National News(July)

01/07/2009:

The government defers the introduction of a Unique Transaction Number (UTN) for filing of income tax returns by assessees whose tax is deducted at source (TDS).

The Centre announces a new scheme for slum dwellers and the urban poor, Rajiv Awas Yojana, in an effort to promote a slum-free India in the next five years.

Following a rise in the international price of crude oil and the increasing under recovery of State-run Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), the United Progressive Alliance government increases the price of petrol by Rs.4 a litre and diesel by Rs.2 a litre.

The Government modifies its policy on external commercial borrowings (ECBs) to suit the funding require­ments of corporates, developers of integrated townships and special economic zones (SEZs).

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram inaugurates the National Security Guards (NSG) regional hub in Chennai.

Well-known writer and senior civil servant Tarunkanti Mishra is announced to be the recipient of the Kadambini Samman for 2009.

The Government approves 21 foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals worth Rs.84.90 crore.

Kerala Cadre IPS officer Raman Srivastava will be the new Director General of the Boarder Security Force. He will replace ML Kumawat who retires on July 31, 2009.

02/07/2009:

The first Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) P.S. Joshi passes away in New Delhi after prolonged illness.

The pre-Budget 'Economic Survey 2008-09 is ta­bled in Parliament, charting out a road map for sweeping financial sector reforms.

Shyam Group founder Rajiv Mehrotra is inducted into the Board of the diversified Russian multi-national giant Sistema— the first Indian to get elected to the board of directors of a Russian telecom firm.

03/07/2009:

Better amenities, and a record number of new trains, are balanced with a slew of commercially viable projects by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in the first Railway budget of the new UPA government.

Seeking to provide power back-up for railway ser­vices, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announces the setting up of a 1,000 MW coal-based plant at Nabi Nagar in Bihar, in association with the National Thermal Power Cor­poration (NTPC).

The Rajasthan government announces that the historic Jaleb Chowk in the Walled City of Jaipur will be developed shortly as a "global art square" to reflect the Pink City's rich cultural heritage.

04/07/2009:

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) recommends an 8.5 per cent interest rate for 2009-10 to benefit about 4.5 crore Provident Fund subscribers.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chair­man G. Madhavan Nair, after receiving the M.P. Birla Memorial Award in Kolkata, announces the launch of Chan-drayaan-2 by 2013.

The government bans imports of all mobiles with­out the unique identification number — International Mo­bile Equipment Identity — and asks all operators to stop service to subscribers who are using phones without the IMEI number.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organi­sation (FAO) appoints Shabd S. Acharya, honorary professor at the Jaipur-based Institute of Development Studies , as its senior policy consultant.

05/07/2009:

The Indian Army marks the 10th anniversary of the recapture of the formidable 5,062-metre-high moun­tain top from Pakistani Army regulars in "Operation Vijay."

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar lays the foundation for International Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) for animals at Argul on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

06/07/2009:

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presents the Budget for 2009-2010 in the Lok Sabha.

The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex suffers the biggest fall on any budget day and in the year too by plunging over 869 points on concerns over the high fiscal deficit set by the Union budget.

Trie United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government makes higher education its thrust area with a view to in­creasing the gross enrolment ratio to 15 per cent by the end of the 11th Plan.

The government announces to give Rs.500 crore for the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (Tamils) of Sri Lanka and for the reconstruction of the northern and eastern areas in the island nation.

The Union government announces a three-year road map to pare it to four per cent by the end of 2011-12.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee an­nounces measures that would reduce the government sub­sidy bill on food, fertilizer and petroleum and other things by about Rs. 18,000 crore at Rs. 1,11,275 crore this fiscal.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Trivedi launches "Health Positive", a monthly journal aimed at disseminating knowledge on medical science and technology among physicians.

