A round up of world news in the week ahead from journalist resource ForesightNews.
Monday 21 January
Barack Obama delivers his second inaugural address on Monday, the climax of a day of festivities in the US capital following his re-election in November. The need for further action to stem gun violence is all but certain to feature, as well as the ongoing economic challenges facing the United States.
In Brussels, meanwhile, eurozone finance ministers are scheduled to meet, with current president of the grouping Jean Claude-Juncker expected to pass leadership to the Dutch Finance Minister, Jeroen Dijsselbloem.
Finally, India’s Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling in the controversial Niyamgiri bauxite mine case. The bauxite extracted would be used in an aluminium refinery run by mining conglomerate Vedanta Resources but critics say it will cause untold damage to the Niyamgiri Hills, which are in Orissa state.
Tuesday 22 January
Israeli’s go to the polls in parliamentary elections in which Prime Minister Binyamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu and his Likud party is all but certain to secure enough seats in the Knesset to retain power. The campaign has been notable for the rise of Naftali Bennett and his hard-right Jewish Home party.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s François Hollande will lead celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the Elysée Treaty. A joint cabinet meeting of the two countries will be held, as well as a joint session of France’s National Assembly and the Bundestag. Expect much focus on the future of the European project.
Japan’s Central Bank, which is under pressure from Shinzo Abe’s government, concludes a two-day monetary policy meeting on Tuesday. Observers anticipate an easing of policy and possibly a doubling of the inflation target to 2%.
Finally, Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of one of the US Supreme Court’s most well-known, and controversial, decisions: Roe v Wade.
Wednesday 23 January
Some of the world’s most influential business figures will gather in Davos from Wednesday at the World Economic Forum. While health is formally the major theme of this year’s gathering, the US economic outlook and the future of the euro will no doubt be major topics of conversation among the attendees.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due to address domestic and foreign journalists. Again, although ostensibly a reflection on Russian diplomacy in 2012, questions are more likely to focus on future affairs, especially in as regards the Syria conflict.
In the United States, outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to address the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations Committees on the September attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in Libya, delayed from December. This will almost certainly be her final testimony before she leaves the post (her nominated successor, Senator John Kerry, is due to have his confirmation hearing on Thursday).
Lastly, Jordan holds elections which the country’s Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to boycott.
Thursday 24 January
As mentioned above, Senator John Kerry will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination to be US Secretary of State. He will be questioned on the full gambit of US foreign policy priorities, particularly Israel, Iran and Syria. North Africa also expected to be a significant area of questioning.
Also in US affairs, Senator Dianne Feinstein, author of a ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004, will introduce legislation to once more ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
In Addis Ababa, African Union Foreign Ministers are due to begin a two-day meeting, with the current conflict in Mali likely to be a key point of discussion, in addition to events in the DR Congo, relations between Sudan and South Sudan (a special meeting on this is scheduled for Friday), as well as unrest in the Central African Republic.
Finally, in Strasbourg, the European Court of Human Rights holds its annual briefing for the media.
Friday 25 January
The Czech Republic holds a run-off in its presidential election, with Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg squaring up against former Prime Minister Milos Zeman.
Egypt, meanwhile, marks two years since the protests began that ultimately led to the downfall of Hosni Mubarak.
Also, US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is scheduled to step down. His designated successor, Jacob Lew, has yet to be confirmed. Lew’s unusual signature has attracted much attention.
Saturday 26 January
The top US diplomat on North Korea, Glyn Davies, arrives in Tokyo for talks with counterparts. This is the final destination on a trip that also sees him travel to Seoul and Beijing to discuss the secretive communist state. His visit comes amid reports the DPRK is planning to test another nuclear device.
Saturday is also Australia Day and Republic Day in India.
Sunday 27 January
Leaders from the African Union begin their two-day summit. Again, Mali, the Sudans, DR Congo, Somalia and Algeria all likely to be discussed.
Finally, Bulgarians are due to take part in the country’s first referendum since 1989. The issue at stake: whether to approve the construction of a new nuclear power plant.
Images courtesy of
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A round up of world news in the week ahead from journalist resource ForesightNews.
By Jasper Wenban-Smith, international editor of ForesightNews.
