Although the holiday spirit will dominate the news agenda, there are notable developments to watch across the world, as the three defining themes of 2024 – elections, war and inflation – continue to echo in the background.
On Tuesday, Moldova’s pro-EU president-elect Maia Sandu will attend his inauguration. Its narrow election victory in October, despite Russia’s alleged interference in the process, will put the former Soviet country on the path to EU membership.
Georgia, on the other hand, will swear in President Mikheil Kavelashvili, a pro-Russian firebrand, on Sunday and Croatia will hold a first round of presidential voting on Sunday.
On Monday, Mozambique’s highest court is expected to deliver its verdict on the country’s disputed October elections, while Albanian opposition parties block roads to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda will deliver a speech on Christmas Day. Economists will scrutinize his remarks for clues about how President-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs will affect the pace and trajectory of monetary policy.
Britain’s third quarter GDP figures will be released on Monday, following months of disappointing economic releases for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Read more in The week ahead
