Looking Ahead

Sadat murder anniversary

Assassins took the life of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat 30 years ago on Oct. 6 after the controversial Muslim leader signed a 1979 peace deal that led to Egypt recognizing Israel. Sadat was the first Muslim leader to do so. In March, two of Sadat's assassins gained release from prison.

Decade at war

On Oct. 7, 2001, the United States opened military operations in Afghanistan just weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In the 10 years since, nearly 1,700 American soldiers have died in the fighting along with nearly 1,000 soldiers from other countries and an estimated 14,000 civilians.

Nobel Prizes announced

The Nobel Prize committees will announce the 2011 prizes for a variety of categories on Oct. 8 including peace, physics, medicine, and economics. The committee's selection of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for its Peace Prize in 2010 has left relations between Norway and China in tatters.

French primary

French Socialists will go to the polls Oct. 9 in the nation's first-ever U.S.-style open primary. Voters will select the Socialist Party nominee for France's presidential election in 2012. Once thought to be a front-runner prior to his sexual assault arrest in New York City earlier this year, former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was rarely mentioned during the candidates' Sept. 15 debate.

Liberia elections

UN peacekeepers plus Nigerian troops are coming to help secure and supervise Oct. 11 national elections in Liberia. It's only the second such vote since the country's brutal decades of civil war and a first reelection effort for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first and only female head of state.

Pan American Games

Athletes training for the 2012 Summer Olympics will be on hand in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Oct. 13 when the 16th Pan American Games begin. The quadrennial event is often seen as a tune-up for the Summer Olympics.