28/11/2011 3 pm 4nnemie von den dries vandendrles2003[yahoocouk ow do you percelve 2012? W usL Lhree mlnuLes! W WrlLe down whaL are your maln concerns for nexL year? WhaL endangers our beLLer fuLure"? Cvervlew of Lhe slldes W 1he world wlll end ln 2012 W Mayan predlcLlons and CLher predlcLlons W ow can we conLrlbuLe Lo a beLLer world? Wlll 2012 be beLLer Lhan 2011? W ow abouL envlronmenLal lssues? W Wlll Lhe WesL fllrL wlLh dlsasLer? W 1he eurozone ln dlsLress W 1he 88lCS counLrles W 1he Arab awakenlng W Closer Lo home W LeL's see whaL ls already planned for 2012! 8lbllography W 1he LconomlsL 1he World ln 2012" W ClA world facLbook W 1he llnanclal 1lmes onllne W 1he LconomlsL onllne W 88C news W Lu onllne W CLl1lkC81ALLu AS8L W ew 8esearch CenLre W Cnllne newspapers 1he SLralLs 1lmes 1he 1lmes of lndla Chlna ually SL eLersburg 1lmes Al azeera 1he lnLernaLlonal erald 1rlbune 1he Cuardlan 1he lrlsh 1lmes ule ZelL Le Monde ornal do 8rasll 8uenos Alres erald 1he 8udapesL 1lmes 1he rague osL 1he Warsaw volce eLc 1he World wlll end ln 2012 W Mayan and opl lndlans predlcLlons Lell us LhaL Lhe world as we know lL wlll end on Lhe 21sL of uecember 2012 W Would Lhere be global war posslbly Lrlggerlng a nuclear holocausL? W Would Lhe planeLs llfe forms flnally succumb Lo Lhe ecologlcal quagmlre LhaLs been bulldlng ln our solls oceans and aLmosphere? W Would Lhe currenL sLeady lncrease of prevlously unknown dlseases overcome our ablllLy Lo defend agalnsL Lhem? W Cr wlll we suddenly move lnLo a new Colden Age ln whlch Lhe llon lles down wlLh Lhe lamb and sLruggle paln and sufferlng are gone forever? Mayan predlcLlons W 1he 2012 phenomenon comprlses a range of eschaLologlcal bellefs LhaL caLaclysmlc or LransformaLlve evenLs wlll occur on ecember 21 2012 1hls daLe ls regarded as Lhe enddaLe of a 3123yearlong cycle ln Lhe Mesoamerlcan Long CounL calendar varlous asLronomlcal allgnmenLs and numerologlcal formulae relaLed Lo Lhls daLe have been proposed W A new Age lnLerpreLaLlon of Lhls LranslLlon posLulaLes LhaL Lhls daLe marks Lhe sLarL of Llme ln whlch LarLh and lLs lnhablLanLs may undergo a poslLlve physlcal or splrlLual LransformaLlon and LhaL 2012 may mark Lhe beglnnlng of a new era CLhers suggesL LhaL Lhe 2012 daLe marks Lhe end of Lhe world or a slmllar caLasLrophe Scenarlos suggesLed for Lhe end of Lhe world lnclude Lhe arrlval of Lhe nexL solar maxlmum or LarLhs colllslon wlLh a black hole passlng asLerold or a planeL called nlblru W Scholars from varlous dlsclpllnes have dlsmlssed Lhe ldea of such caLaclysmlc evenLs occurrlng ln 2012 CLher predlcLlons? SeehLLp//wwwnaLuralnewscom/028167_predlcLlons_2012hLml (very uSA orlenLed!) lood supply dlsrupLlons hlL wesLern naLlons ueadly superbug muLaLlon goes wlld new evldence llnks vacclnes and neurologlcal dlsorders SaLelllLe breakdown oneybee populaLlon's collapse spreads Lo oLher specles WeaLher paLLerns become lncreaslngly radlcallzed nuclear power sees global resurgence nuclear weapons unleashed ln Lhe Mlddle LasL new exoLlc superfood from SouLh Amerlca emerges ln WesLern markeLs CLher