The following is a list of world events for December 2008:
1 - World AIDS Day. 1 - Eurogroup meets in Brussels.
1-13- UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland.
2 - EU law-enforcing mission (Eulex) becomes operational in Kosovo.
2 - Ecofin meets in Brussels.
2 - Talks on EU-Russian partnership deal resume in Brussels.
2 - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves for visit to Europe, including Belgium (for NATO meeting), Britain, Italy, Denmark and Finland (for OSCE meeting).
2-3 - NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels to discuss whether or not to give Georgia and Ukraine membership plans.
3 - Cluster bomb ban treaty to be signed in Oslo.
3 - Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in Berlin.
3-4 - European Parliament meets in Brussels.
4 - Nominations for the Grammy Awards, Los Angeles.
4 - European Central Bank to rule on interest rates; cut expected.
4-5 - OSCE ministerial council meets in Helsinki.
4-5 - EU environment council meets in Brussels.
5 - US unemployment statistics.
5 - Inter-regional Parliamentary Council meets in Luxembourg.
6 - Lech Walesa celebrates Nobel anniversary with other laureates (the Dalai Lama, Shimon Peres, FW De Klerk, Shirin Ebadi) in Poland.
6 - European Film Awards announced in Copenhagen.
6 - French (and EU) President Sarkozy meets Polish counterpart Kaczynski in Gdansk.
6 - Czech Civic Democratic Party elects new leadership; incumbent Premier Topolanek expected to hold post.
7 - Presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana.
8 - Alternative Nobel Prizes awarded in Stockholm.
8 - Early elections in Canadian province of Quebec.
8 - Six-party talks on North Korea expected to resume in Beijing. Not yet confirmed.
8 - Vote of confidence in Canada's House of Commons.
8-9 - EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels.
9 - German-Polish summit in Warsaw.
10- Celebration of 60th anniversary of UN declaration of human rights, Paris.
10- Nobel Peace Prize given to former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, 71, in Oslo.
10- Presentation of Nobel prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and economics, Stockholm.
10- By-elections in 22 electoral districts in South Africa's Western Cape province.
11-12 - EU summit, mainly on climate change, Brussels.
15- US Electoral College casts official vote for president- elect Barack Obama.
15- Ukraine expected to hold parliamentary election, but could be delayed.
15-18 - European Parliament meets in Strasbourg.
16- US inflation rate.
16- European monthly new-car registrations data released.
16- US Federal Reserve rules on interest rates.
16-17 - Latin American-Caribbean summit in Brazil.
17- OPEC holds regular meeting in Oran, Algeria.
17-18 - Russian-Georgian talks resume in Geneva under auspices of EU and UN.
18- US leading economic indicators.
18- Ifo German business confidence data released.
23- US economic growth for third quarter, final adjustment.
24- Christmas Eve.
24- Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Midnight Mass.
25- Christmas Day.
25- Pope Benedict XVI delivers Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi message and blessing from St Peter's Basilica.
26- St Stephen's Day/Boxing Day.
31- New Year's Eve/St Silvester.
