Monday 15 April
China, meanwhile is scheduled to release its GDP data for the first quarter of the year, with analysts predicting robust growth of approximately 8%.
In Oslo, the Norwegian government will host, in conjunction with the United Nations, a major two-day conference on LGBT issues.
In France the government is due to publish a list of the wealth and assets of its ministers in the wake of the scandal surrounding disgraced former Budget Minister Jérôme Cahuzac and his secret bank account.
Finally, a four-day motions hearing will open in the case of Guantanamo detainee Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, who is charged over the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen that killed 17 sailors back in 2000.
Tuesday 16 April
On Tuesday, the German parliament’s budget committee is scheduled to consider legislation authorising the €10bn bailout of Cyprus, with reports suggesting the bill will reach the floor of the Bundestag on Thursday.
In the United States, the Commander of US (and NATO) forces in Afghanistan, General Joseph Dunford, is due to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The focus is likely to be the country’s preparedness for the handover next year.
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will hand down its judgment in the case of Haroon Aswat, who is fighting his extradition from the UK to the US on terror charges.
Finally in London, the Lord Mayor’s Easter Banquet takes place, which traditionally features an address from the British Foreign Secretary.
Wednesday 17 April
Wednesday also marks the deadline for British Home Secretary Theresa May to lodge an appeal in the case of radical preacher Abu Qatada, whom she is seeking to extradite to Jordan. Previous rulings have gone against the Home Secretary amid concerns about the Jordanian judicial process.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to give public testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Although the hearing is nominally concerning Kerry’s departmental budget proposal, lawmakers traditionally take the opportunity to probe their top diplomat on the most pressing issues of the day, such as North Korea, Syria and Iran.
Lastly, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the long-awaited proposed comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
Thursday 18 April
On Thursday, Italian lawmakers are scheduled to begin the process of electing a new President to replace incumbent Giorgio Napolitano. The selection process is being complicated by squabbling between Pier Luigi Bersani and Silvio Berlusconi over whose faction should occupy the largely ceremonial position.
In Moscow, Bolshoi ballet dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko is due back in court over his alleged role in masterminding the brutal acid attack against the ballet’s artistic director Sergei Fillin back in January.
Meanwhile, IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings begin in earnest on Thursday with press briefings from Christine Lagarde and Jim Yong Kim on the global economic outlook.
Incoming Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, in town for the meetings, is scheduled to discuss the global economy and financial reform at an event organised by Thomson Reuters at the Canadian embassy in Washington DC.
Friday 19 April
On Friday, Time magazine is due to publish its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Nancy Pelosi, currently House Minority Leader in the US, will be in the UK where she is due to give a lecture at the London School of Economics.
Weekend
On Saturday, Turkey will play host to the latest meeting on Syria, which US Secretary of State John Kerry will attend.
Sunday will see Paraguayan’s go to the polls for presidential and legislative elections. Paraguay has been somewhat isolated since the impeachment of its then-President Fernando Lugo in the summer of 2012, considered by regional critics – understandably sensitive about such political interventions – a ‘soft coup’.
Finally, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will (reportedly) arrive in Israel for what would be his first visit since taking up the post earlier this year. The Iran threat, as well as the security implications of the Syria conflict, will be top of the agenda, assuming the visit goes ahead.
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Monday 4 February
President Hollande, hosts US Vice President Joe Biden in Paris for talks on Monday, likely to be focused significantly on the mission in Mali, as well as the conflict in Syria. This follows talks between Biden and Russian Foreign Minister on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. Biden’s next and final stop is London, where similar issues are likely to come up.
Europol, meanwhile, is scheduled to hold a press conference in the Netherlands to announce the results of its investigation into football match fixing.
Finally, there is talk of a three-way summit between Prime Minister David Cameron, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in London (confirmation pending).
Tuesday 5 February
On Tuesday, EU ministers are due to meet in Brussels to discuss the training mission to Mali, which could become operational as early as 12 February, according to its head Brigadier General Francois Lecointre.
Joe Biden, as mentioned earlier, is due to visit London where he will holds talks with Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
Finally, French President Francois Hollande, is scheduled to address a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Wednesday 6 February
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague will be grilled on Britain’s relationship with the EU by MPs on Wednesday, when he appears before the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Hague’s cabinet colleague George Osborne, meanwhile, will join OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría at the launch of the OECD’s economic survey of the UK.
Finally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected in Paris to meet French leader Francois Hollande. The anticipated travel comes as the two nations’ football teams square up in a friendly match, which they may attend.
Thursday 7 February
In the US, President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the CIA, John Brennan, will be grilled in an open session of the Senate Intelligence Committee to consider his nomination. Republicans will no doubt focus on the 11 September attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Tripoli. While Democrats are more likely to be interested in drone attacks and extrajudicial killings (which, incidentally, are the subject of a UN inquiry launched last month).