predlcLlons? (2) W uS debL geLs downgraded W uS nearly comes Lo mlllLary confllcL wlLh Chlna over naLural resources W Medlcal lmaglng scandal unfolds as older paLlenLs begln Lo show healLh damage from radlaLlon vla mammograms C1 scans W nurslng home drugglng scandal exposed W 1he psychlaLrlc lndusLry wlll declare more normal behavlours Lo be dlsorders" W vacclne lndusLry goes crazy wlLh new vacclnes for all sorLs of dlseases" W 1he world becomes a far more dangerous place for honesL clLlzens CLher predlcLlons (3) W new aLLempLs are made Lo desLroy lnLerneL freedom W Chlna's boom wlll busL sendlng rlpples Lhrough global economy W 1SA suspends full body scanners afLer celeb phoLo scandal W Cell phone braln Lumors sLarL Lo appear ln younger users W Medlcal lndusLry clalms Lo flnd cause of auLlsm W 1errorlsL sLrlke on Lhe uS waLer supply W Sperm counL drops lnferLlllLy raLes rlse W and by Lhe way Lhe Mayan predlcLlon wlll noL happen! ow can we conLrlbuLe Lo a beLLer world? And wlll 2012 be a beLLer world Lhan 2011? W llnanclal and economlc crlsls? W ulsLrlbuLlon of wealLh? overLy? W LnvlronmenLal care and naLure? olluLlon? W Soclal care? ealLh Care? Agelng populaLlon? W LducaLlon? Chlldren? roLecLlon? W CulLural herlLage? W uevelopmenL of Lurope? LnlargemenL? 8orders of our conLlnenL? W 8ellglons? LlemenLs of worldwlde peace? W MlgraLlon and asylum seekers W Chlna and lndla and Lhelr populaLlon? W now can we contr|bute to a better wor|d? ow abouL envlronmenLal lssues llke Coollng Lhe earLh? Clobal warmlng Copenhagen Cancun uurban 8lo W 1he lmpacLs of global cllmaLe change are already upon us and are llkely Lo grow more serlous even under Lhe mosL opLlmlsLlc mlLlgaLlon scenarlos W Clven Lhe hlgh vulnerablllLy of poor communlLles Lo Lhe lmpacLs of cllmaLe change and Lhe LhreaLs posed by global warmlng Lo Lhe provlslon by ecosysLems of crlLlcal servlces efforLs Lo adapL Lo Lhe changlng cllmaLe are lnLrlcaLely Lled up ln Lhe broader challenges of developmenL and ecosysLem managemenL And Lhen Lhere ls/was Wlll Lhe WesL fllrL wlLh dlsasLer? W lndeclslveness of Lhe pollLlclans on boLh sldes of Lhe ALlanLlc W 1he eurozone ls headlng back lnLo recesslon because lL dlLhered Loo long over Lhe debL crlsls W Cbama's reelecLlon could suffer from how bad Lhe economy wlll sllde W CLher leaders are also lnvolved ln elecLlons Sarkozy uLln W So don'L expecL Loo much Lhen of global gaLherlngs such as 8lo+20" conference on suLalnable developmenL Lurope's deepenlng crlsls (AccotJloq llooel 8otbet l1) 1he flnanclal crlsls has lald bare Lhree baslc flaws ln Lurope's slngle currency pro[ecL Lhe weakness ln Lhe enforcemenL mechanlsms for flscal dlsclpllne among eurozone members second Lhe concelL LhaL Lhere could be no ball ouL mechanlsm for flscal dellnquenLs Lhlrd Lhe lack of effecLlveness of Lhe much vaunLed peer revlew process and collecLlve survelllance by Lhe Luropean Commlsslon Lurope's deepenlng crlsls (2) 1he charge sheeL agalnsL Lurope runs someLhlng llke Lhls W 1he Lu ls lnsLlLuLlonally blocked lnsular and lncapable of effecLlve crlsls managemenL W Low growLh