 | All times are London time: Monday Jan 05 2009
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January 5-11
World Diary: January 5 – 11
Compiled by Adam Jezard
Last updated January 4 2009
The US Congress meets to confirm the election of Barack Obama and the president-elect lunches with four predecessors, Russians celebrate Christmas, Prague holds its first official ceremony after assuming the EU presidency, and Hank Paulson heads to Beijing
Monday
January 5
Woolworths shuts up shop
UK retail chain Woolworths will close its remaining stores today if no buyer is found. About 27,000 jobs are expected to be lost.
Cyprus talks continue
Demetris Christofias, president of Cyprus, and the leader of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mehmet Ali Talat, continue their United Nations-sponsored talks in Nicosia on the reunification of the Mediterranean island.
German leaders meet
Parties in the German coalition government – the Christian Democrat Union, the Christian Social Union, and the Social Democratic party – meet Angela Merkel, chancellor, in Berlin to discuss the government's first economic stimulus package and a second initiative expected later in the year.
Memo to the president
A Brookings Institution debate will offer an open memo to Barack Obama, the US president-elect, on how to handle the Middle East situation.
Oxford Farming Conference
The 63rd annual Oxford Farming Conference explores how British farmers can respond to global market forces.
Tuesday
January 6
US election confirmation
The US Congress meets in a joint session to count the electoral college votes and confirm the election result following the presidential election in November.
Wednesday
January 7
Presidential lunch
President George W. Bush hosts a White House lunch for Barack Obama, president-elect, to meet all living former US presidents, who will share their experiences with the newly elected leader ahead of his inauguration on January 20. Former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush are invited.
Russian Christmas
Russians and the Orthodox church today mark Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar. Russian markets, banks and government offices will be closed.
Holiday bookings
Today is traditionally the most popular day for UK families to book summer holidays. In January 2007, more than half a million breaks were booked on this date and industry watchers will be keen to see if the financial turmoil will affect the number of reservations.
Prague presidency
The European Commission and the Czech government meet in Prague following the Czech Republic's assumption of the European Union presidency on January 1. José Manuel Barroso, commission president, Mirek Topolánek (above), Czech prime minister, and other leaders will attend. The event also launches the European Year of Creativity and Innovation.
Diaspora conference
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a three-day annual conference of the Indian diaspora across the world, begins in Chennai (formerly Madras).
Thursday
January 8
Sarkozy-Blair summit
Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, and former UK prime minister Tony Blair host a conference on the global financial crisis in Paris. The agenda at the two-day meeting includes the new model of capitalism and greater financial market regulation.
Paulson in China
US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson visits Beijing to mark the 30th anniversary of America's formal relations with China.
Slovak eurozone entry
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet and the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs Joaquín Almunia visit Bratislava for a ceremony marking Slovakia's entry last week to the eurozone.
European trade meeting
The European Parliament's committee on international trade is scheduled to meet in Brussels. It is responsible for matters relating to the establishment and implementation of the European Union's common commercial policy and its external economic relations.
Abbas' Hamas deadline
Hamas is expected to end its recognition of Mahmoud Abbas as the legitimate Palestinian president today. A Hamas resolution states that if Mr Abbas refuses to leave office or hold presidential elections, the group will install deputy parliament speaker Ahmed Bahar, a Hamas member, as temporary president.
Electronics expo
The 42nd International Consumer Electronics Show opens in Las Vegas (to January 11). It features 2,700 exhibitors spanning 30 product categories, including digital content creation and distribution.
Friday
JANUARY 9
EU trade figures
European Union statistics agency Eurostat will release retail trade figures for November broken down by EU countries in the euro zone, by all 27 EU member states, and by individual countries.
EU ministers meet
An informal meeting of the European Union general affairs council will take place in Prague. Foreign ministers from all 27 EU member states are due to attend. It is the first such meeting under the Czech EU presidency.
Lloyds-HBOS share offer
Today is the closing date for completed application forms for open-offer shares in the merged Lloyds TSB and HBOS, provisionally expected to become Lloyds Banking Group by the end of the month. Applications must be in by 11am.
Treasury consultation
A UK Treasury consultation on measures to deal with banks in financial difficulties closes today. The consultation deals with safeguards for exercise of the powers under the proposed special resolution regime that would be used to deal with banks in severe financial difficulty.
London Boat Show
The London International Boat Show returns to ExCeL in the East End (to January 18). There will be more than 500 exhibitors.
Sunday
JANUARY 11
Weather watch
The annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society takes place in Phoenix, Arizona. Topics are expected to include drought, ozone issues and climate change research.
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