The World This Week

This Week: Russian constitutional court rules on whether Yeltsin can stand for a third term.

This Week: Russian constitutional court rules on whether Yeltsin can stand for a third term.

Today: Arafat begins visit to China. Azerbaijani parliament votes on amendments to constitution. Annan begins visit to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Guatemala and Mexico. EU General Affairs Council meets in Brussels. European Parliament meets in Strasbourg. EU holds bilateral talks with Czech Republic. British Foreign Office Minister, Derek Fatchett, begins visit to Kenya and Sudan. Countries of central and eastern Europe that are candidates for accession to EU meet in Ljubljana. UN Human Rights Committee meets in Vienna.

Tomorrow: Russian PM, Sergei Kiriyenko, in China. Mostar airport re-opens to commercial traffic. EU holds bilateral fisheries talks with Slovenia. President Demirel of Turkey visits Albania. Gerhard Schroeder visits European Parliament in Strasbourg. President Clerides of Cyprus ends visit to Russia. South Korean Foreign Minister, Pak Chong-su, ends visit to China.

Wednesday: Russian Duma debates anticrisis programme. Japanese foreign minister in China. Annan submits proposals on Macedonia to UN Security Council. EU competition policy commissioner, Karel van Miert, to rule on proposed merger between two telecommunications companies. President Constantinescu of Romania visits US. NATO holds military exercises in Ankara.

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Thursday: New Hungarian PM, Viktor Orban, visits France. National strike in Bangladesh in protest at price rises. President Assad of Syria in France.

Friday: Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra and three of their children to be buried in St Petersburg on the 80th anniversary of their murders. EU Budget ministers meet in Brussels. Anniversary of the explosion on TWA flight 800.

Saturday: Mandela is 80. EU social commissioner, Padraig Flynn, visits Cyprus. EU environment council meets in Austria.

Sunday: Japanese PM, Ryutaro Hashimoto, due to visit France. Egyptian Police Council passes sentence on four police officers accused of negligence in last year's Luxor tourist massacre. --(Future Events News Service)

Ireland Today: President McAleese receives Chernobyl children. Tomorrow: Benefit night in aid of AFrI - "Catalpa" with Donal O'Kelly - at Mother Redcap's, Christchurch Lane, Dublin, at 9 p.m. Irish events of a world news interest for this column should be received by David Shanks, Foreign Desk, on the Friday before publication.