WORLD AGENDA JULY 2008

July 1, London: The 150th anniversary of the presentation of Charles DarwinÕs theory, On the Origin of Species, to the Linnean Society. The view that the fittest would survive and evolve into new species challenged the ChurchÕs authority on the natural world.

July 4, Beijing/Taipei: Regular, direct flights across the Taiwan Strait are launched for the first time since 1949 when China claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan. The landmark deal will allow around 3,000 Chinese tourists to visit its island neighbour every day.

July 7-9, Hokkaido: Climate change will top the agenda at the Japan-hosted G8 summit. The leading industrial nations hope to formalise an agreement to halve global emissions by 2050.

July 9, Berlin: The opening of a new branch of Madame Tussauds wax museum is overshadowed by controversy over the inclusion of an Adolf Hitler figure. Critics say displaying the dictator is tasteless and could attract neo-Nazis.

July 13, Paris: A summit to launch a Union for the Mediterranean brings enemy leaders, Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Ehud Olmert of Israel, face to face, sparking speculation that the two leaders could meet on the sidelines to progress peace talks begun in recent months. The European and African countries around the Mediterranean aim to improve cooperation on security, economic development, energy and immigration.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Israeli leader Ehud Olmert attend a summit to launch a new Mediterranean Union, sparking speculation that the two leaders could meet on the sidelines to progress peace talks begun in recent months.

July 17, London: The planned boycott by 280 Conservative bishops of the 10-yearly Lambeth Conference effectively ends the eventÕs role in uniting Anglicans whose internal battle over homosexuality threatens a schism in the 77 million-member Church. A further 800 bishops are expected to attend.

July 18, Cape Town: Nelson Mandela turns 90. South Africa is in talks with the U.S. to have the name of the former president struck off a list of terrorists before his birthday. Mandela remains on the U.S. list more than a decade after the defeat of the apartheid regime.

July 21, Paris: FranceÕs first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, releases her third album, Comme si de rien nÕetait (As if nothing had happened). The Italian-born model, who married the French President in February, wrote or co-wrote 12 of the 14 songs.

July (undated), global: Protests over soaring oil prices spread with a transporters' strike in India (July 2) and a mass demonstration in Kuala Lumpur (July 12). Meanwhile Saudi Arabia aims to boost oil output to the fastest rate in decades.

July (undated), Nigeria: A summit aims to tackle sabotage of the oil industry in the Niger Delta that has helped push world prices to a record high. In addition, a national state of emergency is imposed in response to the countryÕs crippling power crisis.
/ENDS