2007 in review
2007 in review from inthenews.co.uk
Sunday, 30, Dec 2007 10:04
The new year is already here, but there is still time for our rundown of the biggest stories that made the headlines in 2007.
January to March
April to June
July to September
October
Brown bottles it
 | At the beginning of October the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and her partner Dodi al-Fayed began in London - more than ten years after the Paris car crash that claimed both of their lives.
The inquest, which is not likely to conclude for another three months, has seen friends of both Diana and Dodi provide testimony and led to claims that the son of Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed was preparing to propose. |
The enduring story of October however was Gordon Brown's decision not to call a snap election after a positive party conference season.
His ruling out of a general election in an interview with the BBC at No 10 came after party staff were reportedly briefed to prepare for an election campaign.
Mr Brown's decision not to categorically state his intentions four months into the job backfired dramatically, with David Cameron's Conservative party consistently on top in the opinion polls since.
The prime minister's woes were nothing compared to those of Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell, who announced his resignation in October after 22 months in charge.
His departure followed a difficult few weeks in the polls for the Lib Dems, something new leader Nick Clegg - who was elected in December - will be hoping to rectify in 2008.
November
Lost identities
 | In November chancellor Alistair Darling was forced to make an emergency statement to the House of Commons in which he revealed that confidential personal and financial details of 25 million Britons had been lost.
The embattled Mr Darling, already under pressure over the Northern Rock affair, told MPs that two CDs sent from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to the National Audit Office had been lost in transit.
It later emerged that the loss of identities was not confined to the HRMC within government, with transport secretary Ruth Kelly revealing in a similar admission that a US contractor had lost a hard drive containing the personal details of three million learner drivers. |
Away from the UK, the world's biggest story in November was the declaration of emergency rule by Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, a move condemned by the international community.
The extreme step was necessary, he said, to combat the rising threat of terror attacks and judicial interference.
But critics alleged that he suspended Pakistan's constitution in order to remove hostile judges from a supreme court that was reportedly about to rule his candidature in successful presidential elections was invalid.
At the same time as emergency rule was being declared in Pakistan, the parents of Meredith Kercher were mourning the loss of their daughter.
The 21-year-old UK student was murdered in her Perugia flat after suffering what police described as a violent sexual attack.
Four people, including her American flat-mate Amanda Knox, have been arrested in connection with her murder.
December
Pakistan burns
 | Followers of current affairs will tell you that the end of any year always coincides with one of its largest news stories (Boxing Day Asian tsunami in 2005, execution of Saddam Hussein in 2006), and 2007 was no different.
On December 27th, two months after she ended her self-imposed exile, twice-former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated after attending a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, a killing condemned in the strongest terms by the international community.
The Pakistan People's party leader had returned to her country of birth to challenge president Pervez Musharraf, but his declaration of emergency rule put her participation in parliamentary elections scheduled for January in doubt. |
Although Mr Musharraf restored Pakistan's constitution in December, Ms Bhutto's death has seen the country teeter closer to the brink of becoming a failed state, with civil unrest gripping the nation.
Ms Bhutto's assassination has been officially blamed on al-Qaida militants wanting to destabilise the political process, but the Pakistan People's party has accused Mr Musharraf's administration of not doing enough to protect its former leader.
At home, the return of a British man presumed dead after a canoeing accident five years ago seemed to have given his family the perfect early Christmas present.
But prosecutors disagreed, as both John Darwin, 57, and his wife Anne, 55, were arrested and charged with fraud offences relating to his initial 2002 disappearance.
Matthew Champion