What's Happening Today - Thursday 28 October

Australia:

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth 

Japan: 

High-level segment of UN conference on biodiversity continues in Nagoya, Yemeni Prime Minister Ali Mujawar, Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba attending (UN website, Yemeni news agency SABA)

China:

Hospitals in the capital of southwest China's Yunnan province have been forced to postpone 90 per cent of surgeries due to an unprecedented shortage of blood, according to the city's health authorities. In a bid to encourage people to donate blood, the centre is giving away free cinema tickets 

China:

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visits China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, including Urumqi in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, as well as Xian province, and will be the first Turkish foreign minister to visit the region.

Vietnam: 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit continues in Hanoi (-30); meetings between ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea, East Asia Summit also held; Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, South Korea's Lee Myung-bak, Japan's Naoto Kan in attendance; ASEAN members also hold separate summit meetings with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev (30-31 Oct), Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (29); US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also attends East Asia Summit (30) 

Bangladesh:

Opposition BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party] is to hold protest rally in Dhaka

India:

Third phase of parliamentary election in eastern state of Bihar held amid concerns that Naxals (Maoist rebels) will try to disrupt process; remaining three phases will be held on 1, 9, 20 November 

Malaysia:

Indian PM Manmohan Singh wraps up official visit to Malaysia with final meeting with Prime Minister Mohamad Najib Tun Abdul Razak. 

Singapore:

A Singapore court is due to deliver a verdict on Alan Shadrake, a 75-year-old British freelance journalist arrested in Singapore on charges of contempt of court for a book on the death penalty.

Russia:

Military launches dozens of sea and land-based Sineva  intercontinental ballistic missiles as test of Russia's strategic nuclear forces in the Pacific and Arctic oceans

Kazakhstan:

A Saudi Arabian delegation is to visit Astana; not only for oil and gas talks, but also for the export of sheep. Comes day after Kazakhstan signed deals worth 2 billion euros ($2.76 billion), for electric railway engine, helicopters, a satellite center in Astana and the initial construction of a nuclear fuel assembly plant in Kazakhstan.

Bahrain:

The 23 suspected Shia members of a “terror ring” stand trial. Public Prosecution attorney-general Abdulrahman Al Sayyed said the suspects face charges of setting up a rogue group to block the Constitution, prevent the state from exercising its duties, disrupt public order and jeopardise Bahrain's security and stability

West Bank:

Watching as Jewish settlers plan to protest government delaying the construction of some 4,300 apartments in large West Bank settlements, accusing Defense Minister Ehud Barak of imposing a silent freeze on construction by withholding approval of their building plans 

West Bank:

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Ali Abu-al-Ghayt, intelligence chief Umar Sulayman visit Ramallah for talks with President Mahmud Abbas on peace process "stalemate" 

Palestine:

Dr Mahmud al-Habbash, minister of Awqaf & Religious Affairs, has said 10,000 Palestinian pilgrims will leave for Mecca, some of whom will be from Gaza. But will Egypt permit them to leave?

Israel:

Construction of 250-kilometer (155-mile) fence along its southern border with Egypt to begin within days. The barrier, whose construction was approved in March, is meant to curb the flow of illegal immigrants

Somalia:

The presidential palace says both the president and the Speaker have agreed that the new prime minister should be endorsed on 28th through open ballot 

Sudan:

Following as Southern Sudan offers the north a financial package if it agrees to allow southern annexation of the Abyei region. According to Luka Biong, minister of cabinet affairs in the Sudanese Government of National Unity, the south has accepted a U.S. suggestion to annex Abyei by presidential decree and then compensate the north for the loss of oil revenues, possibly in the form of an interest-free loan. Southern Sudan also would grant citizenship rights to Missiriya nomads if the Abyei referendum does not take place, as well as create a development fund from Abyei’s oil revenues. 

Morocco: 

World Economic Forum on Middle East and North Africa concludes in Marrakech 

Mauritania:

Following up after Mauritania annonces "offensive" against al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Mauritanian Defense Minister Hamadi Ould Hamadi said the southeastern Mauritanian base of Bassiknou would be strengthened and military and security forces will see upgrades to their equipment.

Uganda:

Campaigning for 2011 presidential, parliamentary elections begins

Burundi:

Burundi begins to repatriate Congolese refugees.

Central African Republic:

Presidential candidates have a week to have themselves accepted for the January 2011 legislative and presidential elections 

Ghana:

Following eviction of squatters, reconstruction works on Tema-Asaprochona  railway line southeastern town completed, to be inaugurated

Ukraine:

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev visits, meets Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych

Poland:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets Radoslaw Sikorski and President of the Republic of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski. The main objective is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the state of Russian-
Polish relations,  including NATO issues. Representatives of the Kaliningrad Region and St Petersburg, as well as the Polish regions which maintain the most extensive links with the regions of Russia are invited to the meeting. 

Slovakia:

Parliament debate and vote on general guidelines of 2011 budget bill (to Oct. 29).

Hungary:

Romania will help the Hungarian teams working to limit the effects of last week’s ecological accident. Minister of Environment and Forestry Laszlo Borbely said will meet his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest 

Serbia:

Islamic Community in Serbia's Sacirovic calls on supporters to rally in front of Faculty for Islamic Studies to prevent its building from being returned to Novi Pazar based company Uniprom

Belgium:

Heads of state and government meet at European Council summit in Brussels (-29); German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy attend meeting of European People's Party on sidelines (28); Sarkozy presents his plans for G20 presidency, which France takes over on 12 November 

France:

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Birri heads meets French President Nicolas Sarkozy 

France:

Secretary General of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT) Francois Chereque said unions to continue their planned strike action. Nadine Prigent of the CGT union said: "We are asking the head of state not to promulgate this document whatever the vote in the Senate."

Brazil:

Following up after Brazilian mining firm Vale announced plans invest $15 billion to $20 billion in projects in Africa, and thus become one of the world''s top three copper producers. Most of the money will be spent in Mozambique, Guinea, Liberia and Zambia.

Argentina: 

Watching for reaction following sudden death of former President Nestor Kirchner from a heart attack 

Mexico:

Public safety at an all time low after an armed group attacks the metropolitan police headquarters in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas state. Eight people were injured in the attack. Police are reeling from dozens of lethal attacks all over northern Mexico. The congress of Mexico's Nuevo Leon state approved an emergency police law that will allow the governor to establish a unified police command for municipalities in the Monterrey metropolitan area

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