What's Happening Today - Sunday 24 October

Japan: 

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh begins visit (-26); meets counterpart Naoto Kan, Emperor Akihito (25); expected to sign free trade agreement, discuss bilateral civil nuclear cooperation pact; goes on to Malaysia

Japan: 

House of Representatives by-election in Hokkaido; first electoral test for Prime Minister Naoto Kan's reshuffled government; two major parties waging fierce battle for constituency

China: 

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner heads for coastal city of Qingdao where to meet Vice Premier Wang Qishan today for talks on economic issues after G20 meeting wrapped up yesterday with agreement that countries would boost cooperation on rebalancing world economy

China:

The G-20 agreed to reform the International Monetary Fund giving developing economies like China more influence, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said. More than 6 percent of IMF voting power will shift to dynamic developing countries, which will become the third-biggest member of the 187-strong Washington-based lender, IMF officials said. 

North Korea: 

Vice chairman of Central Military Commission, Guo Boxiong, and delegation of senior Chinese military officers continue visit (-26); delegation will attend events to mark 60th anniversary of entry of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) into Korean War (25 October 1950); Guo also meets national and military leaders for talks 

India: 

Second phase of Assembly elections in Bihar - possibly India's poorest and most caste-ridden state; Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is fighting for another five-year term based on his government's economic record which has seen annual economic growth rate of about 11 per cent; main challenge is from Rashtriya Janata Dal party of Laloo Prasad Yadav and India's ruling Congress party; local Maoist rebels have called for boycott of polls and have backed this up with deadly landmine attacks on police 

Pakistan:

President Barack Obama has asked Pakistan to allow even more Central Intelligence Agency officers and special operations military trainers to enter the country to increase pressure on militants near the Afghan border

Iran: 

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i continues visit to Qom; meets members of Qom Theological Lecturers Association today 

Iraq: 

Watching developments after WikiLeaks website leaked some 400,000 secret US documents on Iraq war detailing torture, civilian killings and Iran's part in Iraq war

Iraq: 

POSTPONED Population census was to start today; postponed to 5 December 

Turkey: 

Final day of World Turkish Forum in Istanbul; number of current issues under discussion including women, tolerance and humanitarianism 

Bahrain: 

Results of yesterday's parliamentary elections

Yemen: 

Trial of four al-Qaida suspects resumes after adjournment; Badr al-Hasani, Rami Hans Hermel Welli (German national), Abdullah al-Rawi (Iraqi) and Saddam al-Ra'imi are charged with being part of armed group and targeting foreign and security installations; al-Hasani has claimed he was a reporter

Israel: 

Weekly cabinet meeting 

Israel: 

Outgoing IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi faces second bout of questions from Israeli commission probing 31 May raid on Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left nine Turkish activists dead; recalled after he refused to allow other senior IDF officers to appear before commission (0700 gmt)

Gaza:

Fatah's Abdallah al-Ifranji and Rawhi Fattuh visit Gaza Strip for talks with Palestinian parties; some confusion over whether taking place because Hamas leader Ayman Taha said had been postponed, but Al-Ifranji says Taha has mistaken them for the reconciliation delegation led by Fatah's Azzam al-Ahmad and Sakhr Busaysu

Sudan: 

South African special envoy to Sudan, Charles Nqakula continues visit (-25) (Sudanese news agency Suna)

Sudan: 

US Congress External Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry expected back in Khartoum from Juba for talks with senior officials on last day of visit

Guinea:

Watching as violence increases in the Guinea capital of Conakry, after a weekend election was indefinitely delayed

Greece:

Greece will adhere to a deficit target of 7.6 percent of gross domestic product as agreed with the European Union and International Monetary Fund under a 110 billion euro ($153.1 billion) bailout in May, Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou stated 

Germany:

Following U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s strategy speech pushing for easier monetary policy, German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said it is the “wrong way” to stimulate growth and may amount to a manipulation of the dollar

Kosovo: 

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's party Deocratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) holds party convention first since 2005 but necessary to fulfil Central Election Commission rules; Thaci expected to call early elections after Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) quit coalition; existing PDK leaders expected to be confirmed

Switzerland: 

Final day of summit of francophone countries in Montreux; organization's head former Senegalese president Abdou Diouf expected to be confirmed in post 

Belgium: 

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev begins visit (-26); to meet Belgian, EU, NATO officials 

France:

Following up after labour and student unions pledged to continue fuel depot blockades and protests after the Senate approved a controversial bill to reform the country's pension system by a vote of 177 to 153

Portugal: 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits at end of foreign tour; expected to sign several trade accords

Haiti: 

Watching developments as first cases of cholera detected in densely populated capital Port au-Prince

UN: 

United Nations Day; marks anniversary of entry into force of United Nations Charter in 1945; has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948 

US:

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) National Summit

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