WORLD AGENDA FEBRUARY 2013

February 4, Milan: The final session in the trial of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is accused of paying for sex with a minor. A verdict is expected before national elections on February 24-25, in which the 76-year-old is a candidate.

February 5, Brussels: Security in crisis-hit Mali is the focus of a meeting between the European Union, the United Nations and the African Union. France mobilised 2,500 troops in January to combat Islamic extremists in control of the north of Mali.

February 5, Sofia: Bulgaria’s report on its probe into the Burgas bombing, which killed seven in the Black Sea resort on July 18 last year, may be published. The Israelis blamed the attack on Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran.

February 10, India: Millions of Hindus bathe in the Ganges in Allahabad to wash away their sins on the most auspicious date in the six week-long Kumbh Mela. The pilgrimage, expected to attract up to 100 million people, takes place every three years.

February 11, California: The earliest date for the launch of Nasa’s Landsat 8, the eighth Earth Observation satellite to monitor land use changes in a 40-year programme. City growth, deforestation and climate change effects are recorded.

February 11, Vina del Mar: Former number one tennis player Rafael Nadal makes his long awaited comeback from injury at the Chile Open. The 11-time Grand Slam champion has been sidelined with knee tendinitis since Wimbledon last June and is now ranked number 4.

February 15, Washington DC: The date commentators forecast the United States may face an unprecedented default unless it raises its $16.4 trillion debt ceiling. Experts fear a financial crisis and recession could follow.

February 17, Ecuador: The popular President Rafael Correa is expected to easily win a third consecutive term in presidential elections. The 49-year-old, who ended years of political instability when he took power in 2007, is one of Latin America’s increasingly powerful left-leaning leaders.

February 24, Hollywood: Films up for glory at the 85th Academy Awards include Lincoln, with Daniel Day-Lewis a hot contender for best actor, Les Miserables, and Zero Dark Thirty, about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

February (undated), Ho Chi Minh City: Will coffee-loving Vietnam, the world’s second highest exporter of beans, welcome the arrival of U.S. giant Starbucks? The behemoth’s first branch in the former U.S. war zone is part of a strategy to expand across Asia.
/ENDS