DIARY-Political and General News Events from January 26

Jan 26 (Reuters) -

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This diary is filed daily. Indicates new events
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MONDAY, JANUARY 26

HANOI - Laos' President Thongloun Sisoulith accompanied by his spouse begins state visit to Vietnam (To Jan. 27)

ABU DHABI - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will make an official visit to the UAE (To Jan. 29)

ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosts his Nigerian counterpart Yusuf Tuggar for talks.

WARSAW - Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski meets his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud. - 1200 GMT

BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to speak in the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss recent developments on security in the Arctic and U.S. push to acquire Greenland. - 1430 GMT

NEW YORK - South Korea's Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will meet with top US officials to discuss pending issues in Washington and New York on a five-day trip to the United States (final day)

BEIJING - Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo pays an official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, During the visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with the Finnish prime minister, while Chinese Premier Li and Chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with Orpo (to Jan 28)

NEW DELHI - The President of the European Council, Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will be visiting India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited the EU leaders to attend the 77th Republic Day celebrations as chief guests. (To Jan. 27)

BERLIN - German Defence Minister Pistorius welcome Lithuanian counterpart Kaunas in Berlin - 1530 GMT

HAMBURG, Germany - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosts the third international North Sea Summit in Hamburg, with several heads of state and government plus their energy ministers attending.

BRUSSELS – EU General Affairs Council.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27

ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, will hold comprehensive discussions on all aspects of bilateral relations and regional developments, including Syria and Gaza, during the latter’s visit to Ankara.

ABU DHABI - President of Italy Sergio Mattarella will begin a state visit to the UAE, aimed at advancing long-standing ties between the countries.

BEIJING - Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo visits China - 0200 GMT

TALLINN - King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark will pay a state visit to Estonia (to Jan. 28).

PARIS - G7 finance ministers will hold talks, via a video meeting, to focus on continued support for Ukraine as well as securing strategic supply chains, particularly those for rare earths. - 1200 GMT

BERLIN - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius speaks at a conference of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) in Berlin - 0900 GMT

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28

HANOI - President of the European Council António Costa will pay an official visit to Việt Nam (To Jan. 29)

PANAMA CITY - Panama City hosts the International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean 2026.

BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz receives Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in Berlin - 1300 GMT

BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan hold a news conference following their talks at Berlin's chancellery. - 1400 GMT

VILNIUS - King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark will pay a state visit to Lithuania (to Jan. 29).

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 29

HANOI - European Council President Antonio Costa meets Vietnam's leaders in Hanoi as the two partners are set to elevate ties.

BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz receives Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruiniene in Berlin - 1200 GMT

BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruiniene hold news conference in Berlin - 1300 GMT

MACTAN, Philippines - ASEAN Foreign Ministers hold a retreat in central Philippines to exchange views on regional and international issues and set the bloc's agenda for the year.

ATHENS - Greece hosts energy summit in Athens.

BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 30

BERLIN - German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomes Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruiniene in Berlin - 0900 GMT

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 31

TOKYO - UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives in Japan for bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi following his visit in China.

ISLAMABAD - World Bank President Ajay Banga to visit Islamabad.

NEW YORK - 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

VENICE, Italy - Venice Carnival 2026 (to Feb. 17).

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1

BEIJING - President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Yamandu Orsi will pay a state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping (To Feb. 7)

LOS ANGELES - 68th Annual Grammy Awards

COSTA RICA - Costa Rican Presidency Election.

COSTA RICA – Costa Rican Legislative Assembly Election.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2

GENEVA - WHO Executive Board meeting opens.

TROMSØ, Norway - Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Arctic Norway. Greenland's foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt to speak at conference about Arctic affairs. Also attending: Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide (To Feb. 4)

BERLIN - German President Steinmeier receives Sloveniaian counterpart Musar in Berlin - 0900 GMT

GLOBAL - World Wetlands Day.

NEW YORK - 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (to Feb 3).

OSLO - Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt to speak at conference about Arctic affairs. (To Feb. 5)

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3

OSLO - Security conference in Oslo. Speakers include: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4

GLOBAL - World Cancer Day.

SAPPORO, Japan – 2026 Sapporo Snow Festival (to Feb. 11).

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6

GLOBAL - International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8

THAILAND - Voting begins in Thailand’s national election.

TOKYO - President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, will visit Japan. (To Feb. 10)

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9

RIYADH - Prince William of Wales will make his first official visit to Saudi Arabia (to Feb. 11).

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

GLOBAL - Safer Internet Day 2026

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11

BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defence)

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12

CAPE TOWN - South African President Cyrl Ramaphosa delivers an annual state of the nation address to parliament. - 1700 GMT

BERLIN – 76th Berlin International Film Festival (to Feb. 22).

BEIRUT - 18th anniversary of the death of Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyah.

VIENNA - VIENNA Opera Ball 2026

BRUSSELS - NATO defence ministers will meet in the Brussels headquarters. The meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

BANGLADESH - Bangladeshi National Parliament Election

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13

GLOBAL - World Radio Day

RIO DE JANEIRO - Rio Carnival 2026 (to Feb. 21)

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14

GLOBAL - St. Valentine's Day

BEIRUT – 21st anniversary of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16

BRUSSELS – Eurogroup Meeting.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17

PRISTINA – 18th anniversary of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia

NEW ORLEANS - Mardi Gras 2026

BRUSSELS – EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19

LONDON - London Fashion Week Winter 2026 (to Feb. 23).

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22

LONDON – EE British Academy Film Awards 2026

LAOS - Laotian National Assembly Election.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23

BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24

WASHINGTON DC - U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington.

BRUSSELS - EU General Affairs Council.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26

BRUSSELS - EU General Affairs Council (Cohesion).

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27

CARACAS – 37th anniversary of deadly Caracas riots.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28

LONDON - The BRIT Awards 2026

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