Nov-dec 2008

EVENTS; APPOINTMENTS; ETC.: NOV-DEC 2008 APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc. John Key: He has been elected as Prime Minister of New Zealand.

P. Chidambaram: He has taken over as the Home Minister of India. The charge of Finance Ministry under him has been taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Hillary Clinton: She has been appointed as the next Secretary of State of USA by President-elect Barack Obama.

Ashok Chavan: He has been appointed Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS

Dmitry Medvedev: President of Russia.

Hosni Mubarak: President of Egypt.

Condeleezza Rice: US Secreatary of State.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier: Foreign Minister of Germany.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi: Foreign Minister of Pakistan.

Nadine Gordimer: South African author-activist and Nobel laureate.

RESIGNED

Helen Clark: Prime Minister of New Zealand. Shivraj Patil: Union Home Minister of India. Somchai Wongsawat: Prime Minister of Thailand. R.R. Patil: Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

DIED

V.P. Singh: Former Prime Minister of India who dethroned Rajiv Gandhi to form the first non-Congress coalition government at the Centre in 1989. He was 77.

Ajit Kumar Panja: Trinamool Congress leader and former Union Minister.

EVENTS NOVEMBER 9—In Russia’s worst naval accident in nearly a decade, at least 20 people, are killed in a gas leakage during a sea trial of a brand-new nuclear-powered Nerpa submarine.

13—A suicide car bomber strikes a USmilitary convoy passing through a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan, killing 21 people.

14—The Indian tri-colour lands on the moon at 8.31 pm, opening a new chapter in the history of India. India becomes the fifth entity to join the global moon club. The tri-colour was painted on all sides of the 29-kg Moon Impact Probe (MIP) which was part of Chandrayaan-1 mission.

16—Somali Pirates who had captured the MV Stolt Valor, a Japanese-owned cargo ship with 18 Indians on board, release it after ransom is paid, bringing to an end 62 days in captivity for the sailors.

19—The Indian Navy’s warship, INS Tabar, while on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, sinks the main ship of the pirates.

26—Mumbai comes under an unprece-dented and dastardly night attack as terrorists use heavy duty guns, including AK-47s and grenades to strike at the

city’s most high-profile targets: CST rail terminus, Taj and Oberoi hotels and Nariman House, killing more than 180 people.

29—Commandos of the National Security Guard end the takeover of the iconic Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai by terrorists.

30—At least 18 persons are killed in ethnic clashes between two groups in Karachi, Pakistan. DECEMBER 2—Three persons, including a child, are killed in a powerful train blast, triggered by suspected militants, at Diphu railway station in Karbi Anglong district of Assam.

8—Congress returns Delhi, wins in Mizoram and Rajasthan in elections to elect State Assemblies. BJP retains Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

MILESTONES

Ashutosh Kaushik: MTV Roadies winner, he has won the TV reality show Big Boss - 2 Dinesh Patel & Rinku Singh: The two Indian novices, who had never picked up a baseball bat in the life, have become the first athletes from India to sign professional baseball contracts, agreeing to deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. They will first play in the minor league affiliates of the Pirates, and if they are good enough, for the actual Pirates team itself.