WORLD AGENDA OCTOBER 2007

October 1, New Delhi: Fashion magazine Vogue is set to launch its first Indian edition, confirmation of the countryÕs growing reputation for designer clothes and a hallmark of its strengthening economy. India has one of the worldÕs fastest growing luxury goodsÕ markets.

October 2, Pyongyang: South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun travels to North Korea for a meeting with leader Kim Jong-il, the second such summit since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war. The first, in 2000, led to unprecedented cooperation.

October 2, London: A jury is sworn in opening the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Al Fayed, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. The hearing is expected to last six months.

October 4, Moscow: The 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union becoming the first nation in space when it launched the Sputnik-I satellite into orbit 500 miles above the Earth.

October 6, Pakistan:General Pervez Musharraf will seek another term as president despite legal challenges in the Supreme Court and slumping popularity. Musharraf, a key U.S. ally, took control in a coup eight years ago.

October 9, Cuba: People around the world will mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Argentine-born, Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guevara.

October 9, Reykjavik: Yoko Ono unveils a peace tower dedicated to her late husband, former Beatle John Lennon, on what would have been his 67th birthday. The light tower will be engraved with Òimagine peaceÓ in 24 languages.

October 15, Norway: Some of the worldÕs strictest advertising guidelines for cars come into force. Manufacturers will be banned from describing vehicles as ÒcleanÓ, ÒgreenÓ or Òenvironmentally friendlyÓ.

October 16, Jamaica: The inquest opens into the death of former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer. The 58-year-old was found unconscious on March 18, a day after PakistanÕs surprise defeat by Ireland in the Cricket World Cup.

October 20, Paris: The Rugby World Cup final is played at the Stade de France in St-Denis. The winners, one of 20 participating nations, will be awarded the Webb Ellis Cup.

October 21, Poland: The likely date for snap elections following the collapse of coalition rule. President Lech Kaczynski and his brother, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, take on the pro-business Civic Platform party.

October 27, Libya: Peace talks between rebel groups in Darfur and Khartoum seek an end to a conflict that has generated one of the worldÕs worst humanitarian crises. Experts estimate 200,000 have died in over four years of fighting in Sudan.

October 28, Buenos Aires: First lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is the favourite to win presidential elections after her husband, President Nestor Kirchner, opted to step aside. Victory for Fernandez would make her ArgentinaÕs first elected woman president.

Mid-October, Moscow: The U.S. and Russia will hold a third round of consultations on WashingtonÕs missile defence plan. Russia strongly opposes BushÕs plans to deploy missile bases in Eastern Europe.
/ENDS