WORLD AGENDA 2024 JANUARY 1 Presidential elections take place in Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory 2 Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and possibly Argentina, join the BRICS group of emerging economies, which becomes BRICS+ 3 The world’s largest cruise ship, The Icon of the Seas, makes its inaugural voyage FEBRUARY 4 China marks the Year of the Dragon. People born in Dragon years are said to be creative, curious and determined 5 Indonesia, the world’s third- largest democracy, holds presidential elections 6 Japan could become only the fifth nation to land on the moon if its Moon Sniper lander touches down successfully MARCH 7 Donald Trump stands trial for trying to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat, one day before “Super Tuesday” 8 Vladimir Putin’s run in Russia’s presidential election could ensure he stays in power until 2030 9 Dune: Part Two, the sequel to the 2021 movie adaptation of the sci-fi classic, is released APRIL 10 A total solar eclipse, dubbed the Great North American Eclipse, will be visible from Mexico to Newfoundland 11 Venice imposes a €5 entry fee on daytrippers during peak tourist season, as the city seeks to combat overtourism 2 The Rolling Stones go back on the road in North America, with two of the core trio already past their 80th birthdays MAY 13 Narendra Modi eyes a third term as Prime Minister in India’s national elections 14 South Africa is expected to hold national elections 15 Sweden hosts the Eurovision Song Contest for the seventh time JUNE 16 Citizens across 27 EU member states elect representatives to the newly expanded 720-seat European Parliament 17 Former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum (left) and senator Xóchitl Gálvez are vying to become Mexico’s first female president 18 Football takes centre stage at Euro 2024 in Germany and the Copa América in the U.S. JULY 19 Paris hosts the Olympic Games, 100 years after they were last held in the city 20 U.S. Republicans select their presidential candidate at the party’s national convention in Milwaukee 21 NATO leaders meet in Washington for their annual summit as the expanded alliance marks its 75th anniversary AUGUST 22 Democrats formally nominate their presidential candidate at their National Convention in Chicago 23 The annual Perseids meteor shower reaches its peak, with 60 or more meteors visible per hour 24 The new city of Nusantara is formally inaugurated as the capital of Indonesia, replacing Jakarta SEPTEMBER 25 A blockbuster Van Gogh exhibition opens in London as part of the National Gallery’s bicentenary celebrations 26 Germany holds elections in the eastern states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia, with the far-right AfD expected to do well 27 Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission blasts off to collect samples of the Martian moon Phobos and return them to Earth OCTOBER 28 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg steps down after a decade at the helm 29 NASA is set to launch Europa Clipper, a probe to study the habitability of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa 30 The final race of the 37th America’s Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, takes place in Barcelona NOVEMBER 31 Americans go to the polls to elect their president and determine who controls Congress 32 The COP29 climate conference is scheduled to be held in Eastern Europe, but Russia opposes any EU location 33 Four astronauts will loop around the moon on Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission back to the moon in over 50 years DECEMBER 34 Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens its doors, five years after the devastating fire that destroyed the roof and iconic spire 35 The new Navi Mumbai International Airport, designed in the shape of a lotus, the national flower,opens in India’s biggest city 36 Robert Eggers’ remake of Nosferatu, the classic vampire made famous in F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film, is released Sources: Newsahead, Julie Mullins Pictures: Newscom, Getty Images, National Gallery of Art, NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute © GRAPHIC NEWS