Eurogroup finance ministers, after finally reaching an agreement on the latest €43.7bn disbursement to Greece last week, reconvene Monday in Brussels. Discussions are likely to include a significant focus on the planned establishment of an EU banking union from the start of next year. Also likely to feature are the proposed restructuring of the Spanish banking sector and creation of a ‘bad bank’ there later in December. A meeting of all 27 finance ministers from the EU follows on Tuesday.
At the International Court of Justice in The Hague, oral arguments open Monday in the long-standing maritime dispute between Chile and Peru. The case was filed with the court back in 2008 by Peru, which is seeking access to the rich fishing waters currently controlled by Chile. Arguments run until December 14.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, is due to arrive in Istanbul on Monday for talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The visit was initially planned for October but was delayed after Turkey grounded a commercial airliner travelling from Moscow to Syria on the suspicion it was being used to ferry arms to Bashar al Assad’s regime. Turkish frustration with Russia’s perceived intransigence at the UN over Syria is likely to come up in talks between the pair.
The ongoing violence in Syria is again likely to feature when NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday. The meeting follows a Turkish request to the grouping, made last month, for Patriot missiles to be placed on its border with Syria. The planned exit from Afghanistan is also expected to feature heavily, and is likely to involve a briefing from General George Allen, who was recently in hot water over his involvement in the surreal FBI investigation into threatening emails that led to David Petraeus’ bombshell resignation as head of the CIA.
Also on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to address her Christian Democratic Union party conference in Hanover, as Germany begins the ramp up for general elections due next September.
On Wednesday, Thais will celebrate the 85th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Meanwhile, in Beijing, Japan and North Korea are due to begin a second round of talks after they met last month for the first time since 2008. Discussions will likely include the abductions of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang in the 70s and 80s as well as the DPRK’s nuclear programme. The meeting comes ahead of elections this month in both South Korea and Japan, with some speculating North Korea may be considering its second missile test under newly-crowned Sexiest Man in the World Kim Jong-un.
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi will be addressing the media after the bank’s Governing Council meets Thursday. Further comments on Greece, Spain and the overall health of the euro area are all expected.
Ireland is due to host a meeting of some 50 foreign ministers from the OSCE on Thursday, the largest gathering of its kind in the country has seen.
Meanwhile, having presented his highly-anticipated report into press standards last week, Lord Justice Leveson will on Friday be discussing privacy in the 21st Century at an event organised by the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. This will be his first public appearance since he published his report.
Also Friday, Ghanaians go to the polls to elect a president to the oil-rich West African nation. The strongest challenge to incumbent John Dramani Mahama (NDC) comes from Nana Akufo-Addo (NPP).
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is due to host counterparts from the Mercosur grouping. Venezuela’s recently re-elected President Hugo Chávez had been scheduled to attend, however it remains to be seen whether he returns in time from his latest trip to Cuba to receive cancer treatment.
Finally Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected in Turkey where he intends to visit refugees fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
The weekend sees France host from Saturday the fifth World Policy Congress in Cannes with the futures of the European Union and the Middle East top of the agenda. Speakers include Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and UN/Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi.
Lastly, Sunday sees the second election of the week, this time in Romania. Despite failing to have President Traian Basescu dismissed, opposition party the Social Liberal Union (PSU) is expected to fare strongly, setting the scene for a potential show-down between the President and parliament.
]]>By Nicole Hunt
Though it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of which Silvio Berlusconi trial is currently in court, Monday sees the resumption of the most infamous of his four cases, in which he faces charges for abuse of power and paying for underage sex. The Italian Senate has approved a motion to move the case from Milan’s court to a special minister’s court, but the case remains in Milan while the Constitutional Court mulls the Senate’s request.
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly opens, with more attention than usual being paid this time around. On Tuesday, the Assembly debates a motion that would recommend taking action against pre-natal sex selection in Europe, particularly in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, where the ratio of girls to boys in the population is dropping. On Thursday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the assembly.
Following a meeting of Eurogroup Finance Ministers on Monday, all EU Finance Ministers convene in Luxembourg on Tuesday, with the focus, as with many things this week, squarely on Greece. Discussions are also expected on an EU financial transaction tax, after the European Commission published proposals last week.
In direct response to the austerity measures being so closely watched by the European Finance Ministers, Greek public sector workers hold a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, calling the cuts ‘barbaric’. A general strike is also planned for 19 October.
