Politics this week

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, said he would support Dmitry Medvedev, first deputy prime minister, as the presidential candidate for his United Russia party. That makes Mr Medvedev a near-certainty to take over. But he promptly disappointed those who hope he will be more liberal than his predecessor by saying he wanted Mr Putin as his prime minister, meaning that Mr Putin is likely to call the shots.

Ukraine's parliament failed to confirm Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister. Ms Tymoshenko had earlier struck a deal with the president, Viktor Yushchenko, that should have given her enough votes. Ukraine has been without a government since an election in September.

A December 10th deadline for a United Nations report on Kosovo's future came and went without incident. Kosovo is still expected to declare unilateral independence from Serbia early next year.

The new Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, visited Berlin for talks with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. Bilateral relations under the previous Polish government were notoriously scratchy, but Mr Tusk and Ms Merkel vowed to improve matters.

European Union leaders headed to Lisbon to sign a new reform treaty, which incorporates most of the defunct EU constitution, rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. Britain's Gordon Brown conveniently arrived late for the treaty-signing ceremony.

Terror strikes again

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an Algerian group affiliated to Osama bin Laden's, claimed responsibility for two car-bombs in Algiers that hospital sources say killed 76 people, including 11 who worked for the United Nations.

A declaration that concluded the first summit in seven years between the European Union and the renamed African Union mentioned trade, governance and global warming but was silent on Darfur and Zimbabwe, whose leader, Robert Mugabe, attended. Britain's prime minister, Gordon Brown, stayed away in protest. Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, and three other European leaders openly criticised Mr Mugabe.

Former rebels in southern Sudan ended a political crisis by agreeing to rejoin the country's government of national unity, from which they withdrew in October. But Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, and the southerners still failed to agree on the demarcation of the oil-rich Abyei region.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) said it would elect a leader at a conference starting on December 16th. The choice is between the incumbent, Thabo Mbeki, who is both the ANC's and the country's president, and Jacob Zuma, the party's vice-president.

Nigeria's anti-corruption agency arrested James Ibori, a wealthy former governor of the oil-rich Delta State who was a big financier of President Umaru Yar'Adua's election campaign in April. Failure to prosecute Mr Ibori had cast doubt on the president's sincerity in continuing his predecessor's anti-corruption drive.

In the dock

Alberto Fujimori, Peru's president between 1990-2000, went on trial at a special courtroom in Lima for the murder of 25 people killed by an army death-squad during his rule. He denies knowledge of the squad's operations. In a separate case, he was sentenced to six years in prison for illegally ordering the search of an apartment.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was sworn in as Argentina's president. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Florida charged four men they claimed were Venezuelan agents with plotting to manipulate Argentina's presidential election.

In a session boycotted by the opposition, members of a constituent assembly loyal to Bolivia's socialist president, Evo Morales, approved a draft new constitution. Opposition leaders threatened to declare their regions autonomous.

Seven South American governments founded the Bank of the South, a putative rival to the IMF and the World Bank. But they have yet to agree many of the details of how it might work.

Coming around

Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister of Pakistan, lifted his threat to boycott the country's general election, scheduled for January 8th. All but one of Pakistan's biggest political parties have now agreed to take part in the ballot.

India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party chose Lal Krishna Advani, its parliamentary leader, as its candidate for prime minister at the next general election.

The third round of “strategic economic dialogue” between America and China produced little except lectures from Chinese officials telling America to put its own house in order before criticising China.

The first regular train service in more than half a century to link North and South Korea began operating, carrying freight across the border.

Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, said he needed more help from NATO and others to build a 200,000-strong army. Meanwhile, Afghan and NATO troops finally recaptured the town of Musa Qala, in Helmand province, forcing out the Taliban, who had taken it in February.

Delegates from 190 countries fought over a successor agreement to the Kyoto protocol in Bali, Indonesia. The EU wants rich countries to commit themselves to cut emissions between 25-40% from 1990 levels by 2020, which America is resisting. There was more progress on a deal on “avoided deforestation”— rewarding countries for not chopping down their forests.

Goodwill to all men

Democrats and Republicans argued over a huge spending bill and over money for military operations. George Bush said Congress had attached too many pet projects to the legislation. Newly converted to fiscal constraint, Mr Bush also vetoed a bill to expand children's health insurance.

AFP

The race for president tightened with less than three weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses, the start of the parties' nominating process. One nationwide poll put Mike Huckabee, the favourite of conservative Republicans, neck and neck with Rudy Giuliani. Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey brought her star power to Barack Obama's campaign for the Democratic nomination. He now has the edge in Iowa.