May 1, 2008 (2008-05-1 ) (Thursday)
May 2, 2008 (2008-05-2 ) (Friday)
Conservative Party candidateBoris Johnson is elected as theMayor of London replacingKen Livingstone , capping huge gains by the Conservatives inlocal elections , which gave them a net gain of 256 council seats and a net gain of 12 city councils.(BBC News) TheOlympic flame is back on Chinese soil as theOlympics torch relay continues inHong Kong ,Special Administrative Region of thePeople's Republic of China .(BBC News) May 1-2, 2008 tornado outbreak :Tornadoes affecting the south-centralUnited States kill at least seven inArkansas .(KAIT8) Over 10,000 people gather inSeoul ,South Korea , to protest against the importation of U.S. beef, which is alleged to have a danger ofmad cow disease .(YouTube Video) Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008 Theforeign ministers of theUnited Kingdom ,United States ,Germany ,France ,Russia andChina agree to make a new offer toIran over itsnuclear program .(AFP via Google News) A plane crash kills more than a dozen inSouthern Sudan , including defense ministerDominic Dim Deng .(AFP via Google News) United States non-farmpayrolls fall by 20,000 jobs with theunemployment rate falling to 5 per cent.(The Guardian ) A$ 38 millioncompensation deal is completed for victims of theI-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse.(Minneapolis Star Tribune) Teams in bothRussia and theUnited States identify the remains ofTsarevich Alexei of Russia and his sisterGrand Duchess Maria after the discovery of their bone shards on August 23, 2007.(AP via Google News) [permanent dead link ] 2007 royal blackmail plot : Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan are jailed for five years each for attempting to extort money from an unidentified royal ("Witness A"). They demanded £50,000 from Witness A in exchange for audio tapes alleginggay sex .(BBC News)
May 3, 2008 (2008-05-3 ) (Saturday)
May 4, 2008 (2008-05-4 ) (Sunday)
May 5, 2008 (2008-05-5 ) (Monday)
May 6, 2008 (2008-05-6 ) (Tuesday)
May 7, 2008 (2008-05-7 ) (Wednesday)
May 8, 2008 (2008-05-8 ) (Thursday)
May 9, 2008 (2008-05-9 ) (Friday)
May 10, 2008 (2008-05-10 ) (Saturday)
May 11, 2008 (2008-05-11 ) (Sunday)
May 12, 2008 (2008-05-12 ) (Monday)
May 13, 2008 (2008-05-13 ) (Tuesday)
May 14, 2008 (2008-05-14 ) (Wednesday)
May 15, 2008 (2008-05-15 ) (Thursday)
May 16, 2008 (2008-05-16 ) (Friday)
10 people were shot at a branch of theRizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) inCabuyao ,Laguna ,Philippines , with 9 dead and 1 in critical condition in what could be one of the bloodiest bank robberies in the nation's history.USA Today.com - 9 killed during Philippine bank robbery Leonel Fernández is re-elected as thePresident of the Dominican Republic in the2008 presidential election .(AP via International Herald Tribune) Apipeline explosion nearLagos ,Nigeria , kills up to 100 people.(Times Online) A strongaftershock to the2008 Sichuan earthquake knocks out roads and communications to some of the worst affected areas disrupting rescue efforts.(AP via Forbes) FormerUnited States Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery is sentenced to 46 months imprisonment for his involvement in acheck fraud andmoney laundering scheme.(Reuters) TheUnited States reaches a deal withNorth Korea to resumefood aid with 500,000tonnes of food to be sent to North Korea during the next year.(AFP via Google News) TheState Peace and Development Council inBurma doubles the death toll fromCyclone Nargis to 78,000 with 55,917 people missing and 19,359 people injured.(The New York Times ) TheCourt of Arbitration for Sport overturns theIAAF 's decision to banSouth African double-amputee runnerOscar Pistorius from its competitions, thus clearing the way for him to attempt to become the first leg amputee to participate in theOlympic Games .(BBC News) A suicide bomber kills at least nine people, including 7 police, and wounds 90 inSri Lanka 's capitalColombo .(BBC News) ThePresident of the United States George W. Bush arrives inSaudi Arabia to discuss rising fuel prices withKing Abdullah of Saudi Arabia .Saudi Arabia later announces plans to raise its output by 300,000 barrels a day.(AP via Google News) (Bloomberg) Therunoff election for the2008 presidential election between thePresident of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe andMorgan Tsvangirai of theMovement for Democratic Change is set forJune 27 .(BBC News) (AP via Yahoo! News) Al-Qaeda leaderOsama bin laden leaves an audio message on theInternet vowing to continue the fight againstIsrael .(RTÉ) May 17, 2008 (2008-05-17 ) (Saturday)
May 18, 2008 (2008-05-18 ) (Sunday)
May 19, 2008 (2008-05-19 ) (Monday)
May 20, 2008 (2008-05-20 ) (Tuesday)
May 21, 2008 (2008-05-21 ) (Wednesday)
May 22, 2008 (2008-05-22 ) (Thursday)
May 23, 2008 (2008-05-23 ) (Friday)
TwelveSouth American nations agree to form theUnion of South American Nations uniting twocustoms unions inMercosur and theAndean Community .(Euronews) At least 17 civilians including a child are killed in aclaymore mine explosion inKilinochchi , North ofSri Lanka .(Daily Mirror ) TheSecretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon states thatMyanmar 'sState Peace and Development Council has decided to grant access to areas worst hit byCyclone Nargis to international aid workers regardless of nationality.(Bloomberg) Around 20,000 passengers are affected by unofficialindustrial action byIarnród Éireann ,Ireland 's national rail operator.(RTÉ) Hu Jintao , thePresident of China , and thePresident of Russia Dmitry Medvedev condemn theUnited States 'National missile defense system.(AP via Google News) [permanent dead link ] TheInternational Court of Justice awards sovereignty ofPedra Branca toSingapore , ending a 28-year dispute over the islet between Singapore andMalaysia . Malaysia was awarded sovereignty of an outcropping of Pedra Branca,Middle Rocks , while the sovereignty ofSouth Ledge was left to be determined by the maritime boundary between the two nations, which is also a contentious point.(Channel NewsAsia) SevenMoroccan tourists are killed in a bus crash in centralFrance , near the city ofBlois .(RTÉ) An independent investigation into $8.2 billion inUnited States Department of Defense spending inIraq , as well as aid toEgypt andKuwait since 2001 finds that 95% of payments to contractors failed to meet requirements for documentation to determine what was paid for.(The New York Times ) 2006 Lathen maglev train accident :Germany fines two test track managers over the 23 deaths and 11 injuries. A third defendant remains to be tried due tosuicide fears.(Bloomberg) (Wikinews) A coroner suggests the entire fleet of BritishRoyal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Nimrod aircraft should be grounded on safety concerns.(BBC News) May 24, 2008 (2008-05-24 ) (Saturday)
Dima Bilan ofRussia wins theEurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Believe " with 272 points.(AP viaThe International Herald Tribune ) Tornadoes of 2008 : Two people fromColorado die in atornado south ofPratt, Kansas as more than a dozen tornadoes hitKansas .(AP via Forbes) Three people are killed and another three injured in a helicopter crash onSanta Catalina Island, California nearTwo Harbors, California .(AP via Google News) [permanent dead link ] Munster win theHeineken European Rugby Cup againstToulouse , 16 to 13.(RTÉ) Colombia :In continuing battles against anti-foreigner violence inSouth Africa , police shoot and kill one man inJohannesburg . The Red Cross warns it is struggling to help the thousands of displaced people.