What's Happening Today - Wednesday 8 December

Australia:

Southern Sudanese national registration for referendum ends, after one week extension. About 8,000 people are thought to have registered. Registration also ends in the other 7 countries outside of Sudan.

Japan:

Bolivian President Evo Morales wraps up visit 

South Korea: 

Large-scale artillery firing drills held in seas around Korean peninsula to beef up defence readiness against potential attack by North Korea. General Han Min-koo, chairman of the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), will meet his US counterpart Adm. Mike Mullen in Seoul to assess “North Korean provocations”

China:

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmad Karti begins visit (-10); meets counterpart Yang Jiechi 

Indonesia: 

South Korea President Lee Myung-bak heads to Bali, meets President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, participates in Bali Democracy Forum (9); then travels to Malaysia to meet Prime Minister Najib Razak, sign treaty on judicial cooperation and fighting crime 

India: 

Watching developments as security tightened across country following last night's bomb attack in Varanasi that killed one and injured many others; attack came on 18th anniversary of demolition of Babri Masjid mosque; responsibility has been claimed by banned Indian Mujahideen

India: 

Head of Russian Armed Forces staff Gen Nikolay Makarov visits New Delhi and Agra (-9); meets Chief of Air Staff Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, Adm Nirmal Kumar Verma, chief of Indian Navy, and Chief of Army Staff Gen Vijay Kumar Singh; will discuss developing military cooperation and joint exercises Indira-2011 

Indonesia:

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will visit Indonesia, Malaysia and then Tunisia and Algeria to attend economic forum and energy talks.

Russia:

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon visits 

Russia:

A meeting of the Russian, Afghan, Pakistani and Tajik heads of drug control will be held in Moscow.

Pakistan:

Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry appointed as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, at the behest of the PM.

Uzbekistan:

Justice Ministry holds multiple conferences to help “improve the legal knowledge of the younger generation” in Xorazm, Qashqadaryo and Tashkent regions

Turkey: 

Last day of visit by Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani; in Istanbul, meets Turkish business community at luncheon hosted by Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) of Turkey; receives honorary degree in journalism from Marmara University (Pakistan Ministry of Information)

Yemen: 

Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defence Rashad al-Alimi questioned in parliament over secret memos released by WikiLeaks on strikes against Al-Qa'idah in Yemen 

Israel:

Following as Washington suspends its demand that Israel freeze Jewish settlement building before Middle East peace talks resume

Sudan: 

Following up after US State Department said voting on an independence referendum for the oil-rich Sudanese region of Abyei will not take place on Jan. 9 as originally scheduled

Tunisia: 

Start of 34th conference of top Arab police and security officials; opened by Interior and Local Development Minister Rafik Belhaj Kacem; fight against terrorism, human trafficking on agenda 

Ethiopia:

Addis Ababa hosts UN-sponsored International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA); over 10,000 delegates from around world to participate 

Kenya:

High Court in Nairobi to be urged to issue a provisional arrest warrant against Sudanese president, Umar Al-Bashir. 

South Africa:

The South African Reserve Bank will hold its annual general meeting.

DR Congo:

Former Prime Minister Etienne Tshisekedi – the so-called “Mandela of the Congo” - expected to return to the country after three-year absence.

Central African Republic:

Despite the electoral commission setting the deadline for submissions for presidential election on 8 November, the Collective of the Forces of Change have insisted that registration ends on Wednesday in a move that has proved controversial.

Ivory Coast: 

Watching developments as stand-off over who has won presidential election continues: UN Security Council has failed to agree on statement backing Alassane Ouattara due to block by Russia who expresses concern about interfering in domestic matters

Estonia:

Third and final reading in parliament of Estonia's state budget for 2011.

Czech Republic:

Strike of public sector workers to protest against government's austerity measures

Czech Republic:

Prime Minister Petr Necas authorises country’s energy system to be connected to Poland’s with construction to  be finished within the year – it will be the first gas system linking Warsaw to the transmission system of southern Europe 

Kosovo:

Looking ahead as campaigning for 12 December snap parliamentary election continues (-10) 

Switzerland: 

UN-organized conference on financial crisis, world governance held in Geneva; head of International Monetary Fund (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy gives lecture 

Germany:

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Germany: 

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on last day of visit; meets Chancellor Angela Merkel; news conference (1115 gmt)

Holland: 

International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to confirm charges against Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain, Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus – the  Darfur rebel leaders accused of war crimes

Belgium: 

Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev meets King Albert II, Prime Minister Yves Leterme 

Belgium:

A "road map" of cooperation on missile defence will be adopted at the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council at the level of ambassadors

Belgium:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev meets Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme and King Albert II.

US: 

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski visits; Belarus political situation on agenda. 

Uruguay:

Uruguayan Foreign Minister Luis Almagro is scheduled to testify before the legislative foreign affairs committee about leaked U.S. State Department cables released by WikiLeaks concerning Uruguay.

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