BBC Monitoring News Diary for Friday 10 February 2006.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Main stories at 0200 gmt

CARTOONS: Watching developments around world as Muslim protests continue, marches expected after Friday prayers (as available)

ITALY: Winter Olympic Games begin in Turin (Italian newspaper La Repubblica)

Asia-Pacific

JAPAN: Japanese and Chinese Vice-Foreign Ministers Shotaro Yachi and Dai Bingguo meet in Tokyo to seek ways to mend strained ties; Japan set to ask China to resume talks between top leaders and foreign ministers; also on agenda, China's natural gas development project around disputed waters in East China Sea and North Korea's nuclear development programmes (-11) (Japanese news agency Kyodo)

CAMBODIA: Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy due to return following issue of royal pardon (Cambodian newspaper Moneakseka Khmer)

MALAYSIA: Religious leaders, government officials and scholars gather in Kuala Lumpur to discuss challenges facing Muslim world amid global protests sparked by cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad; former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami among participants at international conference on "Who Speaks for Islam? Who Speaks for the West?" (-11) (Iranian news agency IRNA)

THAILAND: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visits three southern border provinces in bid to …