World Agenda 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JANUARY Tsai Ing-wen, leader of Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which favours formal independence from China, is expected to win presidential elections FEBRUARY Election fever hots up in the United States as presidential primaries and caucuses get underwayMore than 10,500 athletes from 206 nations compete at Rio 2016, the Olympic Games in Brazil Seven candidates stand for election to replace Sepp Blatter, who is under criminal investigation, as president of FIFA Chinese world- wide celebrate the Year of the Monkey. People born in Monkey years are said to be intelligent, optimistic and ambitious MARCH A UN summit aims to win pledges from countries to resettle millions of displaced Syrians escaping civil war People in Indonesia and across a swathe of the Pacific will witness a total solar eclipse on March 9 New Zealand holds a final referendum to decide on whether to adopt a new flag or keep the current one APRIL Queen Elizabeth II, the longest- reigning monarch in British history, turns 90 on April 21 Keiko Fujimori, daughter of jailed former president Alberto Fujimori, is favourite to be elected Peru’s next president The legacy of two literary giants – Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare – will be celebrated on the 400th anniversary of their deaths MAY Strict EU regulations on e-cigarettes, governing bottle sizes, tank sizes and nicotine strength, come into force Ceremonies mark the centenary of the Battle of Verdun followed in July by the Battle of the Somme - two of the bloodiest battles of World War I The G7 summit in Japan will be the first for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the last for U.S. President Barack Obama JUNE France hosts Euro 2016, contested by 24 teams, including two-time defending champions Spain JULY Republicans and Democrats hold national conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia to nominate their candidates for the White House Launched in August 2011, NASA’s Juno probe arrives at Jupiter in a bid to unlock the secrets of the enigmatic gas giant AUGUST Arch rivals India and Pakistan celebrate the 70th anniversary of independence from Britain SEPTEMBER Russia’s appetite for President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive foreign policy will be tested in parliamentary, regional and local elections Fire! Fire! – an exhibition about the Great Fire of London – marks 350 years since the disaster that shaped the modern city OCTOBER NASA launches eight suitcase- sized satellites that make up its new Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), to improve storm forecasting NOVEMBER Will Democrat Hillary Clinton become the first woman President of the United States when the country votes in its 45th chief? President Xi Jinping welcomes world leaders to the first G20 summit hosted by China DECEMBER The mandate for Joseph Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo ends. In power since 2001, Kabila is expected to attempt to stay in office Deadline for contenders for the $30m Google Lunar X Prize competition, awarded to privately funded teams that manage to land a spacecraft on the Moon ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Kate Edgley Pictures: Getty Images, Associated Press