07/07/2009:

Cracking the whip to turn around ailing Air India, the government announces an overhaul of its top manage­ment within 30 days and the induction of seven indepen­dent directors with a proven track record.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee an­nounces a 'package of sops' for exporters including exten­sion of ta3D"color:#3333ff;">Vikas Swarup, whose book was turned into the Oscar-winning 'Slum dog Millionaire,' is announced to be India's Consul-General in Osaka, Japan.

Industrialist Anil Ambani makes his debut in Hol­lywood film production by roping in ace directors Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider for a joint venture where he would pump in Rs. 4,000 crore.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi flags off the first of the three pre-Everest expeditions that will be un­dertaken ahead of the first Everest expedition from the northeast in 2011.

16/07/2009:

At the sidelines of NAM Summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani, agree that dialogue between their two countries "is the only way forward."

The Gujarat government decides to re-adopt the "Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Bill" without any change.

The Central Government scales up its market bor­rowings programme to Rs. 2.99 lakh crore for the first half of the current fiscal in keeping with the need to raise addi­tional resources for funding the increased expenditure pro­posed in the Union budget for 2009-10.

17/07/2009:

The Chairman of the Indian Space Research Or­ganisation G. Madhavan Nair announces that the Chandrayaan-I's 'star sensors' - vital in determining the orienta­tion - has failed.

The much-awaited Nano hits the roads with Mumbaikar Ashok Raghunath Vichare becoming the first owner of the world's cheapest car from the stable of the Tatas.

Bharati Enterprises Chairman and Group CEO Sunil Mittal is awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa by the Univee Centre makes it mandatory to include at least one woman member in the panel of selection boards and committees concerned with the recruitment process.

The Union Environment and Forest Ministry launches a new scheme for Accelerated Programme of Res­toration and Regeneration of Forest Cover.

10/07/2009:

A 125-member BSF contingent, including seven women, returns from Congo after rendering law and order and civil assistance duties there.

With a view to involving Indians living in Europe, the government decides to hold the next mini Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in The Hague on September 19.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan is honoured with an hon­orary doctorate in Arts and Culture from the University of Bedfordshire at a function in London.

Steel Authority of India, in collaboration with IIM, Ahmedabad, and The Economic Times, presents the maiden SAIL HR Excellence award to HPCL, Moser Baer, Tata Motors, Castrol, Jindal Steel and Power, ITW Signode and Honeywell

11/07/2009:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh constitutes a high-level Cabinet committee to give a major thrust to infrastruc­ture development and keep the focus on this core sector.

Member of the Law Commission and former Chair­man of Minority Commission Prof. Tahir Mahmood is pre­sented the 7th Shah Waliullah Award in New Delhi for his contribution to legal studies in India.

12/07/2009:

The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry recommends an in-depth review of 20 innovative schemes being implemented by States and Union Territories (UT) under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) for scal­ing up and replication.

Union Minster for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal and Nepal's Irrigation Minister Bal Krishna Khand agree to conduct round-the-clock patrolling of the embankments of the Koshi river during the flood season so that any repair needed is provided on time.

Madhya Pradesh Archaeological Department an­nounces finding of 'Mrigendranath Cave' - a rare one-km-long cave in Raisen district similar to the famous world her­itage site Bhimbetka, which is home to rare rock paintings.

13/07/2009:

The Centre constitutes a nine-member empowered Group of Ministers (e-GoM) headed by Union Finance Min­ister Pranab Mukherjee to look into the issues related to pricing and other aspects of spectrum for 3G (third gener­ation) mobile services.

Veteranmohan Singh is the chief guest at the French National Day celebrations in Paris, and 400 Indian armed services personnel from the three wings kick off this year's parade.

President Pratibha Patil presents the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2008 at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Haryana Government gives the sanction for the Guragaon Metro Rail link.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda launches a fortnight-long State-wide education campaign "Sab Padhen, Aage Badhen" (let all study to progress) in Chandigarh.

