2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A member of Brontotheriidae; a new genus for "Telmatherium" diploconus Osborn (1895)


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A member of Borhyaenidae. The type species is Fredszalaya hunteri.


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A rodent belonging to the family Zegdoumyidae, a species of Glibia.


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A rodent belonging to the family Heteromyidae, a species of Mioheteromys.


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
Probably a member of the family Adapidae. The type species is Namaia bogenfelsi. The generic name turned out to be preoccupied; Pickford and Uhen (2014) created a replacement name Notnamaia.


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A member of Cimolesta belonging to the family Todralestidae. The type species is Namalestes gheerbranti.


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A member of Brontotheriidae; a new genus for "Metatitan" progressus Granger and Gregory (1943).


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A member of Brontotheriidae; a new genus for "Telmatherium" altidens Osborn (1908).


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A rodent belonging to the family Diamantomyidae. The type species is Prepomonomys bogenfelsi.


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A rodent belonging to the family Myophiomyidae. The type species is Silicamys cingulatus.


2008 in paleontology, Synapsids, Mammal
A member of Brontotheriidae. The type species is Wickia brevirhinus.


2008 in paleontology, Footnotes, Complete author list
As science becomes more collaborative, papers with large numbers of authors are becoming more common. To prevent the deformation of the tables, these footnotes list the contributors to papers that erect new genera and have many authors.


2008 in piracy
There were 49 ships reported pirate attacks in the first three months of 2008, up from 41 in that period of 2007. According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau, in those attacks: "Seven crew members were taken hostage, six kidnapped, three killed and one missing – presumed dead." Up until mid-November 2008, more than 90 vessels had been attacked by pirates in the year. At the same time, with a more than 75 per cent increase since the previous year, pirates were holding 13 ships captive in the Somali ports of Eyl and Hobyo.


2008 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).


2008 in poetry, Works published in English
Listed by nation where the work was first published and again by the poet's native land, if different; substantially revised works listed separately:


2008 in poetry, Works published in English, New Zealand, Best New Zealand Poetry 2007
The year's guest editor, who chose 25 poems for inclusion, was Paula Green. The list appeared at the series website in February 2008.


2008 in poetry, Works published in English, United States, Poets in The Best American Poetry 2008
These poets appeared in The Best American Poetry 2008, with David Lehman, general editor, and Charles Wright, guest editor (who selected the poetry) (Scribner ISBN 0-7432-9973-6):


2008 in poetry, Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


2008 in politics
These are some of the notable events relating to politics in 2008:


2008 in politics, Events, January
<I'm not sure if this should be on the politics' page *January 25 - China's worst snowstorm since 1954 kills 133, delays traffic, and causes massive power outages in central and southern parts of the country./>


2008 in professional wrestling
2008 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.


2008 in professional wrestling, Title changes, WWE
Raw and SmackDown each had a world championship, a secondary championship, a women's championship, and a male tag team championship. ECW only had a world championship.


2008 in rail transport
This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 2008.


2008 in rock music
This article summarizes the events related to rock music for the year of 2008.


2008 in rugby league
2008 was celebrated in Australia as the centenary of rugby league football, as in Australia it was in 1908 that the code broke away from rugby. The highlight of the year was the World Cup, which was held in Australia in October and November 2008.


2008 in rugby union
Here are the match results of the 2008 Rugby union season. Qualifiers for the 2011 Rugby World Cup began in the Caribbean, meanwhile the Six Nations Championship and the Tri Nations are set for another season.


2008 in science
The year 2008 involved numerous significant scientific events and discoveries, some of which are listed below.


2008 in spaceflight
The year 2008 contained several significant events in spaceflight, including the first flyby of Mercury by a spacecraft since 1975, the discovery of water ice on Mars by the Phoenix spacecraft, which landed in May, the first Chinese spacewalk in September, the launch of the first Indian Lunar probe in October, and the first successful flight of a privately developed orbital launch vehicle by SpaceX's Falcon 1.


2008 in spaceflight, Overview
The internationally accepted definition of a spaceflight is any flight which crosses the Kármán line, 100 kilometres above sea level. The first recorded spaceflight launch of the year occurred on 11 January, when a Black Brant was launched on a suborbital trajectory from White Sands, with the LIDOS ultraviolet astronomy payload. This was followed by the first orbital launch of the year on 15 January, by a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL, with the Thuraya 3 communications satellite. The launch marked the return to flight for Sea Launch following the explosion of a Zenit-3SL on the launch pad the previous January during an attempt to launch the NSS-8 satellite.


2008 in spaceflight, Overview
Five carrier rockets made their maiden flights in 2008; the Ariane 5ES, Long March 3C, Zenit-3SLB, PSLV-XL, and the operational version of the Falcon 1, with an uprated Merlin-1C engine. These were all derived from existing systems. The Blue Sparrow and Sejjil missiles also conducted their maiden flights, and the ATK Launch Vehicle made its only flight, but was destroyed by range safety after it went off course. In November, the baseline Proton-M was retired in favour of the Enhanced variant, first launched in 2007.


2008 in spaceflight, Overview
The first Vietnamese and Venezuelan satellites, Vinasat-1 and Venesat-1 respectively, were launched in 2008, while a failed Iranian launch was reported to have been that country's first indigenous orbital launch attempt. In September, SpaceX conducted the first successful orbital launch of a privately developed and funded liquid-fuelled carrier rocket, when the fourth Falcon 1 launched RatSat, following previous failures in 2006, 2007, and August.


2008 in spaceflight, Space exploration
India launched its first Lunar probe, Chandraayan-1, on 22 October, with the spacecraft entering selenocentric orbit on 8 November. On 16 November, the Moon Impact Probe was released, and crashed into the Lunar surface. Although no other spacecraft were launched beyond geocentric orbit in 2008, several significant events occurred in interplanetary flights which had been launched in previous years. MESSENGER conducted flybys of Mercury in January and October, the first spacecraft to do so since Mariner 10 in 1975.


2008 in spaceflight, Space exploration
Cassini continued to make flybys of the moons of Saturn, including several close passes of Enceladus, one at a distance of 25 kilometres. In September Rosetta flew past the asteroid 2867 Šteins. On 25 May, the Phoenix spacecraft landed in the Green Valley on Mars, where it discovered water ice. Phoenix exceeded its design life of 90 days, finally failing on 10 November. The Ulysses spacecraft, launched in 1990, was also retired in 2008.


2008 in spaceflight, Crewed spaceflight
Seven crewed flights were launched in 2008, one by China, two by Russia and four by the United States. In April, Yi So-yeon became the first South Korean to fly in space, aboard Soyuz TMA-12. On the same flight, Sergey Volkov became the first second-generation cosmonaut. Yi returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-11, which nearly ended in disaster following a separation failure between the descent and service modules, resulting in a ballistic reentry. In September, China conducted its third crewed mission, Shenzhou 7, from which Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming conducted the first Chinese spacewalk. Soyuz TMA-13, launched in October, was the hundredth flight of the Soyuz programme to carry a crew at some point in its mission.


2008 in spaceflight, Crewed spaceflight
Assembly of the International Space Station continued, with the delivery of the Columbus module by Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-122 in February. March saw the launch of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle, an uncrewed European spacecraft which was used to resupply the space station. Also in March, Space Shuttle  Endeavour launched on STS-123 with the first component of the Japanese Experiment Module, the Experiment Logistics Module. STS-123 marked the final flight of the Spacelab programme, with a SpaceLab pallet used to carry the Canadian-built Dextre RMS extension. The second JEM component, the main pressurised module, was launched by STS-124, flown by  Discovery in May. In November, Endeavour launched on the STS-126 logistics flight, with the Leonardo MPLM.


2008 in spaceflight, Launch failures
On 14 March, a Proton-M with a Briz-M upper stage launched AMC-14. Several hours later, on 15 March, the Briz-M engine cut off prematurely during a burn, leaving the satellite in a medium Earth orbit. Following a small legal dispute, the satellite was sold, and raised to a geosynchronous orbit by its manoeuvring thrusters, at the expense of a large amount of its fuel and hence operational life.


2008 in spaceflight, Launch failures
On 3 August, SpaceX launched the third Falcon 1. Due to residual thrust caused by the upgraded Merlin-1C engine which was being flown for the first time, the first stage recontacted the second during staging, resulting in the rocket failing to reach orbit. The Trailblazer, PreSat and NanoSail-D satellites were lost in the failure, as was a space burial capsule, containing the remains of several hundred people, including astronaut Gordon Cooper, actor James Doohan, writer and director John Meredyth Lucas and Apollo mission planner Mareta West.


2008 in spaceflight, Launch failures
On 16 August, Iran launched a Safir, which though officially successful, was reported to have failed due to a second stage malfunction. The purpose of this launch is in doubt, as before the launch it was claimed that it would place the Omid into orbit, whilst following the launch, it was reported that a boilerplate payload had been launched. Other reports indicated that the launch was only a suborbital test of the rocket. If this was an orbital launch attempt, it was the first Iranian attempt to launch a satellite.


2008 in spaceflight, Launch failures
On 22 August, the inaugural launch of the Alliant Techsystems ALV X-1 was terminated 27 seconds after launch from Wallops Flight Facility when it veered off course. Both hypersonic physics experiments on board were destroyed.


2008 in spaceflight, Summary of launches
In total, sixty nine orbital launches were made in 2008, with sixty seven reaching orbit, and two outright failures if the Iranian launch in August is counted. This is an increase of one orbital launch attempt on 2007, with two more launches reaching orbit, which continues a trend of increasing launch rates seen since 2006. The final launch of the year was conducted on 25 December, by a Proton-M with three GLONASS navigation satellites for the Russian government.


