After 49 years as president of Cuba, Fidel Castro resigns for reasons of ill health

The National Assembly elects Fidel Castro's brother Raúl to succeed him as president of Cuba

The New York Philharmonic performs in North Korea, in the first significant cultural contact between USA and North Korea since the Korean War

Kibaki and Odinga sign an agreement, brokered by Kofi Annan, to share power in a Kenyan coalition government

John McCain claims the Republican presidential nomination in a victory speech in Dallas

Vladimir Putin's hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, is elected President of Russia

Ian Paisley announces that he will stand down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and First Minister of Northern Ireland

Demonstrations in Tibet turn violent as protesters target Chinese buildings and individuals

In Bhutan's first general election, the Peace and Prosperity Party wins 45 of the 47 seats in the National Assemby

Evidence suggests that Tsvangirai has won Zimbabwe's presidential election, but after a delay of more than a month it is announced that a second round run-off is required

After months of controversy over his financial affairs, Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern announces that he will resign on May 6

A coalition led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi wins the general election in Italy

After being in power for 62 years (from 1946) the Colorado Party is defeated in Paraguay's presidential election

The Taliban fail in an assassination attempt on Afghan president Hamid Karzai

Cyclone Nargis kills at least 130,000 people and possibly many more in Burma (the number is uncertain due to government efforts to downplay the disaster)

Nepal becomes a republic after the Assembly votes by a large majority to abolish the monarchy

After a long drawn out contest, Barack Obama defeats Hillary Clinton to win the nomination as presidential candidate for the Democratic party

Peter Robinson, elected unopposed as leader of the DUP, succeeds Ian Paisley as First Minister of Northern Ireland

In a referendum in Ireland voters reject the Treaty of Lisbon, which has the effect of halting ratification throughout the European Union

After 12 years in hiding the Serbian leader Radovan Karadzic, wanted for war crimes, is found in disguse and is arrested in Belgrade

Robert Mugabe wins the second round in Zimbabwe's presidential election after Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn from the contest due to widespread violence against his supporters

Georgian armed forces enter the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia, provoking a powerful armed response from Russia

In the Beijing Olympics swimmer Michael Phelps wins 8 gold medals, beating Mark Spitz's record of 7 in the 1972 games

Nine years after seizing power in a coup, Pervez Musharraf resigns as president of Pakistan under threat of impeachment

With troops now stationed in the breakaway Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia unilaterally recognizes both as independent republics