The coming week

The week ahead

Climate talks and other news

• BANGKOK hosts the next round of UN-sponsored global climate-change negotiations beginning on Monday March 31st. Over 1,000 participants, including politicians, scientists, NGOs and businessmen from more than 190 countries will attend the event in Thailand’s capital. The aim of the meeting is to thrash out concrete measures that will fulfil an agreement on international action over climate change reached in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

For background see article

• NATO leaders gather in Bucharest, Romania’s capital, for a three-day summit starting on Wednesday April 2nd. Despite Russia’s rage about NATO enlargement and American missile defences in Europe, President Vladimir Putin has been invited and he may sign an agreement opening up air and land routes through Russia to supply NATO’s embattled forces in Afghanistan. Albania and Croatia seem certain to be invited to join NATO—Macedonia too if Greek objections are overcome. America wants to promise future membership to Ukraine and Georgia. But Russia regards NATO’s expansion as an affront so Mr Putin will be an awkward guest to keep happy.

• PRESIDENT George Bush is set to make a rapidly arranged visit to Russia after the NATO summit. Mr Bush is hoping that, by making the trip, he will get the chance to reassure his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, over NATO expansion, American support for Kosovo’s independence and even thrash out an accord over American plans for a missile-defence shield based in Eastern Europe. It could be the final meeting between the two as Mr Putin steps down in favour of his protégé, Dmitry Medvedev, on May 7th.

For background see article

• FIGURES released on Monday March 31st will probably show that inflation in the euro area picked up further in March. February's rate, at 3.3%, was the highest since the euro's launch in 1999. Economy-watchers are braced for fresh bad news from America's jobs market on Friday April 4th. Employers cut 63,000 workers from their payrolls in February and further job cuts are likely to be reported for March.