The World this week

Today: Presidents of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovenia meet in Vienna

Today: Presidents of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovenia meet in Vienna. New German cabinet meets for first time under Schroder. IMF delegation arrives in Russia. Yeltsin in Kazakhstan. EU trade commissioner meets Japanese foreign minister in Tokyo. South-eastern European heads of state and government meet in Antalya.

Tomorrow: Jospin visits Brussels. Nobel prizes for Physics and Chemistry announced. Romanian foreign minister visits Hungary. Menem in France. US commerce secretary in Middle East.

Wednesday: WTO general council meets in Geneva. Nobel prize for Economics announced. Mexican foreign minister speaks at London meeting. Senior officials from North Korea, South Korea, China, Mongolia and Russia meet. Saudi Crown Prince visits China.

Thursday: Middle East peace summit expected to begin in Washington. Indian and Pakistani external affairs ministers meet in Islamabad. Omani foreign minister in US. Annan releases report on disputed Prevlaka peninsula in Croatia. Microsoft faces trial over dominance in the Internet market. Polish PM in Brussels. Russian Constitutional Court expected to meet over Yeltsin and a third presidential term. Vatican begins 20th anniversary celebrations of the papacy of John Paul II.

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Friday: Nobel Peace Prize winner announced. Swaziland holds general elections. Greek local elections. UN World Food Day.

Saturday: Ibero-American summit begins in Portugal. Kyrgyzstan holds referendum on power of parliament, private ownership of land and press freedom. Clinton attends Yale Law School reunion. International Day for Eradication of Poverty.

Sunday: Macedonian parliamentary elections. Hungarian local elections. - (Future Events News Service)

Ireland

Today: President McAleese in Canada. Minister for Finance at EU Ecofin council in Luxembourg. Tanaiste attends ministerial conference in Vienna on "Better Regulation Serves Employment". Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs attends a European Symposium in Vienna on "A Society for all Ages". Minister of State at the Department of Education addresses Belgian Irish Association and attends a Research Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg. Minister for the Environment opens Conference on the Environmental Benefits of Cohesion Fund and Investment in Ireland, in Killarney.

Tomorrow: Minister for Defence reviews troops leaving for Lebanon.

Wednesday: Oireachtas European and Foreign affairs committees meet.

Thursday: Debate at UCC International Famine Centre at 7.30 p.m. on whether genetically modified crops are the answer to world hunger.

Events of a world news interest for this column should be received by David Shanks, Foreign Desk, on the Friday before publication.