2008 in spaceflight, Summary of launches
Suborbital spaceflight in 2008 saw a number of sounding rocket and missile launches. On 21 February, a RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 was used as an anti-satellite weapon to destroy the USA-193 satellite. USA-193 was a US spy satellite which had failed immediately after launch in 2006.


2008 in spaceflight, Summary of launches, By country
China conducted twelve orbital launches of a planned fifteen. Europe had intended to conduct seven launches of Ariane 5 rockets, and the maiden flight of the Vega rocket, however payload delays pushed one of the Arianes into 2009, and the Vega was delayed due to development issues. India had originally scheduled five to seven launches, however only three of these were conducted, mostly due to delays with the launch of Chandraayan-1. Japan scheduled three launches for 2008, of which one was launched; an H-IIA with WINDS in February.


2008 in spaceflight, Summary of launches, By country
Russia and the former Soviet Union conducted twenty six launches, not including the international Sea and Land launch programmes, which conducted six. Fourteen launches were conducted by the United States, which had originally announced plans to launch many more, however technical issues with several rockets, particularly the Atlas V, Delta II and Falcon 1, caused a number of delays. The Atlas problems, combined with a series of delays to the launch of NRO L-26 on a Delta IV, resulted in just two of ten planned EELV launches being conducted.


2008 in spaceflight, Summary of launches, By country
Two of six planned Space Shuttle launches were also delayed to 2009, one due to problems with External Tank delivery, and another due to a major systems failure on the Hubble Space Telescope, which it was to have serviced. Israel was not reported to have scheduled, or conducted an orbital launch attempt.


2008 in sports
2008 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
The following is a list of major noteworthy MMA events by month.


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
2/29 – IFL: Las Vegas (Start of 2008 IFL season)


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
3/5 – World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 1 (Sengoku Raiden Championship's first event)


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
4/11 YAMMA Pit Fighting 1 (YAMMA Pit Fighting's first and only event)


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
5/16 – IFL: Connecticut (Last IFL event; 2008 Season nevercompletely finished)


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
6/21 – The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs Team Forrest Finale


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
12/13 – The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs Team Mir Finale


2008 in sports, Mixed martial arts
12/31 – Dynamite!! 2008 (Event featured ten DREAM MMA bouts and eight K-1 kickboxing bouts)


2008 in sports, Tennis
Rafael Nadal claimed the World No. 1 ranking for the first time, on August 18, replacing Roger Federer


2008 in sumo
The following are the events in professional sumo during the year 2008.


2008 in swimming
2008 in swimming documents the highlights of competitive international swimming during 2008.


2008 in tennis
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2008. Primarily, it provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Davis Cup, the Fed Cup and the Olympics.


2008 in tennis, News, January
1 – World No. 3 Jelena Janković was forced to withdraw from her Hopman Cup tie against Tatiana Golovin, putting a question mark over whether she will be fit enough to play the Australian Open.


2008 in tennis, News, January
2 – Lindsay Davenport survived a second set scare to edge past Anabel Medina Garrigues, while Xavier Malisse and Mikhail Youzhny both won in the men's event in Chennai.


2008 in tennis, News, January
3 – Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Ivan Ljubičić and Stanislas Wawrinka all advanced into the Qatar Open semi-finals, while Rafael Nadal continued his run in Chennai. Over on the WTA, hometown wildcard Marina Erakovic stunned Vera Zvonareva in Auckland, while defending champion Dinara Safina wasted five match points to lose to Shahar Pe'er in Gold Coast.


2008 in tennis, News, January
4 – former world number one Martina Hingis was banned for two years when the verdict over her drugs case was reached. Hingis had dropped the bombshell in October that she had tested positive for cocaine, and retired immediately after.


2008 in tennis, News, January
5 – Li Na defeated Victoria Azarenka to win the Gold Coast, while three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport won her third tournament since her comeback in Auckland. On the ATP, Michaël Llodra beat Jarkko Nieminen to win Adelaide, Andy Murray won the Qatar Open and Rafael Nadal beat Carlos Moyà to reach the Chennai final. United States team Serena Williams and Mardy Fish defeated Serbia to win the 2008 Hopman Cup. Finally, Venus Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6–4, 6–3 to win the JB Group Classic, an exhibition tournament, in Hong Kong.


2008 in tennis, News, January
6 – World No. 2 Rafael Nadal was thrashed 6–0, 6–1 by Mikhail Youzhny in the Chennai Open final. Amélie Mauresmo announced her withdrawal from the following week's Medibank International tournament. Three time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten announced that he expected 2008 to be his final year of play.


2008 in tennis, News, January
7 – Roger Federer withdrew from exhibition event the AAMI Kooyong Classic due to illness, while at the joint tournament in Sydney, Anna Chakvetadze, Elena Dementieva and defending men's champion James Blake all suffered shock defeats. Jelena Dokić won her first WTA main draw match in two years by defeating Martina Müller at Hobart.


2008 in tennis, News, January
8 – The ITF, ATP, WTA and organisers of all four slams announced that they would come together and review their anti-corruption policies, in light of recent events. Former British police officers, Jeffrey Rees and Ben Gunn, who have helped stamp out corruption in cricket and horse racing, have been hired.


2008 in tennis, News, January
9 – Lleyton Hewitt suffered another blow in his preparations for the 2008 Australian Open, making a second early exit in as many weeks; this time in Sydney. Nicole Vaidišová earned a shock victory over third seeded Jelena Janković on the women's side.


2008 in tennis, News, January
10 – The women's final of the Medibank International took shape – Justine Henin defeated Ana Ivanovic in three sets, whilst Svetlana Kuznetsova completed a tight two set victory over Nicole Vaidišová.


2008 in tennis, News, January
11 – The singles draws for the Australian Open were announced. WTA chief Larry Scott released a statement highlighting the threat of organised crime, in particular, the Russian mafia, in the corruption of the sport. Justine Henin defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 to win the women's Medibank International tournament. Eleni Daniilidou won in Hobart.


2008 in tennis, News, January
12 – Dmitry Tursunov won the Medibank International 7–6(3), 7–6(4); ending Chris Guccione's dream run. Philipp Kohlschreiber triumphed in Auckland, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero; and Andy Roddick won the Kooyong Classic exhibition, taking down Marcos Baghdatis.


2008 in tennis, News, January
13 – World No. 1 Roger Federer announced that he would play an exhibition match against Pete Sampras, to follow up the three in Asia during November 2007; this time at Madison Square Gardens, New York City. Outside of tournament play, it was reported that the Australian Open could be at risk due to Chinese ambitions of their own Grand Slam, something that Roger Federer and Serena Williams have publicly spoken out against.


2008 in tennis, News, January
14 – The 2008 Australian Open begins, with the singles matches. Jelena Janković, the women's no. 3 seed, survived a first round scare against Tamira Paszek, saving five match points. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sent men's no. 9 seed Andy Murray packing with a 7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 7–6 win.


2008 in tennis, News, January
15 – After the ATP match-fixing scandal, the WTA Tour announced that several female tennis players had been approached about throwing tennis matches. Sofia Arvidsson caused the first big upset on the women's side, knocking out tenth seed Marion Bartoli. Gustavo Kuerten announces that he will officially retire after the French Open.


2008 in tennis, News, January
16 – Play at the Australian Open was disrupted for the second year in a row by crowd riots, between Cypriot and Greek supporters in the match between Fernando González and Konstantinos Economidis, forcing the police to intervene. Maria Sharapova beat former winner Lindsay Davenport in the women's second round. In men's second round action, Tommy Robredo lost easily to Mardy Fish.


2008 in tennis, News, January
18 – Taiwanese player Hsieh Su-wei reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, having never made it past the first round before. Home favourite Casey Dellacqua stunned 2006 champion Amélie Mauresmo 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. Andy Roddick lost in a five-set thriller, going down to Philipp Kohlschreiber 6–4, 3–6, 7–6, 6–7, 8–6.


2008 in tennis, News, January
19 – No. 2 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was sent crashing out by Agnieszka Radwańska, while No. 6 seed Anna Chakvetadze lost to Maria Kirilenko in two shocking upsets in the women's draw. Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt wowed the Australian crowds, both pulling out two thrilling five set wins. Federer beat Janko Tipsarević 6–7, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1, 10–8, while Hewitt outlasted Marcos Baghdatis 4–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–7, 6–3. Fernando González lost to Marin Čilić in four sets.


2008 in tennis, News, January
20 – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reached his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal with a win over eighth seed Richard Gasquet. Mikhail Youzhny upset fourth-seeded compatriot Nikolay Davydenko in an all-Russian clash. In the women's draw, the favourites all moved through with ease.


2008 in tennis, News, January
21 – The quarterfinal line-ups were set in both the men and women's draws, with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams being just a few of the eight players who moved through with wins.


2008 in tennis, News, January
22 – Maria Sharapova snapped world No. 1 Justine Henin's 32-match winning streak with a crushing 6–4, 6–0 defeat, while Jelena Janković stunned defending champion Serena Williams with a 6–3, 6–4 victory in the women's quarterfinals. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his incredible run in the men's quarterfinals, beating Mikhail Youzhny to set up a meeting with No. 2 Rafael Nadal.


2008 in tennis, News, January
23 – Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic set up a men's semifinal clash, while Ana Ivanovic beat Venus Williams for the first time, to go on to meet Daniela Hantuchová, who beat Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets.


2008 in tennis, News, January
24 – The women's final was set as Maria Sharapova beat Jelena Janković 6–3, 6–1; she will now meet Ana Ivanovic who came from losing the first eight games of the match to beat Daniela Hantuchová 0–6, 6–3, 6–4. In the men's play, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reached his first Grand Slam final with a titanic upset over No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal 6–2, 6–3, 6–2.


2008 in tennis, News, January
25 – Sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko won the women's doubles tournament by defeating Victoria Azarenka and Shahar Pe'er 2–6, 6–1, 6–4 in the final. Novak Djokovic beat world number one Roger Federer in straight sets to advance to his second Grand Slam final, where he will face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.


2008 in tennis, News, January
26 – Maria Sharapova defeats Ana Ivanovic to win the 2008 Australian Open women's singles title.


2008 in tennis, News, January
27 – Novak Djokovic defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the 2008 Australian Open men's singles title.


2008 in tennis, News, June
7 – 2007 finalist Ana Ivanovic beats Dinara Safina to win the French Open and with this win Ivanovic would become the new World No. 1


2008 in tennis, News, June
8 – Three time defending champion Rafael Nadal thrashes Three time runner-up Roger Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 in the French Open Final to finish the most lopsided match of their long and storied rivalry. This is the first time since 1999 that Federer has lost a set 6–0


2008 in tennis, News, July
Rafael Nadal dethrones five time defending champion Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7 in what many consider the greatest match of the decade. Nadal won his first Wimbledon title in near darkness after over four hours of play and over 2 hours of rain delay.


2008 in tennis, News, September
8 - US Open: Roger Federer  wins the Men's Singles and Serena Williams wins the Women's Singles title.


2008 in tennis, ITF, 2008 Hopman Cup
The Hopman Cup is the Official Mixed Team Competition of the ITF, played at the Burswood Entertainment Complex, in Perth, Australia. It is considered an exhibition competition as players do not gain ranking points for competing in the tournament. This year the USA's pairing of Mardy Fish and Serena Williams (who was replaced for the first group match by Meghann Shaughnessy) defeated Novak Djokovic and Jelena Janković of Serbia in the final. This was the 20th edition of the competition.


2008 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The following lists events that happened during 2008 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


2008 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Events, May
Cobalt production operations resume at Katanga Mining's Luilu Metallurgical Plant after an extensive restoration program.


2008 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Events, November
Katanga Mining announced temporary suspension of mining and ore processing at the Kolwezi concentrator due to the depressed price of cobalt.


2008 in the Netherlands
This article lists some of the events that took place in the Netherlands in 2008.


2008 in the Philippines
2008 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 2008.


2008 in the Philippines, National holidays
Holidays in italics are "special days", while those in regular type are "regular holidays".


2008 in the Philippines, National holidays
In addition, several other places observe local holidays, such as the foundation of their town. These are also "special days."


2008 in the United Arab Emirates
Events from the year 2008 in the United Arab Emirates.


2008 in the United States
Events from the year 2008 in the United States of America.


2008 in the decathlon
This page lists the World Best Year Performance in the year 2008 in the men's decathlon. The main event during this season were the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, PR China, where the competition was held at the Beijing National Stadium on August 21 and August 22.


2008 in the environment
This is a list of notable events relating to the environment in 2008. They relate to environmental law, conservation, environmentalism and environmental issues.


2008 in the sport of athletics
This article contains an overview of the year 2008 in athletics


2008 in track cycling, National Championships
2008 Dutch National Track Championships French National Track Championships Australian National Track Championships British National Track Championships United States National Track Championships


2008 in track cycling, Six-day events
The 2008 Six Days Track Cycling Events are multi-race competitions, each taking place over six days at various locations in mainland Europe. The riders challenge each other in track cycling disciplines including the madison, track time trials, sprints, and Derny motor-paced races.


2008 in video games
2008 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games. New intellectual properties include Army of Two, Dead Space, iRacing, Left 4 Dead, LittleBigPlanet, Mirror's Edge, Race Driver: Grid, and Spore.


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, Worldwide
The following are the best-selling games of 2008 in terms of worldwide retail sales. These games sold at least 5 million units worldwide in 2008.


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, Canada
Video game console sales in Canada (first seven months of 2008)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, Japan
Video game console sales of 2008 in Japan (December 31, 2007 – December 28, 2008)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, Japan
Best-selling video games of 2008 in Japan (December 31, 2007 – December 28, 2008)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, Japan
Best-selling video games of 2008 in Japan (December 31, 2007 – December 21, 2008)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, United States
Video game console sales in the US (first six months of 2008)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, United States
Best-selling video games of 2008 in the US (by platform)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, United States
^ a: In the IGN articles used as sources, IGN lists the titles as the "Top 10 Sellers in 2008"; however, the IGN articles were published on December 9–12, 2008, so the articles might not take into account November and December sales figures, as the NPD Group did not release November's console game sales figures until December 11, 2008.


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, United States
Best-selling console games of all time in the US (as of May 1, 2008)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, United States
Note: This list only includes games that were released after NPD started tracking video game sales data.


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, Other
Best-selling video games in Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States combined (January–July 2008)


2008 in video games, Hardware and software sales, Other
Best-selling video games in Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States combined (July–September 2008)


2008 in video games, Critically acclaimed titles
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.


2008 invasion of Anjouan
The invasion of Anjouan (code-named Operation Democracy in Comoros), on 25 March 2008, was an amphibious assault led by the Comoros, backed by African Union (AU) forces, including troops from Sudan, Tanzania, Senegal, along with logistical support from Libya and France. The objective of the invasion was to topple Colonel Mohamed Bacar's leadership in Anjouan, an island in the Union of Comoros, when he refused to step down after a disputed 2007 election, in defiance of the federal government and the AU. The Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean has had a fractious history since independence from France in 1975, experiencing more than 20 coups or attempted coups.


2008 invasion of Anjouan
The invasion occurred on the early morning of 25 March 2008. The main towns were quickly overrun and the island was declared under the control of the invading forces the same day. Mohamed Bacar managed to escape to Mayotte on March 26 and requested political asylum. He was subsequently held in custody there by the French administration and brought to the island of Réunion. On 15 May France rejected Bacar's request for asylum but the French refugee office ruled that the ousted leader could not be extradited to the Comoros because of the risk of persecution.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Tensions rise
The Comoran federal Government delayed the holding of an election on Anjouan due to alleged irregularities and intimidation, but Bacar nevertheless printed ballots and held an election in June, claiming  a landslide victory of 90 per cent.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Military build-up
In March 2008, hundreds of the Comoran Government troops began assembling on Mohéli, which is closer to Anjouan than the larger island, Grande Comore. Sudan and Senegal provided a total of 750 troops, while Libya offered logistical support for the operation. In addition, 500 Tanzanian troops were due to arrive soon after. France, the former colonial power, also assisted the operation by airlifting AU troops to the area.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Military build-up
Vows of resistance from the self-declared President of Anjouan were met with stern words from the AU envoy, saying "He will be overwhelmed...I am afraid to say that if he tries to do that, it will be the end of him physically, if necessary." In an interview with IRIN, Mohamed Bacar said: "[National President Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed] Sambi does not know anything concerning the military, but if I had to advise him I would say that it's not the solution. The first time [1997] the army came we kicked them out. The second time [May 2007] the army came we kicked them out. That means that if they try to come a third time we will kick them out."


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Military build-up
Anjouan promised to hold new elections in May 2008, which South African President Thabo Mbeki supported as a way to resolve the crisis. Mbeki once more tried to stop the invasion on 14 March but the AU disregarded his proposal and the invasion went ahead.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
On 3 March 2008, a fuel ship supplying the Comoros Army caught fire in the port of Comoros' capital, Moroni. The cause of the fire was unknown. On 11 March an armed incursion occurred on the islands where three members of the Anjouan Militia loyal to President Bacar were captured and taken to Mohéli for interrogation. Diplomacy continued with an intervention by South African President Mbeki who attempted to delay the planned AU invasion to the distinct displeasure of the Comorian Government. It is understood that Mbeki spoke to the head of the AU, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, by phone on 14 March to stall the attack, intended to depose Bacar.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
Despite this intervention, a fishing boat with soldiers left Moheli for Anjouan on 14 March. There were conflicting statements from both sides, with Comoran and AU military sources reporting that a fishing boat carrying around fifty soldiers from the Government of Comoros landed in southern Anjouan and attempted to capture a police station. In a later statement Comoran Chief of Staff Salim Mohamed revised the information and said a reconnaissance team of about 10 soldiers landed on 14 March in the south of Anjouan island and reached the southern town of Domoni. Two soldiers were wounded, a federal source said. "The target of the operation was the Domoni police station in Anjouan so as to free political prisoners," said the source.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
The troops then retreated back to Mohéli and returned to Anjouan on Sunday 16 March to rescue the two wounded soldiers. According to a military source one federal soldier suffered an arm injury and another had a minor foot injury. The same sources reported that during the course of the operation "about twenty people" in Domoni died as a result of the Comoran and AU bombardment of Anjouanese positions.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
These facts were disputed by the Anjouan administration which insisted that one of the two Comoran soldiers who had attacked Anjouanais positions in Domoni on 15 March had in fact died and that the police station was not captured. They stated that the Comoran and AU forces had been ambushed by Anjouanais forces during the early stages of their incursion at Domoni and had been forced to withdraw from what was a hopeless situation,


