WORLD NEWS FORECAST ARCHIVE
Oct - Dec 2008

VANCOUVER 3 October 2008 IOC officials assess preparations for 2010 Winter Games

Canadian and International Olympics Committee members meet to assess the preparations for the next Winter Games, which open in Vancouver on 13 Feb 2010. VANOC, the Vancouver Olympic Committee, has received high praise for its preparations, but could be pushed by to say how it plans to handle protesters at the event. Two interconnected issues in western Canada are the mining of oilsands and aboriginal rights. Anti-poverty groups and others also plan to demonstrate at the event.
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FRANCE 4 October 2008 France marks 50th anniversary of Fifth Republic

The 50th anniversary of France's Fifth Republic and present constitution falls on Oct 4. The undoing of colonialism in Algeria led to the undoing of the Fourth Republic. On Oct 3, President Nicolas Sarkozy will participate in a conference that commemorates the anniversary in Paris, and there will be related events in September. The impending anniversary could hasten a constitutional amendment planned by the President.
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ITALY 5-10 October 2008 Pope to open Italian television Bible marathon

Pope Benedict XVI reads the first chapter of the Book of Genesis in Italian on the Italian state TV network from St. Peter's Basilica on Oct 5. The reading launches a 6-day broadcast marathon of round-the-clock Bible reading. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, will conclude the series on Oct 10 with a reading from the Book of Revelations. Some 1200 people from all walks of life will read, from different locations and in different languages.
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VATICAN 5-26 October 2008 Pope Benedict XVI convenes synod of bishops

The 12th general assembly of the Synod of Bishops meets. Significantly, Bartholomew I, the 270th patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, joins the world's bishops for this first Synod called by Pope Benedict XVI.
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OSLO/STOCKHOLM 6-13 Oct 2008 Nobel Foundation announces annual prizes

The Nobel juries announce the 2008 winners of the world's most prestigious prizes. A recent study of Nobel laureates suggests they win more than money that they live up to two years longer than the nominees. The life-winning factor is status. Internet "buzz" puts former prisoner Ingrid Betancourt, Khazakstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev, Prince Albert II of Monarco and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in the frame for the highest-status award, the Peace Prize, announced on Oct 10.
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UNITED STATES 7 October 2008 Belmont University hosts second presidential debate

The second of three presidential debates for Democratic Sen. Barak Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain is set for Belmont University in Nashville, which expects to benefit financially from this official presidential debate and also from the first of the debates, in Oxford, Mississippi.
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BUDAPEST 9-10 October 2008 NATO defense ministers meet. Concerns about Russia?

The focus at this October meeting of NATO defense ministers is likely to depend on whether the Alliance feels compelled to answer Russia's reawakened militarism. If tensions continue to rise, boosting European Union and NATO military cooperation could seem like urgent business. Afghanistan leaves NATO with few surplus resources to meet new challenges. Expanding the EU-NATO club or Eurocorps, and rethinking the European Security and Defence Policy could make both entities feel more formidable.
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WASHINGTON DC 11-13 October 2008 IMF, World Bank meet in sour economic climate

The massive bailout is likely to be a top issue in the context of the worsening state of the world economy at the Annual International Monetary Fund/World Bank meetings in October. At a conference in Frankfurt on Sep 9, IMF first deputy managing director John Lipksy predicted global growth was set to slow further in the second half of 2008. The same meeting will hear a World Bank report on a mission to assess Georgia's needs following an invasion by Russia.
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CHECHNYA 12 October 2008 Chechens elect new parliament

Chechnya holds an election for a restructured parliament on Oct 12. Unicameral instead of bicameral, it will have 41 seats instead of 61. Prague Watchdog, which reports on Caucusus issues, sees little potential difference in the power structure after the election. The publication predicts few Chechens will bother to vote. The body will be dominated again by the Chechen branch of the United Russia Party. Youthful Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, handpicked by Vladimir Putin, leads the party.
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KAZAKHSTAN 12 October 2008 Soyuz crew plus sixth space tourist depart for ISS

