What's Happening Today - Sunday 16 January

China: 

Maldivian Parliament Speaker Abdulla Shahid concludes visit 

Vietnam:

Ruling Communist Party continues 11th national congress; country's new leadership likely to be selected (-20) 

Indonesia:

ASEAN foreign ministers meeting.

Russia: 

Opposition figures hold picket in central Moscow against their arrests after 31 December rally; picket has been sanctioned by local authorities; Boris Nemtsov, Eduard Limonov, Ilya Yashin, Konstantin Kosyakin and others are expected to take part 

Russia:

Spanish foreign minister Trinidad Jimenez visits Russia [NB Focus on the recent diplomatic expulsions by the two countries, after Spain expelled two Russian diplomats

Iran:

Foreign diplomats conclude two-day visit to nuclear facilities ahead of fresh talks with key world powers (Five Plus One Group) over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme

Turkey:

Alevi religous community meets in Ankara for second and last day

Kuwait:

20th anniversary of the Gulf War and “Operation Desert Storm”

Kuwait: 

Argentinean President Christina Kirchner continues regional tour where she takes "a political and commercial" agenda (-22) 

UAE: 

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits (-19) 

Egypt: 

Emergency Higher State Security Criminal Court in Qina delivers verdict in trial of three Muslim men accused of killing six Coptic Christians and a Muslim policeman on Coptic Christmas Eve (6 January 2010) in city of Naj Hammadi

Sudan: 

Votes being counted in referendum on secession of the south (Sudanese sources)

Tunisia: 

Following unrest after flight of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali

DR Congo: 

Tenth anniversary of shooting of President Laurent Kabila

Cameroon / Senegal: 

Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu visits as part of tour (-19) which previously included Mauritius, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo,

Latvia: 

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visits; meets counterpart Valdis Zatlers (17)  

Hungary:

Informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for Employment to take place as part of the Council on Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) (to Jan. 18).

France:

French far right party National Front elects new leader to replace firebrand Jean-Marie Le Pen, with his daughter Marine the front-runner.

Spain: 

Banned Basque separatist parties Batasuna, Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque Solidarity) and Alternatiba sign cooperation agreement in Vitoria rejecting violence

Haiti: 

Second round of presidential and legislative elections was supposed to take place, but postponed after Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) delayed publication of 28 November presidential and legislative election results

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