What's Happening Today - Tuesday 19 October

South Korea: 

South Korea hosts Chiefs of Defence conference in Seoul (-22); senior defence officials from 27 countries, including USA, Japan, Russia and India, participate

Russia: 

Visiting session of Munich Security Conference begins in Moscow; session to focus on European security; Russian delegation will include Security Council secretary Nikolay Patrushev, Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; conference follows summit in Deauville, France, where Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met to discuss joint security concerns (-20) 

India: 

French Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud visits; meets top Indian military chiefs, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon; visit comes at time when two countries due to sign deal expected to be worth over 2bn dollars for upgrading Indian Air Force's 50 Mirage-2000 aircraft; fourth and final day

Kyrgyzstan: 

Watching for final results of 10 October parliamentary elections, amid protests and calls for recounts

Turkmenistan: 

Uzbek President Islom Karimov concludes visit to attend a friendship festival held in northern Dasoguz Region

Kazakhstan: 

Russian Soyuz-2-1A rocket, Fregat upper stage, six Globalstar2 satellites launched from Baykonur cosmodrome; each satellite should operate in orbit for 15 years

Pakistan:

Following up after the Election Commission of Pakistan suspends 148 lawmakers from national and regional assemblies because of their failure to submit a detailed report about their personal wealth

Afghanistan:

Following up after NATO claims to have choked supply routes for the Taliban, leading them to increase illicit taxation on civilians to supply their operations. General  Josef Blotz said Taliban are extorting even more money from farmers in the northern province of Kunduz to fund the insurgency

Tajikistan:

Militancy threatens security in Central Asian countries that border Afghanistan, and the countries are intertwined, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi has said, adding that NATO operations on the Afghan-Pakistani border compelled militant groups to infiltrate Afghanistan's northern regions, "which are considered quieter." 

Armenia: 

The opposition Armenian National Congress holds a rally in Yerevan under the slogan "Freedom to political prisoners"

Armenia: 

Two-day Forum for Future of Democracy held in Yerevan starts, Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland, Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) Chairman Mevlut Cavusoglu, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg in attendance

Georgia:

Looking for Georgian reaction following Russia's decision to withdraw troops from the village of Perevi near the border with South Ossetia 

Iran:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrives in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials. During his three-day visit, Chavez is scheduled to meet President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad and other senior Iranian officials.

Iran:

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i visits Qom

Iran:

Looking ahead as Iran begins to privatize parts of oil industry. State-run Shiraz Petrochemical Co. will offer an 89 percent block of shares as an initial public offering scheme from October 23 - equivalent to 2,284,664,569 shares

Iran:

Iran is due to deploy its first domestically made destroyer, Jamaran, in international waters as part of its strategy to defend the country's interests abroad, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari said

Iran:

Iranian Atomic Energy Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi has said his country plans to begin extensive uranium exploration in the southern and central regions of the country

Iraq:

The US claims that Iran has sent Abu Mustafa al Sheibani, the Shia commander of the Sheibani Network who takes orders from Tehran, back to Iraq to reorganize militants, The Long War Journal reported 

Turkey: 

German President Christian Wulff visits; meets counterpart Abdullah G, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan today; visit comes at a time when talk of integration of immigrant communities

Turkey:

Looking for reaction after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he did not want to talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will not attend a climate change conference in Athens on Oct. 22 if Netanyahu attends

Qatar: 

8th ANNUAL Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue starts (-21)

Yemen:

Following up after Yemeni army sent leaflets urging residents in the southern Abyan province to leave. Tribal leaders in the town of Modiya handed out the leaflets after three soldiers were injured in a clash with rebels.

Syria:

Hamas Political chief Khalid Mish'al receives delegation of The Elders, headed by President of Ireland Mary Robinson, includes former US president Jimmy Carter

Lebanon: 

Next round of talks between rival politicians to discuss incorporation of Hezbollah in national defence strategy

Israel: 

Israeli Defence (ISDEF) 2010 trade show continues (-20)

Gaza:

Israeli forces supported by three tanks, three bulldozers and reconnaissance aircraft have moved from Kissufim military base toward the border with Al-Qarara in southern Gaza and may attack this morning.

Egypt: 

Official opening of candidate registration for forthcoming parliamentary elections; Muslim Brotherhood group has announced they will participate in 30 per cent of seats

Egypt: 

South African President Jacob Zuma visits; to discuss oil exploration by South African firm, PetroSA in Egypt; Zuma will be accompanied by 110 business people 

Egypt:

Court hearing on case of three Muslim men suspected of killing six Coptic Christians and a Muslim policeman in a drive-by shooting.

Sudan: 

Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) national meeting concludes; chaired by South Sudan President Salva Kiir; implementation of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), Darfur conflict, peace and security on agenda; postponed from 16 September

Sudan:

Sudanese Finance Minister Ali Mahmood Abd ul-Rasuul said tough austerity measures should be implemented should Southern Sudan vote for independence in the January 2011 referendum, because  Sudan would lose 70 percent of its share in oil reserves and 50 percent of its share in oil revenues

Sudan:

The United Nations has decided to send 100 additional troops to Sudan's Abyei region, U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) officials who are monitoring the peace deal with Southern Sudan said

Algeria:

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi visits, expected to sign several military, economic agreements

Central African Republic: 

Electoral Census held ahead of 23 January 2011 presidential, legislative polls; month long event concludes tomorrow 

Namibia:

Namibia's Rossing Uranium Limited mine, majority-owned by Rio Tinto, said it is considering how to proceed on a stake held by the Iranian government in light of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran (Iran has owned a 15 percent stake in the mine since 1975 ... but Resolution 1929 should only apply to new stakes)

Ukraine:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovich, have signed an agreement for Ukrainian state-owned energy firms to develop Venezuelan oil and natural gas fields, and agreed to ship Venezuelan oil to Belarus via Ukraine

Denmark: 

Kurds expected to stage a "large" demonstration in Copenhagen in protest against ongoing court case which could lead to closure of Kurdish-language Roj TV; the station is based in Brussels but holds a Danish broadcasting license. 

Holland: 

International Criminal Court to deliver judgement on appeal of former Democratic Republic of Congo vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo; Bemba is alleged to be criminally responsible for having effectively acted as a military commander over crimes against humanity, war crimes in Central African Republic October 2002 to March, 2003

France:

Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel conclude meeting in Deauville to discuss joint security concerns 

France: 

Day of strikes and demonstrations across France against the government's pension reform bill, one day before the Senate is due to vote on the bill 

France:

Strike Update. After Day 6,  12 refineries, more than 1,000 service stations are now out of petrol on and strikers are blockading oil depots. Truck drivers blocked several motorways. Students in Nanterre who confronted police and set fire to several cars were subdued with tear gas.

UK: 

Government to unveil results of its Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in two separate announcements; spending cuts and resource allocation to be announced today following new national security strategy yesterday

UK:

Following up after British government publishes new National Security Strategy entitled "A Strong Britain in an Age of Uncertainty," which outlines the country's role in the world and the risks to its security

UK:

Trades Union Congress holds a rally in Westminster and a lobby of parliament to persuade the government to think again about its plans to slash public spending.

Brazil:

Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega expected to unveil new measures aimed at containing the country's currency.

Peru: 

Bolivian president Evo Morales visits counterpart Alan Garcia 

US: 

President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

US:

The second of 12 U.S. soldiers from an infantry platoon accused of terrorizing Afghan civilians appears for a hearing to determine whether he will be court-martialed on charges of conspiracy, assault and unlawful possession of a human skull.

Posted via email from luay's posterous