ISLAMABAD: A packed international calendar in the coming week will see voters decide Chile’s future, central banks signal the path of interest rates, courts deliver verdicts in high-profile cases, and world leaders gather for talks amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Politics and diplomacy
Voters in Chile head to the polls on Sunday for the second round of the presidential election, a vote expected to shape the country’s political direction amid economic uncertainty and social debate.
In Europe, attention turns to Berlin on Monday, where Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to appear, underscoring Germany’s continued diplomatic and economic engagement with Kyiv. European leaders will later gather in Brussels for a two-day EU summit, alongside meetings of energy and foreign ministers focused on security, climate, and trade.
At the United Nations, the Security Council will hold a series of meetings throughout the week on flashpoints, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and West Africa, and will also vote on the renewal of several peacekeeping missions.
In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin is due to hold his annual press conference on Friday, followed over the weekend by an informal summit of Commonwealth of Independent States leaders in Saint Petersburg.
Economy
China releases key figures on retail sales, industrial output, and unemployment on Monday, offering insight into the health of the world’s second-largest economy.
The European Commission will review its proposal to end sales of new petrol cars by 2035, while the Bank of England and the European Central Bank announce monetary policy decisions on Thursday.
Japan announces foreign trade figures for November on Wednesday, and the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision on Friday.
In the United States, upcoming data releases on inflation, jobs, retail sales, and consumer confidence, along with Nike’s quarterly results, are expected to offer fresh insight into consumer demand heading into the new year.
Legal and Justice
Several closely watched legal cases are scheduled. Hong Kong's court issues a verdict for media mogul Jimmy Lai early Monday morning in a press freedom case.
Paris courts are handling multiple high-profile cases, including proceedings against former Lafarge executives accused of financing terrorism in Syria, as well as decisions on requests to suspend platforms such as Shein and Kick.
In the United States, Ryan Routh faces sentencing on Thursday for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in September 2024. A doctor received sentencing on Tuesday in Los Angeles over supplying narcotics connected to actor Matthew Perry's death. Florida executes a man on Thursday who confessed to five 1980s murders. The Justice Department must release documents in the Epstein case by Friday.
Sports
Football dominates the week, with the 33rd SEA Games continuing in Bangkok through December 20, while attention turns to Doha for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final before the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco over the weekend.
Cricket fans will follow major fixtures in Australia and India, with T20 matches on Wednesday and Friday in Lucknow and Ahmedabad, and Australia hosting England for the third Test in Adelaide starting Wednesday.
Alpine skiing takes center stage across multiple European venues with Women's World Cup events in St. Moritz on Sunday and Val-d'Isere over the weekend.
Culture
Pope Leo is due to lead a special Jubilee Mass for prisoners at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Sunday. Lagos hosts its Street Art Festival 2025 through Monday.
One of the first Hermes bags given to Jane Birkin goes up for sale on Monday in Paris.
The UK marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth on Tuesday.
Boston sees protests against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday.
New Delhi holds the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit from Wednesday to Friday, while Tokyo hosts SEMICON JAPAN, a semiconductor expo, also from Wednesday to Friday.
Thursday marks International Migrants Day worldwide. Pensioners protest in Athens on Tuesday morning, while a union-led demonstration against European agricultural policy and the EU-Mercosur trade agreement takes place in Brussels on Thursday.
In the entertainment world, Disney is set to release the latest Avatar film in Los Angeles on Friday.
.jpg)