(AFP via Google News) (AFP via Google News) Flooding inChile kills at least five people, displaces at least 15,000 people and closes thePan American Highway south ofSantiago .(BBC News) Cyclone Nargis : The authorities inMyanmar allow foreign help into the country following initial resistance.(Reuters) Wen Jiabao , thePremier of China , estimates that the eventual death toll from the2008 Sichuan earthquake could rise as high as "80,000 or more".(CBC) Prince Joachim of Denmark marries FrenchMarie Cavallier . Prince Joachim was previously married to Hong Kong-bornAlexandra Manley .(The Danish Monarchy) May 25, 2008 (2008-05-25 ) (Sunday)
May 26, 2008 (2008-05-26 ) (Monday)
May 27, 2008 (2008-05-27 ) (Tuesday)
May 28, 2008 (2008-05-28 ) (Wednesday)
Engineers announce that theLeaning Tower ofPisa has been stabilized for the first time, and will remain stable for 200 more years.(BBC News) Australian paleontologists discoverMaterpiscis placoderm fish which is the earliest known animal tobear live young .(BBC News) ,(ABC News Australia) TheGovernor of New York David Paterson directsNew York state agencies to recognisegay marriages performed in other jurisdictions such asCanada ,California andMassachusetts .(The New York Times ) InDublin , over 100 countries, not including theUnited States ,Russia , orChina , agree to theConvention on Cluster Munitions banningcluster bombs .(RTÉ) (AFP via Yahoo! News) Ehud Barak , theDefense Minister of Israel and Leader of theLabor Party , calls for the resignation of thePrime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert to step aside to facecorruption allegations.(AP via Google News) [permanent dead link ] TheMajlis of Iran electsAli Larijani as its newSpeaker .(AFP via Google News) Nepal May 29, 2008 (2008-05-29 ) (Thursday)
2008 Sichuan earthquake :China begins inspecting the ruins of thousands of schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake , searching for clues about why they crumbled.(VOA) Tornadoes of 2008 : TheGovernor of Nebraska Dave Heineman declares astate of emergency in relation totornadoes in the towns ofKearney, Nebraska , andAurora, Nebraska .(NTV) In a 6–5 ruling, theBrazilian Supreme Federal Court upholds a 2005 law permittingembryonic stem cell research in the country.(NBC) [permanent dead link ] (Folha de S. Paulo ) TheNational Indian Foundation publishesphotographs of a tribe ofuncontacted peoples in a remote area ofAmazonia .(CNN) A helicopter crashes into a building inPanama City , killing theDirector-general of theCarabiniers of Chile and several civilians.(AP via MSNBC) Tropical Storm Alma, the firsttropical storm of the2008 Pacific hurricane season , makes landfall inNicaragua near the city ofLeón bringing heavy rains and strong winds.(Bloomberg) Astrong earthquake measuring 6.1 on theRichter scale strikesIceland near the town ofSelfoss .(CNN) TheWorld Bank announces aUS$ 1.2 billion package to fight theglobal food crisis including $200 million ingrants for those most at risk inThird World countries.(AFP via Google News) Track and field coachTrevor Graham is convicted of lying to investigators of links to asteroids dealer in theBay Area Laboratory Co-operative investigation.(AP via Google News) [permanent dead link ] TheUnited States Department of Commerce revises its estimate ofeconomic growth in theUnited States to 0.9% for the firstquarter of 2008.(AFP via Google News) At least 20 people are killed and 42 injured after twosuicide bombings in northernIraq .(AFP via Google News) A bomb atEdwin Andrews Air Base inZamboanga City in the southernPhilippines kills two people and injures another 17.(BBC News) Hu Jintao , thePresident of the People's Republic of China calls for resumption of officialtalks between mainland China andTaiwan in a meeting withWu Po-hsiung , the Chairman of Taiwan's ruling party theKuomintang .