WORLD AGENDA MARCH 2012

March 2, Tehran: Iran goes to the polls in parliamentary elections that are being seen as a test of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's popularity. It is the first vote since the president's disputed re-election in 2009 which ignited the worst unrest in three decades.

March 3, UK: Soccer's ban on the hijab is driving Muslim women away from the game and should be overturned, a meeting of the International Football Association Board will be told. The Iranian team was prevented from playing Olympic qualifiers over the issue.

March 4, Russia: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is set to return to the presidency, winning a six-year term, despite a decline in his popularity and the biggest opposition protests over his 12 years at the heart of power. He was president from 2000-2008.

March 6, United States: Super Tuesday sees Republican primary elections in 10 states with Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich current favourites to take on Barack Obama in November's presidential election. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum also remain in the running.

March 7, New York: Forty-five works of art from the collection of Silicon Valley pioneer Peter Norton go on sale at auction. The Norton AntiVirus creator is described by Christie's as one of the most active and adventurous collectors of emerging artists.

March 13-14, Washington: The Anglo-American "special relationship" is emphasised when British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha visit Barack and Michelle Obama at the White House. The two leaders will discuss Afghanistan, the Middle East and the global economic crisis.

March 15, Italy: Silvio Berlusconi, who resigned as prime minister in November amid a string of scandals, stands trial accused of revealing confidential information. The former PM is accused of corruption, tax fraud, and paying for sex with an underage prostitute.

March 15, Syria: The country marks the first anniversary of the civil uprising against Bashar al-Assad as violence increases along with international pressure on the president to resign. Assad came to power in 2000 following the 30-year rule by his father Hafez al-Assad.

March 26-28, Havana: Pope Benedict hopes to meet the ailing revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, now rarely seen in public, when he visits Cuba. The trip is a sign of warming relations between the communist country and the Catholic Church.

March (undated), Jakarta: Indonesia hopes to pull in investors when it creates one of the largest palm oil and rubber firms in the world by combining 15 state firms. The new company will have assets totalling $5.6 billion and cover one million hectares.
/ENDS