BBC Monitoring News Prospects for Friday 3 December 2004.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Main Stories at 0200 gmt

INDIA: 20th anniversary of Bhopal disaster

UKRAINE: Watching developments after outgoing President Leonid Kuchma announced willingness to accept opposition demand to sack government, on condition that parliament approves constitutional changes he wants (as available)

Asia-Pacific

AUSTRALIA: East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta visiting (-4); attending South West Pacific Dialogue meeting in Adelaide (East Timorese Foreign Ministry press release)

AUSTRALIA: Second and final day of Third Ministerial Meeting of Southwest Pacific Dialogue in Adelaide; Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and counterparts from New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and East Timor discuss regional terrorism situation, including counter-terrorism cooperation (East Timorese Foreign Ministry press release)

FIJI: Court hearing scheduled for former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, other ministers, who are seeking compensation following May 2000 coup which saw them held hostage for 56 days (Fiji Village web site)

CHINA: British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott visiting (-4) (Chinese news agency Xinhua)

INDONESIA: Cabinet meets to consider fuel prices rises for 2005 (Indonesian web site Tempo Interaktif)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Election of new Guadalcanal provincial premier; follows resignation of Waeta Ben Tabusasi on 30 November; Tabusasi resigned after resignation of four members of his …