What's Happening Today - Tuesday 8 March

Australia:

EU carbon price expert Jill Duggan meets with officials who are developing an Australian carbon tax.

Japan:

Tokyo to approve sanctions against Libya 

Japan: 

Serbian President Boris Tadic visits, meets Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Emperor Akihito

Philippines:

President Benigno Aquino III announced Sunday that Lieutenant General Eduardo Oban would be the incoming chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines 

South Korea: 

Shinsuke Sugiyama, director-general of Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau visits, talks with Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, on issues such as the North's uranium enrichment programme (-9)

China: 

Asian Aerospace international expo and congress 2011 in Hong Kong

Vietnam:

President of the Republic of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo Mendez, will pay an official visit to Vietnam

Indonesia: 

Philippines President Benigno Aquino visits (-9) 

Bangladesh: 

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission will hold a public hearing on a government proposal to raise the compressed natural gas price by about 50 percent.

Pakistan: 

Five-day international naval exercises codenamed Peace-2011; 47 countries invited to participate, including UK, USA and China

Pakistan: 

Court adjourns hearing of case against US national accused of allegedly shooting dead two Pakistanis in Lahore

Pakistan: 

Supreme Court hearing over deteriorating law-and-order situation in Balochistan 

Afghanistan: 

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on second day of two-day visit to Afghanistan; Gates offered personal apology to President Hamed Karzai on Monday for deaths of nine Afghan children in a NATO air strike 

Afghanistan:

At a ceremony on at the Ministry of Interior Affairs, minister Bismellah Mohammadi to announce increasing the number of women in the police ranks to at least 5,000. 

Russia:

US Vice-President Joe Biden begins visit to Moscow 

Iran:

Some Iranian opposition have called for protests, as Assembly of Experts holds its ninth official meeting and secret elections in Tehran [also, Rafsanjani has been subject of recent attacks by conservatives]

Iran:

Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee re-opens case of disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr [an Iranian-born Shi'i cleric who vanished without a trace in Libya in 1978]

Iran: 

Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov visits to attend meeting of bilateral cooperation commission, meet top officials 

Iraq:

Prime minister is expected to address recent protests, adding he could present nominees for vacant cabinet posts.

Kuwait: 

Opposition holds anti-government protests on day when parliamentary sessions resume after one-month suspension

Jordan: 

'Boycotters for Change Campaign' calls for sit-in in front of House of Representatives, press for dissolving parliament 

Israel:

Sentencing of former President Moshe Qatzav, convicted of rape in December 

Libya: 

Following developments as fighting between pro-Qadhafi and rebel forces continues; Libyan state TV late on Monday showed footage from what it said was "liberated city of Bin Jawad and Ras Lanuf"; Gulf Arab states have demanded that UN Security Council enforce an air exclusion zone over Libya

Egypt: 

Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir visits at invitation by head of Military Council Muhammad Husayn Tantawi, in first visit to post-Mubarak Egypt by an Arab leader; talks expected to focus on Sudanese-Egyptian relations and future of region in light of demands for change in number of Arab countries

Egypt

Former Egyptian Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid , former Industrial Development Authority Director Amr Assal and steel magnate and former National Democratic Party official Ahmed Ezz will stand trial on charges of profiteering and facilitating the illegal acquisition of public funds.

Sudan: 

National Consensus Forces instigate legal proceedings against Sudanese Media Centre (-9) 

Rwanda: 

Third meeting of parliament Speakers from Economic Community for the Great Lakes region namely Rwanda Burundi, DRCongo held; meeting to discuss formation of economic cooperation between member countries, role of parliament in endeavour to restore, maintain peace in the community and challenges facing entire process; Presidents of both chambers of Belgian parliament attend (-9) 

Greece: 

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pays visit 

Greece:

Greece will sell 1.25 billion euros of six-month treasury bills 

Albania:

Women of the opposition Socialist Party to hold an anti-government protest.

Romania: 

Bucharest hosts Economic Forum of Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) 

Romania:

Retired and laid off servicemen stage second anti-President demonstration over pensions, some 8,000 people turned up for first protest

Romania: 

Economic forum of countries in Southeast Europe and Gulf, representatives from banks, investments funds, sovereign wealth funds, Islamic banks, financial institutions (-10) 

Finland: 

US Vice-President Joe Biden visits, meets President Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi; leaves for Russia

Lithuania:

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere to visit 

Germany:

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner visits Germany.

Holland:

International Court of Justice rules on Costa Rica's request for an injunction against Nicaragua to immediately cease activities on a disputed island. Hearing begins 1400 GMT.

Belgium:

Kosovan interior minister Bajram Rexhepi meets with Serbian authorities in Brussels, discuss Kosovo dispute, follows pressure on Serbia from EU authorities

France: 

French judge due to rule on whether to refer corruption trial of Jacques Chirac to constitutional authorities, which could entail delay of several months for first ever trial of a French former president 

France:

An arbitration hearing to settle a contract dispute between oil firm Burlington and the Ecuadorian government will begin in Paris.

UK: 

Mahmud Abbas holds talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague 

UN:

International Women's Day.

US: 

President Obama approves resumption of military trials for terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba, ending a ban imposed when he took office two years ago

US:

Senate Banking Committee holds a hearing on the nomination of Nobel laureate Peter Diamond to be a member of the Federal Reserve Board.

US: 

Indian Army Chief V. K. Singh visits to meet Central Command (CENTCOM) chief James Mattis (8) for talks on development in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Arab world, Iraq; also meets counterpart George Casey Jr. (-16) 

Brazil:

Rio Carnival (final day)

Posted via email from luay's posterous