup Final
The 2007–08 Libyan Cup final was a football match held at 11 June Stadium on July 26, 2008. The match was contested by Khaleej Sirte and Al Madina. This was the first time in ten years that one of the Big Two of Libyan football, Al Ahly Tripoli and Al Ittihad, were not in the final. The match was a tense affair as this was Khaleej Sirte's first final, and as Al Madina had lost their last two, and their last cup win was in 1978, both sides, with similar league finishes, cancelled each other out. Khaleej Sirte won the game, with an 81st-minute goal from Idrees Salem, and thus, secured qualification for the 2009 CAF Confederation Cup and the 2008 Libyan Super Cup. This trophy was Sirte's first major honour.


2008 Libyan Super Cup
The 2008 Libyan Super Cup was a match that took place on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 between the Libyan Premier League winners Al Ittihad and Libyan Cup winners Khaleej Sirte. The Super Cup is always the curtain raiser prior to the LPL season. Al Ittihad ran out 4-0 winners at the 11 June Stadium. After this win, Al Ittihad have now won the last six Super Cup titles, from 2002 onwards.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair
The 2008 Liechtenstein tax affair is a series of tax investigations in numerous countries whose governments suspect that some of their citizens may have evaded tax obligations by using banks and trusts in Liechtenstein; the affair broke open with the biggest complex of investigations ever initiated for tax evasion in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is seen also as an attempt to put pressure on Liechtenstein, one of the remaining uncooperative tax havens, as identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Money Laundering of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, along with Andorra and Monaco, in 2007.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Background
Millions of euros belonging to hundreds of citizens living in Germany were channeled into the LGT Bank and other banks in Liechtenstein, taking advantage of Liechtenstein-based trusts to evade paying taxes in Germany. According to the prosecutor's office these trusts "have been created apparently only to evade paying taxes." According to the law in Liechtenstein, such trusts allow the separation of monetary assets from their owners and are kept anonymously. In contrast to trusts of most other countries, Liechtenstein trusts can be revoked at any time and the assets will be returned to the owner. Furthermore, such trusts as well as their maintaining shell entities are only charged 0.1% (minimum 1,000 Swiss francs) annually. Liechtenstein thus is known to be a tax haven.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Germany
According to the lead prosecuting office responsible for economic crime in Bochum, which is supported by prosecuting offices in other towns as well as the criminal police, currently about 600 to 700 individuals are suspected in the investigations. In addition, search warrants have been issued. An official confirmation about the total number of suspects and amount of money involved has not yet been issued. According to the prosecutors, current investigations provide a "very high level of evidence."


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Germany
The affair became known on February 14, 2008, when a raid was conducted against Klaus Zumwinkel, the chief executive of Deutsche Post AG, under the suspicion that he evaded about 1 million € ($1.46 million) in taxes. Pressured by the government, Zumwinkel resigned from his position. Similarly a number of other individuals have been under investigation for months, and the appearance that the well-to-do have ways and means to evade the German tax laws has caused complaints about inequality.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Germany
According to a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Heinrich Kieber, a bank computer technician, sold a CD with incriminating bank information to the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND, English: Federal Intelligence Service), which handed the material over to the tax investigation office in Wuppertal. Kieber was paid €4.2 million by the Federal Ministry of Finance for the data on which the investigation is based. Facing death threats, the informant is currently in hiding and has asked for police protection. Kieber is wanted by Interpol. The Wall Street Journal indicated on February 19, 2008, the name of the informant who apparently lives now in Australia and had sold the data to tax ministries of a number of countries, including the United States.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Germany
A number of raids were conducted in Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and other cities. Several banks were searched including Bankhaus Metzler, the Hauck & Aufhäuser bank, Dresdner Bank, UBS in Munich and the Berenberg Bank in Hamburg. In the meantime revenue offices also noted a higher number of voluntary self-incriminations - this will avoid or reduce punitive damages - for possible tax evasions by people with financial assets in Liechtenstein.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Germany
While the BND received the data in 2006, the LGT Group indicated that in 2002 secret information had been stolen but the informant had been caught and tried in 2003, and all material had been returned.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, United States
The informant also had sold data to the government of the United States. After the affair broke open, Senator Carl Levin, chairman of a senate investigations committee, indicated his intention to probe to what degree American citizens have used the LGT bank to evade taxes. In July 2008 the U.S. Subcommittee determined that the offshore tax haven deprived $100 billion per year from the U.S. taxpayer. Specifically mentioned were Switzerland's UBS AG and Liechtenstein's LGT Group. The report indicates that the LGT Group contributed to a "culture of secrecy and deception". According to the report UBS holds 1,000 declared accounts versus 19,000 that are not declared to the IRS. The report recommended a number of steps including tighter regulations for financial institutions.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Finland
According to the LGT Bank some 20 Finns had evaded tax in Finland via accounts containing €50-60 million in deposited funds. This was the largest known tax avoidance case in Finland. Most names are secret. According to Helsingin Sanomat in Sept/Oct 2013 Lichtenstein tax havens accounts include funds of Casimir Ehrnrooth (see UPM, YIT, Jaakko Pöyry and Guggenheim Helsinki Plan) Bertel Paulig (coffee, spices) and a construction company owners in Turku.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Finland
Seventeen Finns paid additional taxes totalling €10 million. The taxpayers initiated actions in the Administrative Court. The decisions are not public. According to Finnish law the cost of hidden taxes can be up to 30%. In two cases shown for the reporters the Administrative Court acted c. 1% interest rate payment. In one case hidden funds were in total €483,000 and acted additional tax was €4,350. In addition to this, tax payers must pay the avoided taxes and an interest of the tax funds not paid in time. According to the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland no other legal procedures are possible, than collecting the hidden tax and its 1% interest rate.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Other countries
On February 24, 2008, it became apparent that secret bank information had also been sold to the British tax authorities and that about 100 individuals in the UK are at risk for investigations for tax evasion. The informant also provided the governments of Australia, Canada and France with data. On February 26 it became known that the German government was willing to share relevant data of the about 4,500 accounts with other governments; two-thirds of these accounts belong to accounts of non-German individuals or entities.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Investigations, Other countries
Fiscal authorities in Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden indicated interest. The governments of the Czech Republic and Spain have also announced investigations derived from Germany's list. India, however, has thus far not considered Germany's offer despite reports that many wealthy Indian citizens might have accounts in the bank.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Aftermath, Early reactions
The principality of Liechtenstein is directly affected by the affair as the LGT Bank is owned by the reigning princely family of Liechtenstein. The affair overshadowed the previously planned visit of Otmar Hasler, the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, to Berlin on February 19, 2008, to meet with the Minister of Finance, Peer Steinbrück, and the Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Merkel asked for help in the investigation and cooperation in prevention of tax evasion, pointing out that Liechtenstein provided the US Internal Revenue Service with some data but not the German Ministry of Finances.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Aftermath, Early reactions
The newspaper Die Welt described the event as a "government crisis". The Regent of Liechtenstein, Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, called the investigations an "attack" on Liechtenstein by the Federal Republic and is considering legal remedies. The German government has been criticized for working with secret bank data that was stolen by the informant. The head prosecutor of Liechtenstein Robert Wallner initiated an indictment "against unknown perpetrators for the violation of company secrets for a foreign country". Also, two lawyers in Berlin initiated lawsuits against the BND and the Federal government claiming among others "infidelity toward the taxpayer" and "spying of data".


