WORLD AGENDA FEBRUARY 2009

February 5, London: Sotheby's expects to fetch £16-£23 million at its contemporary art auction, a drastic fall on the £95m made at the corresponding sale last year. The downturn reflects caution in a once booming sector hit hard by the global credit crunch.

February 10, Jerusalem: Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party is forecast to win most seats in elections six weeks after Israel launched its 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip. Ehud Barak’s Labour Party has gained in polls since the attacks which killed 1,300 Palestinians.

February 12, London: People around the globe will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of British naturalist Charles Darwin, who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution. The 150th anniversary of the publication of his famous book, On the Origin of Species, takes place later this year.

February 15, Caracas: Venezuelans vote in a referendum on a change to the constitution that would allow the president to seek re-election after his term of office ends in four years. Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of the U.S., came to power in 1999.

February 16, London: The Monument to the Great Fire of London, which swept through the city in 1666, is due to reopen after major restoration. A new viewing platform means improved vistas around skyscrapers that have sprung up since its 1677 opening.

February 17, Cambodia: A UN-backed court starts the long-awaited first trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders, blamed for 1.7 million deaths in the 1970s. In the dock will be Kaing Guek Eav -- known as Duch -- a former interrogator for the regime.

February 22, Los Angeles: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has emerged as the frontrunner for this year's Oscars with 13 nominations, followed by the multi award-winning Slumdog Millionaire with 10. Others in the frame for Best Picture include Frost/Nixon, Milk, and The Reader.

Mid-February, Washington: President Obama hopes Congress will endorse his plan to stimulate the ailing U.S. economy. The $800 billion two-year programme aims to cut taxes and create jobs through increased government spending on public works projects.

Late February, Kabul: 500 U.S. Navy construction engineers arrive in Afghanistan to build facilities for a possible doubling of troops there in response to the intensifying Taliban insurgency. An extra 30,000 forces may be deployed in the next 12 to 18 months.

Late February, Zimbabwe: A government is "likely to be in place" by the end of the month, according to the state-run Herald. President Robert Mugabe has agreed to share power but talks with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have failed to resolve the impasse over cabinet posts.

February (undated), United Nations: Long-awaited reform of the Security Council moves closer when Britain and France, two of five permanent members, push for an interim solution to extending membership. Composition of the world security body is unchanged since the end of World War Two.

February (undated), Nepal: Power cuts of 16 hours a day are expected to be imposed because of a crippling electricity shortage which the state-run supplier says is caused by low river levels. Twelve-hour cuts are currently in place.
/ENDS