15/07/2009:

C.N.R. Rao, National Research Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, is awarded the prestigious Royal Medal by the Royal Soci­ety, London, for his contributions to Solid State and Mate­rials Chemistry.

Vikas Swarup, whose book was turned into the Oscar-winning 'Slum dog Millionaire,' is announced to be India's Consul-General in Osaka, Japan.

Industrialist Anil Ambani makes his debut in Hol­lywood film production by roping in ace directors Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider for a joint venture where he would pump in Rs. 4,000 crore.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi flags off the first of the three pre-Everest expeditions that will be un­dertaken ahead of the first Everest expedition from the northeast in 2011.

16/07/2009:

At the sidelines of NAM Summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani, agree that dialogue between their two countries "is the only way forward."

The Gujarat goo the steps that India and Pakistan were taking to tackle terror.

The former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Jagannath Pahadia, and the former Union Minister of State, Mar­garet Alva, are appointed Governors of Haryana and Uttarakhand respectively.

Noted historian and former Rajya Sabha member Manmath Nath Das passes away in Bhubaneswar.

19/07/2009:

India finishes with a haul of four medals — one gold, two silvers and a bronze — at the 20th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) at Tsukuba in Japan.

Thavil maestro Valayapatti A.R. Subramaniam is selected for the 2009 Sangita Kalanidhi title of the Music Academy in Chennai.

20/07/2009:

In a shocking turn to the Mumbai terror attacks case, Mohammad Ajmal Amir 'Kasab' confesses to his crime before the Special Sessions Court at the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.

India and the United States finalise three hi-tech agreements with the visiting Secretary of State Hillary Clin­ton singling out the military end user agreement as the harbinger of greater defence cooperation.

Four environment oriented projects proposed by the NALCO under clean development mechanism are cleared by Central Ministry of Environment and Forest.

21/07/2009:

The doyenne of Hindustani classical music and one of the foremost exponents of the Kirana Gharana, Gangubai Hangal, dies in Hubli at the age of 96.

In a first ever user-friendly facility of its kind for importers, the Central Government releases a comprehensive customs tariff and non-tariff database in the form of a CD.

22/07/2009:

Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Banwarilal Bairwa passes away at the age of 76. He was Deputy Chief Minister of the State from May 19, 2002 to Decem­ber 4, 2003.

23/07/2009:

India and Indonesia seek a more effective response to the menace through better intelligence-sharing at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phuket.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation increases its funding commitment to Avahan - its initiative to reduce the spread of HIV in India - to $338 million (Rs. 1,652 crore) from the previous $258 million.

The Union Cabinet clears a proposal to set up a National Green Tribunal along with benches in different regions.

24/07/2009:

The Gujarat High Court rejects a petition seeking to restrain the Supreme Court - appointed Special Investi­gation Team from proceeding against Chief Minister Narendra Modi and others in a 2002 Godhra riots related case.

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil Launches the Rashtrapati Bhavan helpline portal http//helpline.rb.nic.in, designed to simplify the process of grievance redress.

Announcing a contingency plan to deal with the situation arising out of the erratic monsoon, Agriculture and Food Minister Sharad Pawar Centre will stop all ex­ports of non-basmati rice and wheat, and bear half the subsidy on diesel offered to farmers by the States.

25/07/2009:

Union Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates the Indian customs and Central Excise Muse­um at Panaji, Goa.

President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil presents the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Develop­ment for 2007 to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited hands over the first batch of four Cheetal helicopters to the Indian Air Force at Barrackpore.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar releases a stamp . in honour of veteran freedom fighter and former Deputy Mayor of Delhi Lala Ram Charan Agarwal.

The Kharkan camp of the Border Security Force (BSF), 150 km from Chandigarh witness the creation of history as the first batch of 178 women recruits are in­ducted into BSF for guarding international border.

26/07/2009:

India's first indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine, equipped with ballistic missiles, INS Arihant is launched by flooding the dry dock at the Shipbuilding Cen­tre, Vishakhapatnam.

