This week's look ahead

Monday, July 17:

Abuja, Nigeria – Students, business professionals, and world leaders, including Bill Clinton, convene for a four-day summit, "Africa: A Continent of Opportunities." The participants, brought together by the Sullivan Foundation, will discuss role of public-private partnerships in African development.

Cuzco, Peru – Indian groups from Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia conclude three-day meeting on coordinating joint political action.

St. Petersburg, Russia – G-8 summit wraps up.

Wednesday, July 19:

Brussels – The European Commission will adopt plans to help member states crack down on illegal immigration, including the formation of a new force to guard the bloc's external borders.

Thursday, July 20:

Cordoba, Argentina – Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez will attend a Mercosur trade bloc summit for the first time since his country became a full member earlier this month. He is expected to talk up his effort to form a South American bloc free of US ties during the two-day meeting with leaders of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil.

New Delhi – Foreign ministers of Pakistan and India are slated to open a three-day meeting as the latest step in easing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. But the meeting could be derailed by Indian charges that Pakistanis were behind the Mumbai bombings.