The World This Week

Today: EU Ecofin Council in Brussels. Leaders of four centre-right political groups in Russia meet to form electoral bloc

Today: EU Ecofin Council in Brussels. Leaders of four centre-right political groups in Russia meet to form electoral bloc. Trial of 14 people accused of terrorist activity begins in Cairo. OAU summit opens in Algeria. Publication of UNDP's Human Development Report.

Tomorrow: European People's Party meets in Brussels. Slovakian president visits NATO headquarters in Brussels. Hearing in case against Bosnian Serb Dragan Kulundzija at Hague Criminal Tribunal. Menem in Czech Republic.

Wednesday: EU proposals presented to budget ministers. Bastille Day parade in Paris. Kurdish parliament-in-exile expected to meet in Basque region of Spain. Turkish president visits Israel.

Thursday: EU conference of presidents meets in Brussels. Barak visit United States. UN Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia delivers judgment against Dusan Tadic. Governing council of European Central Bank meets in Frankfurt. Further talks about fund set up by German companies to compensate slave labourers under Nazi regime. Chinese president visits Mongolia. OSCE special mission arrives in Belarus. Annan begins visit of Slovakia and Czech Republic.

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Friday: EU Budget Council meets in Brussels.

SATURDAY: New Kuwaiti parliament convenes.

Sunday: EU Culture Ministers meet.

Ireland

Today: Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Tom Kitt, meets Indonesia ambassador, Mr Nana Sutresna. Tomorrow: President McAleese receives Irish-American leaders from Chicago. Wednesday: Oireachtas foreign affairs committee discusses drugs problem. Thursday: President receives Cyprus ambassador's credentials and solicitor general of Canada. Friday: President receives premier of Tasmania.

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