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
Contrary to its republican mission the National Army of Development (Comoran Army) devotes itself to taking innocent citizens as hostages whose only wrong is to be Anjouanese and not Sambist. In addition to the fishermen kidnapped at Marahare and Mromhouli, a second aggression [by] the National Army of Development dissident forces supported by the trawler provided by Iran failed. The elements of the [Anjouanese] Gendarmerie retaliated in self-defence, wounding two of the gangster attackers including one lethally.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
France's role in the crisis was brought into question when, on 19 March a French police helicopter on an unauthorised, clandestine mission from the French-administered Comoro island of Mayotte crashed in the sea close to the city of Sima on Anjouan. Reports from officials in the Comoros said that no one was hurt in the crash. The helicopter was owned by France's Mayotte-based air and border police force. Critics allege the helicopter was involved in an attempt to bring Bacar into French exile, and that Bacar was only holding out so long because he was protected by the French. Lieutenant-Colonel Salimou Mohamed Amiri, Comoros Government Spokesman, declared:


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
We don't know what it was doing. You can imagine the rumors. The Government of Comoros did not allow them to come. They were not authorized ... The French said they sent other air and naval assets to pick up the crew.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Background, Pre-invasion incidents
The French military had already transported about 300 Tanzanian troops and 30 tons of freight to Grand Comore between 14 March and 16 March. According to reports a French diplomat said that France was ready to transport Senegalese troops as well, but had not yet done so. The diplomatic source said France remains "favourable" to dialogue but on condition that Bacar accepts the presence of African troops at the port and airport of Anjouan.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Invasion
On the morning of 24 March 2008, five boats transporting approximately 1,500 AU soldiers left the port of Fomboni, capital of the island of Mohéli. Bacar and his troops vowed to fight until the last man was left standing, with an Anjouan lieutenant stating, "We will fight until we die."


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Invasion
It was reported that the runway at Ouani Airport close to Mutsamudu was blocked with baggage trolleys and the atmosphere was tense as the island braced itself for the impending assault. Before the telephone lines were cut an Anjouan government spokesperson was quoted as saying: "They have decided to kill but we are not afraid. We are well prepared. Our forces are ready and it's going to work!"


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Invasion
About 450 troops landed on the north side of the Anjouan Bay at dawn on 25 March. The first shots were heard around 5 a.m. (GMT+3) on the island, in the town of Ouani, near the airport and the presidential residence. The combined forces quickly advanced on the town of Ouani to secure the airfield. The BBC reported that the island's capital, airport, seaport and second city were all overrun by dawn, to scenes of jubilation from the local population. By mid-day, the presidential palace was deserted. But other journalists reported that the African forces had "struggled to progress further under the automatic fire of Anjouan forces" and in the afternoon "clashes with heavy artillery continued to shake the town of Ouani." The army was reportedly looking for Bacar's hiding place.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Invasion
After the airport was secured the invasion force apparently split where part of it headed south-west to engage Anjouanais loyalists in the capital, Mutsumudu, and the remainder headed south-east capturing the port of Bambao M'Sanga and the second city of Domoni without resistance.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Invasion
Early reports indicated that the Bacar Government had fled to the interior of the island and were in hiding, however later uncorroborated reports from the Comoros Government on 25 March stated that Bacar had fled the island incognito seeking exile in Mayotte. There was no comment from the Bacar Government but the Comoran Government spokesperson said that the invasion troops had been told to look for him and were conducting house to house searches.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Aftermath
Bacar managed to escape to Mayotte by speedboat and reports on 26 March confirmed his presence on the island and stated he had requested political asylum in France. The Associated Press reported from Paris that France was considering the request for political asylum but Comoran leaders demanded that France should return Bacar to the Comoros, and there have been anti-French protests calling for the same.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Aftermath
France stated that it was treating the asylum request as quickly as possible, but, on 27 March Bacar was moved to the French island of Réunion, where he was charged and investigated for illegally entering French territory while carrying weapons, along with 23 of his followers. The case was rejected for procedural reasons, but Bacar and the 23 others remained in custody.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Aftermath
By the end of March, several prominent supporters of Bacar had been arrested, including Caabi El-Yachroutu, a former Vice-President, Prime Minister and Interim President of Comoros. Three others were found in hiding near Domoni on 29 March including Mohamed Abdou Mmadi (a former Minister of Transport and spokesman for Bacar), Ibrahim Halidi (a former Prime Minister and advisor to Bacar), and Ahmed Abdallah Sourette (a former President of the Constitutional Court).


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Aftermath
On 5 April 2008, Bacar was remanded in custody. Comoran President Sambi visited Anjouan in early April, marking his first visit to the island since May 2007. He said that he hoped that separatism in Anjouan would cease with the removal of Bacar from power, and he praised the African leaders who had provided assistance for the invasion.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Aftermath
Contrary to previous reports that France was against the invasion, France gave its approval and helped to air-lift the AU troops to the island. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner stressed on 8 April that France had not supported Bacar or provided him with any protection, and that it had fully supported African Union intervention.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Aftermath
On 18 April Bacar and with 21 of his close guards were released from prison and returned to house arrest at the Réunion military airbase. On 23 April it was announced that the French Office of Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides; OFPRA) had granted asylum to two of Bacar's men and refused asylum for six of them; those whose requests were rejected were to be sent to a third country and not returned to the Comoros due to fears of persecution. OFPRA had yet to rule on the cases of Bacar or his other men.


2008 invasion of Anjouan, Aftermath
Bacar's asylum request was rejected on 15 May 2008. France's Secretary of State for Overseas, Yves Jégo, said France would support the Comoran Government's efforts. "We will continue to act in consultation with the Comoros so that the law can be applied and Colonel Bacar can be tried." Presidential elections in Anjouan occurred on 15 June and 29 June 2008. The election was won by Moussa Toybou, who defeated Mohamed Djaanfari in the second round.


2008 national road cycling championships
The 2008 national road cycling championships begin in January in Australia and New Zealand. Most of the other national championships do not take place until June or July.


2008 national road cycling championships, Jerseys
The winner of each national championship wears the national jersey in all their races for the next year in the respective discipline, apart from the World Championships. The jerseys tend to represent the countries' flag or use the colours from it.


2008 occupation of Iolani Palace
In 2008, two attempts were made by separate groups involved in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement to occupy ʻIolani Palace, the home of the last two monarchs of the Hawaiian Kingdom in downtown Honolulu in the U.S. state of Hawaii.


2008 occupation of Iolani Palace, April 30 occupation of ʻIolani Palace grounds
At around 9:00 a.m. on the morning of April 30, 2008, roughly seventy members of a group that described itself as the Hawaiian Kingdom Government blocked entrance to the grounds of ʻIolani Palace in a move to assert the group's purported status as the Hawaiian Kingdom's government. According to the group's leader, Mahealani Kahau, the group put up yellow "No Trespassing" signs at the entrances to the palace grounds to "give awareness and notice to everyone that passes that the Hawaiian Kingdom Government has resumed its lawful status as the seat of government." Following negotiations between the group and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the state agency with jurisdiction over the palace, the gates were reopened at around 2:00 p.m. No one was arrested.


2008 occupation of Iolani Palace, April 30 occupation of ʻIolani Palace grounds
The group returned to the palace grounds the following day, but did not block the palace entrances and instead peacefully occupied a portion of the palace's lawn.


2008 occupation of Iolani Palace, Statehood Day occupation
On August 15, 2008, independence proponents occupied ʻIolani Palace for four hours. The trespassing incident happened on Statehood Day 2008. On August 15, 2008, at 4:30 in the afternoon, 27 members of the so-called Kingdom of Hawaii Nation, a national-independence fringe faction, entered the grounds of ʻIolani Palace. The group was led by James Akahi, who claims descent from Kamehameha I and called himself "Majesty Akahi Nui, King of Hawaii". Fifteen to twenty members of the group wore red shirts with "SECURITY" printed in yellow on the backs while other members wore black. The purported mission of the group was to establish the palace as a new seat of government, undermine the State government, and declare the independence of Hawaii from the United States.


2008 occupation of Iolani Palace, Statehood Day occupation
Six to ten employees of the Friends of ʻIolani Palace, the nonprofit that administers the palace on behalf of the state, and the nonprofit's director, Kippen de Alba Chu, locked down the buildings and locked themselves inside the administrative building, located next to the palace. Facilities manager Noelani Ah Yuen attempted to stop the intruders from locking the east gate and was injured by the trespassers; she also withdrew into the administrative building. The group flew their flag and entered ʻIolani Barracks and Palace.


2008 occupation of Iolani Palace, Statehood Day occupation
During the trespassing incident, a city police officer refused to stop the trespassers because the palace grounds are state property and hence under the jurisdiction of the state police, the HDPS. Police chief Boisse Correa rejected claims his officers committed wrongdoing.