Soyuz Expedition 18 departs for the International Space Station with a crew of three plus the fourth tourist to visit the ISS. Richard Garriot, a British-born billionaire computer game developer, is the son of former astronaut Owen Garriot. This is one of the last three-member crew trips to the ISS before crews increase to six and leave no space for tourists. Garriot will pay at least US $30 million for the trip and his 10- to 14-day stay.
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VATICAN 12 October 2008 Pope Benedict XVI canonizes four

Pope Benedict XVI announced in March that four beatified Catholics will be elevated to sainthood and 13 will be beatified, the first step towards sainthood. The list includes a nun from India, but she isn't Nobel Peace laureate Mother Teresa.
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CANADA 13 October 2008 Rededication of monument to hero of 1812 frontier war

Brock's Monument in Ontario is a reminder that relations between Canada and the United States were not always amicable. Now 151 years old, the majestic monument is showing its age and it is being restored. If no new structural problems are found, it will be rededicted on Oct 13, the anniversary of the death of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, the hero of the 1812 Battle of Queenston Heights between the United States and Canada.
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LONDON 14 October 2008 Booker Prize 40th anniversary winner announced

The winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize for Fiction, Britain's most prestigious literary award, will be announced at a ceremony at Guildhall. Sir Salman Rushdie, a former winner who was favored to win the 50,000 Man Booker Prize with his novel, "The Enchantress of Florence," was not on the shortlist announced in September. Rushdie's novel "Midnight's Children," which won the 1981 prize, was named the best Booker Prize of all time, in a public vote to mark the 40th anniversary of the Booker.
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CANADA 14 October 2008 Canada to hold general election one year early

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, at the head of a minority government, is taking Canada to the polls a year early. The odds are against him: only one prime minister -- Liberal Lester B. Pearson in the 1960s -- has won two successive minority governments. The timing allows him to take a chance with voters before the economy softens farther, and to address the worry that the possible election of a liberal president in the United States in November could revitalize Canada's Liberal opposition.
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AUSTRALIA 15 October 2008 Big numbers expected for Ride to Work Day

With an estimated 90,000 participants, the inaugural National Ride to Work Day in 2007 was billed as "Australia's biggest ever cycling event," and organizers expect the 2008 event to be even bigger.
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ENGLAND 16 October 2008 Centenary of first powered flight in Britain

Samuel Cody, an American, is to Britain what the Wright brothers are to the United States. On Oct 16 in 1908 the man known as the father of British aviation flew the Cody Flyer almost 1,400 feet in 27 seconds to an altitude of 30-40 feet.
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ITALY 18-26 October 2008 15th Eurochocolate extravaganza dedicated to play

The most important chocolate show in Europe will bring some 1 million people this year to Perugia in Italy's Umbria region to explore the recreational aspects of "the food of the gods." The official theme is Eurochocolate, Play Chocolate. The Equochocolate exhibition introduces visitors to the child labor issue in the supply chain, a serious note at an event dedicated to play. full story

SYDNEY 20 October 2008 Now-threatened Sydney Opera House opened 35 years ago

Australia's futuristic landmark, the Sydney Opera House, was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 Oct 1973, with fireworks and a huge crowd of onlookers. With its nesting concrete shells that billow like the sails on Sydney Harbor, it has been a source of arguments and great national pride since the international competition to design it in 1957. Nearing its 35th anniversary, the Opera House is in dire need of restoration. There is talk of scrapping it and starting again.
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AUSTRALIA 20 October 2008 Qantas' first Airbus 380 makes commercial debut. Image repair?

