What we think

This newspaper is not in the habit of making predictions, but we will make an exception to mark the coming of a new year. The most significant event of 2008 will be the election of a new US president. Who this is and how they choose to engage with the outside world will have a huge impact on the planet. The Iraq conflict, the tense relationship with Iran, agreement on climate change targets - all could witness a dramatic change of policy direction under a new regime.

The global economic slowdown will bring a fall in house prices - a boon for those grasping for the bottom rung of the property ladder (if they can afford the lending rate), but a potential crisis for those who fuel their lifestyle by tapping the equity in their homes.

The Beijing Olympics will be spectacular and will expose a global television audience of billions to the sheer scale of China's rise. Such exposure will also lead to an unprecedented level of protest at the country's poor human rights record and lack of political reform.

At home, the SNP government's big conversation will move into top gear, with events around the country. Expect the same arguments to dominate letters pages and online forums as those passionately for and against independence continue a battle they fought so passionately in 2007.

At Westminster, Gordon Brown will continue to struggle as he promotes controversial policies such as detention without trial and ID cards. These are likely to find him enemies within his own party and may lead to lost votes and lost authority. His relationship with Alex Salmond's Scottish government will become more strained as new initiatives test the limits of the Scotland Act and Brown's patience. An economic downturn will not help his public popularity.

But as our review of the year and people of the year features in today's paper reveal, many world-shaping events defy prediction.

The extraordinary invention that appears from nowhere, the medical breakthrough that offers hope where there was none, the individuals who take an unlikely stand and make a difference, the random events that combine and conspire to change the world. So here's to 2008, whatever it may bring.