THE WORLD THIS WEEK !

A look at what could be dominating the headlines around the world this week - and some key background on those events.

MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER
LOOK OUT FOR -

BBC economics guru Evan Davis blogs stateside as the US dollar slides
A series of features exploring China's involvement in Africa
Reports from Russia in the run-up to Sunday's election.

Troika meeting: The EU, Russia and the US hold their final set of talks with Serb and Kosovo Albanian leaders over the future status of the province of Kosovo.
Race against time

Peace project: The former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano, is to be presented with the first Mo Ibrahim prize for excellence in leadership.
Mozambique ex-leader wins prize

TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Not plain sailing: A two-day peace conference takes place at the US Navy base of Annapolis, in Maryland. Arab countries confirmed their attendance only late last week after failing to win guarantees of Israeli concessions.
Rice sets Mid-East peace target

The Index: The United Nations Development Programme publishes its flagship Human Development Report, which ranks the countries of the world according to a wide range of social and economic indicators.
Inequality 'key to poverty fight'

Street style: British Fashion Awards are given to the brightest of the UK's style industry at a ceremony in London.
R4 Women's Hour: Is London lagging behind?

Computerised care: Tokyo's Waseda University unveils a robot designed to take care of the country's growing number of old people safely.
Japan eyes demographic time bomb

WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER

China is one of the EU's biggest trading partnersBeijing business: European Union leaders begin a summit in the Chinese capital aimed at resolving trade tensions between the Asian giant and the world's biggest free trade area.
China and EU hold treaty talks

Shelling out: An intricately decorated Faberge egg, made for the Rothschild banking family in 1902 and containing an animated cockerel, is to be auctioned at Christies in London.
In pictures: Faberge treasures

Blood and grass: The European Union hosts a conference on sport and violence with UEFA to suggest ways to tackle violence in football and other sports.
Italian league halted by violence

THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER
Ice rink trial: The trial opens in Traunstein, Germany, of four people involved in the construction of the Bad Reichenhall ice rink. Fifteen people were killed when the roof of the structure collapsed under heavy snow in 2006.
German ice rink collapses

Drawing lines: Thursday marks the 60th anniversary of the UN adoption of a partition plan for Palestine, then under a British mandate. The plan, which was rejected by the Palestinians, was never implemented.
Country profile: Israel and the Occupied Territories

FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER

Ms Knox has changed her story about what happened several times. Student murder: A closed-door hearing is to take place in the central Italian town of Perugia. Lawyers for US student Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito - both prime suspects in the murder of British student Meredith Kercher - are requesting their release.
Flatmate 'heard Meredith scream'

SATURDAY 1 DECEMBER
World Aids Day: A series of global events to highlight the issues surrounding the spread of HIV/Aids. This year will focus on the importance of leaders in tackling the epidemic.
World Service: World Aids Day 2006

Counting faces: The Palestinian Authority is to carry out the first census of the Occupied Territories for a decade. The area is among the world's most densely populated.

SUNDAY 2 DECEMBER
Long leadership: The President of Gabon, Omar Bongo Ondimba, marks four decades in power with celebrations in the capital, Libreville.
Gabon's president for life

Moscow votes: Polling in Russia's parliamentary election takes place. Among the candidates are President Vladimir Putin and the man British police suspect of killing former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi.
Russia's levers of power

BBC NEWS REPORT.