WORLD AGENDA SEPTEMBER September 3, Beslan: The North Ossetia town commemorates the first anniversary of the massacre of 330 people Ð more than half of them children Ð killed when armed Chechen attackers stormed a school and held 1,000 people hostage for three days. September 7, Cairo: EgyptÕs first contested presidential election takes place with 10 candidates appearing on the ballot paper. President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the Arab worldÕs most populous country for 24 years, is widely expected to win the poll. September 11, Tokyo: A snap election could change the face of Japanese politics if, as some predict, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has held power almost without interruption since 1955, splits over plans to privatise the nationÕs postal service. September 12, Hong Kong: DisneylandÕs new US$3.2 billion theme park opens in Communist ChinaÕs special administrative region. September 18, Kabul: Ousted Taliban members have vowed to derail parliamentary elections due amid rising violence in Afghanistan. Hundreds have died Ð including 36 U.S. soldiers Ð since March, the bloodiest period since the war in 2001. September 18, Berlin: Germany goes to the polls with Gerhard Schroeder, who called the election a year early, attempting to secure a fresh mandate to press ahead with welfare cuts. The Chancellor trails in opinion polls behind Angela MerkelÕs conservatives. September 22, Islamabad: Players will wear Muslim dress and men will be barred from the audience at PakistanÕs first national womenÕs soccer championships. The measures are an attempt to appease Islamic hardliners. September (undated), Niger: The starvation crisis is expected to abate with optimistic forecasts for SeptemberÕs harvest. Last year drought and locust swarms caused the loss of between 75 and 90 percent of crops and livestock. September (undated), Beijing: China begins development of a lunar probe satellite to be used in an unmanned mission in 2007. The craft will orbit the moon before carrying out soft landing and inspection missions. September (undated), Hanoi: Vietnam will begin putting microchips on 4,000 bears raised in bile farms in an effort to limit the numbers caught in the wild. Thousands of the animals live in cramped cages while the fluid is extracted for medicinal purposes. Parliamentary elections: Norway (Sep 12), New Zealand (Sep 17), Poland (Sep 25), St Helena (undated) and Macau (undated).