What's Happening Today - Tuesday 7 December

Japan:

Japanese space probe Akatsuki is expected to be put into orbit around Venus, some 200 days after a rocket carrying the probe blasted off 

Japan

Bolivian President Evo Morales visits Japan (to Dec. 8)

China:

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority issues new 1,000-HK dollar banknotes 

South Korea: 

Large-scale artillery firing exercises continue in seas around Korean peninsula to beef up defence readiness against potential attack by North Korea (-12)

India:

French President Nicholas Sarkozy to visit the sites of the 26/11 attacks and attend a memorial service.

Sri Lanka:

Conference on maritime security in Colombo; 22 countries attending, including UK, US, China, Russia, India, Australia; part of programme marking 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka's navy

Pakistan:

National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence headed by Azra Afzal  has demanded clarification from the Interior, Foreign and Defence Ministries by Tuesday on how US drone attacks cannot be considered an attack on national sovereignty.

Russia:

The relics of St Catherine brought to Yekaterinburg from St Catherine's monastery in Egypt, are processed around city and taken to cathedral, until 23 December, when they will be returned to Egypt.

Ukraine:

Kozhedub Kharkiv Air Force University, financed by the Defence Ministry, will have its electricity and heating cut off if it fails to pay its bill of around 7.6m hryvnyas (about 950,000 dollars) after weeks of warning

Iran: 

Student Day – protests planned over killing of Iranian nuclear scientist. In Rey (a city adjacent to Tehran), protests begin at 0500 GMT

UAE:

Second and last day of GCC summit meeting in Abu Dhabi

Iraq:

MP Fu'ad Ma'sum says the Kurdish Assembly will have chosen their authoritative ministry by Tuesday.

Turkey:

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani continues visit, meets President Abdullah Gul; co-chairs inaugural session of High Level Cooperation Council with counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Sudan: 

Campaigning ahead of January 2011 independence referendum officially kicks off 

Sudan:

Foreign ministers of Sudan and Austria attend a meeting between the two partners of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), a continuation form the meetings held in Vienna on 10 and 11 of last November

Ethiopia: 

UN-sponsored International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) continues in Addis Ababa (-8); over 10,000 delegates from around world taking part 

Kenya:

Kenya prosecutes a group of suspected Somali pirates picked up in its waters by a Belgian frigate. (NB A Kenyan judge in November ruled the country did not have jurisdiction to prosecute Somali pirates captured outside the country's territorial waters – a ruling Nairobi is challenging)

Kenya:

Police security chiefs start giving statements to the ICC investigators over post-election violence

South Africa:

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP17) continues in Durban (-9); heads of state, government officials, businessmen, others attending

Nigeria: 

West African leaders hold emergency summit in Abuja to consider situation in Cote d'Ivoire; Ivorian leaders not invited although country member of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Ivory Coast: 

Watching developments as stand-off over who has won presidential election continues; yesterday, US president Barack Obama was latest leader to urge incumbent Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo to stand down 

Greece:

Greek and Turkish officials hold latest round of exploratory talks on resolving territorial disputes.

Greece: 

Mahmud Abbas visits from Turkey; meets counterpart Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister George Papandreou

Greece: 

Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki concludes visit

Poland: 

Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev ends visit with wreath-laying ceremony at Monument to Russian Soldiers in Warsaw; goes on to Brussels
    
Poland:

President Bronislaw Komorowski holds talks with his German counterpart Christian Wulff.

Albania:

Turkish Armed Forces evacuation helicopters arrive to help with relief effort. Red Crescent tents, blankets, foodstuff and medicine set out from  Montenegro

Romania:

Coalition Government is expected to face no-confidence vote over new wage legislation- a key requirement under the country's 20 billion Euro IMF-led bailout - 0500 GMT

Hungary

Hungarian Parliament due to vote on key figures of 2011 budget. Final vote due around December 20

Slovakia:

Second attempt at election of a prosecutor general  - which will likely not achieve a result as different parts of coalition government back different candidates.

Czech Republic:

Trade unions (CMKOS) to hold a news conference on its upcoming public sector strike against the government austerity measures (1000).

Switzerland: 

Second and final day of talks in Geneva on Tehran's nuclear programme between Iran and Five Plus One Group (the five permanent members of UN Security Council plus Germany)

Belgium:

EU Economic & Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) Meeting.
    
Belgium:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits Belgium (to Dec. 8) meets with the EU presidency for the bi-annual EU-Russia summit.

Belgium: 

Brussels hosts EU-Russia summit; visa-free travel, recovery from recession and the final stage of Russia's joining the World Trade Organization [WTO] are all on the agenda.

Belgium: 

European finance ministers meet to discuss 85bn-euro rescue plan for Ireland and eurozone's debt crisis which now threatens Portugal

France:

Former French football star Eric Cantona has appealed to web users, setting up a Facebook page where more than 27,000 people say they want to take part, to take part in a specially created event: "Revolution! We're all going to withdraw our money from the banks".

UK: 

Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange expected to appear in court after his lawyers said he would meet police to discuss European extradition warrant from Sweden relating to alleged sexual 
assaults 

UK:

Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi visits United Kingdom.

Ireland: 

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan presents austerity budget to parliament (1545 gmt); first stage of voting this evening, second stages 9 December and January; Lenihan has been named Europe's worst finance minister for second year running in survey of economists by Financial Times

Haiti:

Preliminary election results are expected, just as the number of reported cases of cholera hits 50,000, though health experts say figure could be much higher because data on the epidemic has not been received from some rural communities; yesterday one of presidential frontrunners, musician Michel Martelly, warned he would not accept result that put Preval protege Jude Celestin among top vote winners; final results set for release on 20 December; if necessary, second round tentatively set for 16 January 2011

Cuba: 

South African President Jacob Zuma continues visit (-8) 

Costa Rica:

President Laura Chinchilla will increase the number of troops on the border following a dispute about the Colorado River, which Chinchilla says is moving due to Nicaraguan industry and incursion.

Mexico: 

UN climate change summit continues in Cancun amid low expectations of significant progress (-10)

Posted via email from luay's posterous