WORLD AGENDA NOVEMBER
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November (undated), Muzaffarabad: The desperate situation of around three million people left homeless by the October 8 earthquake in the mountainous north of Pakistan and Kashmir will worsen as winter sets in. The official death toll is likely to climb as relief workers finally reach inaccessible places.

November (undated), Vatican City: Gay men will be allowed into the priesthood if they can demonstrate they have been celibate for three years, according to a document expected to be released by the Roman Catholic Church.

November 4, Tel Aviv: The 10th anniversary of the death of Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister assassinated while leaving a Tel Aviv peace rally. A tribute, attended by Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, will be held on November 15.

November 7-8, Geneva: The World Health Organisation meets to coordinate funding for a response to the ÒimminentÓ threat of a bird flu pandemic among humans. The H5N1 virus has infected more than 100 people, killing at least 60 in Asia, since late 2003.

November 11, Palestinian Authority: The first anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat. The former President, who led the Palestinian struggle for statehood for 40 years, was buried amid tumultuous scenes at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, where he had been confined by Israeli forces for three years.

November 12-13, Dhaka: The twice-postponed summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is due to take place ahead of the January 2006 introduction of a trade pact among members. Discussions on a SAARC economic council will also be on the agenda.

November 15, Cairo: Hopes are rising that IraqÕs divided factions will attend a national reconciliation conference organised by the 22-state Arab League. Ruling Shiites and some Sunnis, the faction behind the anti-government insurgency, have agreed to take part.

November 16-25, Nairobi: A Convention on Migratory Species will call for urgent in-depth studies to identify creatures at risk of extinction from global warming. The habitats of thousands of species are threatened by changing weather patterns.

November 26, Harare: Elections for a new Senate take place, a move Robert MugabeÕs critics say is designed to increase the PresidentÕs grip on power. The opposition Movement for Demographic Change party has been wrangling over whether to boycott the polls.

November 28, Montreal: Officials from 150 nations will attend a UN climate change summit to examine ways to launch a global approach to cutting pollution after 2012, the date the first phase of the Kyoto pact ends.

Parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan (Nov 6), Egypt (Nov 8) and Honduras (Nov 27). Presidential elections in Burkina Faso (Nov 13) and Honduras (Nov 27).
/ENDS