Piracy off the Somali coast has been a threat to international shipping. By the end of 2008, Somalia’s pirates controlled 17 cruisers. Following these incidents, many countries have sought to augment their naval force in the Gulf of Aden by deploying a larger navy to patrol the area.

The Shenzhou spacecraft carrying three crewmembers was launched on September 25th 2008, by a Long March 2F (CZ-2F) rocket which lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The successful space walk carried out by crewmembers Zhai Zhigang and Liu Boming, marked an important milestone in the country's space flight history.

On the afternoon of May 12th 2008, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit Sichuan Province, a mountainous region in Western China. The death toll stood at 80,000, with another 35,000 injured. The earthquake destroyed numerous communities, leaving an estimated five million people without shelter. It was the most serious earthquake recorded since the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, which killed over 240,000 people.

Lehman Brothers, one of the most prestigious players on Wall Street, went into administration, triggering a credit crisis in Hong Kong. Asian retail investors who had bought structured products linked to Lehman Brothers alleged that banks mis-represented the risks involved when selling the products. Lots of investors have turned to protests to demand compensation after some of the products arranged by Lehman had defaulted.

The 3.14 riot began with demonstrations on March 10, 2008, the 49th anniversary of the failed uprising in 1959 in Tibet against Beijing's rule. It saw a series of riots, burning and looting being undertaken in order to protest against government policies in Tibet. Soon after, it caused other countries to issue political demands, especially United States.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were concluded on 23rd August 2008 with China on top, winning 51 gold medals.The Olympic Games were formally declared closed during a colourful ceremony and the Olympics flag was handed over to the Mayor of London. Host China maintained its early dominance in the medals table right to the end of the Games.

The photo scandal involved the illegal distribution over the Internet of intimate and private photographs of Hong Kong actor Edison Chen with various female celebrities. The scandal shook the Hong Kong entertainment industry in early 2008 and received high profile media attention locally and around the world. As of 12th February 2008, ten people had been arrested in connection with the distribution of the photographs.

When George W Bush was paying a visit to the Iraqi prime minister in his office in Baghdad, an Iraqi journalist sitting in the third row suddenly jumped up and threw his shoes one after the otherat Bush. Maliki made a protective gesture towards the US president, who was not hit. The journalist, Muntazer al-Zaidi from the Al-Baghdadia channel which broadcasts from Cairo, was immediately frog marched out of the room by security staff.

Chinese Olympic record-holder and 2006 world champion Liu Xiang withdrew from the 100m hurdles competition due to injury. Injuries have dogged Liu all year, yet the shock of his withdrawal from the men's 110 meter hurdles caused an audible silence in the Bird's Nest.

Chen Shui-bian, a Taiwanese politician and former President of the Republic of China, was arrested on November 12th 2008. On December 12th 2008 he was indicted for forgery, money-laundering and misuse of public funds. He is the first ex-President of the Republic of China to be indicted for criminal offenses.

Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party's (KMT) presidential candidate, Ma Ying-jeou, has won more than half the vote in Taiwan's election, becoming the successor to President Chen Shui-bian. Since Ma pledged to relax Taiwan-China investment rules if elected, it was hoped that there would be an improvement in Taiwan-China relations.

Anti-government protesters in Thailand have blockaded the country's main international airport and moved their protest to the temporary government offices in their effort to force Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to resign. The violence and civil disobedience have escalated with more than 200 people injured.

Four people have died after a fire swept through a building in the Mongkok Community Hall. The victims included two women and two firefighters who died in the line of duty, while helping to tackle the fifth alarm blaze. The fire broke out at a night club in Cornwall Court on Nathan Road. Dozens of people were rescued from the building. The fire was eventually put out six hours later.

Hong Kong authorities confirm that it was the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu that caused an outbreak at a local chicken farm in December 2008. Tests showed that three chickens found dead in the farm and then tested for the H5N1 strain had died of the highly lethal virus. Hong Kong government immediately ordered the slaughter of over 80,000 birds in the farm and nearby poultry operations and imposed a 21-day ban on poultry imports.

The so-called ‘financial tsunami’ has caused devastation in the global financial market. With a sharp decrease in the volume of subprime lending, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers fell into trouble, thus creating a “credit crunch”. Eventually the prosperity of Lehman Brothers became history and Bear Stearns could barely survive. As its impact has been felt through the whole world, this period of financial turmoil has become known as a second “Great Depression”, following the onewhich initially devastated America in the 1930s.

Democrat Barack Obama captured the White House on Tuesday after an extraordinary two-year campaign, defeating Republican John McCain to make history as the first black U.S. president. The win by Obama marked a milestone in U.S. history. It came 45 years after the height of the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King.

The panic started on 9th September, in Gansu province, where the press revealed that 14 infants had been afflicted by kidney stones, possibly due to contaminated infant formula. More cases were reported later and the afflicted infants were all found to have consumed milk powder manufactured by one company, the Sanlu Group, a leading Chinese dairy producer. The fallout from China’s tainted milk powder scandal continues to spread, sending the country’s booming dairy industry into crisis.

Lydia Shum passed away at the age of 62 yesterday at Hong Kong’s Queen Mary Hospital after a long fight against liver cancer. Lydia Shum is a TVB veteran, having worked at the channel since the 70’s. She was affectionately known by her nickname “Fei Fei” for her big figure and iconic cheerful disposition. Lydia Shum was prominent in many TVB shows and events as a host and entertainer. In September 2006, Shum was diagnosed with a liver tumor and cancer around the gallbladder. She finally passed away on 19th February 2008.

Prices in Hong Kong have risen sharply in 2008, due in large part to the sharp price increases in mainland China where Hong Kong imports most of its food from. 'In addition, the persistently high prices of crude oil and other commodities in the world markets, the weak US dollar, the appreciation of the yuan and the sustained strength of the local economy have been continuing to exert inflationary pressure on Hong Kong. In July, a series of short-term relief measures were announced by the Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang to alleviate inflation.

A large portion of southern and central China suffered a series of winter storm events starting at the beginning of 2008. The systems affected most of the area with heavy snow, ice and cold temperatures causing extensive damage to farms, crops and houses. It was China’s worst winter weather in half a century and caused at least 129 deaths with 4 people missing still. The damage it caused was estimated to be more than 100 billion Chinese yuan.