Lurope ls ln decllne ln relaLlon Lo Lhe rlslng powers of Chlna lndla 8razll and oLher emerglng markeL economles 1o borrow 8ob 8ubln's lmage W Lurope ls llke a museum wlLh splendld anLlque rellcs Lo Lhe lefL Lhe lrench room devoLed Lo soclal solldarlLy Lo Lhe rlghL Lhe Cerman room devoLed Lo meLal bashlng and mass manufacLurlng and ouL ln fronL Lhe Swedlsh room devoLed Lo soclal democracy W ln shorL Lurope looks pollLlcally and sLrucLurally lncapable of adapLlng Lo Lhe challenges of Loday leL alone Lomorrow 1wospeed Lurope or Lwo Luropes? W MarkeLs have forced Lurope's Lroubled economles Lo confronL ausLerlLy and reform buL pollLlcs wlll deLermlne how Lhey do so!!! W 8uL lf Lhe euro zone geLs lL wrong ln 2012 lL wlll be laylng Lhe foundaLlons of Lhe nexL currency crlsls W MlghL boomlng emerglng economles help? Chlna's owng growLh ls slowlng And wlLh less room now Lo respond wlLh anoLher spendlng blnge Chlna and oLher emerglng economles wlll be more vulnerable Lo damage from a new downLurn ln Lhe WesL 88lCScounLrles W 8raz|| 2012 8razll W Cu growLh 33 W Cu per caplLa $ 12830 W lnflaLlon 33 W opulaLlon 1947 m W ullma 8oussef gave Lhe Workers' arLy lLs Lhlrd successlve presldenLlal vlcLory (succeedlng Lhe former sLeelworker Lulz lnaclo Lula da Sllva) lagued by corrupLlon scandals she has looked wobbly much of Lhe Llme er focus on soclal programmes lncludlng poverLy reducLlon won'L go over well ln a counLry accusLomed of laLe Lo rapld growLh and sLrong lncome galns WlLh Lhe global economy slowlng and 8razll's wlLh lL wlll leave Ms 8oussef vulnerable 8rlcscounLrles (2) W kuss|a 2012 8ussla W Cu growLh 37 W Cu per caplLa $ 13630 W lnflaLlon 67 W opulaLlon 1412 m W 1he counLry's pollLlcal Lag Leam vladlmlr uLln and umlLry Medvedev announced ln SepLember Lhelr lnLenLlon Lo wlLch [obs yeL agaln anoLher farclcal sLep LhaL has kepL Lhe presldency and prlme mlnlsLershlp suffllng beLween Lhe Lwo W 1he acLual elecLlon ln March wlll be a formallLy and a furLher slgn of 8ussla's sllde lnLo auLhorlLarlanlsm ubllc supporL for Lhe Lwo has waned as ausLerlLy has hurL llvlng sLandards and hlghllghLed perennlally deep corrupLlon Lconomlcally 8ussla's ollfuelled resurgence wlll conLlnue Lhough crude prlces wlll fall lpellnesln 8ussla lpellneslnLo Lurope 1he fuLure of oll and gas? W Cver Lhe nexL 23 years oll demand wlll lncrease from 88m barrels a day Lo 99m malnly Lo flll Aslan peLrol Lanks W Cver nlneLenLh of Lhe addlLlonal oll wlll come from Lhe Mlddle LasL and norLh Afrlca accordlng Lo Lhe lnLernaLlonal Lnergy Agency's laLesL edlLlon of Lhe World Lnergy CuLlook W 8uL Lhe organlsaLlon reckons LhaL Lhe reglon wlll requlre $27 Lrllllon of lnvesLmenL ln explolLaLlon and producLlon Lo provlde oll Lven ln Lhe Mlddle LasL where oll ls relaLlvely easy Lo exLracL lL wlll be harder Lo geL ouL of Lhe ground W CosLs wlll go up far more elsewhere as hlgh prlces encourage oll producers Lo go afLer oll LhaL ls Lrlckler Lo come by 1he greaLesL leap wlll come ln Lat|n Amer|ca as prlcey deepwaLer oll grows ln lmporLance 8rlcscounLrles (3) W Ind|a 2012 lndla W Cu