The World This Week

Today: Arafat in France. Austrian President in Poland for EU talks. Turkish PM visits Israel and Palestinian Territories.

Today: Arafat in France. Austrian President in Poland for EU talks. Turkish PM visits Israel and Palestinian Territories.

Tomorrow: French lorry drivers begin strikes. Kazakh President hosts five-nation CIS summit in Alma-Ata. Iranian, Armenian and Greek foreign ministers meet in Tehran. World Conference on Family Violence begins in New Delhi.

Wednesday: Clinton campaigns in Orlando and Miami. World Bank releases annual world development report. UN Development Programme launches Human Development Report 1998. UN General Assembly begins fifty-third session in New York. Islamic Development Bank meets to debate Pakistan's request for $1.5 billion loan package. Election campaigns begin in Macedonia for general election on October 18th. Former governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten launches new book East and West. Conference for foreign aid donors in Zimbabwe.

Thursday: Jospin in Finland. Venezuelan, Saudi Arabian and Mexican energy ministers meet. EU economic affairs commissioner visits Morocco.

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Friday: Unemployed Germans march in Berlin against austerity measures. European Commission rules on Austrian decision to ban gene-altered maize. Governing council of European Central Bank meets in Frankfurt. Clinton receives Paul O'Dwyer Peace and Justice Award on White House South Lawn.

Saturday: Presidential elections in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Bulgarian PM Ivan Kostov visits Istanbul. US Secretary of Commerce leads trade mission to Africa.

Sunday: Presidential elections in Bosnia-Hercegovina (second day). Emmy Awards. Japanese foreign minister in Russia. World Energy Council holds 17th Congress. First World Economic Forum summit on central and south Asia in Islamabad.

Ireland

Tomorrow: Bruton meets Santer in Brussels. Today: Commissioner Padraig Flynn opens selfcatering complex at An Grianan Adult Education College. Thursday: President McAleese arrives in New Zealand.

Saturday: President returns. Irish events of a world news interest for this column should be received by David Shanks, Foreign Desk, on the Friday before publication.