2008 occupation of Iolani Palace, Statehood Day occupation
Seven members of the group were arraigned on burglary charges. Charges against six were dismissed, and James Akahi was acquitted of felony burglary charges, but convicted of simple trespass and fined. Two group members were tried for assaulting an employee of the palace and acquitted.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence
Widespread protests and riots in Serbia and North Kosovo followed the proclamation of independence by the Republic of Kosovo on February 17, 2008. Protests were also held by Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest
On February 21, a very large demonstration called Kosovo is Serbia (Косово је Србија, Kosovo je Srbija) was held in Belgrade in front of the Parliament organized by the Serbian government, with up to hundreds of thousands people attending it. Speakers at the protest were: Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica, opposition leader Tomislav Nikolić, Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik, Montenegro opposition leader Andrija Mandić, Montenegro opposition politician Predrag Popović, basketball player Dejan Bodiroga, filmmaker Emir Kusturica, tennis player Novak Djokovic (via link), actors Ivana Žigon, Nenad Jezdić and Nataša Tapušković, and Yugoslav crown prince Alexander Karađorđević.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest
After the protest, people went to the Temple of Saint Sava for a religious service, where a speech was held by acting head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Archbishop Amfilohije Risto Radović of Montenegro and the Littoral.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest
The president of Serbia and commander-in-chief of Serbian Armed Forces, Boris Tadic (Democratic Party), did not attend. The rally was not supported by the Liberal Democratic Party nor by the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, both of which are represented in Parliament.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest, Attacks on diplomatic missions and businesses
The protest was peaceful until participants arrived at the US, Slovenian and Croatian embassies, where a group of about 1000 riotersseparated themselves and started attacking the embassies. They burned the US embassy, entered and destroyed the interior and exterior of the Slovenian embassy and caused minor damage to the Croatian embassy. The security cameras in the Slovenian embassy also filmed the action outside the embassy where Serbian police didn't try to stop the protesters from entering the embassy, instead they moved away, which caused protests in Slovenia.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest, Attacks on diplomatic missions and businesses
Emergency services were able to put the fire out in embassies after protesters dissipated. At around 21:00 UTC, American news service CNN reported that "charred remains" of an individual had been found inside the burnt-out offices. Flags of United States, Croatia, Slovenia and European Union were also burnt. In response, a group of around fifty Croatian protesters burnt the Serbian flag in central Zagreb, after which the police arrested 44 of them. Police guarded the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on February 22. Other foreign embassies damaged in the course of the protest included those of Belgium, Germany and Turkey.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest, Attacks on diplomatic missions and businesses
In Belgrade and Novi Sad, McDonald's shops were damaged by protesters. According to Serbian sources, the violent protesters were ad hoc football fans. 54 policemen and 34 citizens were injured. A Dutch journalist suffered broken ribs. Serbian politicians condemned the violence. The total damage from the violence was estimated at over 8 million Serbian dinars ($US 143,000).


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest, Attacks on diplomatic missions and businesses
The United Nations Security Council responded to these incidents by issuing a unanimous statement that, "The members of the Security Council condemn in the strongest terms the mob attacks against embassies in Belgrade, which have resulted in damage to embassy premises and have endangered diplomatic personnel," noting that the 1961 Vienna Convention requires host states to protect embassies. In response to the attacks, the German embassy announced that it would temporarily stop granting visas to Serbian citizens.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, Kosovo is Serbia protest, Attacks on diplomatic missions and businesses
Also on February 21, Serbian army reservists from Kuršumlija took their protest into Kosovo, during which time they attacked the Kosovo Police Service with stones. An explosive was set off in the Kosovo Serb enclave of Kosovska Mitrovica near a United Nations-run courthouse. During the rally there were people who carried portraits of ICTY-fugitive former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić and the blue-red flag of the far-right Orthodox organization Obraz. In Kraljevo, Obraz was responsible for the vandalization of an Evangelical church. In Valjevo, a Slovenian firm Sava Osiguranje was set on fire, most likely by protesting youths. The Radio Television of Serbia took American films and sitcoms off the air, replacing them with content from Spain and Russia, who have been against Kosovo's independence.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 22
The Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration warned against travelling to Belgrade, resulting in the cancellation of an Adriatic League basketball match between Zagreb's KK Cibona and Belgrade's KK Partizan. A concert by the Croatian band Hladno pivo scheduled for February 29 was similarly cancelled. Also on February 22, the United States embassy in Serbia ordered the temporary evacuation of all non-essential personnel, after the protests and attacks on the embassy. Rian Harris, a U.S. embassy spokeswoman, explained the evacuation to AFP saying that "Dependents are being temporarily ordered to depart Belgrade.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 22
We do not have confidence that Serbian authorities can provide security for our staff members." Slovenia also closed its own embassy, recommending its citizens not to travel to Serbia. The European Union froze talks with Serbia on the Stabilization and Association Agreement, the country's next step in EU-integration. Meanwhile, nationalist organizations were reportedly spreading leaflets urging citizens to boycott banks and goods coming from the countries that support the independence of Kosovo.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 23
The American embassy drew down staffing in Belgrade with a convoy headed to Croatia. By this time, Serbian authorities reported that 200 rioters from the Belgrade protest had been arrested. The Kosovo-Serbia border crossings had also been normalized. The Liberal Democratic Party and the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina again expressed criticism of prime minister Koštunica and his handling of the events since Kosovo's declaration.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 26
Serbia's National Security Council met to discuss how police had failed to stop the mob from attacking the embassy on the 21st.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 26
The United States raised its travel alert for Serbia to a travel warning.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 26
Zoran Vujović, the protester who died during the attack on the U.S. embassy, was buried in Novi Sad on February 26. Several thousand people attended the funeral.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 27
Human Rights Watch said that "Serbia's government should act quickly to reduce the dangerously hostile climate for human rights groups" since the Kosovo declaration.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 28
The largest protest in Valjevo drew a crowd of several thousand people on February 28.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia, February 29
On February 29, Serbian police charged 80 people in connection with the embassy attacks.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Protests were held in Republika Srpska, the Serb-inhabited entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the 26th, about 10,000 protested in Banja Luka; a small group of them later approached the U.S. embassy branch office, damaging shopfronts and stoning police who blocked their path. Eventually, they were dispersed by tear gas.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Montenegro
On October 9, 2008, Montenegro recognized Kosovo's independence. This move by the Montenegrin government, opposed by many in the country, led to a protest rally in Podgorica on October 13 attended by over 20,000 people. The rally, held in front of the Parliament of Montenegro building, was organized by the Serb List, Socialist People's Party of Montenegro, People's Party, Democratic Serb Party of Montenegro, and other opposition parties. It was backed by Movement for Changes and the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović was announced as speaker.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Montenegro
Demonstrators demanded that the Montenegrin government and Prime Minister Milo Đukanović rescind their recognition of Kosovo. They waved Serbian flags, chanting "Kosovo is Serbia" and other slogans against the prime minister and his cabinet, calling them ustashas and shiptars. At the end of the rally, riots broke out and small groups attacked riot police in front of the parliament building. The rioters were eventually driven back by police, and 28 people were arrested and 34 were injured. The pro-Serbian opposition planned a second protest on 16 October, but the Montenegrin police said that no protests from the opposition would be accepted.


2008 protests against Kosovo declaration of independence, Diaspora
Protests were also held in diaspora communities, such as in London (23 February), Vienna (24 February), and by Serbian students in Brussels on 28 February.


2008 protests in Burkina Faso
The 2008 Burkina Faso protests was rioting and violent mass demonstrations against food prices hikes in Burkina Faso in 2008, leading to the deaths of 3 demonstrators, who stormed government buildings amid drought and violence with troops. 7 days of protests and violent resistant explosions occurred in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, where demonstrators clashed with government troops demanding an end to inflation and the decrease of food prices as part of the 2007-2008 world food price crisis.


2008 protests in Burkina Faso
Protesters were also angry about low wages and unemployment skyrocketing, but euro win demands was an end to price rises, which led to the withdrawal of the plan set by president Blaise Compaore. A wave of student protests rocked the country as countrywide anti-government sentiment for the next couple of months was taking place. Protesters attacked buildings and set fire to cars, being close to killed by the military as they fired into the air to quell protesters. The unrest was eventually crushed, leading to the deaths of 3 protesters. No concessions were made apart from price decreases. However, 2 months of general strikes and nonviolent protests occurred.


2008 reasons of the Supreme Court of Canada
The table below lists the decisions (known as reasons) delivered from the bench by the Supreme Court of Canada during 2008. The table illustrates what reasons were filed by each justice in each case, and which justices joined each reason. This list, however, does not include reasons on motions.


2008 riot in Mongolia
On 1 July 2008, a riot broke out in Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital city. The riot was sparked by allegations of fraud surrounding the 2008 legislative election which occurred three days earlier. While initially a peaceful protest, the riot resulted in Mongolia's first state of emergency which lasted four days, and a military presence (lasting two of those days) was brought into the city to quell the riot. Five people were killed by the police, and the headquarters of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (who had won the election) was set on fire. Additional suggested causes for the riot include a change to the electoral system which was not well understood, and an increased division between Mongolia's rich and poor population.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Background
In 2005 Nambariin Enkhbayar of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (known as the MPRP and the former communist party) had been elected president, having defeating the Motherland-Democracy Coalition (known as the MDC, a coalition between the larger Democratic Party, the Mongolian New Democratic Socialist Party, and the Civil Will Party). In the 2004 legislative election the MPRP lost 36 of its 72 seats in the State Great Khural (35 of them to the MDC). Following the election the MPRP formed a coalition government with the MDC.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Background
In 2005 and 2006 five Democratic Party members changed parties; four members crossed the floor to the MPRP, whilst the Deputy Chairman (Lamjaviin Gundalai) began a new party (the People's Party), having blamed the Prime Minister for "slow economic growth". In early 2006 the MPRP was able to reform a government without the MDC coalition (with the four new members who had crossed the floor). In 2007 a new chairman of the MPRP was elected who sought to "uproot corruption and bureaucracy".


