UAE | General

Timeline: January 2007

Timeline: January 2007

  • Gulf News report
  • Published: 00:28 December 31, 2007
  • Gulf News

THE NATION

1His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issues a decree limiting annual rent increase in Dubai to a maximum of seven per cent.

3 The Federal National Council receives Best Arab Parliament Award.

4 The Abu Dhabi Executive Council approves the creation of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports; the Abu Dhabi Police Headquarters; and the Department of Labour and Social Affairs.

8 His Highness Shaikh Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, issues decree naming Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi as Crown Prince of the emirate.

18 Four workers die and 67 suffer injuries in a fire in an under-construction high-rise on Shaikh Zayed Road.

25 Minister of Education Dr Hanif Hassan announces that public schools will admit expatriates in all grades starting from the new academic year.

THE REGION

1 Hundreds of Sunni Arab supporters of Saddam Hussain stage a protest against his execution and blame leading Shiite politicians for the sentence.

2 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran asserts his nation's right to nuclear technology and labels a UN resolution imposing sanctions on Iran “invalid''.

3 Clashes between forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas government in Gaza leave four dead.

5 French President Jacques Chirac slams the US-led war in Iraq as a primary factor in the spread of terrorism.

8 Somali President Abdullahi Yousuf makes his first visit to Mogadishu since taking office in 2004.

9 Iraqi security forces backed by US troops kill 50 militants in clashes in central Baghdad after a video of Saddam Hussain of his execution appears on the internet.

14 Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrives in Syria on the first such high-level visit in three decades to a country accused by the US of fuelling strife in his homeland.

15 Saddam Hussain's half-brother Barzan Ebrahim Al Tikitri and former chief judge of the revolutionary court Awad Ahmad Bandar are executed.

16 Two car bombs kill 70 students outside the gates of Baghdad's Al Mustansiria University.

17 Israel's military Chief Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz resigns in the face of intense scrutiny over the flawed war in Lebanon.

21 Sunni and Shiite leaders at an Islamic conference in Doha call for the creation of an international committee to ensure uniformity in religious edicts.

23 Opposition protesters block roads and clash with government supporters, paralysing normal life across Lebanon. n Ethiopia begins troop pullout from Somalia after helping the government in Mogadishu drive out radical militia.

25 International donor conference in Paris pledges $7.6 billion in aid, loans and other assistance for war-scarred Lebanon.

28 US and Iraqi forces kill 250 gunmen in a battle involving US tanks and helicopters near Najaf.

29 Palestinian militant groups carry out their first suicide bombing in Israel in nine months, killing 3 people in the resort of Eilat.

29 Sudan loses leadership of the African Union to Ghana amid outrage over continuing bloodshed in Darfur.

THE WORLD

1 South Korea's Ban Ki-moon takes charge as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

4 Representative Keith Ellison, Democrat from Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to the US Congress, takes the oath of office.

5 Fiji coup leader and commander of the army Frank Bainimarama is sworn in as interim PM. n South African apartheid-era president Marais Viljoen dies of heart failure at 91.

6 Instant noodles inventor Momofuku Ando dies at the age of 96.

7 Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus of Warsaw, an appointee of Pope Benedict XVI, resigns after admitting to spying for Poland's former communist regime.

8 Office buildings are evacuated and rail services suspended across Manhattan as a mysterious gas-like odour triggers panic.

9 Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe gives the country its first full-fledged defence ministry since the Second World War.

10 Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is sworn in for a new six-year term. n Old US foe Daniel Ortega returns to power in Nicaragua. n Nato and Afghan troops kill 150 insurgents in a ground and air attack in Afghanistan.

11 Bangladesh's President Iajuddin Ahmad resigns as the head of a caretaker administration following imposition of emergency but retains hold as titular head.

13 China and Russia veto a US resolution in the UN Security Council calling on Myanmar's military junta to stop persecution of minority and opposition groups.

14 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announce readiness to spend billions on projects in other countries to help thwart US ‘domination'.