The first of 20 Airbus 380 super jumbo jets for Australian carrier Qantas arrives in Sydney from Paris on 21 Sep, and flies out of Melbourne on its inaugural commercial flight on Oct 20. The first commercial flight from Sydney departs on Oct 24. Qantas has suffered a string of embarrassments in recent weeks, and hopes the inaugural flight will repair its image.
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FRANCE 21 October 2008 CERN inaugurates Large Hadron Collider

CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, has invited heads of government to the official inauguration of the massive US $2 billion Large Hadron Collider. It was switched on with fanfare in September, but broke down days later because of a wiring problem. The collider will simulate the beginning of the universe in microcosm, potentially confirming "the God particle along the way and making the Internet obsolete. Around 19 years in the making, the LHC, the largest scientific instrument
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SLOVENIA/SLOVAKIA 21-24 October 2008 Queen Elizabeth II, Price Philip plan first state visits

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, visit Slovenia from 21-22 Oct and Slovakia from 23-24 Oct. It is the first time a British monarch has visited the former communist countries. The visit will advance Britain's interests if it inspires investors and workers to turn their thoughts again to Britain. Investment and migrant labor have been flowing out of Britain because of the weaker pound and higher unemployment. The outflow limits Britain's capacity to produce goods and services.
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GENEVA 22 October 2008 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference marks 50th years of Nuclear Fusion research

Scientists at the International Atomic Energy Agency Fusion Conference will celebrate 50 years of nuclear fusion. Used to produce hydrogen bombs just after WWII, it was seen from the first as an almost limitless source of energy. The Second United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy 50 years ago in September brought fusion research that had been conducted in secrecy into the open.
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LONDON 24 October 2008 Concorde final landing five years ago. Crash trial soon

Three British Airways Concorde airliners landed at Heathrow on 24 Oct 2003, bringing to a close almost three decades of supersonic air travel. The only other carrier to operate the white needle-nosed supersonic aircraft, Air France, retired its Concordes in May 2003. The crash of a French Concorde on 25 Jul 2000 near Paris, in which 113 people died, began the countdown to retirement. News that the company and individuals blamed for the crash will be tried has returned Concorde to the headlines.
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FRANCE 24 October 2008 High fuel prices could make ITER 1st birthday noteworthy

Ground hasn't even been broken for the massive ITER experimental plasma reactor and first plasma could be eight years or more away, yet record high fuel could make the first birthday of the project to establish an environmentally responsible source of essentially limitless energy a noted milestone. And the skyrocketing fuel prices could also prod government partners in the project to set aside what is described as political wrangling to make sure the reactor begins producing on time.
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SPAIN **24 Oct 2008 Prestigious Asturias prizes awarded. Google, Canadian author Margaret Atwood

Eight Prince of Asturias Foundation annual international awards will be presented by Filipe, Prince of Asturias, at a ceremony in Oviedo. Search engine Google receives the Communication and Humanities award. Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood receives the award for Letters. Past winners of the prize for Letters include Arthur Miller, Doris Lessing and Gunter Grass. The other awards are Arts, International Cooperation, Technical and Scientific Research, Social Sciences, Sports and Concord.
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INDIA 24 October 2008 US consulate opens in Hyderabad

The fifth United States consulate in India opens in the cyber city of Hyderabad. It will support US interests in the information technology outsourcing sector and speed up the visa issuing process. Security a potential problem.
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ITALY 29 October 2008 Olivetti empire founded 100 years ago on Utopian ideals

Camillo Olivetti, with 20 workers, began producing typewriters in 1908. A century later the Olivetti empire is one of the top Italian players on the information technology marketplace. Along the way, Adriano Olivetti, the son of the founder, transformed his father's shop-like operation in Ivrea into a modern factory. It was built around Utopian ideals and proved to be a formula for profitability. A Olivetti postage stamp and special events from September to December mark the centenary.
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THE HAGUE 30-31 October 2008 ICC shortens list of premises design entrants

Five years after the inauguration of its temporary headquarters, the International Criminal Court shortens the list of 21 entrants to three in its worldwide design competition for a new premises. The ICC hopes to leave its current cramped temporary housing in 2014.
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LONDON 30 October 2008 Winning designer announced for London bus

