The week ahead

tauringhuang.

Aug 2nd 2009
From Economist.com

New evidence of the state of the American economy, and other news

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• IN IRAN president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to consolidate his grip on power, after disputed elections. On Monday August 3rd the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will hear Mr Ahmadinejad give the oath of office. Later in the week a public ceremony is planned. Although Mr Ahmadinejad has emerged triumphant in his contest with opposition figures, his dominance of Iranian politics has been constrained by fellow conservative politicians.

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• AMERICA'S secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, sets off on a seven-country trip to Africa beginning on Wednesday August 5th. Mrs Clinton will travel to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, Congo, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde. She has sidelined recently by a broken elbow, by President Barack Obama's recent trips, including one to Africa, and by the vice-president, Joe Biden, who has been enthusiastically travelling the world.

For background, see article

• MORE evidence of the state of health of America's economy will become available on Friday August 7th, when monthly unemployment figures are published. The housing market has started to show some encouraging signs of life and rallies of various stockmarkets around the world have given optimists cause to cheer. President Barack Obama has suggested that the recession in America is nearing an end. However unemployment typically continues to rise for a period even after a recession has ended. A rapid increase in unemployment would not only be bad news for the jobless but could indicate a greater risk of a weak recovery or a double-dip recession.

For background, see article

• MEXICO'S president, Felipe Calderón, will welcome Barack Obama and Stephen Harper, Canada’s prime minister, to a two-day summit of North American leaders in the western city Guadalajara starting on Sunday August 9th. Discussions are likely to centre on measures to tackle greenhouse-gas emissions, the threat of swine flu and prospects for economic recovery. Canada and Mexico want assurances that America will not resort to protectionism particularly in light of Mr Obama’s election rhetoric, which suggested that he wanted to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

For background, see article