2008 riot in Mongolia, Background
Before the 2008 election Gündalai returned to the Democratic Party, and most members of the People's Party ran as Democrats. Key issues in the upcoming election were updating the large agriculture industry and the increase in the mining industry. The MPRP supported a government controlled mineral resources, whilst the Democratic Party advocated private investment. Prior to the election more than 116,000 were listed twice (under different addresses), the General Election Committee affirmed it would be fixed prior to election day. The election saw a turnout of 74% and was stated to be "largely free and fair" by international observers. Early results saw the MPRP having taken 47 seats to the Democratic Party's 27 and the MPRP declared victory. The Democratic Party claimed the election had been fixed by the MPRP with some people voting twice.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Protests
On 1 July a peaceful gathering started in Sukhbaatar Square organized by the leaders of some of the smaller parties that took part in the election. Eventually a large crowd gathered, mainly of young men, surrounding the adjacent MPRP office. The group started throwing rocks at the building and began advancing on it. Police responded with tear gas and non-lethal weapons. In the evening fires were started and looting began. Both the MPRP headquarters and the Central Cultural Palace Building (which houses the National Art Gallery of Mongolia) were set fire by the crowd, estimated to be in the thousands.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Protests
Art from the gallery (more than 1,000 pieces) were either "destroyed, damaged or looted". In search for weapons a police station was attacked. Looting continued through the night, despite a 10:00 pm – 8:00 am curfew being set in place. Bricks were thrown at a fire engine, and violence in the streets erupted.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Protests
– Tsend Munkhorgil, Deputy Minister, Ministry of. Justice and Home Affairs


2008 riot in Mongolia, Protests
A four-day state of emergency, the first in Mongolia's history was declared at by the Mongolian President, effective 11:30 p.m. on 1 July. The state of emergency placed and a ban on the sale of alcohol, authorized police to use force to stop the protesters, and prevented television broadcasts outside of those made by state-run stations. The crowds got smaller after the state of emergency was enacted, and the police were able to use additional force to stop the looting. By 2 July the military was brought into Ulaanbaatar.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Protests
The President upheld the fairness of the elections, and promised investigations into the election as required. He also called an emergency national security meeting with the country's prime minister and opposition party leaders. The meeting was broadcast live on privately run Eagle Television, prime minister Sanjaagiin Bayar blamed Democratic Party leader Elbegdorj for "misleading people and inciting violence", echoing claims that he had made earlier that day.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Aftermath
By 3 July, the situation had stabilised, with fewer troops patrolling the streets. Five people were killed in the riots, and over 300 people were injured, both civilian and police. Over 700 arrests were made during the riots, on 7 July more than 200 people were still incarcerated. Allegations of torture of prisoners were brought forward, including one person who was erroneously arrested while trying to preserve a piece of art.


2008 riot in Mongolia, Aftermath
Some commentators and analysts suggested the problems may have been exacerbated by a growing rich/poor divide. Luvsandendev Sumati, from the polling organisation Sant Maral Foundation is reported as saying that "the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar have a lot of poor and frustrated youngsters who would use any pretext to get to streets and participate in any turmoil". A change from a first-past-the-post election process may have led to a misunderstanding over how a winner is selected.


2008 student protests in Chile
The 2008 student protests in Chile were a series of protests and other manifestations by citizens of dissatisfaction against the state of education in Chile. The protest were the largest student protest in Chile after the 2006 student protest. Both secondary and university students participated. On April 24 about 500 students were detained in the cities of Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Temuco and Valdivia by police in relation to the protests. On May 28 more than 300 students in Santiago and Antofagasta were detained by police in relation to the protests.


2008 submarine cable disruption
The 2008 submarine cable disruptions were three separate incidents of major damage to submarine optical communication cables around the world. The first incident caused damage involving up to five high-speed Internet submarine communications cables in the Mediterranean Sea and Middle East from 23 January to 4 February 2008, causing internet disruptions and slowdowns for users in the Middle East and India. The incident called into doubt the safety of the undersea portion of the Internet cable system.


2008 submarine cable disruption
In late February there was another outage, this time affecting a fiber optic connection between Singapore and Jakarta.


2008 submarine cable disruption
On 19 December, FLAG FEA, GO-1, SEA-ME-WE 3, and SEA-ME-WE 4 were all cut.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 23 January
Although it was not reported at the time, there was a cut off of FALCON on 23 January. The FALCON cable system connects several countries in the Persian Gulf and India.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 30 January
On 30 January 2008, news agencies reported Internet services were widely disrupted in the Middle East and in the Indian subcontinent following damage to the SEA-ME-WE 4 and FLAG Telecom cables in the Mediterranean Sea. The damage to the two systems occurred separately several kilometers apart near Alexandria.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 30 January
While the respective contributions of the two cable systems to this blackout is unclear, network outage graphs show anomalies at 0430 UTC and again at 0800 UTC. The cause of the damage to SEA-ME-WE 4 or FLAG has not been declared by either cable operator. A number of sources speculated these were caused by a dragging ship anchor near Alexandria.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 30 January
The Egyptian Maritime Transport Ministry reviewed one day of complete video footage beginning 12 hours before and through 12 hours after the service disruption, concluding the cause of damage was not surface craft as no ships were traced sailing through the area of the alleged wire damage. The Kuwaitis also do not directly charge seafaring vessels, instead referring to "weather conditions and maritime traffic." The Economist reported that an earthquake may have caused the cable to fault.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 30 January, Effects
Disruptions of 70 percent in Egypt and 60 percent in India were reported, along with problems in Afghanistan-AWCC, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 30 January, Effects
1.7 million Internet users in the UAE were affected by the Internet disruption. Mahesh Jaishanker, an executive director for Du, said, “The submarine cable cuts in FLAG Europe-Asia cable 8.3 km away from Alexandria, Egypt and SEA-ME-WE 4 affected at least 60 million users in India, 12 million in Pakistan, six million in Egypt and 4.7 million in Saudi Arabia.” A router for a university in Tehran was not responding, causing some reports of a total loss of connectivity for Iran. However, the Iranian embassy in Abu Dhabi reported that "everything was fine." Additional reports and analysis showed that while Iran was affected, it "fared much better" than many other countries in the same geographic area.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 30 January, Effects
On 1 February 2008, VSNL, a leading communications solutions provider in India, confirmed that the company restored a majority of its IP connectivity into the MENA region within 24 hours of the Egypt cable breakdown. Services were largely restored within 24 hours of the cable cut by diverting traffic through the TIC and SEA-ME-WE 3 cables.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 1 February
Two days after the initial break, it was reported that the FALCON cable was cut between Muscat, Oman and Dubai, UAE. This cut was between different landing points than the 23 January cut, FLAG Telecom issued a press release later, stating the "FALCON cable is reported cut at 0559 hrs GMT on 1 February 2008. Location of cut is at 56 km from Dubai, UAE on segment between UAE and Oman". This cut was caused by an abandoned anchor weighing 5-6 tonnes.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 3 February
On 3 February 2008, Qtel reported that a cable called DOHA-HALOUL connecting Qatar to the United Arab Emirates had been damaged, causing disruptions in already damaged Middle Eastern communication networks. It became the fourth cable to be damaged in 5 days. The location of the break was between the Qatari island of Haloul and the UAE island of Das. The problem was said to be related to the power system.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 4 February
On 4 February 2008 the Khaleej Times reported that SEA-ME-WE 4 had also been damaged at another location, near Penang, Malaysia. The date of this damage was not given.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 19 December
On 19 December 2008 France Telecom issued a press release stating that the FLAG Telecom, SEA-ME-WE 4, and SEA-ME-WE 3 cables, linking Alexandria, Egypt, Sicily, and Malta, had been cut by either bad weather conditions or a ship's anchor, resulting in substantial slowdowns in communication traffic, with Egypt experiencing an overall 80% reduction in Internet capacity. France Telecom expects SEA-ME-WE 4 will be repaired first, then SEA-ME-WE 3, then FLAG, and that repairs should be concluded by 31 December. The break disrupted 75% of communication between the Middle East and Asia and the rest of the world.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cables damaged, 19 December
The breaks caused companies including Vodafone, Verizon Communications, Portugal Telecom, GO and France Telecom to experience disruption in their systems and forced them to reroute communications through different means. Others, such as AT&T, also received reports of service disruption. The rerouting of these communications caused large slowdowns in some areas. Interoute director Jonathan Wright stated that "You can reroute the data through other cables, but that increases traffic and can potentially create bottlenecks, so Internet connections may slow down and some phone calls could get disrupted." The GO-1 cable connecting Malta and Sicily was also cut.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cause of cable breaks, Anchors
These disruptions are attributed by some officials to accidents involving ships' anchors, but reviews of surveillance footage of the area by Egyptian authorities revealed no ships in the area. However, FLAG Telecom indicated that the cut to the Falcon cable between the United Arab Emirates and Oman was caused by an abandoned anchor weighing five to six tons.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cause of cable breaks, Anchors
In mid April two ships were impounded in connection with the FLAG Telecom outages near Dubai. They were charged with improperly dropping anchor in the area of the cuts.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cause of cable breaks, Anchors
The 19 December breaks were reported to be caused either by bad weather or a ship's anchor, though the bad weather was just a possibility and the anchor a much more likely occurrence.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cause of cable breaks, Common occurrence
According to Stephen Beckert, a senior analyst at TeleGeography, the events are far less exceptional than they seem because cable cuts happen all the time. Beckert argues that "only the first two cuts had any serious impact on the Internet," and this drew public attention to other cable cuts that would not normally have been newsworthy. According to Beckert, cable cuts happen "on average once every three days." He further noted that there are 25 large ships that do nothing but fix cable cuts and bends, and that such cuts are usually the result of cables rubbing against rocks on the sea floor.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Cause of cable breaks, Common occurrence
According to Global Marine Systems, "Undersea cable damage is hardly rare—indeed, more than 50 repair operations were mounted in the Atlantic alone last year". While a cut in a cable crossing the Atlantic has "no significant effect" due to the many alternate cables, only a handful of Internet cables serve the Middle East. These disruptions are only noticeable because of the small number of cables.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Conspiracy theories
Since Israel and Iraq were not affected by the communications blackout, conspiracy theories have begun to spread throughout the Internet.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Conspiracy theories
On 6 February, theories that the disruption in these cables was related to an economic confrontation between the United States and Iran appeared in an opinion piece on Dow Jones Marketwatch. This article points out that the disruption or damage to these cables preceded the intended launch of the Iranian oil bourse on Kish Island between 1 and 11 February.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Conspiracy theories
The launch of this bourse, which was intended to broker sales of oil denominated in euros (sometimes called "petroeuros") had been interpreted by some as an attempt by Iran to inflict additional damage to the value of the dollar by reducing the volume of oil which is traded in "petrodollars". Given the potential economic damage of euro-denominated oil sales in the context of on-going dollar inflation, as well as the large number of cables which appear to have been disrupted or damaged, Marketwatch's John Dvorak has written that the U.S. can expect to be blamed for the disruptions.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Conspiracy theories
According to this sabotage theory, the damaged cables and the resulting Internet disruptions would destroy confidence in the ability of the Iranian Oil Bourse to execute trades, thereby thwarting the establishment of an alternative to dollar-denominated oil sales. In fact, Iran suffered very little from the outages, which primarily affected America's allies in the region (see 'Effects' above). Bloggers have also suggested that the cable disruptions were a cover for NSA installing taps on the lines for eavesdropping.