growLh 78 W Cu per caplLa $ 1940 W lnflaLlon 77 W opulaLlon 1220 m W 8eglonal and casLebased parLles on whlch Lhe mlnorlLy governmenL depends wlll conLlnue Lo galn ln lnfluence and could skew pollcymaklng buL Lhe coallLlon governmenL led by Lhe lndlan naLlonal Congress wlll sLay ln power unLll Lhe end of lLs Lerm ln 2014 M Manmohan Slngh and resldenL raLhlbha aLll CrafL ln parLlcular has been hlghllghLed by acLlvlsL Anna azare whose well publlclsed proLesLs have lnsplred naLlonwlde demonsLraLlons W SLrong lnLernal growLh and forelgn demand for lndla's servlces wlll propel Lhe economy Lhough Lhe raLe of expanslon wlll slow 8rlcscounLrles (4) W Ch|na 2012 Chlna W Cu growLh 82 W Cu per caplLa $ 6120 W lnflaLlon 38 W opulaLlon 1328 m W resldenL u lanLo vlceresldenL xl lnplng W 1he counLry's successlon machlnery wlll geL lnLo moLlon laLe ln Lhe year W lasL economlc growLh and slow pollLlcal change are Lwln characLerlsLlcs of Chlna's pasL Lhree decades and wlll remaln so ln 2012 ?eL breakneck expanslon ls creaLlng sLralns ln Lhe banklng sysLem and ln reglonal flnances Lled Lo a volaLlle properLy secLor Soclal grlpes lncludlng rlslng unemploymenL lllegal evlcLlons and laLe paymenL of wages wlll lead Lo more proLesLs buL Lhey wlll noL lead Lo a unlfled anLlgovernmenL movemenL 8rlcscounLrles (3) W SouLhAfrlca 2012 SouLh Afrlca W Cu growLh 36 W Cu per head $ 8460 W lnflaLlon 32 W opulaLlon 488m W AL Lhe mldpolnL of hls flveyear Lerm acob Zuma Lhe presldenL wlll face rlslng Lenslons beLween and wlLhln Lhe Lhree parLles of hls rullng coallLlon W CpposlLlon Lo hls promarkeL plaLform from lefLlsL allles rlsks dlsrupLlve sLrlkes W CrlLlclsm wlll come from hls own Afrlcan naLlonal Congress buL wlLh no clear challenger he won'L lose hls [ob 8rlcs counLrles yes buL WhaL abouL Lhe emerg|ng emerg|ng markets? 1hey come ln Lwo varleLles 1he "over|ooked" counLrles mosLly ln Afrlca W W Algerla W 8oLswana W bio W MaurlLlus W Morocco W @nesio uon'L forgeL 1urkey Saudl Arabla Mexlco and Indones|a 8rlcs counLrles yes buL(2) (2011) And Lhe "front|er" counLrles whlch are [usL beglnnlng Lo emerge are poorer and rlskler Lhan Lhe overlooked onesand are hardly easy markeLs buL feel Lhe vlLallLy and forgeL abouL Lhe volaLlllLy 1hey offer opporLunlLles LhaL are lrreslsLlble Lo Lhe WesL's growLh sLarved companles 1hey offer huge opporLunlLles for lnvesLmenL and lnfrasLrucLure W Srl Lanka W 8angladesh and aklsLan W kenya W -ierio W 8wanda W vleLnam W CloballsaLlon Lhe growers Accordlng 1he LconomlsL 11/2011 Macau 13 Mongolla 148 Llbya 136 (???) lraq 109 Angola 99 nlger 83 Chlna 82 LLhlopla 80 8wanda 80 Laos 79 uSA vers apan Chlna Accordlng 1he ockeL World ln flgures 1he LconomlsL 2012 edlLlon W LargesL counLry? W LargesL populaLlon? W 8lggesL clLles? W 8lggesL economles? W lghesL human developmenL lndex? W Lconomlc freedom lndex? W lghesL economlc growLh ? W LargesL surplus on currenL accounL? W LargesL deflclL on currenL accounL? W lghesL of populaLlon ln labour force? W LargesL producer? AoJ Jollot vetsos yeo yooo (teJbock ot teomlobl)? Arab awakenlng Arab Sprlng W ee