WORLD AGENDA OCTOBER 2010

October 1, London: American Bob Dudley replaces Briton Tony Hayward as BP chief executive. Hayward was forced to quit following his handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the aftermath of which has become America’s worst environmental disaster.

October 1, Kigali: The final version of a UN report, a leaked version of which made the most official and forthcoming accusations yet against Rwanda of human rights violations in Congo, is published. President Paul Kagame rejected the draft’s findings as “absurd”.

October 3, Sao Paulo: Brazil’s ruling party candidate Dilma Rousseff is poised for a first round victory in presidential elections despite an ethics scandal allegedly involving a former aide. She is set to replace the hugely popular and successful Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who must step down after two terms in office.

October 3-14, New Delhi: India’s chance to shine on the world stage is in peril as the country scrambles against the clock to save the Commonwealth Games. Missed deadlines, a dengue epidemic, and leaky stadia have led big ticket athletes to quit the showcase event and nations are threatening to stay home unless authorities clean up venues “unfit for human habitation”. The event, with 8,000 athletes, has cost US$6bn.

October 6, Brussels: Details are unveiled of the European Union’s new Single Market Act, which aims to create jobs and boost cross-border trade and investment across the 27-nation bloc. Small and medium-sized enterprises are expected to benefit from the introduction of simplified regulations.

October 10, Bishkek: Landmark elections in Kyrgyzstan are set to turn the former Soviet state into the first parliamentary democracy in central Asia, a region run by authoritarian presidents. The poll follows a June referendum which showed 90 percent voter support for constitutional change.

October 10, Poland: Families of the 95 people killed with President Lech Kaczynski in an April plane crash in Smolensk, Russia, begin a pilgrimage to transfer a cross, erected in front of Warsaw’s presidential palace in honour of the victims, to the crash site.

October 18-29, Japan: Nations agree new targets to try to halt an unprecedented decline in species -- that  some experts say is 1,000 times natural progression -- by 2050. The Nagoya Biodiversity Summit is a highlight in the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity.

October 27, London: James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 is expected to fetch more than £5m -- the most ever paid for a vehicle from a film -- at auction. It comes fitted with machine guns, revolving number plates, oil slick sprayer and smoke screen.

October 30, Naples: Soccer legend Diego Maradona turns 50 with, he hopes, a charity match at former club Napoli. The Argentine is in dispute with Italian authorities over tax payments when he lived in Naples.
/ENDS