WORLD AGENDA DECEMBER 2006

Dec 2, Havana: Will the ailing Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, who has not been seen in public since undergoing intestinal surgery in July, make an appearance for a joint celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the revolution he led and his 80th birthday?

Dec 3, Caracas: Hugo Chavez, one of Latin AmericaŐs most powerful leaders and an outspoken critic of Washington, is expected to win a landslide victory in VenezuelaŐs presidential elections. The firebrand leftistŐs social programmes have brought cheap food and free medical care into the barrios.

Dec 7, Cape Canaveral: NASA launches the shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station at 9.36pm EST, its first night-time launch since the 2003 Columbia accident. During the 12-day mission astronauts will install a piece of the stationŐs external structure and rewire its power system.

Dec 8, Hollywood: The release of the film Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will focus world attention on the $23 million illicit gem trade. Black market diamonds, coming mainly from war-ravaged Ivory Coast, are responsible for fuelling civil wars in the region.

Dec 8-10, New York: More than 1,000 married Catholic priests gather to challenge the VaticanŐs stand on priestly celibacy. The Married Priests Now protest was set up by ZambiaŐs Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo who was excommunicated in October after ordaining other married priests.

Dec 11, Beijing: New rules opening up ChinaŐs banking sector to the international market will allow foreign banks to tap into the republicŐs $2 trillion of household savings.

Dec 11, Banda Aceh: The first ever direct vote for governor and other top posts in the once-volatile province mark a key stage in efforts to permanently end a conflict that has killed 15,000 people since a rebellion launched against Jakarta in 1976.

Dec 31, United Nations: Kofi Annan, the seventh UN Secretary-General, steps down. The 68-year-year-old Ghanaian, who has held the post for 10 years, will be succeeded by Ban Ki-moon, who relinquished his post as South KoreaŐs Foreign Minister on November 1.

Dec 31, Iraq: The spotlight on waning international support for the U.S.-led coalition will intensify with the planned withdrawal of ItalyŐs and PolandŐs troops. The Italian contingent, which numbered 2,700 in June, is the third largest in the coalition. PolandŐs force is 1,500-strong.

(Undated), Thailand: Chuang Chuang, a six-year-old male panda, will be played porn videos to encourage him to mate with five-year-old female Lin Hui. The pair have lived together at a Chiang Mai zoo since 2003 but failed to breed.
/ENDS