olso bttp//wwwecooomlstcom/bloqs/Jollycbott/2011/02/ otob_leoqoe_mop W bttp//wwwqootJloocook/wotlJ/lotetoctlve/2011/m ot/22/mlJJleeostptotestlotetoctlvetlmelloe W 1he wlnd of Arab freedom LhaL suddenly began Lo blllow aL Lhe beglnnlng of 2011 wlll gusL across Lhe enLlre Arab world LhroughouL 2012 W @unes|a wlll seL a hopeful example for Lhe resL of Lhe Arab world lL has already organlsed elecLlons whlch wlll lead Lo a new consLlLuLlon and free elecLlons And 1unesla's economy wlll recover Arab Sprlng (2) W gypt ln a year for keeplng promlses Lhe army musL hand back power Lhe counLry musL hold elecLlons LhaL are free and falr Lhe consLlLuLlonal assembly musL drafL an lncluslve charLer and Lhe new Leam musL geL Lhe economy back on an even keel 8esLarLlng Lhe economy wlll be Lop prlorlLy W Lyb|a Lhe reglme replaclng Muammar Caddafl may prove fracLlous and erraLlc buL should manage Lo sLlck LogeLher ere Loo secular mlnded llberals wlll have Lo share power wlLh lslamlsLs Arab Sprlng (3) W lor Lhe Arab world 2012 wlll be Lhe year of consLlLuLlonwrlLlng W ueflnlng Lhe role of rellglon wlll prove Lhe mosL conLenLlous lssue uesplLe calls from secularlsLs and some rellglous mlnorlLles as LgypL's CopLs lslam wlll remaln Lhe offlclal rellglon of Lhe sLaLe LhroughouL Lhe Mlddle LasL and Lhe lnsplraLlon for leglslaLlon buL no lslamlsL parLy wlll wln sufflclenL power Lo push Lhrough changes lmposlng SaudlsLyle sharla law W Welcome news for ??? Arab Sprlng ln Lhe Mlddle LasL? W Syrla W ?emen W Algerla W Swlng counLrles could be Morocco and ordan W 8uL whaL abouL 8ahraln? W unlLed Arab LmlraLes W CaLar W Saudl Arabla Lo be waLched carefully! Arab Sprlng ln SubSahara? 1hlnk of W 8urklna laso W Angola LquaLorlal Culnea W u8 Congo W nlger Chad Mall W nlgerla W Sudan W Zlmbabwe kenya Closer Lo home W 8loLs lndlgnados Cccupy Wall SLreeL 8uL leL's see whaL ls planned for 2012 W ln Lhe flrsL half of 2012 uenmark wlll hold Lhe resldency of Lhe Councll of Lhe Luropean unlon lL ls Lhe sevenLh Llme uenmark holds Lhe Lu resldency slnce [olnlng Lhe Luropean CommunlLy ln 1973 W llrsLly Lhe 1reaLy has esLabllshed new lnsLlLuLlonal acLors namely Lhe permanenL resldenL of Lhe Luropean Councll (erman van 8ompuy from 8elglum) and Lhe lgh 8epresenLaLlve of Lhe Luropean unlon for lorelgn Affalrs and SecurlLy ollcy (CaLherlne AshLon from Lhe uk) Whlle van 8ompuy leads Lhe work ln Lhe Luropean Councll and AshLon organlzes Lhe work of Lu forelgn pollcy ln Lhe lorelgn Affalrs Councll uenmark wlll be ln charge of all oLher pollcy areas and wlll work closely wlLh van 8ompuy and AshLon Lupresldency W Secondly enmark ls now a parL of Lhe so called Lrlo presldency where Lhree presldencles work LogeLher Lo ensure a hlgher degree of coordlnaLlon and conslsLency uenmark [olns a Lrlo wlLh o|and (who has Lhe resldency before uenmark) and Cyprus (who has Lhe resldency afLer uenmark) 1he Lhree member sLaLes agreed on a common Lrlo program for Lhe 18 monLh perlod from 1sL of uly 2011 Lo 31sL of uecember 2012 Luresldency (2) W 1he Lrlo program does noL replace Lhe naLlonal programs Lach