WORLD AGENDA OCTOBER 2011

October 8, Wales: Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and JLS play at a Michael Jackson tribute concert at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. The Michael Forever gig also features The Jacksons, brothers of the late King of Pop.

October 11, Monrovia: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first and only woman head of state, is poised for re-election in Liberia's first domestically organised vote since its civil war ended in 2003. She came to power in UN-organised polls in 2005.

October 13, Washington: South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak visits the White House for talks with President Obama that are expected to include the largest U.S. free trade pact in a generation. The pact, which would slash 95% of tariffs between the two
nations, was signed in 2007 but has yet to receive congressional approval.

October 15, Haiti: The UN peacekeeping mandate expires amid allegations of excessive use of force by troops. Haitian president Michel Martelly is expected to ask for the mission to be renewed but demonstrators demand its withdrawal.

October 17-21, Pyongyang: UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos visits North Korea for a first-hand look at the impoverished and isolated state, which suffers from chronic food shortages due to poor government, the effects of international sanctions and bad weather.

October 27, Ireland: Martin McGuinness, former Irish Republican Army commander and now deputy first minister in Northern Ireland, stands for election as President of the Republic of Ireland. He is a candidate for Sinn Fein, the fourth largest party in the country.

October 30, New Delhi: Formula One's inaugural Indian Grand Prix takes place with Narain Karthikeyan the homegrown hopeful behind the wheel for HRT. The event will be the 17th race of the season.

October (undated), Norfolk, England: Water is pumped through a 1km hosepipe into a huge helium balloon as part of an experiment to re-create the cooling effects of volcanoes on the earth's atmosphere. The Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering project runs for three years.

October (undated), Athens: Debt-laden Greece looks set to run out of cash as it struggles to plug a $2 billion budget hole to avoid default and stay in the euro. International lenders say the country must shrink its public sector and ramp up privatisation.

October (undated), Moscow: Russia sends its first train on a newly repaired railway line to North Korea, opening a rare trade route with the secretive nation. An agreement to reopen the 54km line from Khasan to Rajin was made in 2001.

October (undated), Moscow: The gas war between Russia -- owner of major energy reserves -- and Ukraine -- owner of the largest pipeline network to Western Europe -- may intensify as Russia begins pumping gas via the Baltic Sea. Its 1,230km Nord Stream pipeline cost $12 billion.
/ENDS