WORLD AGENDA APRIL 2016

May 1, Vienna: More than 100 countries will have to meet higher standards on protecting nuclear facilities, following ratification of an amendment to an International Atomic Energy Agency Convention. The agreement also provides for broader cooperation in recovering stolen or smuggled nuclear material.

Early May: Brasilia: The Brazilian Senate is expected to suspend President Dilma Rousseff and put her on trial after the lower house voted for her impeachment in April. She is accused of manipulating government accounts to secure election in 2014.

Early May, Pyongyang: North Korea holds a rare party congress, the first in 36 years and only the seventh ever. Leader Kim Jong-un is expected to declare his signature ruling policy, the twin pursuit of nuclear prowess and economic development.

May 9, Manila: The Philippines elects its 16th president with the incumbent, Benigno Aquino III, constitutionally barred from standing. A vice presidential election, to replace Jejomar Binay, and a general election will be held at the same time.

May 10, Los Angeles: The copyright of Led ZeppelinŐs song Stairway to Heaven, regarded as one of the greatest rock compositions of all time, is questioned in court. A jury decides whether the song is too similar to an instrumental by the band Spirit.

May 11-22, France: Woody AllenŐs CafŽ Society, starring Kristen Stewart, dubbed by organisers the Queen of Cannes, opens the cityŐs 69th Film Festival. Stewart will also be vying for the Palme dŐOr in director Olivier AssayasŐ film Personal Shopper.

May 12, London: David Cameron hosts an international anti-corruption summit after the leaked Panama Papers revealed Britain at the heart of tax avoidance by the super-rich.

May 17, Geneva: A rare, pear-shaped, vivid pink diamond is expected to fetch up to $38 million at auction. The stone, which has the highest possible grading, weighs 15.38 carats.

May 20, Oslo: Norway broadcasts its latest slow TV instalment, a 12-hour showing of the ebb and flow of the sea. The programme features the worldŐs strongest tidal current, Saltstraumen, 80km north of the Arctic Circle.

May 26-27, Ise-Shima: Barack Obama may become the first sitting U.S. President to visit Hiroshima when he attends the annual G7 summit, being held in Japan. The city was obliterated by a U.S. atomic bomb in 1945.

May 22 - June 5, Paris: Novak Djokovic has another chance to complete a career Grand Slam when he competes in the French Open. Victory at Roland Garros would make him only the fifth man in the Open Era to join the elite group of players who have won all four Grand Slam titles.

May 26, Tokyo: A tiny robot that is also a smartphone, and which can recognise your face, read your messages aloud and wake you up, is launched by Sharp. The 20cm-tall RoBoHoN costs $1,800, plus a service fee. 

May (undated), Monaco: AthleticsŐ ruling body, the IAAF, decides whether Russia has reformed its anti-doping operation enough for inclusion in the Rio Olympics. The country was banned from competition last November after a report confirmed widespread state-sponsored doping and corruption.
/ENDS