WORLD AGENDA MARCH 2008

March 2, Moscow: A landslide victory by Russian President Vladimir PutinÕs preferred successor, Gazprom chairman Dmitry Medvedev, is expected in presidential elections. Opponents and western critics say campaigning has been heavily skewed in his favour.

March 2, Baghdad: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran visits Iraq, the first leader of the Islamic Republic to do so, symbolising an end to decades of enmity between the neighbours. A war between the two countries in the 1980s killed one million people.

March 4, Texas, Ohio: U.S. primaries in two delegate-rich states give Hillary Clinton a chance to save her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. Barack Obama has crushed the former first lady in 10 straight contests, building support among voters who have long formed the core of ClintonÕs power base.

March 5, Beijing: Gyaltsen Norbu, aged 18 and ChinaÕs choice as the 11th Panchen Lama, the second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, is tipped to be appointed to a position equivalent to a cabinet minister at the National PeopleÕs Congress annual session.

March 6-16, Switzerland: A James Bond-inspired amphibious car is set to make a splash at the Geneva Motor Show. The sQuba, by Swiss designer Rinspeed Inc, can travel through the water at nine metres deep. It will not, however, be armed!

March 8, Kuala Lumpur: MalaysiaÕs fragile and fragmented ethnic population is expected to return the countryÕs ruling Barisan Nasional coalition with a significantly reduced majority. Increasingly discontented Chinese and Indian minorities are threatening to vent their frustration at the ballot box.

March 10, United Nations: A report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on peacekeeping prospects in war-torn Somalia is expected. The UNÕs Security Council is wary of sending troops, while its Refugee Agency describes the conflict as the worldÕs most pressing humanitarian crisis.

March 11, Cape Canaveral: Japan will be the next major contributor to the ISS when the space shuttle Endeavour delivers the first section of the three-part Kibo laboratory.

March 24, Ancient Olympia: The Olympic Flame begins its 130-day, 20-city journey around the world ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August. The torchbearersÕ relay will cover 137,000 kilometres.

March 24, Bhutan: The tiny Himalayan kingdomÕs first ever parliamentary election takes place amid escalating racial tensions. A string of bomb blasts leading up to the poll have been blamed on ethnic Nepalis, many of whom are barred from voting.

March 26, Pyongyang: A row over which anthem and flag to use threatens to overshadow a soccer World Cup qualifier between North and South Korea. The two nations are still technically at war but have marched together at other sporting events.

March 29, Harare: President Robert Mugabe seeks another five-year term in presidential and parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe against a backdrop of economic meltdown. The 84-year-old has been the countryÕs sole ruler since independence from Britain in 1980.
/ENDS