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Aftermath, Early reactions
The German government, on the other hand, is considering a coordinated international action: according to internal sources of the Ministry of Finances Liechtenstein supposedly lives to "a good part from the business of evading taxes". The government may consider a number of possible actions: Liechtenstein is about to join the Schengen Agreement which would eliminate its border controls towards Austria, and Germany's consent is required; Germany could impose fees on transfers of currency, place taxes on business activities of its citizens in Liechtenstein, and require them to prove that their activities there are legitimate. Furthermore, it counts on the support of other governments who also feel the sting of tax evasion.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Aftermath, Early reactions
Questions have also been raised within Germany as to the internal legality of the matter. Concerns have been voiced that the actions taken by BND were outside the agency's national security (and constitutional) remit, with attention also focusing on the wider ethical debate as to whether BND was justified in paying a €4m bribe to a bank official in a foreign country (with financing and approval from both the German chancellery and finance ministry). In March 2009 Germany announced that it will not grant judicial assistance to Liechtenstein in the prosecution of the assumed perpetrator, claiming Ordre public overrides its duty to do so under the European Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement.


2008 Liechtenstein tax affair, Aftermath, Tax treaties
Liechtenstein entered negotiations with a number of countries to discuss tax avoidance issues. It reached an agreement with the United Kingdom in 2009 that will allow the about 5,000 British customers of Liechtenstein's banks that hold for them about £2-3 billion in secret accounts to come clear with British tax authorities under terms of a significantly reduced penalty. The agreement would open up Liechtenstein's banks to greater transparency, but remains controversial in Liechtenstein; some banks fear that clients will just move their money elsewhere.


2008 LifeLock 400
The 2008 LifeLock 400 was the fifteenth points race in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. Held on Sunday, June 15 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, it was the first of two races sponsored by the internet protection service LifeLock, the other being the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 12.


2008 LifeLock 400
Eleven cars set times before rain set in and cancelled qualifying, so the field was set by the rule book with points leader Kyle Busch on pole, Jeff Burton second  and Dale Earnhardt Jr third. Jason Leffler (#70) and Tony Raines (#34) did not start because qualifying was cancelled due to rain. Kenny Wallace and the #87 car, and the #08 car, without a driver, were both withdrawn earlier in the week.


2008 LifeLock 400, Race Recap
In a mixture of luck, fuel economy and strategy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his first win in 76 points races thanks to a late caution due to Sam Hornish, Jr.'s late-race crash, and a green-white-checker finish with Patrick Carpentier and Michael Waltrip crashing near the start/finish line to end the race. Instead of completing a victory lap, or doing the traditional burnout, Earnhardt coasted on to pit road after he had run out of fuel.


2008 LifeLock.com 400
The 2008 LifeLock.com 400 was the nineteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and the final race under the TNT coverage for the year.


2008 LifeLock.com 400, Summary
It was held on July 12 of that year at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, as the race moved to a nighttime event for the first time in the event's history. Televised pre-race activities were scheduled to start at 6:30 PM US EDT, with the radio broadcast of the race handled by Sirius Satellite Radio via MRN, starting at 7:15 PM US EDT. The winner of the race was Kyle Busch, who drove past Jimmie Johnson on the final restart of the race. During practice, Kurt Busch uttered over the radio that his "car just drives like shit".


2008 LifeLock.com 400, Qualifying
Qualifying was cancelled due to rain, so the field was set by NASCAR's rulebook.


2008 LifeLock.com 400, Qualifying
Failed to make race as qualifying was cancelled due to rain: Johnny Sauter (#08) and Tony Raines (#34).


2008 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito season
Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito's 2008 season is the club's 55th year in professional football, and the 47th in the top level of national football, Ecuador's Serie A.