WORLD AGENDA MARCH 2006

March 3, Japan: The worldÕs best major league baseball players will compete for their home countries for the first time as the inaugural World Baseball Classic gets underway in Tokyo. Sixteen nations, including the U.S., Italy, Cuba and Taiwan, are taking part in the tournament, which climaxes with a final in San Diego, California, on March 20.

March 5, Los Angeles: The ritziest of red carpets is unrolled for the 78th Academy Awards in Hollywood. Contenders for the best picture Oscar include Capote, Crash, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich, and Brokeback Mountain: Ang LeeÕs tender tale of a love affair between two cowboys, which has garnered nominations in eight of the 24 award categories.

March 6, South Africa: The rape trial of former deputy president Jacob Zuma is set to begin in Johannesburg. The trial -- billed as the most significant since apartheid -- was postponed last month when it was claimed that the 63-year-old politician had fathered a child with the sister of the judge expected to hear the case.

March 6, Iran: The crisis over IranÕs nuclear programme reaches its next crucial stage when Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, issues his report on TehranÕs compliance with nuclear safeguards. A poor verdict could prompt the UN security council to take action against Iran.

March 8: Half the world is celebrated as events are staged from Alaska to Zambia to mark International WomenÕs Day, which this year highlights the progress of women with the theme Inspiring Potential.

March 9, Germany: CeBit, the worldÕs biggest computer expo, opens its doors in Hannover, with almost 130,000 visitors and more than 6,000 exhibitors from 70 countries expected to attend the digital worldÕs annual showcase.

March 10: NasaÕs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is scheduled to arrive at the red planet, where -- after its seven-month, 100 million km journey -- it will study EarthÕs neighbour in unprecedented detail.

March 11, Chile: Michelle Bachelet, the socialist paediatrician who triumphed in elections in January, will be sworn in as her nationÕs first female president, while in Haiti newly elected Rene Preval takes office on March 29 in a country that has been without an elected president for two years.

March 15, Australia: The 18th Commonwealth Games get underway in Melbourne, with 4,500 athletes from 71 countries taking part in the quadrennial sporting event.

March 28, Israel: Israelis head for the polls, with acting prime minister Ehud Olmert looking poised to lead Kadima, the breakaway centrist party formed by Ariel Sharon shortly before his illness, to victory.

March 28, Sudan: The 22 member states of the Arab League hold their summit in Khartoum, with Iraq and a decision on funding for the new Hamas-led Palestinian Authority likely to be high on the agenda.

March 29: A total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from a narrow corridor crossing half the Earth. The path of the MoonÕs shadow begins in Brazil and travels across the Atlantic, northern Africa, and central Asia, ending at sunset in Mongolia.

Also:
Presidential elections in: Benin (5th); Belarus (19th).
Parliamentary elections in: Colombia (12th); Mauritania (19th); Ukraine (26th)
/ENDS