Meanwhile, in Brussels, German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends the weekly meeting of the European College of Commissioners. At NATO headquarters, NATO Defence Ministers hold a regular meeting to discuss operational issues, with Libya topping the agenda.
Former Bosnian-Serb Army Commander Ratko Mladic is back in court in The Hague on Thursday. Since his last appearance on 25 August, Mladic’s lawyers have requested the names of all 7,000 victims of the Srebrenica massacre as part of their opposition to the indictment.
In Johannesburg, the African National Congress’ disciplinary committee resumes hearing the charges against controversial youth leader Julius Malema, who is accused of interrupting an ANC Officials meeting alongside three other men. Malema faces separate charges of bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing divisions within ANC ranks, which will be heard separately once this case has concluded. It’s currently scheduled to last two days, but has already been delayed several times.
Friday is, oddly, both the 10 year anniversary of the beginning of the War in Afghanistan and also the date for the announcement of the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Anti-war activists hold mass demonstrations in London and Washington on Saturday, while the Peace Prize will be presented to the winner on 10 December.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu celebrates his 80th birthday and a year since he stepped down from public duties. Three days of celebrations are being held in Cape Town, and a new biography is being released to mark the day.
Spanish ‘indignant’ activists who have marched 1500km from Madrid are scheduled to arrive in Brussels on Saturday to hold a demonstration against unrepresentative politics. The protesters, who are joined by counterparts from across Europe, plan to hold a week of events, culminating in a large rally on 15 October.
Two elections take place on Sunday: voters in Poland elect 460 members to their lower house and 100 members to their upper house of parliament, while in Cameroon voters elect their president for the next seven years. Incumbent Paul Biya is only the second president since independence in 1960, and has held the post since 1982.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is in Zimbabwe on Sunday, making him the first high-profile UK official to visit the country since 2001. The visit is part of a three-country pastoral tour which also includes Malawi and Zambia. Williams is expected to meet with President Robert Mugabe, and is scheduled to hold a special service for members of the Anglican Church who have not joined a splinter movement set up by the former Bishop of Harare.
]]>By Nicole Hunt
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meets in Vienna on Monday, with Iran likely to be high on the agenda following last week’s report expressing increased concerns over ‘undisclosed nuclear related activities’ in the country.
Bouthaina Shaaban, political adviser to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, is in Moscow, where she is scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and hold a press conference for international media. Shaaban was one of three Syrian officials slapped with sanctions by the US Treasury Department at the end of August.
The African National Congress is expected to wrap up disciplinary proceedings against controversial ANC youth leader Julius Malema on Tuesday, having recently moved the hearing from the ANC headquarters at Luthuli House to an undisclosed location in Johannesburg following violent protests last week. Malema is accused of bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing divisions within ANC ranks after he encouraged the overthrow of Botswana’s government.
In Brussels, the OECD publishes its annual Education at a Glance report, analysing the education systems and performances in member states. For the first time, this year’s report also looks at education in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg hears a complaint on Wednesday brought by four people who say they were illegally deprived of their liberty without justification while they were held in a police ‘kettle’ during the 2001 May Day protests in London.
In New York, the UN Security Council holds a debate on drought-stricken Somalia, where security issues have compounded problems as aid struggles to get into the country and people struggle to get out.
Parliamentary elections take place in Denmark on Thursday. Recent polls say Helle Thorning-Schmidt could be the country’s next Prime Minister, as her opposition Social Democrat party looks poised to win the most seats.
A court in The Hague is due to rule on Apple’s application to ban sales of Samsung’s Galaxy phones. A temporary injunction banning sales and distribution throughout much of Europe was issued on 11 August, but is not due to come into effect until 13 October.
Following debates this week in several European parliaments on new powers for the European Financial Stability Fund, European finance ministers begin a two-day meeting on Friday.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague holds a confirmation of charges hearing for Callixte Mbarushimana, a former UN employee charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009. Mbarushimana is alleged to have been the executive secretary of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and directly responsible for at least 32 deaths in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide while still employed by the UN, but has never been charged.
Libyan schools are scheduled to re-open on Saturday, with a brand new curriculum devoid of Gaddafi-era subjects such as the Green Book.
At the Dead Sea in Israel, photographer Spencer Turnick stages another mass nude photoshoot, hoping to bring awareness to the fact that the famously salty lake is drying up.