In July London Mayor Boris Johnson launched a competition for the design of a new London bus. He plans to announce the winner by the end of October, and entries close on 19 Sep. The new bus must be as distinctive as the double-decker Routemaster buses that symbolized London for the city's millions of annual visitors. The Routemasters were phased out in 2005 after 50 years in service.
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GERMANY 31 October Celebrations open for 500th anniversary of Protestant Reformation

Churches around the world are to be asked to sponsor trees in a special Luther Garden in Wittenberg to mark the 500th anniversary in 2017 of Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation.
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BERLIN 31 October 2008 Tempelhof of Berlin Airlift fame due to close

The German capital held a referendum on Apr 27 on the plan to close the airport that played a pivotal role in the Berlin Airlift 60 years ago, and the results did not save it. The giant Tempelhof Airport was built by the Nazis as a cornerstone of the never-realized Third Reich capital Germania. Mayor Klaus Wowereit argues that the decision to shut Tempelhof on 31 Oct is legally binding, so even a vote to keep it open might not have saved it.
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NEW YORK 3 November 2008 Painting expected to shatter auction record for Russian work of art

Sotheby's anticipates that a painting by avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich will break the auction record for a Russian work of art when it goes under the hammer. "Suprematist Composition," painted in 1916, is expected to fetch more than US $60 million. Sotheby's describes the painting, a series of brightly-colored rectangles and lines painted at angles on a white background, as "one of the greatest modern paintings ever offered for sale." Rich Russians are expected to be the bidders.
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ROME 4-6 November 2008 Catholic, Muslim scholars open talks

In the first forum of its kind, 24 Catholic and Muslim scholars will meet in November to talk about the theological and spiritual foundations of Catholicism and Islam and human dignity and mutual respect. The first Catholic-Muslim Forum concludes with an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.
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PERU 5-6 November 2008 APEC finance ministers meet ahead of summit

The outcome of this 15th meeting of finance ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Truijillo will be a key part of the agenda for leaders of the Pacific Rim nations when they meet in November. Any time left over from debate about the global financial crisis and its implications on the APEC region will be devoted to the original theme: "Result Based Budgeting" and "Capital Market Reforms."
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BRAZIL 7-9 November 2008 G-20 finance ministers,bank governors meet

The finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20, an influential informal alliance of developing and industrialized countries that account for 85 per cent of the world economy, meet under Brazil's chairmanship at Costa Do Sauipe. During its one-year stint at the G-20 helm, Brazil aims to push for a more balanced and stable environment for global economic markets, a challenging goal in a year that shows signs of being marked by global economic turmoil.
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NEW ZEALAND 8 November 2008 New Zealanders vote in general election

Prime Minister Helen Clark's job and Labour Party government will be on the line on Nov 8, the date of New Zealand's general election. Clark wants a fourth three-year term and a big enough Labour margin in the 121-seat legislature to form a majority government. The slower economy and falling house prices are among factors that have given the opposition National Party, led by John Key, a strong lead. The Maori Party could be the deal maker.
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GERMANY-AUSTRIA 9-10 Nov 2008 70th anniversary Kristallnacht pogrom against Jews

During the Nazi pogrom called Kristallnacht in 1938, synagogues were burned, Jewish shop windows were broken and Jews were murdered, beaten or arrested throughout Germany and Austria. The attacks marked the start of the Holocaust against Europe's Jews and other groups Adolph Hitler considered undesirables. The 70th anniversary will see remembrances, retrospectives, forums and concerts around the world. It will also be a rallying date for neo-Nazis.
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VENEZUELA 10-14 November 2008 Russia, Venezuela hold joint naval exercises

Joint Venezuelan-Russian naval exercises planned for November in the Caribbean are expected to raise tensions with the United States. The two main issues between them are Russia\'s invasion of Georgia in August and US plans to station missile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic. Russia\'s arrival will be a retaliatory move: the United States has reactivated US Navy 4th Fleet patrols in Latin America for the first time in over 50 years.
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WORLD 11 Nov 2008 War to End All Wars armistice signed 90 years ago

