What's Happening Today - Monday 3 January

South Korea:

Watching developments after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak says in New Year address that door for dialogue with North open if Pyongyang shows seriousness about talks

Philippines:

Government ends 18-day ceasefire against the CPP-NPA. [Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front] 

Pakistan:

Watching developments after governing coalition of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani loses parliamentary majority as result of decision by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to quit government

Russia: 

Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov begins 15 days prison sentence imposed after his arrest at unauthorized rally in central Moscow; Nemtsov was found guilty of disobeying police orders 

Russia:

Icebreaker Magadan to make another attempt to rescue three vessels stuck in ice in Sea of Okhotsk in Russian Far East after failing to reach them yesterday 

Iran: 

Officials of Iraqi, Iranian Red Crescents to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on provision health and medical services to Iranian pilgrims visiting Iraq's Shi'i sites 

Oman:

Following up on plans by Oman to spend 30 billion rials ($78 billion) on a five-year development plan, estimating economic growth of 5 percent per year

Yemen: 

Yemen's opposition Common Forum has called for protests after parliament dismissed objections to constitutional changes that could allow President Ali Abdullah Saleh to rule for life [ Around 170 members of Saleh's General People's Congress party voted Jan. 1 in favour of the constitutional amendments] 

Sudan:

Following appeals related to the voter  registration process for the referendum, court finishes deliberations and announces verdicts [source: George Maker, head of information at the commission]

Tunisia: 

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas visits, to brief President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on latest Palestinian developments; part of efforts to rally regional and international support for Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders

Tunisia:

After lawyers were subjected to physical violence last week, a group will meet to prepare their case in court to demand that those who committed these assaults be punished [source: Abderazak Kilani, dean of Tunisian lawyer association].

Ivory Coast:

Three African heads of state who are ECOWAS mediators in the Ivorian crisis to hold talks with Laurent Gbagbo. [ECOWAS has a standby troubleshooting force of 6,500 soldiers, which officials have said could be ready to deploy by mid-January]

Nigeria:

Tentative: Meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and his political rival erstwhile former vice president Atiku Abuabakar 

Germany:

Reinsurer Munich Re issues annual report on the cost of natural disasters to the insurance industry.

France:

Trial begins in Paris of eight men accused of carrying out armed robberies and other crimes to finance militant Islamist movements; key accused French-Algerian Ouassini Cherifi alleged to have headed gang that served as source of funding for Al-Qa'idah

Cuba:

50th anniversary of United States breaking off diplomatic relations with Cuba

US:

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits USA to meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; comes ahead of President Hu Jintao's trip to Washington on 19 January

US:

The 112th Congress convenes with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and a reduced Democratic majority in the Senate.

US:

 The Commerce Department releases its latest report on construction spending, 1500 GMT; The Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for last month, 1500 GMT.

Paraguay:

Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik  meets President Fernando Lugo and hold talks with Vice President Luis Franco on boosting economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries

Posted via email from luay's posterous