resldency wlll sLlll seL lLs own prlorlLles for Lhe slx monLhs lL holds Lhe presldency ence Lhe Lrloprogramme should raLher be seen as an overarchlng common framework for work of Lhe Lhree resldencles W 1hlrdly Lhe Llsbon 1reaLy has glven Lhe Luropean arllamenL a more lnfluenLlal role as coleglslaLor on almosL all new leglslaLlon 1hls means LhaL cooperaLlon wlLh Lhe arllamenL and oLher lnsLlLuLlons wlll be an lmporLanL Lask durlng Lhe uanlsh resldency ln 2012 Luresldency (3) W lL ls expecLed LhaL Lhe followlng lssues wlll be of ma[or lmporLance durlng Lhe uanlsh presldency Creat|ng econom|c growth |n the D and ensur|ng a sound economy C||mate energy env|ronment and agr|cu|ture Iust|ce and nome affa|rs A strong g|oba| ro|e for the D Negot|at|ons on the D#s |ongterm budget W ln 2012 Lurope wlll sLlll be on lLs way ouL of Lhe economlc and flnanclal crlsls 1hls wlll be reflecLed by Lhe agenda of Lhe presldency where focus wlll be Lo creaLe economlc growLh and ensure lmproved economlc coordlnaLlon beLween member sLaLes anuary 2012 W enmark Lakes over Lhe Luropean resldency W 1he flrsL J|nter outh C|ymp|cs wlll be held ln lnnsbruck AusLrla W ros wlll pass LarLh aL 26780000 km W 1he flrsL day of Ch|nese New ear 2012 (Chun le / 2012) wlll be celebraLed on Monday 23 anuary 2012 and Lhe fesLlval wlll usually lasL for as long as 13 days Llll Lhe 9 lebruary 2012 W Chlnese new ?ear 2012 ls an annual offlclal publlc hollday for many counLrles lncludlng Slngapore Malaysla ong kong and lndonesla 1he Sprlng lesLlval 2012 ls among Lhe longesL publlc holldays ln Chlna and lL ls Lhe largesL annual mass mlgraLlon of humanlLy on Lhe planeL and LransporLaLlon ls oversLressed especlally Lhe Lralns ?ear of Lhe 1he year of Lhe uragon W Chlnese dragons LradlLlonally symbollze poLenL and ausplclous powers parLlcularly conLrol over waLer ralnfall hurrlcane and floods 1he dragon ls also a symbol of power sLrengLh and good luck WlLh Lhls Lhe Lmperor of Chlna usually uses Lhe dragon as a symbol of hls lmperlal power CnAkAC@kIS@ICS of the peop|e born |n a ragon year lnnovaLlve LnLerprlslng llexlble Selfassured 8rave asslonaLe ConcelLed 1acLless ScruLlnlzlng unanLlclpaLed CulckLempered Luropean CaplLals of CulLure 2012 W 1he Luropean CaplLal of CulLure ls a clLy deslgnaLed by Lhe Luropean unlon for a perlod of one calendar year durlng whlch lL organlses a serles of culLural evenLs wlLh a sLrong Luropean dlmenslon 1he World Lconomlc lorum Annual MeeLlng 2012 uavos W 1he Annual MeeLlng 2012 wlll convene under Lhe Lheme @he Great @ransformat|on Shap|ng New Mode|s 1hls Lheme reflecLs Lhe foremosL concern of many leaders Loday namely llvlng ln a world LhaL ls becomlng lncreaslngly complex and lnLerconnecLed and aL Lhe same Llme experlenclng an eroslon of common values and prlnclples LhaL undermlnes publlc LrusL ln leadershlp as well as fuLure economlc growLh and pollLlcal sLablllLy Leaders reLurn Lo Lhelr core purpose of deflnlng whaL Lhe fuLure should look llke allgnlng sLakeholders around LhaL vlslon and lnsplrlng Lhelr lnsLlLuLlons Lo reallze LhaL vlslon lebruary 2012 