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns of the Western Front of World War I fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. Germany had signed an Armistice. In Allied countries, the day is marked with wreath layings at national WWI memorials and at the gravesites near epic battles. An exception is Russia. In the last decade or so, there's been a headcount each Nov 11 of the dwindling number of WWI veterans still living. As of mid July there are five.
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UNITED STATES 14 November 2008 NASA shuttle Endeavour blasts off with equipment for bigger crew

Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts will deliver equipment that will enable larger crews to reside aboard the International Space Station starting next Spring, including a new six-crew galley. Four spacewalks are scheduled. They will be used to service the Solar Alpha Rotary Joints, the large mechanisms that let the station s massive solar arrays turn to track the sun.
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UNITED KINGDOM 14 November 2008 Prince Charles turns 60

The Heir Apparent to the British throne, Prince Charles, turns 60 on November 14. It's a day likely to trigger speculation about the succession.
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WASHINGTON DC 15 November 2008 President George W. Bush hosts summit of global leaders

President George W. Bush hosts the leaders of the G-20 group of nations to discuss a coordinated response for the global financial crisis. European Union leaders have been talking about tighter regulation and oversight. Bush, whose focus is expected to be on trade liberalization, is likely to resist curbs on the world's financial sector. The leaders don't expect to reach consensus on what steps to take. Instead, the Nov 15 summit may produce only an agreement to hold more meetings.
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MOSCOW 17 November 2008 Russia hosts forum of ministers of world's top gas exporters

The ministers of the world's top gas exporting countries will consider the establishment of a gas charter when they meet in Moscow in November. Russia has hinted at its interest in the creation of an OPEC-style gas group, working with Iran, Qatar, Venezuela, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia and Libya. The European Union and the United States warn against an OPEC-style gas cartel, saying it could pose a danger to global energy security and create room for price manipulation.
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JAMMU KASHMIR 17 November 2008 State legislative elections due

Jammu & Kashmir is due to hold assembly elections for 87 constituencies spread across 14 districts of the state. The elections coincide in 2008 with the 60th anniversary of a United Nations Security Council resolution designed to study the territorial conflict in the area.
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UNITED STATES 18 November 2008 Mickey Mouse turns 80 with a rival

International celebrity Mickey Mouse made his screen debut on 18 Nov 1928 as star of the first synchronized sound cartoon, "Steamboat Willie." Eighty years on, another cartoon character could eclipse Mickey as top rodent, while a lookalike is encouraging a generation of children in the Middle East into militancy.
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SPACE 20 Nov 2008 Zarya launched 10 years ago, first module of International Space Station

Russia launched the Zarya core module, the first element of the International Space Station, on 20 Nov 1998. The date marks the official start of construction of the outpost. Orbiting Earth at an altitude of 248.548 miles, the ISS will be 75 per cent complete on the 10th anniversary. It is a date to celebrate a monumental achievement and 10 years of international cooperation in Space, but one partner - United States space agency NASA - can't be counted on to lead the cheers.
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LIMA 20-23 November 2008 Peru hosts 16th APEC summit

A decade after it became a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Peru will host the annual summit of 21 leaders of this Pacific Rim forum. The leaders are expected to concentrate of social issues relating to free trade and investment, but fallout from the now global economic crisis could leave members too wary to commit to anything. Regardless of the summit outcome, Peru is counting on many economic blessings from hosting the event, as well as protests.
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VENEZUELA 23 November 2008 Venezuela holds regional elections

The recent arrests of hundreds of political figures in Venezuela suggest that President Hugo Chavez is not willing to put the popularity of his socialist government to the test when the country goes to the polls to elect governors and mayors. Chavez allies rule almost all Venezuela's states and cities. He needs to preserve their hold so he can try again to change the constitution so he can run again in 2012 and speed up socialist reforms.
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GENEVA 24-25 November 2008 9th Meeting of State Parties eyes mine ban treaty deadline

