Olympic Torch
Olympic torch relay passes through Sanya in the southern Hainan Province of China. The nationwide tour ends in Beijing on 6 August, ahead of the opening of Olympic Games on 8 August (Chinese internet portal china.org.cn website).
Condoleezza Rice
Mid-East Peace Efforts
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Israel and West Bank. There she meets senior Israeli and Palestinian officials to discuss progress in the peace process, the situation in Gaza, and efforts under way to achieve agreement this year on the establishment of a Palestinian state (US State Department press release, Palestinian news agency Wafa).
Hu Jintao
Jintao in Japan
Chinese President Hu Jintao visits China. This is the first visit by a Chinese president to Japan since Jiang Zemin in 1998. He meets Emperor Akihito and Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (Japanese news agency Kyodo).
Edvard Nalbandyan
Azerbaijan Armenia talks
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Elmar Mammadyarov and Edvard Nalbandyan, meet on the sidelines of a session of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg. Discussions concern the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement (Azerbaijani news agency APA).
Vaclav Klaus
Czech Hungary Diplomacy
Czech President Vaclav Klaus this week visits Hungary to meet his counterpart Laszlo Solyom and Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany (Czech news agency CTK).
Protesters
Birthday riots?
As Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak celebrates his Eightieth birthday, activists call for a strike to mark occasion. Protests concern food prices and are backed by opposition groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, Labour Party (Egyptian opposition Labour Party newspaper Al-Sha'b).
Nicolas Sarkozy
Poland postponed?
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon may visit Polish President Donald Tusk this week. However, a senior aide to Tusk has indicated that Sarkozy is unlikely to visit before late late May (Polish news agency PAP).
EU Troika
EU Troika-Turkey meeting
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan recieves EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, EU acting President Slovenia's FM Dimitrij Rupel and next EU President France's FM Bernard Kouchner and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. Discussions concern political and economic reforms as well as the legal bid to close the ruling Justice and Development Party (Regional Sources).
Karolos Papoulias
Global climate and energy security summit in Athens
Greek President Karolos Papoulias makes the keynote speech. Conference to focus on environmental journalism, protection of forests. (Official website)
