WORLD AGENDA 2018 JANUARY 1 Donald Trump marks the first anniversary of his inauguration as President of the United States 2 Bulgaria assumes the rotating presidency of the European Union, as new EU rules aimed at increasing transparency in financial markets come into force 3 World leaders gather in Davos in the Swiss Alps for the annual World Economic Forum FEBRUARY 4 PyeongChang hosts the Winter Olympic Games amid tension over the impact of the IOC’s ban on Russia’s participation 5 China marks the Year of the Dog. Famous dog people include Lenin and Mother Teresa 6 Cuba begins a new era as Raúl Castro, 86-year-old younger brother of Fidel, steps down MARCH 7 The publication 200 years ago of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein gave the world an intriguing monster and added to the philosophical debate on creation 8 Italy’s general election will be fought under a new system that favours broad alliances 9 Russia’s president Vladimir Putin could win a second six-year term. He has been in power as either president or prime minister since 1999 APRIL 10 Britain’s Royal Air Force, the world’s oldest independent air force, celebrates its centenary 11 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered on the 50th anniversary of his assassination 12 World Health Day 2018 falls on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization MAY 13 NASA launches its InSight lander to Mars, where it will study the planet’s deep interior 14 Britain’s Prince Harry marries American actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle 16 Workers around the world commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Karl Marx JUNE 16 Canada hosts the G7 summit in Quebec 17 The Berlin Airlift was launched 70 years ago 18 The FIFA World Cup brings global football stars to Russian cities JULY 19 The iconic Volkswagen Beetle, born out of a desire by Nazi Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler to produce a cheap “people’s car”, was launched 80 years ago 20 Mexicans elect a new president and parliament 21 Argentina becomes the first South American country to chair the G20 group of major economies AUGUST 22 The World Meeting of Families brings Pope Francis and Catholics from around the world to Ireland’s capital Dublin 23 A partial solar eclipse, the last of three in 2018, will be visible from many populous areas from northern Europe to Asia 24 Two Indonesian cities, Jakarta and Palembang, host the 2018 Asian Games SEPTEMBER 25 North Korea’s 70th anniversary invites a new show of defiance to the international community from leader Kim Jong Un 26 Europe’s golfers hope to avenge their defeat in 2016 by beating the U.S. in the biennial Ryder Cup, to be held in France 27 It is 10 years since Lehman Brothers filed for bankrupcy, setting off a global financial crisis OCTOBER 28 The annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF takes place in Bali, Indonesia 29 Voters in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, choose a new president 30 BepiColombo, a European-Japanese mission to Mercury, is set to launch NOVEMBER 31 The U.S. midterm elections will be seen as a referendum on Donald Trump’s controversial presidency 32 Commemorations will mark the centenary of the armistice that ended the First World War 33 Papua New Guinea hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit DECEMBER 34 Congo is scheduled to hold presidential and legislative elections 35 Trains start running on London’s Crossrail, Europe’s most ambitious engineering project 36 Mary Poppins Returns, the sequel to the classic 1964 film, opens, starring Emily Blunt as the magical nanny UK 7, 10, 14, 35 22 26 32 23 GERMANY 15, 17, 19 3 12 2 34 4 6 30 UNITED STATES 1, 11, 13, 27, 31, 36 29 15 20 8 9 18 5 24 28 25 33 21 Sources: Newsahead, Julie Mullins Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images, ESA/ATG medialab, Walt Disney Studios © GRAPHIC NEWS