2008 submarine cable disruption, Conspiracy theories
On Monday, 18 February, the International Telecommunication Union said that the damage could have been an act of sabotage. The UN agency's head of development, Sami al-Murshed was quoted, "We do not want to preempt the results of ongoing investigations, but we do not rule out that a deliberate act of sabotage caused the damage to the undersea cables over two weeks ago." This was subsequently shown false, as on April 18, two ships parked in a restricted area during a storm, cutting the cables with their anchors. One sailor from each vessel was detained, as were both vessels. The vessels were subsequently released after restitution for the damaged cables was secured.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal
There was a series of cannabis scandals in professional sumo beginning in August 2008. Four sekitori ranked wrestlers, Wakanohō, Rohō, Hakurozan and Wakakirin, were dismissed from professional sumo, and the chairman of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, resigned his post to take the blame. It was the first case in which active wrestlers have been dismissed from sumo. After that, the JSA added rules that any retirement package for dismissed members would be reduced or denied, and that those who use illegal drugs would be dismissed without benefits. Many Japanese news and some English news, such as BBC News and The Daily Telegraph, reported on the scandal. According to The Japan Times, it was the largest sports scandal of drugs that Japan had ever seen.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Background
Since 2007, scandals and allegations about professional sumo have occasionally occurred. In February 2007, the Japanese magazine Shūkan Gendai reported allegations of yaocho (match fixing). The JSA sued the magazine for $4 million. In June 2007, a 17-years-old wrestler Takashi Saito died as a result of hazing at the Tokitsukaze stable. His stablemaster Futatsuryū and three other wrestlers were arrested in February 2008, and his coach was sentenced to six years in prison in 2009. In August 2008, Asashōryū, the yokozuna ranked Mongolian wrestler, was suspended from the next two tournaments due to faking injuries.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Background
It was the first case that yokozuna received such a punishment. On July 25, 2008 Asashōryū played in a charity soccer event in Mongolia  despite having submitted a medical report about his injuries before. His injuries were regarded as having been faked in order to avoid the summer regional tour, and so the JSA decided to suspend him from the next two tournaments and cut his salary.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Background
According to the Japan Today, the chairman of the JSA Kitanoumi was often censured seriously by the media for his irresponsible reaction in these cases.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakanohō
On August 18, 2008, Wakanohō Toshinori was arrested for possession of cannabis. He became the first active sekitori to be arrested. In other words, it was the first case that a sumo wrestler of the top two division was arrested.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakanohō
On June 24, 2008, a woman found a dropped wallet at Kinshi, Sumida, Tokyo and turned it into the police box. Police found his alien registration card and a Russian made cigarette containing 0.368 gram of dried plants including cannabis component. On August 19, police also searched the Magaki stable and his apartment, and found a pipe and a cigarette in his private room at the stable, and two pipes and a bag with a little of cannabis at the apartment.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakanohō
On August 21, the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) held a meeting of the board of directors and decided to dismiss him. In addition, Magaki stablemaster, who was his coach, became the first director of the JSA to resign. Tsuneo Suzuki, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, told the JSA to swiftly appoint external directors. On August 26, he told police that he had bought the drug and pipes for 20,000 yen from two African and Russian men at a disco in Roppongi, Tokyo in June. On September 8 Wakanohō was released, and on September 12 the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office decided to suspend an indictment, probably because he was a minor at that time, had not been arrested before, and had only a small amount of cannabis.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakanohō
On September 11, he filed a suit against the JSA for dismissing him and applied for provisional disposition, insisting that his penalty was much heavier than previous cases of misconduct in sumo. On September 29, he hold a press conference and claimed that "I was forcibly handed money to fight unfair bouts." He also insists that other wrestlers and coaches were smoking cannabis but they were not being punished. According to Doreen Simmons, a sumo commentator for NHK, it would seem that nobody expect such turn of events.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakanohō
Wakanohō's lawyer said that he did not know about it until the day before and he was sorry that he couldn't stop it. Simmons also said, "It looks to me as if Wakanoho has nothing to lose and is looking to get 10 million yen in damages out of the JSA."


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakanohō
The trial started on October 27, and on October 30 Tokyo District Court rejected his application. He made an immediate appeal against the sentence, but Tokyo High Court also dismissed it on December 9. He withdrew a suit and decided to go back to Russia in February 2009.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Rohō and Hakurozan
On September 2, 2008, the JSA published that the unannounced drug test by urinalysis for sekitori, 69 wrestlers in the sport's top two divisions, showed that Rohō Yukio and Hakurozan Yūta, brothers from Russia, were positive for cannabis. On September 8, the JSA decided to dismiss them, because the more detailed tests by Mitsubishi Chemical Medience, which has the only WADA accredited laboratory in Japan, showed that their result was much higher than WADA standard value of cannabis. Their stablemasters also lost their positions.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Rohō and Hakurozan
Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, the coach of Hakurozan, resigned his post as chairman of the JSA to accept responsibility, and Ōtake stablemaster, the coach of Rohō, was demoted from the committee member to toshiyori, the lowest rank of stablemasters. Musashigawa, the former sumo wrestler of the highest rank yokozuna and the stablemaster of Musashigawa stable, replaced Kitanoumi as the JSA's chairman. On the other hand, Rohō and Hakurozan denied using cannabis, and police couldn't find any evidence during a domiciliary search.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Rohō and Hakurozan
They also filed a suit against the JSA for dismissing them, and the trial began on February 6, 2009. On April 19, 2010, the Tokyo District Court rejected their claim, and in November the Tokyo High Court also rejected it.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Rohō and Hakurozan
In addition, they claimed 100 million yen compensation for the inappropriate process of drug tests and dismiss, but Tokyo District Court also rejected it on December 10, 2010.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakakirin
On January 30, 2009, Wakakirin Shinichi was arrested for possession of cannabis. He was the first Japanese wrestler in these scandals.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakakirin
When the JSA tested wrestlers of the top two division without prior notice on September 2, 2008, he was tested three times, and the first and second tests showed inconclusive results, but the result of the third check was negative. On January 30, 2009, when police searched the office of a CD shop in Roppongi to investigate another case, he tried to hide cannabis by wrapping it in paper. He admitted his guilt. On February 2, he was dismissed and his coach, Oguruma stablemaster, was demoted to the lowest rank toshiyori.


2008 sumo cannabis scandal, Scandals of four wrestlers, Wakakirin
On April 22, 2009, Yokohama District Court gave him 10 months' imprisonment with a three years' stay of execution.


2008 term opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States
The 2008 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 6, 2008, and concluded October 4, 2009. The table illustrates which opinion was filed by each justice in each case and which justices joined each opinion.


2008 term opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, 2008 term membership and statistics
This was the fourth term of Chief Justice Roberts' tenure and the third and last full term with the same membership, as Justice Souter retired after the term finished.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States handed down nine per curiam opinions during its 2008 term, which began on October 6, 2008 and concluded October 4, 2009.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States
Because per curiam decisions are issued from the Court as an institution, these opinions all lack the attribution of authorship or joining votes to specific justices. All justices on the Court at the time the decision was handed down are assumed to have participated and concurred unless otherwise noted.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Court membership
Associate Justices: John Paul Stevens, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Moore v. United States
555 U.S. 1 Decided Decided October 14, 2008. Eighth Circuit reversed and remanded.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
555 U.S. 5 Decided October 14, 2008. Application for stay granted.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Brunner v. Ohio Republican Party
The Court vacated the temporary restraining order entered by the District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Hedgpeth v. Pulido
555 U.S. 57 Decided December 2, 2008. Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Spears v. United States
555 U.S. 261 Decided January 21, 2009. Eighth Circuit reversed and remanded.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Spears v. United States
Kennedy noted without separate opinion that he would grant the petition for a writ of certiorari and set the case for oral argument. Thomas dissented without separate opinion. Roberts filed a dissent, joined by Alito.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Nelson v. United States
555 U.S. 350 Decided January 26, 2009. Fourth Circuit reversed and remanded.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Nelson v. United States
Breyer filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, joined by Alito.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, CSX Transp., Inc. v. Hensley
556 U.S. 838 Decided June 1, 2009. Court of Appeals of Tennessee, Eastern Division, reversed and remanded.


