July 2011

Deepika Kumari, Laishram B. Devi and Checkrovolu Swuro got the silver medal in the World Archery Championship in the recurve event.

Armenia won the World Chess team championship, held at Ningbo, China. China won the silver medal and Ukraine got the bronze.

Harbhajan Singh has become the third Indian and 11th man in the history of Test cricket to reach 400 Test wickets mark. C.S. Baugh of the West Indies was his 400th victim.

Cadel Evans has become the first Australian to win the Tour-de-France. He is the oldest winner since 1923

In the Women’s Football World Cup Japan beat favourites USA.

Uruguay won the Copa America title. They defeated Paraguay in the finals.

South Sudan formally declared its independence on July 9, 2011. The President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir and the President of Sudan Omar Hassan al-Bashir were at the ceremony to mark the birth of the new nation.

The agreement for Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President Bimal Gurung. The new Hill Council will have more powers to run the three hill sub-divisions of Kurseong, Kalimpong and Darjeeling

The Supreme Court directed the government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by former SC judges B.P. Jeevan Reddy and M.B. Shah, and disclose the names of such bank account holders against whom show-cause notices have been issued.

July 21, 2011 was when the space shuttle Atlantis touched down safely in its final landing at the Kennedy Space Centre. NASA had 5 space shuttles: Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour. They were the world’s first reusable space vehicles.

Oscar Pistorius has become the first ‘disabled’ athlete to qualify for an able-bodied event i.e. the 2012 Olympics in London.

Justice Rabinder Singh: A British-born Sikh lawyer, he has been appointed a judge of the High Court in London. He has become the first Sikh and the first male from an ethnic minority ever to be elevated to the exalted position.

Mani Kaul who was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in India passed away. Among the films made by him were: “Uski Roti”, “Ashadh ka ek din”, “Duvidha” and “Naukar ki Kameez”. He had won the national award for the Best Documentary, “Siddheshwari”, based on the life of thumri singer of Banaras, Siddheshwari Devi.