16 Abu Sayyaf militants Jainal Antel Sali and Ong Abu are killed during a shootout with security forces in the Philippines.

17 Symbolic Doomsday Clock is moved nearer to midnight by scientists in recognition that today the world is closer to nuclear annihilation than at any time since the early eighties.

19 China launches a missile to destroy an ageing satellite, sparking space arms race fears. n Hurricane force winds kill 44 as large areas of Europe are plunged into darkness.

20 Hillary Clinton announces she will form exploratory panel to launch her bid in 2008 US presidential race.

22 Abbe Pierre, the priest who became the conscience of the French nation during more than half a century of campaigns for the homeless, dies at 94.

24 A bipartisan US Senate committee rejects President George W. Bush's plan to send thousands of extra troops to Iraq, passing the measure to the full Senate for a vote. n Russia and India strike new arms deals on the eve of Vladimir Putin's New Delhi visit.

25 Russian President Vladimir Putin offers to build four new nuclear reactors for India and give it broader access to Russia's energy riches.

26 Martial law imposed after the September 2006 coup in Thailand partially lifted in 41 of 76 provinces.

28 Former US Vice-President Al Gore presents Britain's Prince Charles the Global Environmental Citizen Award conferred by the Centre for Health and the Global Environment of Harvard Medical School.

BUSINESS

3 His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, issues two decrees revamping the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Abu Dhabi Investment Council and assuming responsibility as chairman of both boards.

7 Iran signs $16 billion preliminary deal with Malaysia's SKS to develop its gas fields.

11 Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Beirut, in that order, are named the most expensive Mideast cities in a survey by Billion Plus magazine.

12 Indian mobile telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal is named ‘Asia's Businessman of the Year' by Fortune.

13 The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority announces Etisalat will cede the .ae domain to the government.

20 Dubai Islamic Bank announces plan to launch the world's first Shariah compliant financial services firm.

31 India's Tata Steel acquires Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus Group for $12 billion.

SPORTS

5 Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer bow out on a high as Australia win fifth and final Ashes Test to complete their first Ashes whitewash in 86 years.

11 David Beckham heads for Los Angeles Galaxy from Real Madrid in a $250 million deal.

16 Al Jazira lift FA Cup for the first time, beating Al Ahli 4-1 at Al Ain's Khalifa Stadium.

22 Invasor, owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, wins the Horse of the Year Eclipse Award held at Beverly Hills.

27 Esmail Mattar's last gasp goal against Saudi Arabia at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi sends the UAE into a Gulf Cup final for the first time.

30 The UAE team savours its brightest footballing moment after beating Oman 1-0 in the final of 18th Gulf Cup tournament held in Abu Dhabi.

31 Sachin Tendulkar strikes his 41st century to steer India to victory over the West Indies in the fourth and final match held in Vadodara.

ENTERTAINMENT

1 Queen named ‘Greatest British Band of All Time' in BBC Radio vote. 7 BBC presenter Magnus Magnusson of Mastermind fame dies at 77. 8 Scooby-Doo creator, animation whiz Iwao Takamoto, dies at the age of 81.

10 Film producer and Sophia Loren's husband Carlo Ponti dies at 94.

15 Helen Mirren wins a Golden Globe for her lead role in The Queen.

16 Supermodel Naomi Campbell pleads guilty to assault charges after being accused of hitting her maid with a phone.

17 India asks Britain to check whether race laws had been violated in the reported bullying of film star Shilpa Shetty on British reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother.

27 Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is presented France's Legion d'Honneur.

28 Little Miss Sunshine wins Screen Actors Guild Awards for best film ensemble, while Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker are adjudged best lead players for their roles in The Queen and Last King of Scotland respectively.

29 James Bond makes his official debut in Beijing with Casino Royale stars Daniel Craig and Eva Green attending the first Chinese premiere of a 007 film in the franchise's nearly 45-year history.

30 Sidney Sheldon, who won awards in Broadway theatre, movies and television before turning to writing at the age of 50, dies at the age of 89.

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