Incoming Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will appear on Thursday before the UK Treasury Select Committee. The Canadian central banker has already been making waves ahead of his arrival, with provocative policy suggestions and expensive housing requirements.
Friday 8 February
On Friday Samuel Mullet, the delightfully-named leader of an Ohio Amish group found guilty last year of federal hate crimes after cutting off the beards of a rival group, is due to be sentenced alongside his co-defendants.
Also Friday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will be discussing prospects for growth in Europe at an event in Singapore.
Saturday 9 February
Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah are said to be planning to hold a further round of reconciliation talks in Cairo.
Images courtesy of ldambies / Frontpage / Shutterstock.com
]]> A special round up of world events from July – December 2013, from journalist resource ForesightNews.
July
On 1 July, Canadian Mark Carney replaces Mervyn King as the head of the Bank of England. Carney has already caused quite the stir in the world of central banking by suggesting banks could have GDP – as opposed to inflationary – targets, so his arrival at The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street may inject some much needed pizzazz into the monthly policy briefings.
The same day, Croatia is scheduled to become the 28th member of the European Union. Despite the likely continued financial and economic challenges facing the region, expect much EU back-slapping as it welcomes its latest member into the fold.
The issue of whether to allow women to be ordained as bishops in the Church of England is set to be revisited at the church’s summer General Synod, which runs from 5-9 July. It was immensely embarrassing for the CoE that proposals were voted down in November 2012 and leaders are highly unlikely to allow a repeat.
Finally, at precisely 8am on 7 July, Spanish and international lunatics will once again willingly put themselves at risk of horrific injuries when the annual Pamplona bull run kicks off.
August
An extradition hearing is scheduled to open on 12 August in New Zealand in the case of the larger-than-life founder of Megaupload, Kim DotCom (née Schmitz). Since his arrest the German-born tycoon with a penchant for preposterous self-portraits has endeared himself to New Zealanders, becoming something of a celebrity, particularly after he earned a public apology from Prime Minster John Key after it emerged he had been surveilled illegally.
Meanwhile, in New York Abu Hamza is due to go on trial on 26 August, following his extradition from the UK in 2012. The Egyptian-born radical preacher faces allegations that he was involved in hostage taking in Yemen in 1998, attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon from 1999-2000, and ‘facilitated’ violent jihad in Afghanistan. If found guilty on the first charge, he could face the death penalty.
Finally, 28 August marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
September
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts G20 leaders, including his US counterpart Barack Obama, in St Petersburg from 5-6 September.
Two days later, on 7 September, the International Olympic Committee opens its 125th session, the highlight of which will be the announcement of which city will be hosting the Olympics in 2020. Contender cities are: Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo.
Germany’s Angela Merkel faces an election this month, with 22 September seen as a possible date (the election window runs from 8 September to 27 October). The leader of the Christian Democrats seems likely to remain leader of Eurpoe’s largest economy, however she is likely to replace her coalition partners the Free Democrats with the Social Democrats.
October
With the global economy, and more precisely its poor performance, still likely to be at the top of the agenda, the IMF and World Bank meetings take place from 11-13 October in Washington DC.
From 18-19 October, Panama will host leaders from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin American for the 23rd Ibero-American Summit.
Lastly this month, there are elections (on a date yet to be announced) in Azerbaijan, where current President Ilyam Aliyev hopes to be re-elected. The lack of meaningful opposition in the oil-rich nation means his wish is likely to become reality.
November
From 5-21 November, UNESCO will hold its biennial General Conference in Paris with the Palestinian Authority in attendance as a full member.
In Chile, elections take place on 17 November. President Sebastián Piñera’s popularity has plummeted since the remarkable events at the San Jose mine back in 2010; in particular he has faced vocal opposition from the country’s students. There are rumours that the country’s first female and highly popular president, Michelle Bachelet, may be tempted to return to Chilean politics to challenge Piñera.
A day later, on 18 November, NASA will launch its latest mission to Mars, the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It will not arrive at the Red Planet until Autumn 2014.
Finally, on 30 November, Hondurans will go the polls to elect a new president. The current leader Porfirio Lobo, who replaced Manuel Zelaya following a controversial ‘coup’ in 2009, has indicated he does not plan to run. In reality, both Lobo and Zelaya may well be candidates.
December
On December 10, the winner of the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize will pick up the accolade at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
In the United States, meanwhile, Newtown, Connecticut, will mark the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, in which 20 students and six teachers were killed by Adam Lanza. It remains to be seen whether the country’s gun laws will be meaningfully modified. Previous shooting-sprees have resulted in little or no action being taken.
Finally, British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised that by December 31, UK troop levels in Afghanistan will have been reduced to just over five thousand ahead of NATO’s withdrawal by the end of 2014. Despite claims by politicians of significant progress, many commentators are anticipating a total implosion once foreign troops leave the Graveyard of Empires.
Images courtesy of Mark III Photonics / Shutterstock.com
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