(CNN) Twenty-six people are dead and fifty-one missing as a result ofsnowstorms in easternMongolia .(UB Post ) Luxembourg ratifies theTreaty of Lisbon becoming the fifteenth country to do so.Iraq delivers a report on security, reconstruction, and economic progress at theU.N. conference on Iraq inStockholm . Iraq seeksdebt forgiveness and foreign investment to aid with reconstruction .(Mawtani) (VOA) Torrential rain causesflash flooding across half ofSomerset ,United Kingdom .(BBC News) May 30, 2008 (2008-05-30 ) (Friday)
In theUnited States , Sameer Mishra wins the81st Scripps National Spelling Bee , the winning word was "guerdon ", a noun meaning a reward.(USA Today) A gunman shoots dead amagistrate and aPerry County, Kentucky , employee before killing himself in a convenience store nearHazard, Kentucky ,United States .(AP via Yahoo! News) Agathon Rwasa returns to Burundi from exile in Tanzania after an agreement between hisParty for the Liberation of the Hutu People and the government.(BBC News) A crane collapses in theUpper East Side ofNew York City resulting in the death of at least two people(AP via Google News) [permanent dead link ] Shanghai 'sPudong district, killing three.(Xinhua) FormerCroatian Army generalMirko Norac is sentenced by aCroatian court to seven years in prison for his role in the 1993Operation Medak Pocket ;Rahim Ademi is acquitted.(BBC News) Grupo TACA Flight 390 , anAirbus A320 flying fromSan Salvador ,El Salvador , crashes inTegucigalpa ,Honduras , after failing to land due to a wet runway. 18 casualties are reported, including the chairman of theCentral American Bank for Economic Integration who suffered a heart attack after the crash.(CNN) (Noticias24) TheTexas Department of Family and Protective Services reaches agreement with some of the families of theYFZ Ranch to start returning the children on Monday.(Canadian Press via Google News) [permanent dead link ] Cyclone Nargis Fishermen inSpain ,Portugal andItaly strike to protest against highfuel prices ; Spain's economy minister says his government cannot cut fuel taxes, but is looking into ways to help fishermen.(VOA) Sadr supporters protest against a plannedU.S. –Iraq security agreement to replace the current United Nations mandate for U.S. troops in Iraq, which expires at end of 2008.(VOA) Zimbabwe 'sMorgan Tsvangirai claims ruling party status as the leader of the oppositionMovement for Democratic Change , delivers a "state of the nation" address to elected lawmakers from his party, and promises a "new era of opportunity" for Zimbabwe.(VOA) Silverjet , an all-business class airline , suspends all flights after entering administration due to rising fuel costs.(BBC News) May 31, 2008 (2008-05-31 ) (Saturday)
Usain Bolt ofJamaica sets a new world record for the100 metres intrack and field in theReebok Grand Prix atIcahn Stadium inNew York City at 9.72 seconds.(AP) (PA via Sporting Life) Inrugby union , theCrusaders defeat theNew South Wales Waratahs in the2008 Super 14 Final .(New Zealand Herald ) China :STS-124 is launched with a crew of seven and the main module of the Japanese laboratoryKibō .(AP via CNN) [permanent dead link ] 2008 Atlantic hurricane season : The first storm of the season,Tropical Storm Arthur , forms one day before the official season begins. It is located about 45 mi (75 km) NNW ofBelize City . It has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (55 km/h), and with higher gusts.(NHC) At least five people are killed and 13 are missing after alandslide crushes homes in a poor area of the city ofMedellín inColombia .(AFP via Google News) United States Democratic Party 's Rules and Bylaws Committee meets to decide on theFlorida andMichigan democraticprimaries held in violation of scheduling rules. The Committee decides that both states delegate counts would be halved.