European financeministers meet todiscuss bailing out theGreek economy

• EUROPE'S finance ministers
meet for two days, beginning
on Monday February 15th, to
discuss the details of a plan to
support Greece as it struggles
with its public finances. A
political deal pledging support
for Greece, agreed at a summit
of European leaders in Brussels,
was intended to reassure
financial markets fearful of a
default and the doubt it cast
over the long-term prospects
for the euro area. But after a
vague promise of aid for Greece
did little to lessen uncertainty,
finance ministers will be
expected to produce more
concrete measures.
• RELATIONS between America
and China, already frosty over
arms sales to Taiwan, sanctions
on Iran and China ’s weak
currency, could worsen. Barack
Obama will meet Tibet ’s spiritual
leader, the Dalai Lama, during
his two-day visit to Washington,
DC, that starts on Wednesday
February 17th. Mr Obama
cancelled a meeting in October
ahead of his first official trip to
China to avoid annoying his
hosts. China routinely condemns
any meeting between the Dalai
Lama and foreign leaders as an
unwarranted interference in its
affairs. How China reacts to this
meeting may be instructive.
China ’s president, Hu Jintao,
may possibly rethink a planned
visit to Washington in April.
• JOYFUL North Koreans are
sure to be in evidence
celebrating the 68th birthday of
Kim Jong Il, the hermit state ’s
oddball dictator, on Tuesday
February 16th. A public holiday
allows North Koreans to
observe the rallies, parades and
fawning adulation of the state
media that are customary on
such occasions. But dancing in
the street may not appeal to
everyone. A crackdown on
private enterprise last year
sent rice prices soaring. This
recently forced the Dear Leader
to lift some of his regulations
on trading in the country ’s
markets; he even apologised for
failing to feed his people.
• UGANDA’S plans to implement a
draconian anti-homosexual law
that calls for life imprisonment
or the death penalty for some
gays met with widespread
international condemnation. But
evidence of its popularity in the
country may emerge on
Wednesday February 17th.
Pastor Martin Ssempa, a
Ugandan preacher, is planning a
“ million-man” march in support
of the legislation. Mr Ssempa
has links both to American
evangelical churches and the
family of the country ’s
president, Yoweri Museveni, who
has sought to distance himself
from the bill complaining that
the foreign leaders he meets
want to talk about nothing else.
But in a big leap forward for
tolerance in Uganda a
government minister recently
said revisions to the law would
cut the maximum penalty from
death to life in jail.