WORLD AGENDA 2021 --------------------------- --------------------------- JANUARY 1 Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, while Kamala Harris takes the oath as the first woman vice-president 2 Brexit kicks in as the transition period ends, with or without a deal between the UK and EU 3 The 63rd Grammy Awards are broadcast from Los Angeles --------------------------- FEBRUARY 4 Three probes – Mars 2020, Hope and Tianwen-1 – launched by the U.S., UAE and China respectively, arrive at Mars 5 Barring a last-hour rescue, the New START Treaty between the U.S. and Russia, limiting numbers of strategic nuclear weapons, is due to expire 6 China marks the Year of the Ox. People born in Ox years are said to be honest and earnest --------------------------- MARCH 7 The trial of four former police officers accused in the death of George Floyd is due to start 8 A NATO summit in Brussels hopes to welcome Joe Biden, and to begin mending relations with the U.S. 9 Extreme E, a new racing series based on electric SUVs which aims to raise awareness of climate change, starts in Saudi Arabia --------------------------- APRIL 10 Raúl Castro is to step down as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, ending 62 years of Castro-led government 11 Peru holds a general election amid a period of political turmoil 12 The Oscars ceremony, moved from Feb 28 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is held in Los Angeles --------------------------- MAY 13 The 65th Eurovision Song Contest – postponed from 2020 – is held in Rotterdam 14 The second-shortest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting 14 minutes, will be visible from much of East Asia, Australia and the Americas 15 Tennis player Rafael Nadal will seek to extend his record with a 14th French Open title --------------------------- JUNE 16 Euro 2020 and the 2021 Copa América, both delayed by a year, kick off across Europe, and in Argentina and Colombia 17 Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest telecoms conference, opens in Barcelona 18 Amazon begins its switch to electric vans for deliveries across the U.S. --------------------------- JULY 19 The postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are due to begin, retaining the original logo and name 20 Bang Sue Grand Station, the largest rail station in Southeast Asia, opens in Bangkok 21 The U.S. Air Force aims to pit an advanced autonomous aircraft against a piloted plane in a challenge set to revolutionize air-to-air combat --------------------------- AUGUST 22 Microsoft ends support for its Internet Explorer 11 web browser, which made its debut in 1995 23 Mexico marks the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) to the Spanish conquistadores 24 Walt Disney Studios releases The Beatles: Get Back, filmmaker Peter Jackson’s documentary about the Fab Four --------------------------- SEPTEMBER 25 The era of Chancellor Angela Merkel comes to an end when Germans head to the polls to elect a new federal parliament 26 Hong Kong holds legislative elections, postponed from September 2020 27 The Arc de Triomphe in Paris will be wrapped in 25,000 sq. metres of blue fabric, an installation planned by the late artist Christo --------------------------- OCTOBER 28 Expo 2020, the first World Exposition in the Middle East, opens in Dubai – one year late due to Covid-19 29 NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, intended to replace Hubble, is scheduled to launch into orbit 30 TheRugby League World Cup kicks off in England --------------------------- NOVEMBER 31 Glasgow hosts the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the most important climate forum since the Paris Agreement of 2015 32 Barbados celebrates 55 years of of independence, aiming to remove the British monarch as head of state and become a republic 33 Italy hosts the G20 summit of the 20 biggest economies --------------------------- DECEMBER 34 The UAE celebrates 50 years of independence as an emerging economic power 35 Citizens of Russia and the former Eastern-bloc nations mark the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union 36 India intends to launch its first manned spaceflight, becoming the fourth country to send people into space --------------------------- Sources: Newsahead, Julie Mullins Pictures: Newscom, Getty Images, Amazon, NASA/Chris Gunn © GRAPHIC NEWS