The week wraps up with state elections in Berlin, the sixth in Germany this year. The regional elections have generally proven disastrous for Angela Merkel’s CDU party, which has suffered losses country-wide to the Social Democrats, a trend that many expect to continue into the 2013 federal election.
]]>By Allan Williams
Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega has until Monday to appeal against his extradition to Panama. The 77-year-old is currently serving a prison sentence in France after being convicted of money laundering in July 2010.
On Tuesday attention turns to Japan when the Parliament elects its sixth Prime Minister in five years. Incumbent Naoto Kan announced he was stepping down over plummeting approval ratings, following the earthquake and tsunami earlier this year.
Wednesday sees Canada release its second quarter GDP figures. Fears of the economy contracting grew following an announcement earlier this month that manufacturing sales declined 1.5per cent in June, to their lowest level since November 2010.
Also on Wednesday South African President Jacob Zuma makes a state visit to Norway at the invitation of King Harald V. The two-day trip includes a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Monument and a meeting with Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
In the UK, on Thursday, repatriations of deceased British troops move from RAF Lyneham to RAF Brize Norton. RAF Lyneham and the parade through the nearby town of Wootton Bassett have made the headlines with the dignified way locals have mourned the fallen.
In Thailand that same day, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, editor of the liberal news website Prachatai, has her trial for lese majeste offences recommence. It is alleged that Premchaiporn failed to screen comments on her website that were critical of the Thai royal family, and if convicted faces up to 20 years in prison.
Attention turns stateside on Friday, when a US district court decides whether to order a retrial of former baseball star Roger Clemens, who was accused of lying to Congress in 2008 when he denied using anabolic steroids. The original trial was declared a mistrial on 14 July.
In London on Saturday the far-right English Defence League are expected to demonstrate in the borough of Tower Hamlets, against what it sees as militant Islam. The march is expected to be banned by the Home Secretary, but the action group Unite Against Fascism has arranged a counter-protest against the EDL.
On Sunday the UN Special Representative on Somalia Augustine Mahiga convenes a conference in the east African nation to provide clear timelines and benchmarks for the Transitional Federal Institutions.
And in Germany there’s a test for Chancellor Merkel’s coalition when state elections take place in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with local elections coming under increasing scrutiny as a gauge of popularity for Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union.
]]>Oh lieber Otto! What a night that was mate. Greeks and Germans like Eurozone brothers-in-arms. Bier and ouzo never tasted so good together and we all danced to Zorba the Greek just like it was Karneval. Schön…
But oh meine Damen und Herren, what a difference an EU financial crisis makes. Especially when your average German is trying to work out if Berlin should be bailing out Athens to the tune of about 8 billion euros and where exactly do their politicians stand on the issue.
A TV talk show debate on the proposed Greek bailout mid-week had me rather engrossed (which is saying something as I feel there’re far too many talk shows on the national broadcaster). Politicians from across the spectrum thrashed out their views on how to help Greece on the appropriately named programme, Hard But Fair. Though a well known Greek-Berliner restaurateur-actor on the panel somewhat struggled to get a word in.
So, it was with little surprise the next morning when I popped into my local cafe, the headline of Bild screamed:
"Greeks want even more billions from us!"
Regular Bild readers might have been dismayed that such a headline left hardly any room for the page 1 girl. The tabloid spelt out rather simply that while the coalition government considers billions of euros for helping Greece, there’s no money for tax cuts, repairing schools or maintaining streets and parks.
Meanwhile, we have to keep things stable. That’s what Chancellor Merkel’s CDU party is campaigning for in the May 9 election in Germany’s largest state, North Rhine Westfalia (NRW). A state election which might end up signaling what Germans think about the federal government stepping in to help sort out the economic woes of Greece. The emergency Eurozone summit is scheduled the day after the NRW elections.
However while Germany, being the good EU member that it is will be seeking to do its (usual) part to maintain stability in the Eurozone, the German reaction to whole episode has me thinking back to what Timothy Garton Ash mentioned at a Frontline Club talk recently. TGA spoke about Germany’s change in attitude towards Europe. Germany is now much more sceptical and much more happier talking about national interests.
Anyway, getting back to what Germans and Greeks do well together, I wonder if on May 10 the German delegation at the Eurozone summit will emerge from the talks singing the classic Griechischer Wein? Take it away Üdo…
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