The hills of Kargil come alive in a glow of yellow lights as India marks the 10th anniversary of its victory against Pakistan by paying homage to over 500 soldiers killed while recapturing the peaks.

Kateekal Sankara Narayanan is sworn - in as Gov­ernor of Jharkhand.

27/07/2009:

A special POTA court convicted three persons -Haneef sayyed and his wife Fahmeeda from Marol and Ash-rat Ansari - of carrying out bomb blasts at the Gateway of India and the Zaveri Bazaar in Mumbai on August 25, 2003, killing 52 people and injuring 184. This is the biggest judgement in a terror-related case since 100 people were convicted of the 1993 serial blasts two years ago.

Renowned Gandhian and senior Congress leanst him by the Cen­tral Bureau of Investigation.

Gayatri Devi, former Queen Mother of the erst­while Jaipur state and once ranked among the 10 most beautiful women in the world, passes away at age of 90.
India's first standard gauge Metro train rolls out for a trial run on Inderlok-Mundka line in Delhi.

Renowned actor Rajan P Dev passes away at the age of 55. The actor, with his myriad characters in more than 140 films, has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films.

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna will be conferred on three sports persons - boxers MC Mary Kom and Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar.

30/07/2009:

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra clears Omar Abdullah of the charges levelled against him by se­nior PDF leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig and asks him to continue as Chief Minister.

Yesteryear actress Leela Naidu passes away at the age of 69.

BL Joshi takes over as the 23rd Governor of Uttar Pradesh.

The Governor of Reserve Bank of India D Subba Rao keeps all Indicative policy rates unchanged, while raising the growth projection for GDP for 2009-10 to 6 per cent in his the first quarter review of Annual Monetary Policy 2009-10.

29/07/2009:

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh asserts that the government has not diluted its position on terrorism by issuing a joint statement with Pakistan earlier in July 2009 but leaves the door open for dialogue.

All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Chairman R.A. Yadav has been placed under suspension to ensure that he did not influence the ongoing investiga­tion in the bribery case registered against him by the Cen­tral Bureau of Investigation.

Gayatri Devi, former Queen Mother of the erst­while Jaipur state and once ranked among the 10 most beautiful women in the world, passes away at age of 90.
India's first standard gauge Metro train rolls out for a trial run on Inderlok-Mundka line in Delhi.

Renowned actor Rajan P Dev passes away at the age of 55. The actor, with his myriad characters in more than 140 films, has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films.

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna will be conferred on three sports persons - boxers MC Mary Kom and Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar.

30/07/2009:

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra clears Omar Abdullah of the charges levelled against him by se­nior PDF leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig and asks him to continue as Chief Minister.

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah inaugurates the world's largest solar steam system, installed at Sri Sai Baba Sansthan, Shirdi.

Less than a week after High Court allowed interrogation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi by Special Investigation Team in the post-Godhra riot cases, Supreme Court refuses the state government's plea not to extend the three-month deadline for SIT to complete the probe.

31/07/2009:

Fire' and 'Water' fame actress Nandita Das is ap­pointed chairperson of the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) She replaces Nafisa Ali.

In a major blow to the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act court revokes the application of MCOCA in the Malegaon blast case of September 29, 2008.

The Supreme Court the Centre to take up with the State governments and ensure that there is no unau­thorised construction of temples, churches, mosques and gurdwaras on public street/public places.V Sridhar, member of central board of excise and customs (CBEC), is appointed as chairman of the board.

International News(July)

1. Sri Lankan President Mahindra Rajapaksa announc­es decision to appoint an All-Party Committee (APC) for development and reconciliation work in the country.
Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), becomes the international hub for dissemination of clean energy technology after the city is elected as head­quarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a grouping of 129 countries.

