WORLD AGENDA FEBRUARY 2012
February 7-8, London: Art rarely seen in public is expected to raise big sums as the top end of the market thrives despite the global economic downturn. At their main evening sales, Christie’s expects to sell £86-127 million and Sotheby’s £78 million.
February 11, Nigeria: Bayelsa, the southern home state of President Goodluck Jonathan, holds a governorship election with troops on alert as unrest escalates in the north. Hundreds have been killed in a spreading insurgency by Islamist sect Boko Haram.
February 12, Turkmenistan: One of the most repressive states in the world holds presidential elections, with seven token candidates standing against the leader, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. Turkmenistan, a former Soviet state with no opposition parties, owns four percent of global gas reserves.
February 13, London: The first civil trial begins over phone hacking by News International’s now defunct British newspaper News of the World. The three-week "test cases" hearing will give guidance on damages in 70 cases.
February 14, Washington: President Barack Obama hosts China’s likely next leader, Vice President Xi Jinping, at the White House in a visit set to boost Xi’s credentials as the man who will steer Beijing’s close but quarrelsome ties with the U.S.
February 14, Berlin: Meryl Streep, widely regarded as the greatest living screen actress, receives a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival. The 62-year-old is currently starring as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
February 21, Yemen: Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is set to replace Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for 33 years, as President. Saleh has been granted immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down after a year of unrest.
February 23, London: International delegates attempt to agree measures to tackle piracy in Somalia, a problem that cost $135m in ransoms last year. The East African country, classed as a failed state, is one of the poorest and most violent in the world. Pirates operating from the Somali coast currently hold up to 10 ships and 200 hostages.
February 25, Mexico City: Finance ministers from G20 countries discuss the International Monetary Fund’s efforts to raise $600 billion to help Europe deal with its debt crisis. The United States and other countries oppose the move.
February (undated), London: BP is expected to agree to pay $20-25 billion to settle all charges around the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the worst in U.S. history. The disaster was caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig in April 2010.
February (undated), Tehran: Iran’s central bank has said it will file a motion to recover $1.75 billion frozen in a U.S. bank. Tensions between the two countries are rising as Iran’s economy is squeezed by sanctions from western countries over its nuclear programme.
source: GraphicNews
