WORLD AGENDA MAY 2012

May 2, New York: Edvard Munch's The Scream is expected to fetch up to $80m at auction at Sotheby's. The image is one of only four versions by the Norwegian artist and the only one privately owned.

May 3, Tunis: A Tunisian court issues a verdict in a blasphemy trial against the head of Nessma TV for showing the award-winning film Persepolis. The screening prompted calls by Islamists for Nabil Karoui to be executed.

May 6, Athens: Parties opposing austerity are forecast to make big gains in snap elections called by Greece's technocrat prime minister, Lucas Papademos. The poll is the first since the debt crisis exploded in 2009 leading to drastic spending cuts and violent protests.

May 6, Paris: Will Nicolas Sarkozy become the first one-term French president in 30 years? Can François Hollande become the country's first socialist leader since 1995? France goes to the polls in the French presidential runoff to decide.

May 7, Moscow: The strong man of Russia or a leader synonymous with cronyism and corruption? Vladimir Putin, one of the most controversial political figures in modern times, is inaugurated as president.

May 7, Damascus: Parliamentary elections are due to take place in Syria amid a shaky ceasefire in President Bashar al-Assad's armed crackdown on a 15-month uprising. Opponents of his rule say the move is a cynical ploy.

May 11, Paris: A rare 15th century Hebrew prayer book is expected to fetch up to $800,000 when it goes under the hammer at Christie's. The 400-page lavishly illustrated mahzor is considered one of the finest and rarest of its kind.

May 21, Chicago: A NATO summit will attempt to demonstrate long-term commitment to Afghanistan amid fears the country will face renewed civil war after 2014 when most foreign combat troops pull out. The cost of maintaining security is estimated at $4bn.

May 23, Cairo: Egypt holds its first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak's downfall in February 2011. The country's military rulers say they back a transition to democracy, while the increasingly influential Muslim Brotherhood accuses the army of wanting to cling to power.

May 26, Baku: Azerbaijan's human rights record comes under scrutiny as it hosts the 57th Eurovision Song Contest. The former Soviet republic is accused of razing homes and evicting residents to free up space for the event -- and of silencing its critics.

May 27, Netherlands: Haile Gebrselassie, one of the greatest distance runners in history, competes in his last ever 10,000m track race, in Hengelo. The 39-year-old Ethiopian, known as the Emperor, won Olympic gold twice and the World Championships four times.
/ENDS