The 9th Meeting of the State Parties to the Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty will try to hurry laggards among the 156 signatories to fulfil their commitments before a 2009 deadline, and also will be turning up the heat on countries that didn't sign it. The 39 holdouts include three of the five permanent members on the United Nations Security Council. One of them is the United States, and the new occupant of the US White House after 20 Jan can expect pressure from ban supporters.
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UNITED KINGDOM 25 November 2008 Britain introduces identity cards for foreign nationals

Britain begins issuing biometric identity cards from Nov 25 for non-EU foreign nationals living in Britain. People working in sensitive areas, such as airports, will be required to hold them from mid-2009. ID cards might be made compulsory for British citizens. With 4.2 million security (CCTV) cameras, Britain has been crowned the most watched society in the world. Critics see the ID card scheme as one more step towards a surveillance society.
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THE HAGUE 25-26 November 2008 European Space Agency ministers meet. French reform?

When ministers from European Space Agency member countries meet in November, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's determination to forge a more competitive place for Europe in the Space Race could dominate the packed agenda. Europe doesn't have its own means of getting ESA astronauts into Space, and is debating development of a European crew vehicle. There will be an appeal for more funding for the agency's new programs, The ESA s Climate Change Initiative will be presented at this meeting.
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WASHINGTON DC 2 December 2008 Capitol Visitors Center due to open

The Capitol in Washington DC is a monument to democracy and a working legislative building. A few steps away, the future Capitol Visitor Center, is being criticized as a monument to government excess. At 580,000 sq. feet (52,200 sq. meters), it is almost as big as the Capitol building. The completing date has been postponed several times.
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OSLO 3 December 2008 Anti-cluster bomb treaty opens for signatures

The new International Convention on Cluster Munitions opens for signatures in Oslo. The treaty prohibiting the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions was adopted by 107 countries at a conference in Dublin in May. These munitions release miniature bomblets, and are used to spread damage over a wide area. The biggest producers and stockpilers -- the United States, Russia, China, India, Israel and Pakistan -- stayed away.
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LONDON 3 December 2008 Queen Elizabeth II speech to include controversial Big Brother database 

Queen Elizabeth II's speech to Parliament, which sets out the Labout government's legislative agenda for the year, is expected to include a controversial proposal to create a giant "Big Brother" database. The Data Communications Bill would hold information about every phone call, email and Internet visit made in the United Kingdom. The government argues it will combat terrorism. Critics condemn the scale of the scheme, which would give unprecedented access into the lives of British citizens.
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BAGHDAD 5-7 December 2008 Iraq's first energy expo aims to lure oil and gas investors

Iraq's first Energy Expo and Conference represents an opportunity for the world's oil giants to win a stake in Iraq's reserves. For Iraq, which has the world's third-largest oil reserves, it's an opportunity to attract the billions of dollars of investment it needs to overhaul its oil and gas infrastructure and increase output after 13 years of sanctions and war. Spurred by soaring oil prices, more than 30 foreign companies are bidding on long-term contracts for six important oil fields.
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SWITZERLAND 10-12 December 2008 IOC Board meets. Punishment for Russia?

When the International Olympic Committee Executive Board meets in Lausanne, the United States and some European Union countries could be demanding that the IOC punish Russia by moving the 2014 Winter Games away from Sochi. If the punishment issue comes up, history would be repeating itself. The United States called for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics to be moved after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. When the IOC refused, the United States led a boycott against the Moscow Games.
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OSLO, STOCKHOLM 10 December 2008 Nobel prizes awarded. A hint on Medicine prize?

Martti Ahtisaari, the former President of Finland, will receive the Nobel Peace Prize in a ceremony in Oslo, presided over by King Harald V of Norway, on Dec 10. On the same day in Stockholm, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Economics. Actress Scarlett Johansson and actor Sir Michael Caine will co-host the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo on Dec 11.
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PARIS 10 December 2008 Universal Declaration of Human rights 60th anniversary

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was signed on 10 Dec 1948 at Palais de Chaillot in Paris. The landmark 60th anniversary falls in a period of increased human rights activism. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which is pushing for legally-binding measures to fight "Islamophobia,"could use the anniversary to promote this goal. The anniversary also promises to be a focus for indigenous groups wanting teeth in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
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BRUSSELS 11-12 December 2008 European Union leaders meet. Last chance for French EU agenda

