What's Happening Today - Thursday 10 February

New Zealand: 

Defence Minister Wayne Mapp hosts talks with Australian counterpart Stephen Smith in Wellington; Smith's first visit to New Zealand since taking office 

Australia:

Government introduces to Parliament a bill that would create a new tax to raise $1.8 billion to pay for flood damage in northeast Australia.

Japan: 

Third and final day of Uzbek President Islam Karimov's visit

Koreas: 

Watching for further reports after military talks aimed at easing high tensions between North and South Korea collapsed

China: 

South Korea's main nuclear envoy Wi Song-rak visits to meet counterpart Wu Dawei for talks on North's nuclear programme

Indonesia: 

Abu Bakar Ba'asyir goes on trial on terrorism charges carrying possible death penalty, related to paramilitary training camp in Indonesia's Aceh province

India: 

Bengaluru (Bangalore) hosts annual Aero India show (-13)

India:

Research finds half a million girls per year aborted in India as ultrasound access improves

Russia: 

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara begins three-day visit; holds talks with counterpart Sergey Lavrov tomorrow; comes amid heightened tensions after Prime Minister Naoto Kan on 7 February demanded return of Kuril Islands to Japan

Russia: 

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns visits for talks with top officials

Kyrgyzstan: 

Armed forces hold command-and-staff anti-terror exercises (-12) 

Tajikistan: 

Iranian Vice-President Hamid Baqa'i visits, meets President Emomali Rahmon; expected to hand over invitation to attend Nowruz celebrations in Iran (20-21 March)

Azerbaijan:

French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau is expected to visit Azerbaijan.

Georgia:

IMF mission visits Georgia to monitor economic situation in the country.

Qatar: 

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague concludes three-day tour of five nations; he was in Yemen and UAE on 9th after visiting Tunisia and Jordan on 8th

Qatar: 

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani visits, meets Emir Shaykh Hamad Bin-Khalifah Al Thani, counterpart Muhammad Bin-Mubarak al-Khulayfi, other officials (-10) 

Turkey:

EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Füle visits Turkey

Turkey:

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman Bin Hadmad al-Khalifa visits, meets President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan; third and final day

Israel:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds news conference to announce new economic measures.

Egypt: 

Watching developments as protests in Egypt continue for 17th day; in interview on US television Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt publicly rejected what he called American attempts to impose its will on government in Cairo

Algeria: 

March organised by NGOs and trade unions

Algeria: 

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi visits; he met counterpart Mourad Medelci yesterday

Zimbabwe: 

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visits, meets President Robert Mugabe (-11)

South Africa: 

President Jacob Zuma delivers annual State of the Nation Address to joint sitting of parliament in Cape Town (1700 gmt)

Chad:

Amnesty reports on increase in use of child soldiers in Chad

Ivory Coast: 

African Union high-level panel concludes five-day visit aimed at finding ways to resolve post-election crisis

Senegal: 

World Social Forum continues in Dakar; attendees include Bolivian President Evo Morales, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, former French presidential candidate Segolene Royal 

Greece:

Public sector union ADEDY holds a three-hour work stoppage from 0930 GMT until the end of the working hours against the government's austerity policies.

Lithuania: 

Latvian President Valdis Zatlers visits 

Germany:

Chancellor Angela Merkel to testify before parliamentary committee investigating the German-ordered air strike in Kundus, Afghanistan in late 2009 against the Taliban in which Afghan civilians were also killed.

Germany:

Former Wikileaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg presents his new book on the group at a press conference.

EU: 

Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat visits Brussels to meet European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fuele; agenda includes easing of visa regulations; second and final day

France: 

President Nicolas Sarkozy gives prime time TV interview (1930gmt) as his prime minister and foreign minister are engulfed in scandals over vacations spent in Egypt and Tunisia 

France:

Teachers in France stage strike over job cuts

France:

Foreign minister of Kosovo, Vlora Citaku, visits France

France:

Judicial organisation in France stage strike over murder and Sarkozy comments

US: 

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Baraq visits for talks with Defence Secretary Robert Gates, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

US:

Conservative Political Action Conference. 

US:

House Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats. Witnesses include James Clapper, director of national intelligence; CIA Director Leon Panetta; and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Mexico:

Court to rule on appeal of 60-year sentence given French citizen Florence Cassez for conviction on involvement in Mexican kidnapping ring.

Mexico:

Anti-crime groups organize premier showing of film "Presunto Culpable," about failures of Mexico's justice system.

Venezuela:

Turkish Energy Ministry delegation meets Venezuelan officials to discuss Turkish development of oil fields (to Feb. 11).

Posted via email from luay's posterous