2. Britain's efforts to isolate Iran over the arrests of its embassy staff in Tehran for allegedly fomenting the post-poll turmoil meets with partial success when the European Union governments decline to set a deadline for downgrad­ing their diplomatic missions in Iran.
United States Marines move into villages in Tali­ban strongholds in southern Afghanistan, in one of the big­gest American military operations in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, chairing the third round of the Japan-India strategic dialogue in Tokyo, agree to sustain and possibly expand their "canvas of coopera­tion" in the bilateral and international domains.

3. Defying sanctions imposed by the United Nations, North Korea test-fires up to seven short-range missiles in a move that set to further increase tensions in Northeast Asia.
Senior CIA officials, including the London station chief, are called before a grand jury in Virginia investigat­ing the potentially illegal destruction of 92 video tapes re­cording the torture and interrogation of Al Qaeda detenus.
Britain becomes the first western country to relax some travel restrictions to Sri Lanka in the post Prabakaran era.

4. Riots break out in Urumqi, the capital city of Chi­na's Muslim-majority Xinjiang autonomous region, with hundreds of protesters attacking passers-by and torching vehicles.
The incoming MI6 chief, Sir John Sawers, is em­broiled in an embarrassing row after his wife puts family photographs, including his, and other personal details on Facebook prompting calls for an inquiry into whether it amounted to a security breach.

5. Robert S. McNamara, the cerebral United States Secretary of Defence who was vilified for prosecuting the Vietnam War, then devoted himself to helping the world's poorest nations, dies in Washington D.C.
United States President Barack Obama and Rus­sian President Dmitry Medvedev agree in Moscow on a framework to cut their nuclear arsenals by up to a third.
A leading light of the early leftist movement in Ceylon and wife of S.C.C. Anthony Pillai, Dona Caroline Rupasinghe Gunawardena, passes away in Kosogama, on the outskirts of Colombo.

6. United States President Barack Obama proclaims prosperity in countries like India and China as good for the United States and West as it opens new markets for them and pushes their businesses to innovate.
In one of the biggest celebrity send-offs in history, Michael Jackson's family, friends and fans held a me­morial service for the 'King of Pop' at the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles.

7. Intelligence agency MI5 is sued by Rangzieb Ahmed, a British extremist of Pakistani origin for allegedly offering him inducements to withdraw his allegation that it colluded in his torture by Pakistani security services three years ago.
Pakistan, for the first time, acknowledges at the highest level that militant groups were created and nur­tured by it for "tactical" objectives.

8. China raises concerns with Pakistan that militants based in its territory could be involved in the ethnic unrest in its Xinjiang province.
Leaders of the G8 industrial nations and the G5 developing countries at their summit in L'Aquila, north-east of Rome, call for an "ambitious and balanced conclusion" to the Doha Development Round of trade talks in 2010.
Media magnate Rupert Murdoch, owner of Star TV, is at the centre of a growing scandal after it is reported that one of his leading British tabloids, the News of the World. had been involved in "criminal methods" to get stories.

9. Russia announces to open a second military base in the strategic Fergana valley in southern Kyrgyzstan, close to the borders with China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, in a major expansion of its military presence in Central Asia.
United States persuades the G8 to ban the trans­fer of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) items to coun­tries which have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including India.
An undergraduate team of Sahaj Panchal and Dhrumir Patel, from the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Institute in Gujar­at, is declared runner-up in the non-United States category of a NASA competition to design a small supersonic airliner.
Leaders of the world's largest economies meeting at the Major Economies Forum summit in L'Aquila, agree on some specific emission reduction goals and on moving towards a financing and technology transfer framework.

10. One week after ethnic violence engulfed Urumqi in China's Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, calm is restored to the troubled city.

11. Tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of Indians, join a 'harmony walk' in Melbourne, aimed at reaffirming the Victorian government's support for multi-culturalism and sending a strong message that Australia is a safe destination for international students.
The BBC suspends Hardeep Singh Kohli, an an­chor of the popular One Show, for six months after a female researcher filed an informal complaint regarding his inappropriate behaviour.

12. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) announces a special loan scheme, 'The Awakening North", for the re­sumption of economic activities, including agriculture, live­stock rearing, fisheries, and micro and small enterprises, in the Northern province.

13. The United States federal budget deficit tops $1 trillion for the first time ever.
Russia and China announce to conduct massive joint war games "Peace Mission-2009" in a display of grow­ing strategic ties between the two neighbours.

14. A Russian-made Iranian passenger plane, Caspi­an Airlines Tu-154M jet, carrying 168 people crashes shortly after takeoff, nose-diving into a field northwest of Teheran and shattering into flaming pieces.
Sri Lanka cancels the import of ammunition val­ued at $200 million from China and Pakistan following the end Eelam War IV.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is announced to be Britain's candidate for the European Union presidency when the job becomes available.
The 15th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement is inaugurated at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.

15. NAM First Ladies Summit opens in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
Nepal's CPN (UML)-led government announces that 4,008 People's Liberation Army (PLA) personnel, disquali­fied as combatants by the United Nations Mission in Nepal, will be discharged.
In a concluding declaration barely five pages long, Non-Aligned Movement leaders end their summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh, emphasising the need for collective action on the principal global issues of the day.

16. Pakistan's Supreme Court sets aside opposition leader Nawaz Sharif's conviction in the so-called plane hi­jack case, ensuring it will not come in the way of his stand­ing for election again.
Walter Cronkite, the premier TV anchorman, called "the most trusted man in America," dies in New York.

17. Sikhs in the United States slam a draft Oregon state law that would bar teachers in public schools from wearing "religious dress", including turbans, a move that may spark a racial row.
Nicolas Sarkozy pays back more than euro 14,000 to the state after it emerged that personal and family bills were put through the Elysee Palace accounts.
Two astronauts, at the International Space Sta­tion-Endeavour shuttle complex, venture out to help attach a platform for science experiments to the station—the third and final piece of Japan's huge billion-dollar lab.
The World Crafts Council (WCC) chooses Vienna to showcase African arts and crafts such as abstract soap-stone creations, wooden tribal masks, walking canes, and wildlife handicraft carvings.

18. Israel rejects a United States demand to suspend a planned housing project in east Jerusalem, threatening to further complicate an unusually tense standoff with its strongest ally over settlement construction.
The formation of a new "pro-tem party," for cham­pioning the "rights" of Malaysia's ethnic Indian minority, is announced in Kuala Lumpur.
Turkey - a nation of smokers - extends a ban on indoor public smoking to bars, restaurants, and even to traditionally smoke-filled village coffeehouses.

19. The former Iranian President, Mohammad Khata­mi, calls for a nationwide referendum on the legitimacy of the government.
The former Peruvian President, Alberto Fujimori, is sentenced to seven and half years years in prison for embezzlement after he admits illegally paying his spy chief $15 million in government funds.
The pro-democracy Myanmar leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is felicitated with the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation in Durban.

20. As the United States reaffirms its commitment to complete all steps of the civil nuclear deal with India, Unit­ed States President Barack Obama transmits to the Con­gress his first report op the landmark accord.
Prime Minister Taro Aso dissolves the powerful lower house of Japan's Parliament and vows his divided ruling party will make a new start in national elections in August 2009.

21. A total solar eclipse sweeps across a narrow swathe of Asia, lasting 6 minutes, 39 seconds. The next eclipse with a duration comparable to July 22, 2009 solar eclipse will occur only in 2132.
Chinese and Russian troops begin a five-day joint military exercise, dubbed "Peace Mission-2009" in Russia' far eastern city of Khabarovsk. ,

22. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approves a 20-month stand-by arrangement worth Special Drawing Rights 1.65 billion (about $ 2.6 billion) for Sri Lanka.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is declared re-elected by a landslide margin.
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie abondons his week old position as first Vice President of Iran after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayotollah Ali Khamenei orders his dismissal.