ulamond ubllee of Cueen LllsabeLh ll marklng Lhe 60Lh annlversary of her accesslon Lo Lhe Lhrones of Lhe unlLed klngdom Canada AusLralla and new Zealand and Lhe 60Lh annlversary of her becomlng ead of Lhe CommonwealLh ( 34 lndependenL sLaLes) W 8ook fans celebraLe Lhe 200Lh blrLhday of Charles ulckens Carnlval lebruary 17Lh unLll lebruary 21 sL 2012 2nd of March 2012 W lranlans voLe for Lhe 310 members Ma[lls and choose 86 ayaLollahs Lo slL ln Lhe Assembly of LxperLs W AyaLollah Seyed All oseynl khmene'l Supreme leader of lran W Mahmoud Ahmadlne[ad ls Lhe presldenL 4Lh of March 2012 W 8usslans elecL Lhelr presldenL W uLln (unlLed 8ussla)o r W Cennady Zyuganov (CommunlsL) 8aghdad (?) March 2012 W Leaders of Lhe Arab World convene for an Arab League summlL posLponed from 2011 because of Lhe unresL of Lhe Arab Sprlng W 21 members (Syrla suspended) W 90 lslam W 1oLal populaLlon 339310333 8Lh of Aprll 2012 W 1o mark Lhe cenLenary of Lhe slnklng of Lhe unslnkable" 1lLanlc a 12nlghL crulse salls from SouLhampLon Lo Lhe slLe of Lhe faLal colllslon wlLh an ALlanLlc lceberg (13/04/1912) W Cf a LoLal of 2224 people aboard 1lLanlc only 710 less Lhan a Lhlrd survlved and 1314 perlshed 1he ma[orlLy of deaLhs were caused by hypoLhermla ln Lhe 28 l (-2 C) waLer where deaLh could occur ln as llLLle as 13 mlnuLes MosL survlvors were 1sr class passengers 20Lh of Aprll 2012 W uracula fans mark Lhe cenLenary of Lhe deaLh of 8ram SLoker (november 8 1847 Aprll 20 1912) who was an lrlsh novellsL and shorL sLory wrlLer besL known Loday for hls 1897 CoLhlc novel uracula uurlng hls llfeLlme he was beLLer known as personal asslsLanL of acLor enry lrvlng and buslness manager of Lhe Lyceum 1heaLre ln London whlch lrvlng owned LlecLlons W South korea has a mulLlparLy sysLem wlLh numerous parLles 1he nexL elecLlons wlll be for Lhe naLlonal Assembly ln Aprll 2012 and a resldenLlal elecLlon ln uecember 2012 W @ha|s elecL a new senaLe (resldenL ?lngluck ShlnawaLra) W And rench voters casL Lhelr balloLs ln Lhe flrsL round of Lhe presldenLlal elecLlon May's elecLlons W lrench voLers lf need be casL Lhelr balloLs ln Lhe presldenLlal elecLlon runoff W Londoners elecL Lhelr mayor wlLh 8orls ohnson hoplng Lo remaln ln offlce for Lhe approachlng Clymplcs And also ln May 2012 W 1he 64Lh Cannes fllm fesLlval W 20/03 solar ecllpse! W And 12/03 12/08 Lhe 2012 World Lxpo ls Lo be held ln ?eosy SouLh korea May W Amerlca plays hosLs Lo a C8 summlL ln Chlcago W 1he Croup of LlghL (C8 and formerly Lhe C6 or Croup of Slx Lhen C7) ls a forum creaLed by lrance ln 1973 for Lhe governmenLs of seven ma[or economles Canada lrance Cermany lLaly apan Lhe unlLed klngdom and Lhe unlLed SLaLes ln 1997 Lhe group added 8ussla Lhus becomlng Lhe C8 ln addlLlon Lhe Luropean unlon ls represenLed wlLhln Lhe C8 buL cannoL hosL or chalr W 1he former Lerm C6 ls now frequenLly applled Lo Lhe slx mosL populous counLrles wlLhln Lhe Luropean unlon C8 mlnlsLers also meeL LhroughouL Lhe year such as Lhe C7/8 flnance mlnlsLers (who meeL four Llmes a year) C8 forelgn mlnlsLers or C8 envlronmenL mlnlsLers W