Many of the events that will astonish, amuse and alarm us this year aren't known yet. They'll occur unexpectedly, hold our attention for varying lengths of time and be woven into whatever kind of year this turns out to be - certainly one with a mix of good news and sad events, just as always. But even though no one can predict what will happen, no crystal ball is needed to know some places where news will happen.

Besides the international news-making centers of Washington, Baghdad, Tehran, Paris, London, Moscow and other capitals, additional cities will share the spotlight because of important events. For starters, this week brings lots of reports from Manchester, New Hampshire, and elsewhere in that New England state as voters show which presidential candidates they prefer in Democratic and Republican primary elections Tuesday.

Months later, Campaign '08 will put Denver and Minneapolis in front-page headlines as they host conventions where each party formally nominates presidential and vice-presidential tickets. Democrats meet in Denver from Aug. 25-28, while Republicans gather a week later in Minneapolis-St. Paul from Sept. 1-4..

For two weeks before those late summer conventions, the world's eyes will be on Beijing as the Summer Olympics take place in and around China's capital from Aug. 8-24 - an opportunity for that country to show how it has modernized in recent decades. The international athletic event also will stimulate discussion of political restrictions, working conditions, bootleg products and manufacturing safety in the Communist country, which has the world's largest population (1.3 billion).
In this country, sports news will come from Glendale, Arizona, site of Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium. New York City will be the setting of a newsworthy athletic event July 15 when Major League Baseball's annual All-Star game is played at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx - a 1923 landmark that the team is leaving after this season for a new ballpark being built across the street.

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Historic anniversaries: Memphis will be in the news as officials and civil rights groups observe the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination there April 4. Two months later, as a somber reminder that 1968 was a momentous turning point for America, memorials will honor Robert F. Kennedy, a senator who was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination when he was slain 40 years ago on June 6 in Los Angeles.

Pop culture news: Recording industry newsmakers gather Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the 50th annual Grammy Awards. Two weeks later in the same city, actors, film directors and screenwriters get their turn to go formal on Feb. 24 for the 80th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater.