What's Happening Today - Tuesday 15 February

New Zealand:

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on first visit to New Zealand since taking office; addresses House of Representatives on 16 February; first foreign leader to do so

New Zealand:

Brigadier Tim Keating replaces army chief Lt-Gen Rhys Jones - who became goverment’s Chief of Defence Force.

China:

GM chairman and CEO Daniel Akerson talks about China's place in GM's plans. 0530 GMT

China:

Foreign Ministry holds media briefing at 07:00 GMT 

Russia:

On an anniversary of the Soviet pullout from Afghanistan, GRU Spetsnaz (special forces) operations soldiers meet to reminisce.

Russia:

Legal blocks on immigration of highly skilled foreign specialists and their families staying in Russia lifted

Russia:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to meet U.N. Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay.
    
Russia:

Moscow police have received a tip-off that a group of “illegal nationalist and radical movements” intend to hold a rally under the slogan 'One for all and all for one!' at 1600 gmt in Pushkinskaya Ploshchad.

India:

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) holds conference in Delhi on aviation security 

Maldives:

Maldives National University – the country’s first – inaugurated

Iran:

President Mahmud Ahmadinejad will take part in a live TV interview broadcast at 1730 gmt 

Iran:

Foreign Ministry holds media briefing at 06:30 GMT. This comes during the Turkish president's visit to Tehran 

Kuwait: 

Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani visits for talks with Amir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, Prime Minister Nasir Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah; second and final day 

Turkey:

PKK prisoners in Kurdistan and Turkey prisons have issued statements calling on people to take stance against Ocalan’s arrest 12 years ago. Possible demonstrations in London and Paris.

Israel: 

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton visits to meet Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Palestinian National Authority President Mahmud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad; she then goes on to Lebanon and Jordan

Israel: 

East Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta meets Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Parliament Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defence Minister Ehud Barak

Egypt: 

Following developments as wave of strikes defies call by military government for end to protests

Rwanda:

Meeting to discuss issues related to “Threat of Violent Extremism” and “De-Radicalization Efforts”

Nigeria:

Trial due to resume of suspected Iranian Revolutionary Guard member charged with illegal importation of weapons into Nigeria following last year's seizure of containers holding mortars and ammunition. U.N. experts have been in Nigeria to assess whether the shipment put Tehran in breach of U.N. sanctions.

Togo:

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi pays an official visit to Togo to announce investment deal.

Senegal:

Talla Sylla, leader of the opposition Jef-Jel Alliance, had called on the resignation of the government by 15th or face the consequences

Slovakia: 

Visegrad Four summit in Bratislava marks alliance's 20th anniversary, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visit; German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov expected to attend 

Austria: 

Vienna hosts new round of informal talks on settlement in Moldova's breakaway Dniester region in five-plus-two format (involving Moldova, Dniester region, Russia, Ukraine, OSCE, EU, USA); second and final day

Bosnia:

Anniversary (207th) of First Serb Uprising celebrated, controversially, in Visegrad, Banja Luka. Could easily turn violent, has in previous years.

Germany:

14th European Police Congress 

Norway:

Philippines government and communist rebels hold talks in Oslo

Holland:

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons executive council meets in the Hague

Belgium:

EU Economic & Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) Meeting.

UK:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. A news conference to follow (1200).

Cuba:

Guantanamo war crimes court convenes for pretrial hearing in case of Sudanese captive Nur Uthman Muhammad, accused of being weapons instructor at al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan and training two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers.

US:

White House Budget Director Jack Lew testifies at Senate Budget Committee on Obama's fiscal year 2012 budget proposal.

US:

A federal court judge hears oral arguments about defence requests to bar testimony they say was forcibly obtained from US terrorism suspect Wisam al-Hanafi.

US:

Director of Committee to Protect Journalists gives press conference on 'Attacks on the Press' report in New York, briefing begins at 11:15 in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium of the UN.

US:

UN Security Council hears OSCE briefing in Washington

US: 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Hryshchenko visits to attend meeting of US-Ukrainian commission for strategic partnership (-16)

French Guiana:

Arianespace, the commercial arm of the 13-country European Space Agency, to launch ATV-2 cargo craft into orbit. The ATV-2 — dubbed Johannes Kepler — is scheduled to dock on Feb. 26 to International Space Station.

South America:

UN secretary general visits Ecuador and Peru

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