BBC Monitoring News Diary for Monday 24 April 2006.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Main stories at 0100 gmt

IRAN: President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad gives press conference for domestic and foreign reporters, his second since assuming office; due at 1530 local time, 1200 gmt (Iranian news agency IRNA website)

IRAQ: Watching political, security developments following nomination of Jawad al-Malaki as prime minister-designate (as available)

Asia-Pacific

NORTH KOREA: Joint ministerial North-South talks in Pyongyang were due to end after morning session and press conference, but South's delegation has said will continue until reach an agreement (South Korean news agency Yonhap)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: New parliament to be sworn in amid tight security due to fears that event may trigger more riots; two days of looting and violence in previous week were reported to have been sparked by anger at election of Prime Minister Snyder Rini; deputy speaker expected to be elected (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation)

JAPAN: EU-Japan talks; Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, EU security affairs chief Javier Solana and EU External Affairs Commissioner Benita-Ferrero-Waldner in delegation; Schuessel also holds separate summit with Koizumi (Japanese news agency Kyodo)

PHILIPPINES: East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta on last day of visit (East Timorese Foreign Ministry press release)

VIETNAM: Tenth congress of Communist Party of Vietnam continues in Hanoi (-25) (Vietnamese radio Voice of Vietnam)

CHINA: Senegalese Prime Minister Cherif Macky Sall visits at head of delegation (-30) (Senegalese state radio)

CHINA: Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov visits (-27) for talks on developing military-technical cooperation; takes part in meeting of Shanghai …