Prince Harry leaves his base in Delhi  to go out on patrol through the deserted town of Garmisir close to where he was posted in Helmand province in Afghanistan.

John Hogan on trial, accused of murdering his six-year-old son Liam and attempting to murder his two-year-old daughter Mia  by jumping from a hotel window in Crete.  Hogan threw Liam to his death  before jumping himself with Mia. A Greek court ruled he was incapable of deliberately killing Liam.

The biggest earthquake in the UK for 25 years, measuring 5.2,  rocks most parts of the country. Its epicentre was traced to Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. It measured 5.2.

Paul McCartney and his solicitor Fiona Shackleton leaving the Royal Courts of Justice after the hearing of his divorce from Heather Mills McCartney. Later Mills McCartney  was awarded a £2.4 million divorce settlement.

Mohamed Al Fayed and his assistant Katherine Witty leaving the High Court
inquest into the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed. A verdict of unlawful killing was given.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy married his girlfriend in a small ceremony at the presidential Elysee Palace Sarkozy, 53, and Bruni, 40, had a whirlwind courtship: They married less than three months after they reportedly first met, and less than four months after Sarkozy divorced his second wife, Cecilia.

Karen Matthews the mother of missing nine-year-old Shannon Matthews as she makes an emotional appeal for her safe return. Shannon was found three weeks later.  Karen Matthews was found guilty, along with Michael Donovan, 40, of the kidnap of Shannon.  A jury at  Leeds Crown Court found the pair guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice in regards to an elaborate plot to hold Shannon captive in order claim the £50,00 reward on offer for her safe return. Both have been warned that they face "substantial" jail sentences. 

Remnants of 5 Romsey Close in Farnborough, Kent which was destroyed when a  Cessna Citation aircraft crashed into it. Resident Edwin Harman was on holiday at the time. The two pilots and three passengers were killed. 

Victims are evacuated in earthquake-hit Beichuan County in Mianyang in southwest China's Sichuan province. China struggled to bury its dead and help tens of thousands of injured and homeless when a powerful aftershock brought new havoc four days after the earthquake which was thought to have killed more than 50,000.

Boris Johnson ousts Ken Livingstone to become London's new Mayor. Prime minister Gordon Brown's future looks in increasing doubt as Labour are routed in local elections.

Knife crime dominates the headlines as yet another youngster becomes the victim of a fatal stabbing. Margaret and Barry Mizen the parents of  stab victim  Jimmy Mizen, with Jimmy's sister Samantha and his youngest brother George holding a picture of Jimmy, at his funeral.

Kylie Minogue receives her OBE at Buckingham Palace. The pint-sized pop star fought a brave battle against breast cancer.

Aerial view of the Grand Pier at Weston-super-Mare after a major fire broke out.
The blaze ravaged the partly-wooden structure, which was opened in 1904. 

Gary Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, left Vietnam on a flight from Ho Chi Minh City, to Bangkok, Thailand. Once there he refused to board the connecting flight, complaining of chest pains, and attempted to gain entry to Thailand, then Hong Kong. Both countries deemed him to be a 'persona non grata' and he was forced to take a flight back to Britain. The 70s rocker served nearly three years in jail for sex offences against girls aged 10 and 11.

It was the year of financial turmoil in the banks and on the stockmarket as shares plunged and the credit crunch began to bite.

The trail of those allegedly involved in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher began. Meredith was killed while on an exchange programme in Italy in 2007. Rudy Herman Guede was jailed for 30 years for  Meredith's murder. Amercican student Amanda Knox,21, her room-mate in Italy and Raffaele Sollecito are also accused or her murder and are due to stand trial in january 2008. Both deny the allegations.

'Sachsagte' erupted after Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross made a prank call to actor Andrew Sachs claiming Brand had sex with his grand-daughter. The calls were broadcast on Radio Two sparking national outrage. Ross was suspended from the BBC until next year.

Gordon Brown on a visit to Baghdad.  The prime minister announced that all British troops will have completed their mission and be ready to withdraw from Iraq in july 2009.

Thai riot police  throw teargas at anti-government protesters in front of Parliament in Bangkok. Thousands of demonstrators attempted to block access by lawmakers to parliament, as the country faced its sixth week of political crisis.

Britain's Olympic and paralympic athletes took part in a heroes parade in London to celebrate the country's best performance at the Games for a century. The team's final medal haul included 19 gold medals, 13 silver and 15 bronze medals - a total of 47 that placed them fourth in the final table. A further 42 gold were won at the Paralympics. 

History is made as America votes for its first black president. Barack Obama sweeps to power following the US elections. Just hours after he's confirmed the winner, the President elect takes to the stage with his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia, seven and Sasha, 10, as they greet a crowd of more than 125 000 people in Grant Park, Chicago. Tens of thousands are expected to turn out for his inauguration on January 20 2009.

Hilary and Trevor Foster and daughter Sarah speak to the media outside Winchester Crown Court, after a jury found Maninder Pal Singh Kohli guilty of the rape, abduction and murder of their daughter Hannah in Southampton on March 2003.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair  quits. Sir Ian said his position as Britain's most powerful policeman had become untenable after new mayor Boris Johnson made it clear he did not have confidence in him to go on leading the country's biggest police force.

Luxury hotels came under siege when gunmen brought terror to the streets of Mumbai (Bombay) killing almost 200 people. India claimed the terrorists had links to Pakistan and the atrocity has been linked to Pakistani militant group Lashkar-i-taib.

Riot police try to avoid a petrol bomb during clashes in central Athens after a  teenager was shot dead by police. Youths hurled firebombs, rocks and other objects at riot police, who responded with tear gas. The riots went on for a number of days. 

As the economic downturn intensified, Woolworths became the latest high street victim. Attempts to find a buyer failed. Many stores were due to close by the end of Christmas and all will have shut for the last time by January, affecting around 27,000 retail workers. Other household name stores, including Zavvi and MFI, also announced they were going into administration.  

Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter died aged 78.

Israel launches a massive air strike against Hamas targets in and around Gaza in response to rocket attacks and following a six-month ceasefire. More than 300 people are killed and Israel promises it will rout Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist organisation,  once and for all in an operation that it says could last some time.