Major Events in 2011
January
1: Brazil’s new president Dilma Rousseff takes office
1: Estonia joins euro club
1: France takes over the presidency of Group of Eight
6-9: Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
14: U.S. Defense Minister Robert Gates to visit Korea
19: Barack Obama-Hu Jintao summit in Washington
26-30: World Economic Forum in Davos
Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington onJan. 19.
February
6-11: World Social Forum in Dakar
10-20: Berlin International Film Festival
13: Grammy Wards (Feb. 13)
14-20: IOC inspection of Korea’s bid site for 2018 Winter Olympics
16: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s 69th birthday
27: The Academy Awards in Hollywood
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony will honorthe best in film of 2010 on Feb. 27.
March
3-13: Geneva Motor Show
4-8: Brazil Rio Carnival
5: Opening of annual session of China’s National Legislature
6: Estonia holds parliamentary elections
15: First summit meeting of Arab League in Iraq since the U.S-led invasion in 2003 and the fall of Saddam Hussein
21-27: World Figure Skating Championships
China’s National Legislature opens its annual session on March 5
April
1: Launch of U.S. space shuttle Endeavor
4: Tee-off of the Masters Tournament
10: Peru holds presidential and general elections
12: Announcement of Pulitzer Prize winners
13-16: Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in China
16: Spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank
21-28: Shanghai Auto Show
27: National Assembly by-elections in Korea
29: Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton marry at London’s Westminster Abbey
Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot on April 29.
May
5: Britain holds elections for the Scottish parliament, Welsh National Assembly, Northern Ireland Assembly and local English councils.
11-22: Cannes International Film Festival in France
14: Germany holds the Eurovision song contest
21: The Life Ball, Europe’s largest HIV/AIDS charity gala, takes place in and around Vienna’s city hall.
Britain holds elections for the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies on May 5.
June
2: OPEC meeting in Vienna
4-5: Pope Benedict XVI visits predominantly Roman Catholic Croatia for the first time.
6-10: International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting in Vienna
6-July 3: Wimbledon tennis championships
29: The first anniversary of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between the governments of China and Taiwan
*G8 summit in Nice, France (date not determined yet)
Leaders of the Group of Eight will hold a summit in Nice, France in June.
July
1: Korea-EU FTA takes effect
1: Poland takes over presidency of the Council of the European Union
1: 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party
1: Planned start of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
6: Announcement of the 2018 Winter Olympic host city
6: Foundation in Caracas of a new Americas bloc including all nations except the U.S. and Canada
13: Worldwide release of the last “Harry Potter” film
The IOC will announce the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games on July 6. PyeongChang is a bid city for the Games.
August
6: 66th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing
13: 50th anniversary of the Berlin Wall collapse
15: Korea’s 66th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan’s colonial rule
16-21: World Youth Day in Madrid
27-Sept. 4: World Athletics Championships in Daegu, Korea
The World Athletics Championships will take place in Daegu from Aug. 27-Sept. 4.
September
2-Oct. 23: Gwangju Design Biennale in Korea
11: 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.
13: U.N. General Assembly 66th session
15-25: Frankfurt International Motor Show
24-26: Annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank
The U.S. will mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2011
October
4-11: Announcement of annual Nobel Prize winners
10: North Korea’s 66th anniversary of the founding of Workers’ Party
12-16: Frankfurt Book Fair
14-16: F1 Korea Grand Prix
23: Elections for Swiss federal parliament
*Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM) (date note determined)
The Korean Grand Prix will take place Oct. 14-16.
November
3-4: G20 Summit in Cannes, France
12-13: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Honolulu, Hawaii
10: 10th anniversary of China’s entry into the World Trade Organization
19-20: NATO summit
The G20 Summit will be held in Cannes, France Nov. 3-4.
December
3-11: Tokyo Motor Show
4 (tentative): Parliamentary elections in Russia, which will set the stage for a presidential election in March 2012
15-17: Ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization
31: Deadline for all U.S. troops to be out of Iraq
The U.S. is scheduled to pull all of its troops out of Iraq by Dec. 31.
