Year in review: May
The final death-toll from Cyclone Nargis could exceed one million
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Wednesday, 24, Dec 2008 11:01
inthenews.co.uk looks back on a month when natural disasters in south-east Asia dominated the headlines.
Just two days into the month of May further tragedy struck the people of Burma in the form of Cyclone Nargis.
Burma, which has suffered under an oppressive military junta since the late 1980s, was left mourning the deaths of at least 146,000 people killed after the storm struck the Irrawaddy Delta region.
While tens of thousands were killed by the impact of the storm - the deadliest in Burma's history - many more died in the following days as the country's military rulers failed to deliver an effective aid programme.
Foreign relief efforts were severely stymied by a junta fearful of outside interference, with international leaders condemning the restrictions on aid arriving into the country.
State television showed military leaders visiting immaculate relief camps with survivors standing to attention outside fresh white linen tents, but the reality was hundreds of thousands of Cyclone Nargis' victims sifting through the debris of their former lives and surviving on foreign relief aid as the rice crop failed.
According to many international aid agencies, the true death-toll from Cyclone Nargis could reach one million, with the Irrawaddy Delta region still devastated and hundreds of thousands of people suffering from a lack of shelter, sanitation and food supplies.
The survivors of Cyclone Nargis were dealt another cruel blow days later when international attention was distracted by another major natural disaster in neighbouring China's Sichuan province.
An 8.0-magnitude earthquake with its epicentre in Wenchuan county struck on May 12th in the middle of the afternoon, toppling schools and offices and burying thousands in the rubble.
More than 69,000 people died in the quake, with aftershocks being felt for months afterwards.
The Chinese government has already committed $150 billion to rebuilding areas shattered by the quake, which came three months before the Beijing Games and days after the Olympic flame passed through Sichuan.
Back at home, major change arrived at City Hall via Boris Johnson, who ousted Ken Livingstone from power in London.
The new mayor's triumph was the icing on the cake as impressive Tory gains in local elections across the country were recorded and Labour's poll ratings slumped to worse than under Michael Foot in the 1980s.
In entertainment news, geopolitical voting reigned as Russia won Eurovision, which was held in Serbia's Belgrade Arena. Terry Wogan also finally decided enough was enough, with Graham Norton set to takeover presenting duties from 2009 onwards.
Also coming to an end was the ill-fated marriage of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills as their divorce was concluded.
Mills had been described as a "less than impressive witness" after giving "inconsistent and inaccurate" reports for much of her evidence, while McCartney was labelled "consistent, accurate and honest".
She also made the headlines after pouring water over the head of McCartney's solicitor Fiona Shackleton during the final divorce hearing.