CollecLlvely Lhe C8 naLlons comprlse 330 of global nomlnal Cu and 423 of global Cu () C8 W 1he C8 ls an unofflclal annual forum for Lhe leaders of Canada Lhe Luropean Commlsslon lrance Cermany lLaly apan 8ussla Lhe unlLed klngdom and Lhe unlLed SLaLes (and so many more) lrance would llke Lo see Chlna become a full member by Lhe Llme Lhe C8 summlL ln 2011 ls organlzed ln ueauvllle W 1he C8 summlLs durlng Lhe LwenLyflrsL cenLury have lnsplred wldespread debaLes proLesLs and demonsLraLlons and Lhe Lwo or Lhreeday evenL becomes more Lhan Lhe sum of lLs parLs elevaLlng Lhe parLlclpanLs Lhe lssues and Lhe venue as focal polnLs for acLlvlsL pressure W 1he currenL form of Lhe C8 ls belng evaluaLed 1he forum ls ln a process of LransformaLlon by expanded membershlp and by oLher changes une 2012 W k|o de Iane|ro hosLs a un conference on susLalnable developmenL Lo mark Lhe 20Lh annlversary of Lhe 8lo LarLh SummlL" W rance holds parllamenLary elecLlons W |n|and chooses a new presldenL CllmaLe Change Conference uurban (28 nov 9 uec 2011) une 2012 W oland and ukralne hosL Luro 2012 Lhe champlonshlp held every four years Lo declde Lurope's besL soccer naLlon And ln ulyoff Lo London for W 27/07 Cpenlng of Lhe 2012 Summer Clymplcs ln London uly 2012 W Cyprus beglns a slxmonLh Lerm as presldneL of Lhe Luropean unlon W Mex|co holds elecLlon Lo Lhe presldency senaLe and chamber of depuLles W Ind|a CenLral and sLaLe leglslaLors choose a new presldenL for lndla Lhe world's largesL democracy And ln AugusL 2012 W lllm fans mourn Lhe 30Lh annlversary of Marllyn Monroe's deaLh W 8epubllcan acLlvlsLs slaverlng for Lhe presldenLal elecLlon gaLher ln 1ampa llorlda for Lhe naLlonal convenLlon of Lhe Crand Cld arLy (8epubllcans) W ulasbled aLhleLes wlLh Lhe Clymplcs as Lhelr model compeLe ln London ln Lhe aralymplc games W Whlle on 12/08 CLoslng ceremony of Lhe Summer Clymplcs ln London SepLember 2012 W larmlng enLhuslasLs compeLe ln Lhe world ploughlng champlonshlps ln 8lograd na Moru CroaLla W uemocraLlc arLy acLlvlsLs flock Lo CharloLLe norLh Carollna Lo selecL Lhelr presldenLlal candldaLe wlLh 8arack Cbama Lhelr obvlous cholce W un Ceneral Assembly ln new ?ork CcLober 2012 W 1he Ch|nese CommunlsL arLy meeLs ln 8el[lng aL lLs flve yearly congress Lo selecL Lhe counLry's new leaders 1here wlll be no surprlses W L|thuan|a holds parllamenLary elecLlons W World 8ank and lMl hold Lhelr annual meeLlngs ln 1okyo raLher Lhan orlglnally envlsaged ln LgypL november 2012 W 1oLal solar ecllpse W Amerlcans voLe W 1he celllng frescoes of Lhe vaLlcan's SlsLlne Chapel palnLed by Mlchelangelo are 300 years old uecember 2012 W Lu presldency ls handed over Lo lreland W 31/12 llrsL commlLmenL perlod of Lhe kyoLo roLocol ends W resldenLlal elecLlons are due ln kenya W arllamenLary ones ln kuss|a W lndla hosLs a summlL of Lhe 88lCS W 1he Afrlcan naLlonal Congress SouLh Afrlca convenes lLs flveyearly naLlonal conference Lo selecL a candldaLe for Lhe 2014 presldenLlal elecLlon W 4nde wor/d is si// ere!!! 1lll we meeL agaln ln 2012 Cn our way 1he sky ls Lhe llmlL! neLworklng appy ChrlsLmas!