2008 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Indiana State Police Pension Trust v. Chrysler LLC
556 U.S. 960 Decided June 9, 2009. Application for stay denied.


2008 unrest in Bolivia
The 2008 unrest in Bolivia began with protests against President Evo Morales and calls for greater autonomy for the country's eastern departments. Demonstrators escalated the protests by seizing natural gas infrastructure and government buildings. Violence between supporters of Morales and opponents resulted in at least 30 deaths.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Protests begin
On August 19, the eastern departments of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Tarija, and Chuquisaca called strikes and protests in opposition to central government plans to divert part of the national direct tax on hydrocarbons towards its Renta Dignidad pension plan. Brief clashes occurred in the Santa Cruz de la Sierra, capital of Santa Cruz, between police and armed youths enforcing the strike. In Tarija protesters seized and occupied government buildings. In response to the unrest Morales ordered the Bolivian Army to protect oil and gas infrastructure in the five departments.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Protests begin
The governors of the departments warned on September 3, 2008 that if the government didn't change its course that the protests could lead to a cut-off of natural gas exports to Argentina and Brazil. They also threatened setting up roadblocks in the five departments in addition to road blocks set up on roads leading to Argentina and Paraguay. The governors also demanded government troops withdraw from Trinidad, the capital of Beni department, following clashes between MPs and protesters trying to seize facilities of the National Tax Service in the city. President Morales accused the governors of launching a "civil coup" against his government.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Violence escalates
Protesters caused the explosion of a natural gas pipeline on September 10, 2008 according to the head of Bolivia's state energy company. He called the attack a "terrorist attack" and said it result in 10% cut in exports to Brazil. President Morales sent additional troops to the region following the attack. The next day clashes erupted between supporters and opponents of the government in the northeastern town of Cobija, capital of Pando department, resulting in 20 deaths. Morales said his government would be patient with the unrest but warned that "patience has its limits, really." A spokesman for Morales said the unrest was opening the way to "a sort of civil war."


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Violence escalates
The leader of the national opposition, Jorge Quiroga, accused the central government of organizing militias to retake the city of Cobija. Central government work had also ceased while American Airlines was suspending flights to the airport. Peasant supporters of Morales were also threatening to encircle Santa Cruz. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez warned that if Morales was overthrown or killed Venezuela would give a "green light" to conduct military operations in Bolivia. Bolivia's army said it rejected "external intervention of any nature" in response to Chávez. Morales ruled out the use of force against protesters, calling for talks with opposition leaders.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Violence escalates
The Governor of Tarija department, Mario Cossío, went to La Paz on September 12, 2008 to hold negotiations representing three other opposition governors who had rejected talks with the central government. Morales said he was open to dialogue not only with the governors but with mayors and different social sectors. Before the meeting Mario Cossio called for dialogue saying "The first task is to pacify the country, and we hope to agree with President Morales on that.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Violence escalates
Our presence has to do with that clear will to lay the foundations and hopefully launch a process of dialogue that ends in a great agreement for national reconciliation." Vice President Álvaro García declared a day of national mourning for 20 people killed in Pando most of whom were pro-Morales farmers shot dead by people the government claims were associated with the opposition.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
Bolivian authorities declared a state of emergency in Pando which began at midnight on September 12, 2008. During the state of emergency, constitutional guarantees are suspended, private vehicles without authorization are banned from the streets, groups are not allowed to meet; bars, restaurants and discos must close at midnight, and residents are prohibited from carrying firearms. Morales said martial law was not needed anywhere else in the country.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
Following the declaration of a state of emergency, Bolivian troops took control of the airport in Pando's capital, Cobija, and prepared to retake the city. Morales accused the governor of Pando of orchestrating "a massacre" of farmers supporting Morales. Pando Governor Leopoldo Fernández rejected the accusation, saying "They've accused me of using hit men, when everyone knows those socialist peasants, those fake peasants, were armed." In a speech in Cochabamba, Morales condemned the opposition governors, saying they were "conspiring against us with a fascist, racist coup," and said they were "the enemies of all Bolivians."


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
While promising to adopt a constitution opposed by the governors Morales said Bolivia's "democratic revolution" had to be seen through saying "We have always cried 'fatherland or death'. If we don't emerge victorious, we have to die for the country and the Bolivian people." Morales also said he would not hesitate to extend the state of emergency to other opposition-controlled departments. Rubén Costas, the governor of Santa Cruz, belittled the chances of a breakthrough in talks adding that "if there is just one more death or person wounded, any possibility of dialogue will be broken."


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
Opposition protest leader and pro-autonomy businessman Branko Marinkovic announced on September 14, 2008 that the demonstrators he led would be removing their road blocks as "a sign of good will" to allow dialogue to prosper and calling on the government to end "repression and genocide in the department of Pando." Troops who had landed at Cobija also began patrolling the streets before dawn and began uncovering more dead bodies from the September 11 clash in Pando between Morales supporters and opposition protesters. Alfredo Rada, government minister for Pando, referring to casualty figures, said "We are nearing the 30 mark." An aide to the opposition governor in Pando denied the army was in control of the departmental capital. Troops were also hunting for Pando governor Fernández with orders to arrest him.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
A spokesman for Morales said blockades remained on the highway and said "an armed group" had set fire to the town hall in Filadelfia, a municipality near Cobija. The Pando government spokesman said the citizens of Cobija did not want the Army to enter the city, and that they were not going to follow martial law.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
Bolivia's army arrested as many as 10 people for alleged involvement in the deadly clashes. Leopoldo Fernández was also taken into custody by the armed forces on September 16, to be flown to La Paz to face accusations that he hired hitmen to fire on pro-government supporters. He was charged with committing genocide.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
The U.S. began evacuating Peace Corps volunteers from Bolivia and organized at least two evacuation flights in response. In spite of the arrest, opposition governors agreed to talks, conditioned on anti-Morales protesters ending occupations of government buildings. Matters up for discussion include the opposition drive for more autonomy for their provinces and a larger share of state energy revenue. Talks were expected to begin on Thursday. The army also professed its support for Morales.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
Morales appointed Navy Rear Admiral Landelino Bandeiras as the replacement for the governor of Pando September 20, 2008. Difficulties were reported in the peace talks by presidential spokesman Ivan Canelas, who said the position of the opposition governors could hinder peace talks and condemned the "lack of political will of these authorities to backup the efforts being made by the central government to preserve peace and national unity."


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
Supporters of Morales have threatened to storm the city of Santa Cruz if the talks should fail.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Pando state of emergency
On September 25, 2008, Morales rejected autonomy proposals by the Eastern provinces, putting the talks on hold. On October 20, 2008, Morales and the opposition agreed to hold the referendum on January 25, 2009 and early elections in December 2009; Morales in turn promised he would not run again in 2014 after his likely reelection in 2009, despite being allowed to do so under the new constitution.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Diplomatic response
Accusing the United States of supporting the opposition governors and attempting to overthrow his government, Morales declared the United States Ambassador to Bolivia Philip Goldberg persona non grata, and ordered him to leave the country. The U.S. responded by expelling Bolivia's ambassador in Washington. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack expressed regret at the diplomatic fallout saying it will "prejudice the interests of both countries, undermine the ongoing fight against drug trafficking and will have serious regional implications."


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Diplomatic response
President Morales said he does not want to break diplomatic ties with the U.S. but said the actions of the ambassador were "very serious", claiming he met with provincial leaders and instigated the unrest. Before his departure the American ambassador warned Bolivia that it would face "serious consequences" and had "not correctly evaluated" the retaliation from Washington.


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Diplomatic response
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez ordered the U.S. ambassador in Caracas Patrick Duddy to also leave saying it was in part out of solidarity with Bolivia. Chávez also said he was recalling Venezuela's ambassador to the U.S. until a new government takes office. Chávez accused the United States of being involved in the unrest saying "The U.S. is behind the plan against Bolivia, behind the terrorism."


2008 unrest in Bolivia, Diplomatic response
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the expulsions by Bolivia and Venezuela reflect "the weakness and desperation of these leaders as they face internal challenges." Morales responded that the act was "not of weakness, but of dignity," and was about freeing Bolivia from "the American Empire."


2008 unrest in Kosovo
The 2008 unrest in Kosovo followed Kosovo's declaration of independence on February 17, 2008. Some Kosovo Serbs opposed to secession boycotted the move by refusing to follow orders from the central government in Pristina and attempted to seize infrastructure and border posts in Serb-populated regions. There were also sporadic instances of violence against international institutions and governmental institutions, predominantly in North Kosovo.


2008 unrest in Kosovo
Tensions in the North intensified when Serbs in Kosovska Mitrovica seized a UN courthouse on March 14, 2008. UN police and NATO forces responded on March 17, and attacks by Serb protesters left one UN police officer dead and as many as 150 people wounded. On June 28, Kosovo Serbs formed the Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija to coordinate resistance to the Kosovar Government.