Timeline: May 2007

THE NATION

1 The new 13-lane Business Bay bridge over Dubai Creek opens.

10 US Vice-President Dick Cheney arrives on a state visit to the UAE as part of his tour of the region.

13 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the first Iranian president to visit the UAE, arrives on a state visit.

19 His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, unveils $10 billion fund to build a knowledge society during his address at the World Economic Forum in Jordan.

28 Sharjah Municipality cuts 25-year leases to five years.

30 Ban on smoking in public places in Dubai is enforced.

31 Vatican and UAE sign communiqué to establish diplomatic ties at the ambassadorial level.

THE REGION 3 UN chief Ban Ki-moon announces $30 billion in debt relief for Iraq at international conference in Egypt. n Sudan and Chad sign Saudi-brokered reconciliation deal pledging cooperation with the UN to stabilise Darfur and the adjacent region in Chad.

5 Hamas leader Khalid Mesha'al rejects US proposal for a detailed timeline to ease Palestinian movement and improve Israeli security.

15 Ninth GCC Consultative Summit held under the chairmanship of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia calls on Palestinians to end fighting and honour the Makkah Accord signed in March.

16 Israeli air strikes leave 24 Palestinians dead amid Hamas-Fatah clashes. 20 Forty-eight killed as Lebanese army mounts assault on militants entrenched in Palestinian refugee camp.

24 Israel arrests more than 30 Hamas leaders in the West Bank, including a Cabinet minister.

26 Mehdi Army fighters engage US and British forces in Baghdad and Basra after Moqtada Al Sadr makes a public call for the US to get out of Iraq.

29 Gunmen dressed in police uniforms abduct 5 Britons in Baghdad. n Syrian President Bashar Al Assad wins 97.62 per cent of votes in nationwide referendum on his leadership. n Ehsan Barakat becomes first woman judge in Jordan. n Qatar First Lady Shaikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al Misnad announces creation of Arab Foundation for Democracy.

THE WORLD

1 Blair celebrates 10 years as UK Prime Minister.

4 The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases a report laying out how the world could avoid the worst impacts of global warming with minimal economic damage.

6 Nicolas Sarkozy defeats Segolene Royal to become new French president. n Abdullah Gul withdraws his candidacy for Turkey's presidency.

7 Former Bangladesh PM Shaikh Hasina arrives in Dhaka after military-backed government lifts ban on her return. n White House rolls out red carpet for Queen Elizabeth II.

7 Northern Ireland's nationalists and loyalists form alliance after 86 years.

10 Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta wins East Timor presidential run-off.

10 Turkish parliament approves major constitutional amendment to allow the President to be elected directly by voters.

12 French aid worker Eric Damfreville freed by Taliban captors in Afghanistan. n Samoa's long-serving King Malietoa Tanumafili II dies at 94.

12 Resolution tabled in UN Security Council seeking Kosovo's independence from Serbia. n Pakistan's suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry abandons Karachi rally after clashes leave 30 dead.

13 A top Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah killed in military raid in southern Afghanistan.

17 Somali PM Ali Mohammad Gedi escapes unhurt in landmine attack. n For the first time in 50 years, a South Korean train passes through the border with North Korea.

18 Bomb blast at 17th-century Makkah Masjid kills 11 in India's Hyderabad city. n President Nicolas Sarkozy appoints Rachida Dati as Justice Minister, the first French Muslim politician to hold a top government post.

20 Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks returns to Australia to serve out his remaining sentence. n Rod Barber makes the first mobile phone call from atop Mount Everest.

21 Afghanistan's Parliament suspends outspoken woman legislator Malalai Joya.

23 Twelve convicted of assassinating Serbia's first democratically elected prime minister, Zoran Djindjic. n Red Cross quits Sri Lankan front lines amid fears for staff safety.

26 Malaysian opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim decides not to run for party chief.

27 Government clampdown on Venezuela's oldest television network RCTV sparks protests. n Sindh administration bars Tehrik-E-Insaf chief Imran Khan from entering Karachi for a month.

28 Japan's Agricultural Minister Toshikatsu Matsouka commits suicide hours before questioning over a political scandal.

30 UN Security Council sets up a tribunal to fix accountability for the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. n US government orders a man with suspected drug-resistant tuberculosis to be quarantined, the first such case since 1963. n Global Peace Index rates Norway most peaceful country and Iraq the least.

