Slideshow: The year in review

People flee their homes after Kalenjin warriors launched attacks on the residential areas of Nakuru, Kenya, in February. Ethnic violence had been sparked by suspected vote rigging on behalf of president-elect Mwai Kibaki.

In March, French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy accompanied her husband on a state visit to the UK, creating a media sensation.

On an official visit to the US in April, Gordon Brown was interviewed about the deteriorating economic conditions. The British prime minister went on to take a leading role in the global response to the recession, and, as Labour rose again in the polls, was seen by the public as a safe pair of hands.

In May, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit Sichuan Province, China, killing tens of thousands of people. A large relief operation was mobilised, with the deployment of more than 130,000 troops.

In July, Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader and fugitive from justice, was discovered practising alternative medicine in Belgrade.

Also in July, French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt (pictured with her daughter, Melanie) was freed after being held captive for more than six years by Farc guerrillas.

In August, after choosing Joe Biden as his running mate, Barack Obama listened to the Delaware senator at a speech in Springfield, Illinois.

Later that month, John McCain announced that Sarah Palin would be his vice-presidential candidate. At first this was seen as something of a coup as the Alaskan governor talked tough, but later she appeared to be a liability as she was lambasted on TV comedy shows, particularly by Tina Fey on 'Saturday Night Live'.

Eventually, Obama won the election on November 4 and is pictured with his wife, Michelle, and two children, Malia and Sacha, at his election night rally in Chicago.

Violence marred the presidential runoff between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai in Zimbabwe. Voters had their fingers stained with ink to show they had cast their ballots. Mugabe was declared the winner, but now faces calls to resign as his country struggles with hyperinflation and a cholera outbreak.

The spectacular opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games was held in front of a 90,000 crowd in the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing. The lavish show featured 10,000 performers and will prove a hard act for London to follow in 2012.

The games produced a string of new stars including Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who broke the world records for the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100 relay.

Michael Phelps, who, by winning eight gold medals in a single games, bettered the record set by Mark Spitz in 1972.

Staff at a meeting at Lehman Brothers offices in Canary Wharf, London, on September 4. Four days later, the parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the largest such suit in US history.

In November, presenting the Bank of England’s quarterly inflation report, governor Mervyn King reaffirmed that policymakers were prepared to cut interest rates – on December 4, they were reduced to a 57-year low.

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman of the November 26 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, at the city's Chatrapathi Sivaji railway station.

Over the course of the year, we said farewell to Heath Ledger, Australian actor...

Bobby Fischer, American chess grandmaster and 11th World Chess Champion...

And Pat Kavanagh, South African-born British literary agent.