(VOA) (BBC News) (The Guardian ) French foreign ministerBernard Kouchner makes surprise visit toIraq , to meet with Iraq's vice president, Adel Abdul-Mahdi.(VOA) New fighting between theSri Lanka Army and theTamil Tigers occurs in northernSri Lanka with 26 rebels dead and 4 soldiers.(AP via Forbes) Robert Gates , theUnited States Secretary of Defense , states thatMyanmar 's refusal of international aid for victims ofCyclone Nargis has cost "thousands of lives".(AP via Google News) [permanent dead link ] (VOA) Suicide bombers in easternAfghanistan target a militaryconvoy . NATO'sInternational Security Assistance force says the attack took place inJalalabad , capital ofNangarhar province .(VOA) Thai riot police assemble inBangkok to disperse a rally led by thePeople's Alliance for Democracy against the government of thePrime Minister of Thailand Samak Sundaravej .(AP via Forbes) The government ofGuinea starts paying junior officers of theMilitary of Guinea back pay in an attempt to end a five day mutiny.(Reuters via News Limited) World Health Organization calls for complete ban on tobacco advertising ; the organization says recent studies prove the more young people are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to startsmoking . The call comes as part of the WHO's annualWorld No Tobacco Day .(VOA) Holidays and observances
1 :Holocaust Remembrance Day (Israel )1 :May Day (Europe )1 :Ascension Day (Norway )1 :Labour Day in the following countries:Brazil ,Chile ,China ,Guyana ,India ,Norway ,Pakistan ,Philippines ,Singapore 2 :Dos de Mayo (Spain )3 :Constitution Day (Poland 5 :Liberation Day (Ethiopia ,Netherlands ,Denmark )5 :Children's Day (Japan ,South Korea )5 :Coronation Day (Thailand )5 :Cinco de Mayo (Mexico )5 :Indian Arrival Day Guyana 6 :Saint George's Day (Bulgaria )7 :Memorial Day (Israel )8 :Israel Independence Day (Israel )8 :Victory in Europe Day 8 :Parents' Day -South Korea 8 :Parent's Day –South Korea andAlbania 9 :Europe Day (European Union )10 :Mother's Day –Mexico 10 :Mother's Day –South America ,El Salvador ,Guatemala ,Oman , andPakistan 11 :Mother's Day (2nd Sunday) –Anguilla ,Aruba ,Australia ,Austria ,Bahamas ,Barbados ,Bangladesh ,Belgium ,Belize ,Bermuda ,Bonaire ,Brazil ,Brunei ,Canada ,Chile ,Colombia ,Cuba ,Croatia ,Curaçao ,Czech Republic ,Denmark ,Ecuador ,Estonia ,Finland ,Germany ,Greece ,Grenada ,Honduras ,Hong Kong ,Iceland ,India ,Italy ,Jamaica ,Japan ,Latvia ,Malta ,Malaysia ,The Netherlands ,New Zealand ,Peru ,Philippines ,Puerto Rico ,Singapore ,Slovakia ,South Africa ,Suriname ,Switzerland ,Taiwan ,Trinidad and Tobago ,Turkey ,United States ,Uruguay ,Venezuela ,Zimbabwe 12 :Whit Monday (France ,Germany ,Austria ,Switzerland ,Luxembourg ,Greece ,Hungary ,Belgium ,The Netherlands ,Norway )16 :Jerusalem Day (Israel )17 :Constitution Day (Norway )18 :Flag Day (Haiti )19 :Victoria Day (Canada )22 :Corpus Christi 23 :Lag Ba'omer (Judaism )24 :Saints Cyril and Methodius Day (Bulgaria ,Republic of Macedonia )24 :Bermuda Day (Bermuda )25 :African Liberation Day 25 :Independence Day (Jordan )25 :Mother's Day (last Sunday) –France (switches to first Sunday of June if coincides withPentecost ),Dominican Republic ,Haiti ,Sweden , andMorocco 26 :Spring Bank Holiday (United Kingdom )26 :Memorial Day (United States )26 :National Sorry Day (Australia )26 :Independence Day (Guyana )26 :Mother's Day Poland 27 :Mother's Day Bolivia 27 :Children's Day (Nigeria )28 :Republic Day (Armenia ,Azerbaijan )29 :Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day (Fiji )29 : Ascension ofBahá'u'lláh (Baháʼí Faith )29 :Democracy Day (Nigeria )30 :Indian Arrival Day (Trinidad and Tobago )31 :World No Tobacco Day edit sidebar
