WORLS AGENDA JULY 2005

July 1, Berlin: Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose Social Democrats are 20 points behind the main opposition party in opinion polls, faces a parliamentary vote of confidence. Germany is suffering chronic unemployment and a sluggish economy.

July 1, Abidjan: A global cocoa certification system, aimed at tackling child labour on West African plantations which produce 70 percent of the worldÕs cocoa, is due to come into force. More than 100,000 children work in dangerous conditions in Ivory Coast.

July 12, Helsinki: Peace talks between Indonesia and the northern province of Aceh, where a 30-year civil war has killed 12,000 people, are due to resume.

July 2-24, France: American Lance Armstrong bids for a seventh consecutive Tour de France victory before retiring. The champion of cyclingÕs most famous event made one of sportÕs biggest comebacks after being struck with testicular, lung and brain cancer in 1996.

July 2: London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Philadelphia: Free star-studded concerts around the world aim to raise awareness and pressure G8 countries, ahead of their summit, into eradicating African poverty. U2, Coldplay and REM are among bands that will perform at Bob GeldofÕs Live8.

July 6, Scotland: A sixth Live8 concert and a rally organised by Make Poverty History, an umbrella group campaigning to cancel poor countriesÕ debts and boost aid, take place in Edinburgh as leaders of the G8 industrialised nations gather at nearby Gleneagles.

July 6, Singapore: The International Olympic Committee announces the host of the 2012 Games, with Paris and London frontrunners in the contest. Madrid, Moscow and New York are also competing in what has been the highest-profile Olympic bid race in history.

July 10, European Union: Luxembourg votes on the EUÕs new constitution as debate over the 25-member unionÕs future rages following No votes by France and the Netherlands. Malta is also due to vote on the new constitution in July.

July 24-29, Laos: MyanmarÕs junta is expected to announce at an ASEAN meeting in Vientiane whether it will assume chairmanship of the group in 2006. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations faces a boycott by the United States and Europe if Yangon takes the chair.

July 25, Canada: Nine women plan to defy the Vatican and become the first female Roman Catholic priests and deacons ordained in North America with a ceremony on the St Lawrence river. Fourteen women have been ordained in similar river ceremonies in Europe.

July 30, Bangkok: Brazilian soccer great Pele leads an international all-star team in a charity game to raise funds for victims of the Boxing Day tsunami which killed 5,300 people in Thailand alone.

Parliamentary elections in Albania (July 3), Mauritius (July 3) and the Palestinian Territories (July 17). Presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan (July 10).
/ENDS