DIARY-Political and General News Events from Aug 18

** Indicates new events ---------------------------------------------------------------- TUESDAY, AUGUST 18 ** SEOUL - South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun delivers a televised address as South Korea reported a three-digit increase in novel coronavirus cases for a fifth consecutive day – 0800 GMT. ** DUESSELDORF, Germany - German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a cabinet meeting of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and discusses topics like the response to the COVID-19 pandemic - 1100 GMT.

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---------------------------------------------------------------- This diary is filed daily. ** Indicates new events ---------------------------------------------------------------- TUESDAY, AUGUST 18 ** SEOUL - South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun delivers a televised address as South Korea reported a three-digit increase in novel coronavirus cases for a fifth consecutive day – 0800 GMT.

** DUESSELDORF, Germany - German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a cabinet meeting of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia and discusses topics like the response to the COVID-19 pandemic - 1100 GMT. ** LONDON - Britain's health minister Matt Hancock will deliver a speech on the future of public health - 1130 GMT. ** NICOSIA - Foreign Ministers of Greece and Cyprus meet against backdrop of tensions with Turkey, which is carrying out survey work in areas of the Mediterranean claimed by both countries - 1230 GMT. ** DHAKA - Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh (to Aug.19) BRUSSELS - Brexit talks in Brussels (to Aug. 21) CARACAS - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to visit Venezuela. - - - - - - - - -

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 ** BANGKOK - Thailand Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Finance Minister Predee Daochai and other economic agencies meet on new stimulus measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic - 0200 GMT. ** BERLIN - German foreign minister Heiko Maas holds news conference with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud - 1200 GMT. ** BERLIN - German finance minister Olaf Scholz speaks at event on the economy after coronavirus - 1700 GMT. ** BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to reporters after EU leaders held a video summit on the situation in Belarus - 1400 GMT. BRUSSELS - Video conference of the members of the European Council. GLOBAL - World Humanitarian Day.

MOSCOW – 28th anniversary of the failed Soviet coup against Mikhail Gorbachev which accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union. - - - - - - - - - THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 ** SAARLAND, Germany - Germany, France and Britain - the “E3” group of major West European countries that cooperated on Iran policy - meet for an informal meeting in Saarland (Aug. 21) ** ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will undertake a day-long visit to China. PARIS – German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit France and meet President Emmanuel Macron at his summer residence on the Mediterranean. - 1630 GMT PORT MORESBY/ PHNOM PENH/ VIENTIANE/ NAYPYITAW – Japan's foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, will visit to Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (to Aug 25).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi will start an official visit to the U.S. at an invitation from Washington. - - - - - - - - - FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

** SAARLAND, Germany - German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer hosts her counterparts from France and the United Kingdom, Florence Parly and Ben Wallace, respectively, for the first so-called "E3 format" meeting in her native Saarland region - 0930 GMT. SYRIA – 7th anniversary of nerve gas attack which killed hundreds of people in rebel-held neighborhoods on the edge of Damascus. - - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, AUGUST 22

HANOI, Vietnam - 52nd ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting (AEM 52) (to Aug 29). HANOI - Vietnam hosts 9th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial Meeting. - - - - - - - - - SUNDAY, AUGUST 23

BALTIC WAY – 31st anniversary of the Baltic Way, a human chain of people in 1989 stretching from Vilnius to Tallinn to mark solidarity in the struggle for independence from the Soviet Union. - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, AUGUST 24

POLAND - Poland marks the 31st anniversary of the creation of the first post-Communist government in 1989. UKRAINE – 29th Anniversary of Independence.

WASHINGTON – 208th anniversary of the Burning of Washington, including the White House and the U.S. Capitol building, by the British troops during the War of 1812. - - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 URUGUAY - Uruguay's Independence Day.

PARIS – 76th anniversary of the liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation in the Second World War. - - - - - - - - - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 BERLIN – Informal meeting of EU defence ministers - 0900 GMT - - - - - - - - - THURSDAY, AUGUST 27

BERLIN - Informal meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers – Gymnich (to Aug. 28). - - - - - - - - -

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 MONTENEGRO – Montenegrin Assembly election. - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, AUGUST 31

SANTANDER, Spain - Spain's economy minister, Nadia Calvino, to deliver speech at online financial conference in Santander - 0800 GMT. HANOI - Vietnam hosts 53rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and related meetings. - - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador holds his second state of the union address. BRUSSELS - EU Commissioner for internal market Thierry Breton speaks in an online interview with Politico Europe - 0630 GMT. - - - - - - - - -

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 DUBLIN - Chief European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier speaks in Dublin at the Institute of International and European Affairs think tank - 1200 GMT.

- - - - - - - - - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 BRUSSELS - EU Commissioner for trade Phil Hogan speaks at online event on EU trade, model of 'open strategic autonomy' and the COVID-19 crisis - 0700 GMT - - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 ATHENS - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gives his annual speech on the state of Greece's economy. - - - - - - - - -

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 BOLIVIA - Presidential election. - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 LONDON - Brexit talks in London (to Sept. 11) - - - - - - - - -

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 BRUSSELS - Brussels Economic Forum (by video conference)

- - - - - - - - - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

BRUSSELS – Eurogroup Meeting. BRUSSELS – EU Informal meeting of economic and financial affairs ministers (to Sept. 12). - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 VIENNA – United Nations IAEA, Board of Governors meeting (to Sept. 18).

- - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 New Zealand – New Zealand House of Representatives election. New Zealand – Referendum election.

- - - - - - - - - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

BRUSSELS - EU ministers responsible for trade hold informal meeting in Berlin to discuss current trade topics from transatlantic relations to the World Trade Organization. - - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

** BRASILIA - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will open the United Nation's General Assembly high-level debate that will be a virtual meeting this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic with prerecorded video speeches by heads of state. NEW YORK CITY - World leaders take part in 75th annual U.N. General Assembly high-level debate (to Sept. 28).

BRUSSELS - EU General Affairs Council meeting. - - - - - - - - - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. - - - - - - - - -

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 BRUSSELS Brexit talks in Brussels (to Oct. 2). - - - - - - - - - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 TORONTO - Canada hosts the world circular economy forum in Toronto.

- - - - - - - - - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 KYRGYZSTAN – Kyrgyz Supreme Council Election. NEW CALEDONIA – Referendum Election. - - - - - - - - - MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 BRUSSELS – Eurogroup Meeting.

- - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6 LUXEMBOURG – EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting. - - - - - - - - -

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 HANOI - Vietnam hosts ASEAN senior officials' meeting in Hanoi. - - - - - - - - - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 Luxembourg – EU Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting (to Oct 09) - - - - - - - - -

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 BRUSSELS – EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. - - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 LUXEMBOURG – EU General Affairs Council meeting. - - - - - - - - - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15

BRUSSELS - European Council arrives for a two-day summit (to Oct 16) - - - - - - - - -

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 GUINEA – Referendum Election. - - - - - - - - - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 CHILE – Referendum Election. - - - - - - - - -

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26 KUALA LUMPUR - Finance ministers of APEC countries meet to address regional macroeconomic and financial issues as well as domestic and regional financial policy priorities during the APEC-Finance Ministers' Meeting in Malaysia (to Oct. 28) - - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 GEORGIA – Georgian Parliament Election.

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