October 3 — Europe: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Bosnia-Herzegovina, a country with deep ethnic divisions, goes to the polls to vote for leaders in the federal government and parliament, including a joint rotating presidency, as well as governments and assemblies of the two autonomous regions. According to its complicated system, the country of 3.8 million people votes for five presidents and 700 legislators. Most political parties are divided along the ethnic lines and fail to cooperate to achieve any necessary reforms. The negotiations to form a new coalition government will take months. Zlatko Lagumdzija’s multi-ethnic Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the biggest winner of the election, while Milorad Dodik’s Party of Independent Social Democrats strengthens its presence in both Republika Srpska and at state level.

October 8 — East Asia: CHINA

Imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo receives the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle to achieve human rights in China. Liu was one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, and the author of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for democratic changes in China. While the Chinese government condemns the choice and calls Liu a criminal, Western countries call for Liu’s immediate release.

October 8 — Middle East: ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES/ARAB LEAGUE

The Arab League endorses the Palestinian decision to walk out of the peace talks unless Israel freezes settlement construction in the West Bank. It also gives the United States one month to resolve the deadlock. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the freeze could break his right wing coalition, which is dominated by pro-settlement parties. (October 11): Israel says it will stop new settlements in the West Bank if the Palestinian leaders recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The Palestinians, however, say this would jeopardize the rights of the non-Jewish population living in Israel as well as the claims of the Palestinian refugees.

October 10 — Former Soviet Republics: KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyzstan votes in a parliamentary election held under its new constitution, which turned the country into the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia. (October 17): Kyrgyzstan forms a coalition government led by the Social Democratic Party, whose leader Almazbek Atambayev is set to become prime minister. The coalition also contains the nationalist Ata Zhurt party, which is pro ousted president Bakiyev.

October 25 — Europe: EUROPEAN UNION/GREECE

The European Union (EU) is set to send its Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABIT) to Greece to help it stem illegal migrants entering into the EU via the Greek land border with Turkey. It is estimated that about 350 illegal immigrants, many of them Albanians and Afghans, are trying to enter Greece every day. RABIT was established in 2007 to provide rapid operational assistance for a limited time to any EU member state facing a migratory problem.

October 25 — Latin America: HAITI

A cholera outbreak in central Haiti kills more than 250 people and sickens more than 3,000 others. It is believed that the epidemic has spread from using the contaminated water of the Artibonite River. It is not clear how the cholera virus got into the river.

October 29 — Europe: POLAND/RUSSIA

Poland and Russia sign a natural gas agreement. According to the deal, Russia will deliver gas to Poland until 2022 and Poland will transit Russian gas to Europe through the Yamal-Europe pipeline until 2019. Poland imports more than 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia. The critics of the deal say it makes Poland overly dependent on Russia for its energy needs.

October 31 — Latin America: BRAZIL

Brazil elects its first female president, Dilma Rousseff of the governing Workers’ Party, who will replace highly popular Luiz Inacio Lula who leaves after completing two terms in office. Between 2003 and 2005, Rousseff was an energy minister and then became Lula’s chief of staff. She promises to continue her predecessor’s policies that resulted in Brazil’s strong economic growth over the last several years.

October 31 — Africa: IVORY COAST

Ivory Coast goes to the polls to vote in the presidential election that has been postponed six times. Neither incumbent Lauren Gbagbo nor his main rival former Prime Minister and former IMF economist Alassane Ouattara win an outright majority, forcing the candidates into a run-off election. This is the country’s first presidential election in 10 years.