The Week Ahead

View an online version of this email here.  All times are London time: Monday Jan 19 2009 The week ahead January 19 – 25 The OSCE discusses migration, Barack Obama is inaugurated as US president, Lenin's death is marked in Russia, this year's Oscar nominations are announced, the UN's mission to Sudan is under review, leadership of France's UMP party changes hands and Bangladesh holds presidential elections Monday JANUARY 19 Asian Bank head in Europe Masahiro Kawai, head of the Asian Development Bank Institute, is due to make an address to the European Policy Centre in Brussels titled: "Asia and the financial crisis: how deep, how long?" European budget forecasts The European Commission is due to publish a new, extended interim forecast, including budgetary and debt positions of all member states. Martin Luther King Day Martin Luther King Day is marked in the US with a nationwide holiday. Inflation indicator The British Retail Consortium is scheduled to release its monthly shop price index for January. The report is an indicator of the direction of price changes in retail outlets and highlights inflation. Paulson to leave office US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is due to step down after two and a half years in office. Share announcement Lloyds TSB and HBOS are due to announce admission and commencement of dealings of new shares on the London Stock Exchange, a mandatory step ahead of their expected merger. Arab summit in Kuwait The Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit, organised by the League of Arab States, is due to take place in Kuwait (to January 20). OSCE on migration The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is due to host the Economic and Environmental Forum in Vienna (to January 20). Migration will be the main theme of the forum Islamic health forum Health ministers from the 57 member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference are due to attend a forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (to January 20). Tuesday JANUARY 20 Obama inaugurated Barack Obama is due to be inaugurated as the 44th president of the US on the steps of the US Capitol in Washington. Soul legend Aretha Franklin will sing and poet Elizabeth Alexander will speak at the ceremony. US-China relations David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief of Reuters News, is scheduled to give a talk in London on "President Obama: key challenges in the US relationship with China". South Bank Show Awards The 13th annual South Bank Show Awards are due to be hosted in London by Melvyn Bragg, with performances from rock band Razorlight and violinist Nigel Kennedy. Nominees include singer Estelle's album Shine, films In Bruges and Hunger, and Salomeand The Minotaur at the Royal Opera House, London. Oil conference in Jakarta The Oil and Money Asia conference is scheduled to take place in Jakarta and will be addressed by oil ministers from the largest producing nations and senior industry executives. Military aerospace forum The Military Aerospace Test and Evaluation conference is scheduled to take place in London (to January 21). It will be attended by aircraft test and evaluation professionals, and is organised by Defence IQ, the UK consultants. Canada sets interest rate The Bank of Canada is due to make a key interest rate announcement. Wednesday JANUARY 21 Kosovo peacekeeping force The Kosovo Security Force is scheduled to become operational, replacing the Kosovo Protection Corps as a peacekeeping force in the fledgling Balkan state. Democratic Party chairman Virginia governor Timothy Kaine is scheduled to replace Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic Party in the US. Lenin's death marked The anniversary of Lenin's death in 1924 is due to be marked. His body is still located at a mausoleum in Red Square in Moscow. India-ASEAN forum Pranab Mukherjee, India's foreign minister, and Surin Pitsuwan, secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), are scheduled to address a conference in New Delhi, focusing on relations between India and ASEAN (to January 22). Greenhouse gas space launch The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is scheduled to launch H-IIA F15 from the Tanegashima Space Center. The project will observe the distribution of greenhouse gases. Michelin Guide published The 2009 Michelin Red Guide to Great Britain & Ireland is scheduled to be published, awarding restaurants between one and three coveted stars. Thursday JANUARY 22 Oscar nominations released The nominations for the 81st Academy Awards are due to be announced in Los Angeles. The winners will be announced in February. EU employment meeting European Union employment and social affairs ministers are due to meet in the Czech Republic (to January 24) Santa Barbara film festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is due to start in California (to February 1). Actor/director Clint Eastwood, director David Fincher and actors Penelope Cruz, Kristin Scott Thomas and Kate Winslet are set to receive awards. Friday JANUARY 23 UN Sudan mission reviewed Ban Ki-moon, United Nations secretary general, is expected to report on the UN mission to Sudan and recommend a review of the force's size. Screen Actors Guild ballot The Screen Actors Guild is to announce the result of a ballot on possible strike action over payments actors receive for DVD sales and work distributed online. UN Nepal mission to expire The mandate for the UN's mission in Nepal is set to expire. The force was sent to assist in creating a free and fair atmosphere for elections. Gothenburg film festival The Gothenburg International Film Festival, the oldest and largest in Scandinavia, is scheduled to take place in Sweden (to February 2). Saturday JANUARY 24 French leaders meet The executive committee of the ruling UMP party in France is scheduled to meet in Paris. Xavier Bertrand, employment minister, is due to take over the leadership of the party. Miss America Pageant The Miss America Pageant is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas. Sunday JANUARY 25 Bangladesh election A presidential election is scheduled to take place in Bangladesh. World Leprosy Day World Leprosy Day is due to be marked. Competitiveness forum The Global Competitiveness Forum is scheduled to hold its annual meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (to January 27). This year's event will be attended by business executives, international political leaders, intellectuals and academics who share an interest in global competitiveness. The theme for the 2009 forum will be "Responsible Competitiveness". Screen Actors Guild awards The 15th annual Screen Actors' Guild awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles preview@ft.com Read more » ABOUT THIS EMAIL You have received this email because you have signed up for this briefing on FT.com Manage subscriptions | Unsubscribe | Change your email address Change whether you receive this email as HTML or plain text | Forward this email to a friend Privacy policy | Advertise | Contact © Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2009. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. The Financial Times Limited, registered in England and Wales number 227590. Registered office: Number One Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HL. VAT number GB 278 5371 21.