August general: The United States is expected to break ground in Alaska for the building of test facilities for its controversial missile defence shield plans. President BushÕs proposal has met with resistance from Russia, China and most of Europe where opponents say it threatens the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty prohibiting national missile defence programmes and raises the spectre of a new arms race

August 1: Lesbian and gay couples in Germany will be able to exchange vows in register office ceremonies from today, after the countryÕs top court cleared the way for same-sex marriages. The new law allows couples to share a common surname and gives equal rights with heterosexuals regarding inheritance and insurance. They will also require a court judgement to divorce

August 3: Athletes from 200 countries descend on the Canadian city of Edmonton for the biannual World Athletics Championships Ð the third most-watched sporting event after the summer Olympics and soccer World Cup. A television audience of 4bn is expected to tune in to watch 3,000 sportsmen and women vying in 46 medal events during the 10 days of competition

August 4: Queen Elizabeth opens the gardens of Buckingham Palace to paying visitors for the first time. The secluded grounds in central London are home to 30 types of birds and 350 flowers, some of them rare

August 12: Northern IrelandÕs landmark Good Friday peace accord will crumble unless London and Dublin can deliver a rescue formula acceptable to the feuding parties that share power in the provinceÕs joint administration. The crisis was triggered when First Minister David Trimble quit last month over the IRAÕs continued refusal to hand in its weapons as required by the 1998 peace treaty. Without a deal by August 12, Britain must suspend Northern IrelandÕs parliament or order fresh elections

August 15: Diplomatic trouble is likely if Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi goes ahead with a planned visit to a controversial World War II shrine in Tokyo. China has objected, saying 14 convicted war criminals are among those honoured by the memorial. The site received its last official visit from a Japanese premier in 1986

August 25: The biggest carnival in Europe gets underway in LondonÕs trendy Notting Hill. The spectacular three-day street festival, founded by the areaÕs black immigrants in 1964, attracts millions of visitors from all over the world

August 30: East Timor holds its first national elections since throwing off 23 years of Indonesian rule in 1999. The key task of the new assembly will be to draft a constitution that takes the impoverished half-island territory Ð currently under UN administration Ð to full independence

August 31: The United Nations holds its first World Conference Against Racism in a bid to address the Ògrowing complexity of racial discrimination and ethnic violenceÓ. The event in Durban, described by UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson as among the most significant gatherings at the start of the century, will discuss the causes of racism and measures to prevent it

August general: An important month for Fijians hoping for an end to the economic and political gloom engulfing their South Pacific island. George Speight, who ousted prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry last year in an armed coup and sent tourist revenues nose-diving, stands trial in the countryÕs most serious criminal case to date, while the people outside vote for a new government to replace the one he overthrew