23. Sarah Plain steps down as Alaska Governor. She burst into the United States political spotlight in 2008 as Re­publican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.
At least 42 persons are killed in clashes,between police and members of a radical sect in Nigeria that is in­spired by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

24. United States President Barack Hussein Obama calls for broad cooperation with China to set the course of the 21 st century at the first United States - China Strate­gic and Economic Dialogue in Washington.

25. Signaller Singh, who is with 21 Signal Regiment based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, and Lance Corporal Sarvjit Singh, who is with 3 Regiment Army Air corps based at Wattisham, are the first Sikhs to guard Queen Elizabeth in England.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor takes a big step toward becoming the first Hispanic justice on the United States Supreme Court as a key Senate panel votes in favour of her historic nomination.

26. Zhuo Lin, wife of Chinese late leader, Deng Xiaop­ing, passes away at the age of 93.
Troops struggle to crush on Islamist sect in Maiduguri city in northern Nigeria as the death toll from four days of clashes surges past 300.

27. Two Indian non-governmental Organisations, Ecosphere Spiti in Himachal Pradesh and Barefoot College in Rajasthan receive the 2009 Green Energy and Green Live­lihoods awards.
Nigerian forces put Islamist extremists to flight in a brutal all-out assault on their northern stronghold Maiduguri after an uprising led to clashes that have left hun­dreds dead.
The first of four Chinese F-22P frigates construct­ed for Pakistan is formally handed over at a ceremony at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai.

28. Pakistan's Supreme Court delivers a historic judge­ment that declares the former President Pervez Mushar­raf's November 3, 2007 Emergency and subsequent dis­missal of judges unconstitutional and illegal.A wave of bombs targeting Shia worshippers at mosques across Baghdad kill 29 people and wounded more than 136 a month after United States troops withdrew from Iraq's main urban centres.

Sports News (July)

1. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announc­es likelihood of four-day Tests as part of a series of innova­tions to keep the oldest form of the sport exciting to spec­tators in the wake of Twenty 20's growing popularity.

2. Jordan retains the Vinodini Goenka Trophy for the women's team event beating Pakistan by 80-44 IMPs in the final of the 15th BFAME bridge championships in Amman.
Pakistani cricket authorities fine Mohammad Asif one million rupees over the fast bowler's 19-day detention at Dubai airport for alleged drug possession.

3. Ravi Kumar wins gold in the boys' 800m sprint in the inaugural Asian Youth Games in Singapore. In the girls' 800m run, Namita Kabat bags gold. Aaron Agnel D'souza wins the third gold of the day in the boys' 200m freestyle swimming.
Grandmaster P. Magesh Chandran tops a four way tie to win the Montcada International Open chess tournament at Montcada, Spain.

4. Yuki Bhambri makes it a hat-trick of titles at home as he beats Rohan Gajjar 6-2, 7-6(6) in the final of the Central Bank $15,000 ITF men's Futures tennis tourna­ment in New Delhi.
For the fifth consecutive time, the Indian-team wins the Zakaria Adamjee Trophy for the Bridge Federa­tion of Asia and Middle East (BFAME) championship played once in two years by beating traditional rival Pakistan.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a captain's knock as India battles inclement weather to defeat the West Indies by six wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis method and take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match ODI series at the Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia. Scores : West Indies 186 for 7 and India 159 for 4
Serena Williams ends Venus Williams' reign at Wimbledon, defeating her sister 7- 6( 3), 6- 2 in final, capturing her third Wimbledon singles crown and depriv­ing Venus, a five- time champion, of a hat- trick.
Serena Williams wins a pair of Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon, when she teams with big sister Venus to beat Rennae Stubbs and Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6(4), 6-4.

