What's Happening Today - Monday 21 February

New Zealand: 

Fourth US-New Zealand Partnership Forum starts in Christchurch (-22); Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano leading US team

Australia: 

Mongolian Prime Minister Suhbaataryn Batbold continues visit (-24) 

Japan:

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visits to meet Prime Minister Naoto Kan, cabinet members, MPs, businessmen

South Korea: 

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa continues visit (-22); meets government and local officials to discuss charter cities and development issues (-22) 

China: 

Greek maritime affairs minister Giannis Diamantidis continues visit to Beijing (-24); aiming to promote Greek ocean-going shipping interests and prospects for shipbuilding contracts

China:

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev visits for talks with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, top legislator Wu Bangguo 

India:

Parliament re-convenes for the budget session.

India:

International Conference on Cities and Climate Change takes place in New Delhi

India:

Bombay High Court said it would deliver its verdict on confirmation of death sentence awarded to Ajmal Kasab for his role in the 26/11 terror attacks 

Russia:

Mikhail Gorbachev holds news conference of his thoughts as he approaches his 80th birthday March 2.

Russia:

Second and final day of North Korea's Foreign Trade Minister Ri Ryong-nam visit; attends Russian-North Korean intergovernmental commission for trade and economic cooperation meeting today

Afghanistan:

Some 1.8 million tonnes of fuel begins to be imported from the Russian Federation to Afghanistan. Hoped that fuel prices will fall by up to 15 per cent in the market. 

Afghanistan:

Commission set up to find ways of electing the Speaker to rule on the candidates meeting the standard for political understanding.

Turkey:

Turkish State Minister Zafer Caglayan chairs emergency meeting with high-profile Turkish business groups and companies doing business in Libya to discuss situation there; assets owned by Turkish companies operating in Libya have been attacked over weekend with warehouses, building depots burnt and cars stolen; many Turkish workers have been moved to safer areas 

Kuwait:

British Prime Minister David Cameron visits Kuwait, Oman, Qatar.

Bahrain:

Monitoring protests

UAE: 

Tenth annual International Defence Exhibition and Conference continues in Abh Dhabi (-24) 

Saudi Arabia: 

Greek Deputy Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Giannis Maniatis visits from Israel

Yemen:

Monitoring protests

Egypt:

EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy visits Egypt

Egypt:

Summit on child malnutrition takes place in Egypt in partnership with WFP

Libya: 

Watching developments after reports that unrest has spread to capital Tripoli; Libyan state TV from Tripoli still showing pro-Al-Qadhafi protesters on streets

Tunisia:

Turkey's foreign minister will travel to Tunisia 

Kenya:

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council Meeting (to Feb. 25).

Zimbabwe:

President Robert Mugabe turns 87.

South Africa: 

National Defence Force conduct air border safeguarding operation in Northern Limpopo Province "to enhance and enforce the authority of the state in the South African airspace domain"; aircraft in promulgated airspace without valid clearance for negotiated route may be subject to interception, prosecution 

Namibia:

Finnish President Tarja Halonen visits Windhoek to meet counterpart Hifikepunye Pohamba

Ivory Coast: 

Presidents of South Africa, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Chad and Mauritania due in Abidjan from Mauretania where held strategy meeting yesterday; due to meet representatives of rival claimants for presidency

Czech Republic:

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski visits Czech Republic (to Feb. 22) and meets President Vaclav Klaus. A news conference to follow (1050).

Czech Republic:

International Monetary Fund (IMF) to present its "Concluding statement" for the Czech Republic (1515).

Serbia:

UN chief war crimes prosecutor for the former Yugoslavia Serge Brammertz arrives to evaluate efforts to capture top fugitive Ratko Mladic after criticizing Serbia's record on the issue.

Serbia:

Ministers Dinkic and Kalanovic resignation accepted by assembly

Switzerland:

UN international panel for prevention of torture meets in Geneva

Germany:

Berlin's Ifo institute releases its monthly index of business confidence, a closely watched indicator for Europe's biggest economy.

Germany:

Greek prime minister George Papandreou visits Germany

Kosovo

Assembly holds inauguration session. The creation of new institutions stemming from the 12 December general election seen as important step to avoid institutional crisis.

Norway:

Last day of formal peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front, the negotiating arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army 

Holland:

Trial of former Bosnian Croat leader continues at Hague war crimes tribunal. Jadranko Prlic, the former prime minister of the wartime Croat region of Herceg-Bosna, faces 26 charges of war crimes and crimes against 
humanity. Also charged are Bruno Stojic, Slobodan Praljak, Milivoj Petkovic, Valentin Coric and Berislav Pusic, all former high-ranking political and military officials of the then Herceg-Bosna.

Belgium:

EU trade commissioner gives speech at Nato Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels

Belgium:

EU Foreign Affairs Council; discuss developments in Arab world 

Spain:

Israeli President Shimon Peres begins visit (-24); during stay will meet King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez, opposition leader Mariano Rajoy and speaker Jose Bono Martinez; delivers major speech to special session of Spanish Congress 

Cuba:

Annual Habanos festival (to Feb. 25). A festival where people can puff away at the world's finest cigars, tour factories to see the cigars being rolled by hand and visit tobacco plantations outside Havana.

UN:

International Mother Language Day observed

Brazil:

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits Guinea to lay the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the Conakry-Kankan railway line

Ecuador: 

Deadline for Constitutional Court to rule on constitutionality of ten questions government wants to put to national referendum; if justices fail to decide, questions will go to referendum in current form

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