July 2009 Current Events: World News

U.S. News | Business/Science News

Here are the key events in world news for the month of July 2009.

• U.S. Military Taking Back Afghan Valley from Taliban (July 2): In an attempt to take back the Helmand River valley in southeast Afghanistan from the Taliban, 4,000 U.S. Marines and 650 Afghan troops enter the region. Nearby Pakistan deploys troops along its border to prevent insurgents from escaping the American advance.
• Indian Court Overturns Gay Sex Ban (July 2): New Delhi's highest court overturns the ban on homosexuality in India. Homosexuality has been illegal in India since 1861. Court justices declare the old law to be a violation of human rights and equality outlined in India's Constitution.
• Russia Opening Air Space for U.S. to Fight Afghan War (July 3): Russia will open its airspace for the United States military to use in order to fight the war in Afghanistan. President Obama will visit Russia for the first time during his presidency on July 6 and 7 to make the announcement and to meet with Russian president Dmitri A. Medvedev on nuclear arms and missile defense. (July 6): The United States and Russia reach a preliminary agreement on the issue of strategic nuclear weapons to discuss committing to lowering the legal limit of weapons in their nuclear arsenals.
• Serena Williams Wins Wimbledon (July 4): Serena Williams beats her sister, Venus, in the final match of the Wimbledon women's tennis tournament, claiming her third Grand Slam victory this year. The American sisters won the doubles portion of the Wimbledon women's tournament that day as well, against Australian teammates Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.
• Roger Federer Takes Wimbledon (July 5): Swiss tennis champ Roger Federer beats American Andy Roddick for the Wimbledon men's tennis title. This is his 15th Grand Slam title, breaking Pete Sampras's record.
• Riots in China Leave 156 Dead (July 6): Rioting in Urumqi, China between two ethnic groups—Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese—kills at least 156 people. Riot police lock down the Uighur portion of the city to stop the protests.
• Plane Crash in Iran Kills 168 (July 15): A passenger plane operated by Caspian Airlines, flying from Iran to Armenia, crashes just after takeoff, killing all 168 people on board. Flight 7908 was reportedly attempting to make an emergency landing due to technical difficulties only 16 minutes into the trip.
• Explosions at Two Indonesian Hotels Kill Eight (July 17): Two explosions, caused by suicide bombers, occurred at two nearby hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, killing eight people and injuring at least 50. A third bomb set by the terrorists failed to detonate.