5. Sayali Gokhale keeps a tactical leash on Neha Pan­dit's explosive stroke play, to carve out a 21-19, 21-15 win at the second Tata Open All India badminton tournament in Mumbai. Chetan Anand wins the men's title clash.
Speed NK Racing's Ashwin Sundar completes a grand double by winning the second race of the Formula Rolon class in the third round of the J K Tyre National rac­ing championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Chettipalayam, near Coimbatore.
India wins the one-day series against the West Indies 2-1 after the fourth and final match is abandoned due to heavy rain in Gros Islet.
Roger Federer becomes the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time when he beats Andy Roddick in the men's singles final of the 123rd Wimbledon championships.

6. Kerala weight lifter M. Shyamlal and Tamil Nadu bodybuilder K. Gopinath are banned for two years by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel for testing positive for ste­roids in National-level meets in 2009.

7. Aswin Jayaram and Padmini Rout complete India's golden 'double' for the third successive year by claiming the honours in the Asian junior chess championship at Colombo.
French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt dies in Paris.
Sri Lanka's bowlers engineer a dramatic Pakistan batting collapse to clinch a 50-run victory on the fourth day of the opening Test in Galle. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath is adjudged "Man of the Match." Scores : Sri Lanka 292 & 217 and Pakistan 342 & 117
Jamaican Usain Bolt runs the fourth fastest 200 metre race ever in 19.59 seconds in sinking temperatures and heavy rainfall at the Lausanne Grand Prix meet in Switzerland.

8. Aaron Peirsol reclaims his world record in the 100m backstroke at the United States championships in Indianapolis, clocking 51.94 seconds, becoming the first person ever to break the 52-second barrier. He bettered Aschwin Wildeboer Faber's mark of 52.38.

9. The International Cricket Council (ICC) inducts three Ashes heroes - Tom Graveney and Peter May of England and Ian Chappell of Australia - into its Cricket Hall of Fame.Michael Phelps breaks the 100m butterfly world record in Indianapolis, winning the United States champi­onships race in 50.22sec - 18-hundredths of a second quick­er than the previous record of 50.40 set by compatriot Ian Crocker at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal.

10. Rudi Koertzen makes history by becoming the first umpire to stand in 200 One-Day Internationals by officiating in the second ODI between Ireland and Kenya in Dublin.
Squash ace Joshna Chinappa wins the third WISPA title of her career when she defeats home favourite Low Wee Wern in the final of the $ 16,000 NSC series event in Kuala Lumpur.
Vishnu Vardhan defeats Rohan Gajjar 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Central Bank $15,000 ITF men's Futures tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi.

11. Team Meco Racing's Vishnu Prasad staves off a stiff challenge from Red Rooster Racing's Mohit Ahuja to win the senior class race in the second round of the JK Tyre Rotax National karting championship at the Kari Mo­tor Speedway in Coimbatore.
Mark Webber secures his maiden Formula One vic­tory - and Australia's first since 1981 - when he leads team­mate Sebastian Vettel home in a triumphant one-two for the Red Bull team in German Grand Prix in Nurburgring.England tailenders James Anderson and Monty Panesar deny Australia victory in the first Ashes Test with a heroic unbeaten last-wicket stand in Cardiff. Scores: England 435 & 252 and Australia 252 for 9 & 674 for 6

12. Mahmudullah completes a memorable debut Test, when he cruelly exposes West Indies' frailty to spin, and bowls Bangladesh to a historic 95-run victory in the open­ing Test in Kingstown. Scores : Bangladesh 238 & 345 and West Indies 307 & 181Sri Lanka clinches its first home series win over Pakistan after the temperamental tourists suffer a spec­tacular collapse in the second Test in Colombo. Scores : Pakistan 90 & 320 and Sri Lanka 240 & 171.

13. England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff announces retirement from Test cricket after the Ashes series against Australia because of his ongoing struggle with injuries.

14. Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly adds an­other feather to his cap when he is awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Central Lancashire.