The recession that has now crossed the Atlantic to Europe could hijack much of the Lisbon Treaty debate at the summit of European Union leaders. It will be the last chance for President Nicolas Sarkozy during France's six-month EU presidency to find a way to keep the 27-member bloc moving forward on the Lisbon Treaty after its rejection by Ireland, and to turn EU pledges on tackling climate change into concrete measures.
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BANGKOK 13-18 December 2008 Thailand hosts 14th ASEAN summit amid political tensions

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed a charter in 2007 and is expected to adopt it formally at the 14th ASEAN summit. Time not spent working through the regional implications of the world financial crisis will be spent fine-tuning the charter. Anticipating that clashes in Bangkok between anti-government protesters and government supporters could disrupt the summit, the authorities are talking about moving it to Chiang Mai.
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UNITED STATES 15 December 2008 US Electoral College meets

The public voted on Nov 4 for the president and vice president of the United States to serve a four-year term, but it is actually the members of the Electoral College who have the deciding vote. They meet in their home states in December to choose the nation's two leaders. Generally the electoral college choice mirrors the popular vote. It 2000, it didn't.
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BRAZIL 16-17 December 2008 Latin American and Caribbean leaders meet

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hosts the leaders of Latin American and Caribbean nations in Salvador. They will include Ra l Castro, who will be making one of his first visits outside Cuba since assuming power from his brother Fidel Castro. His first visit is to Venezuela. Trade tops the summit agenda. Other issues include the implications of Beijing's and Moscow's invigorated courtship of Latin American and Caribbean countries and the impact of the global economic crisis on the region.
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SOUTH AFRICA 16 December 2008 ANC plans mass rally after split in party

South Africa's ruling African National Congress has called for a mass gathering of members in Bloemfontein as a show of strength against ANC rebels who will formally launch a rival party on the same day. The rebels' Congress of the People will compete against the ANC in the country's April election. The ANC is on the warpath: ANC chief Jacob Zuma has called the rebels "snakes." The war could erupt first in the courts. The ANC plans to take legal action against the new party over its name.
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SOUTH AFRICA 16 December 2008 ANC rebels launch new party to contest 2009 election

Dissidents from South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress, launch a new party in Bloemfontein to challenge the ANC in the country's general election in 2009. The party, the Congress of the People, is made up of ANC members who are upset by the election in Dec 2007 of Jacob Zuma to replace former president Thabo Mbeki as new ANC president. The rebels are also upset by the possibility the ANC could support a deal to set aside fraud and corruption charges against Zuma.
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FRANKFURT 17-18 December 2008 ECB councils meet about financial crisis

The financial and market crises that has spread from the United States to the rest of the world will be the main issue facing European Central Bank governing and general councils at their December meeting. In October the ECB put up US $100 billion to offer liquidity to the market. The European Central Bank is likely to move slowly, because of its federal structure, but the gravity of the situation is expected to encourage additional bold moves.
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ALGERIA 17 December 2008 OPEC ministers meet

The ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are unlikely to set the agenda for this 150th Extraordinary meeting in Oran until the economic picture is clearer in the world's biggest energy consumer. Falling demand has sent oil prices below US $50 per barrel,from a high of nearly US $150. Though OPEC production cuts to prop up prices are inevitable, the ministers might choose to keep the cuts gentle for fear of reducing demand farther.
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LONDON 19 December 2008 Britain hosts oil summit. Controversial invitees

Prime Minister Gordon Brown hosts a summit of oil producer countries and consumers on Dec 19. The debate will center on oil prices and what might be done to prevent another spike in the market of the sort that prompted a surge in global inflation in 2008. Informal invitations have been issued. At least one invitee, Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, could attract protesters: Dec 21 is the 20th anniversary of the PanAm Flt. 103 bombing, for which Tripoli has accepted responsibility.
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