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January 11 - World-renowned mountaineer and explorer, Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88. He was the first to climb to the top of Mount Everest along with the Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay. January 27 - Muhammad Suharto, the second President of Indonesia (1967-1988), died. February 17 - Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia and came to be known as the Republic of Kosovo. Its independence was recognised by 52 member states of the United Nations in October. March 19 - British science fiction author, inventor, futurist and Sri Lanka's most famous foreign resident, Sir Arthur C. Clarke died. March 25 - The 325 metre Kelaniya flyover, the first of 222 bridges to be built across the country, was inaugurated. This established a world record as the bridge to be completed in the shortest time, 60 days. March 25 - Bhutan became a democratic state. April 28 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Sri Lanka on a two-day visit. He inaugurated the Uma Oya hydro power project which was funded by Iran.
May 10 - The Eastern Provincial Council Elections were held for the first time and TMVP's Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan) was appointed Chief Minister of the Province. May 12 - An earthquake which was registered at 8.0 on the Richter Scale struck China's Sichuan area. The earthquake, recognised as the 19th deadliest of all time, killed over 69,000 people. May 26 - Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripala De Silva was elected as Chairman of the World Health Organization Executive Committee. He was the first Sri Lankan to be appointed to this post. July 7 - A suicide car bombing outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan killed 58 and injured 141. July 12 - The birth of anaconda babies was reported in the country for the first time when an anaconda at the Dehiwala Zoo gave birth to 23 babies. Three of them died later. July 21 - Ram Baran Yadav was elected as the first President of Nepal after elections.
July 23 - Cricketer Ajantha Mendis became Sri Lanka's first bowler to get eight wickets on his test debut at a match between Sri Lanka and India.
August 1-3 - The 15th SAARC Summit was held in Colombo. August 8-24 - The Olympic Games were held in Beijing,China with the participation of 10,500 athletes representing 28 sports. China topped the medals table with 51 Golds, while USA came second with 36 Golds and Russia third with 23 Golds. The most outstanding person at the Games was US swimmer Michael Phelps, who broke the world record for most number of Golds in one Olympics (8) and most career golds for an Olympian (14). August 18 - Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf resigned from his position. He was President of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008 and Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001. September 9 - Asif Ali Zardari, widower of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was appointed President of the country. September 20 - A truck bomb explosion in front of Pakistan's Marriott Hotel in Islamabad killed at least 54 people and injured 266 more. It left a 20 metre wide, six metre deep crater outside the hotel. September 21 - Sri Lanka's third Executive President D.B. Wijetunga, who served from May 1993-November 1994, died.
October - Schoolboy Shehan Ambepitiya won three Gold Medals at the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games held in Pune, India in the events Boys 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay. October 9 - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka. October 10 - Former President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "his efforts on several continents and over more than three decades to resolve international conflicts". The award was presented to him at a function held in Oslo City Hall, Norway on December 10. October 22 - India launched its first lunar mission, the Chandrayaan I spacecraft. The mission carried out by the Indian Space Research Organisation, was successfully launched into the lunar orbit on November 8. October 24 - One of Sri Lanka's greatest ever musicians and composers, Premasiri Khemadasa died at the age of 71.
November 4 - Barack Hussein Obama was elected as the first African-American President of the USA. November 4 -American Michael Crichton, doctor and author of fiction such as Jurassic Park, Congo and Prey and the award-winning TV series ER died.
November 6 - Bhutan's Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, eldest son of the country's king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, was appointed as the monarch. November 11 - Founder of the Maldivian Democratic Party, Mohamed Nasheed was appointed President of the archipelago nation after elections held in October. He defeated Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who was the longest serving President of Asia (serving since 1978). November 15 - Sri Lanka Forces captured Pooneryn from the LTTE after 20 years.
November 16 - A 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Sulawesi, Indonesia killed four people. It was followed by three strong aftershocks; a tsunami warning was issued, but cancelled later. November 25 - Anti-government riots closed down two airports in Bangkok, Thailand including the country's main international airport. The protestors called for the ouster of the country's unpopular premier.
November 26 - Ten simultaneous bomb explosions in India's largest city and financial capital, Mumbai killed at least 172 people including 31 foreigners and injured 294. The drama which followed went on until the 29th when Indian security forces were finally able to gain full control of the main sites under siege, the Taj and Oberoi Trident Hotels. December 1 - US Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton was nominated by President-elect Barack Obama as his Secretary of State. December 2 - Queen of the Sinhala cinema, Malini Fonseka won the Silver Peacock award at the International Film Festival of India for her role in the Prasanna Vithanage movie, Akasa Kusum. Compiled by Asha Senevirathne |
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