BUSINESS

1 Abu Dhabi Investment Company awarded a $500 million contract to develop Queen Alia International Airport in Amman.

2 Tiger Woods Dubai names IMG Golf Course Management to operate and manage the Al Ruwaya golf course. n Bahraini Premier Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa opens first phase of the $1.5 billion Bahrain Financial Harbour.

5 Dubai Holding announces plan to create the world's largest shopping area in the emirate. n Bahrain becomes sole owner of Gulf Air after Oman pulls out.

7 Sharjah envisages Dh250 million airport on Sir Abu Nuair island.

8 Abu Dhabi announces Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 to complete a metropolitan makeover. n $5 billion Masdar initiative launched in Abu Dhabi with eyes set on zero-carbon and zero-waste community.

12 Saudi Aramco and US firm Dow Chemical Co seal deal to build a petrochemical plant that represents the largest foreign investment in Saudi Arabia. n Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan agree to build natural gas pipeline circumventing the Caspian Sea.

13 IMF warns inflation could affect Gulf economies, especially the UAE and Qatar.

14 Canberus Capital Management buys 80.1% stake in Chrysler, ending Daimler's nine-year marriage with Chysler.

15 Canadian publisher Thomspon Corporation agrees to buy Reuters for about £8.7 billion.

17 The UAE ranks fourth in AC Nielsen's Global Online Consumer Confidence report.

20 Kuwait drops the dinar's dollar peg in favour of a benchmark against an undisclosed basket of currencies.

23 Ex-Coca Cola Co secretary Joya Williams sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiring to sell trade secrets to rival PepsiCo Inc for $1.5 million.

30 US President George W. Bush nominates Robert Zoellick to head the World Bank. 31 Indian economy grows 9.4%, its fastest rate in 18 years.

SPORTS

2 Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum wins gold medal at the first Bahrain Open Taekwondo event.

3 Dubai wins bid to host 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

6 Manchester United take their first Premier League title since 2003.

7 John Higgins beats Mark Selby in the final of the World Snooker Championship.

11 American Allyson Felix clocks year's best time in the 400 metres at the IAAF Super Grand Prix to add to her 100 metres win.

12 India beat Bangladesh in the second One-Day International in Dhaka to take a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series. n The UAE's Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi and British co-driver Nick Beech clinch first place in the 2007 Jordan Rally. n Sochaux overcome Marseille on penalties to win French Cup at the Stade de France.

13 Ferrari's Felipe Massa wins the Spanish Grand Prix.

17 Rafael Nadal beats Igor Andreev at the ATP Masters Series in Hamburg to extend his record-breaking winning streak on clay to 79.

18 His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, clears Frankie Dettori to ride a rival horse in the Epsom Classic to lift his chances of winning an English Derby.

19 Didier Drogba scores in injury time to give Chelsea a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the first FA Cup final played at the rebuilt Wembley stadium.

23 AC Milan win the Uefa Championships League final against Liverpool in Athens.

26 Sir Bu Naair race becomes the richest sailing race in the event's history with Dh6 million in prize money on offer. n Nuremberg beat VfB Stuttgart to lift German Cup after 45 years.

27 Al Wasl win the first division league title to add to President's Cup victory. n India win second Test against Bangladesh by an innings and 239 runs, their biggest victory margin ever.

28 England inflict record defeat on the West Indies, beating them by an innings and 283 runs in the second Test at Leeds.

ENTERTAINMENT

4 Paris Hilton sentenced to 45 days in jail after violating probation for a previous traffic offence. 20 Jim Broadbent adjudged Best Actor for role in Longford and Victoria Woods walks away with awards for Best Single Drama (Housewife) and Best Actress at the British Academy Television Awards 2007 held in London.

21 Sydney court fines Sylvester Stallone for bringing illegal human growth hormones into Australia.

23 Seventeen-year-old Jordin Sparks crowned 2007 American Idol to become the youngest winner of the talent hunt.

28 Miss Japan Riyo Mori is crowned Miss Universe 2007.

31 Aerosmith mark first performance in Dubai with sold-out concert.