Turkmenistan government
Talks on gas pipeline
The government of Kazakhstan is scheduled to host talks with Turkmenistan in Almaty. The construction of the Caspian gas pipeline is the main reason for the talks.
Geoff Raby
Pyongyang visit
The Australian ambassador to North Korea, Geoff Raby, who is based in Beijing, is scheduled to visit Pyongyang. He is expected to use the opportunity to urge North Korea to build on the recent developments in regard to the country's nuclear programme and to the latest developments in the six party process.
Nouri al-Maliki
Iraqi PM visits Tehran
The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is scheduled to visit Iran. He will likely discuss various bilateral and regional issues with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad and make preparations for a scheduled trip by Ahmadi-Nejad to Iraq. These meetings come during the Iraqi parliament's one-month recess.
Nguyen Tan Dung
Vietnamese PM on Asia tour
The Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is scheduled to visit Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Burma and Brunei. These are his first official visits since he took office last year. The focus for the talks is expected to be on the economy, trade and investment issues.
"Fat Man"
Nagasaki A-bomb commemorated
The anniversary of the dropping of the nuclear bomb on Nagasaki will be commemorated. Three days after the world's first atomic bombing reduced Hiroshima to ruins, a second bomb, code-named "Fat Man" after Sir Winston Churchill, hit the Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people and wounding 75,000.
Contact group
Kosovo group meets in London
Diplomats from Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Russia and the United States are to discuss the final status of Kosovo in London. US, EU and Russian mediators Frank Wisner, Wolfgang Ischinger and Alexandar Botsan-Harchenko will receive the final instructions from the contact group before visiting Belgrade and Pristina. Moscow has said it will not support Kosovo's independence from Serbia, as it comes without Belgrade's consent.
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin no-show
A corruption case against ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife is scheduled to begin at the Supreme Court in Bangkok. Thaksin will be a no-show. He stands accused of illegally helping his wife to buy government-owned land at a bargain price four years ago. The former Thai leader, who was overthrown in a bloodless military coup in September 2006, denies any wrongdoing. He currently lives abroad, mainly in London.
Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry
Pakistani chief justice addresses Karachi bar
Pakistani chief justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry is scheduled to visit Karachi to address the bar association. The address follows Chaudhry's suspension on March 9 by Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf for alleged misconduct. On July 23, the Pakistani Supreme Court unanimously voted to reinstate Chaudhry.
Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad
Iranian president visits Turkmenistan
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad is scheduled to visit Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. He is expected to meet with Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and sign several agreements, although there is an air of mystery over what these may be. Ahmadi-Nejad will then attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan as a "distinguished guest", causing speculation that Iran may be invited to join the group as a full member.
Afghan women's soccer team
Soccer tournament
Islamabad is scheduled to host a women's soccer championship. There will be 15 Pakistani teams competing as well as Afghanistan's women's football team. This will be the first international outing for Afghanistan's women's football team, and is being heralded as a major event to strengthen ties between the two countries. Under the Taliban, women were not permitted to engage in sports. The Afghani team does follow a stricter dress code than the Pakistani team, with Afghani women donning baseball caps to cover their hair as well as the long trousers that the Pakistani team wears.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi mission to Iraq
Saudi Arabia will send a mission to Iraq to work on arrangements for the reopening of its embassy in Baghdad, more than four years after the US-led invasion.
Shinzo Abe
No war shrine visit
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to avoid stirring trouble with Asian neighbours by staying away from the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of the country's World War Two surrender. With his public support in freefall after last month's disastrous upper house election, Abe might have been tempted to court conservatives by visiting on August 15.
Gordon O'Connor
Cabinet shuffle
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to shuffle his cabinet next week, with rumours flying in Ottawa that his first task will be replacing Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor.
Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva
Lula visit
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva will pay a visit to Jamaica on Wednesday and Thursday. The visit is a continuation of efforts to deepen cooperation between Jamaica and Brazil, with specific reference to technical assistance to the sugar industry as well as cooperation on science and technology, education, sports and culture, and social development.
Pakistani government
Ready to cooperate
The Pakistan and Afghan government will hold a joint parliament this week in Kabul.
Filipino government
Giving peace a chance
Peace negotiations between the Filipino government and Muslim separatist rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will resume next week in Malaysia, a ranking government official said.
