Diary

Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories).

TÜRKİYE

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to receive credentials from new ambassadors of four countries, including France, Norway, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to hold a weekly press conference on current foreign policy issues.

MOSCOW - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir is expected to arrive for a two-day visit.

MOSCOW - A meeting of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to attend the first meeting in the series of literary and musical evenings "Literary Lounge: Ambassadors of Russian culture" for the foreign diplomatic corps accredited in the Russian Federation.

MOSCOW REGION - Return of two Russian cosmonauts and one US astronaut from the International Space Station.

POLAND, UKRAINE - Polish and Ukrainian ministers of agriculture Robert Telus and Mykola Solskyi will try to settle disputes over deliveries of Ukrainian grain to Poland.

US

WASHINGTON - Second Republican presidential primary debate set to take place and former President Donald Trump will not be in attendance. Trump plans to deliver remarks in Detroit.

WASHINGTON - US Senator Bob Menendez is expected to appear in court after being indicted on graft charges. He and his wife Nadine are accused of accepting gold bars and cash from three New Jersey businessmen to “benefit the government of Egypt.”

NEW YORK - UN Security Council members to discuss Israel’s establishment of settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. In the afternoon, there will be a briefing followed by consultations on political and humanitarian situations in Syria.

BANGLADESH

DHAKA – The number of dengue cases in the South Asian nation could be five times higher than reported cases, while the upcoming Monsoons could exacerbate the health situation, several medics told Anadolu. Bangladesh has reported more than 900 deaths as well as 180,000 hospitalizations this year.

EUROPE

SPAIN

MADRID – Spanish lawmakers are scheduled to vote on a Partido Popular-led government, after party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo was tasked with attempting to form a governing coalition following the July 23 snap elections.

GERMANY

BERLIN - The German government presents an annual report on the status of German unity. The report examines social and economic problems in eastern Germany and assesses the impact of the government's policies to establish equivalent standards of living throughout the country.

KOREAS

SEOUL - A Seoul court on Wednesday rejected an arrest warrant sought for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung over corruption charges, a decision that averted the biggest crisis yet for the former presidential candidate.

SOUTH CHINA SEA

MANILA / BEIJING - Monitoring the situation in the disputed South China Sea where Beijing warned Manila against "provoking tensions" after the Philippines removed floating barriers near disputed islets.

MENA

SAUDI ARABIA

RIYADH – Following the first-ever public visit by an Israeli minister to Saudi Arabia. Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz is on a 2-day visit to the kingdom to attend a UN tourism conference. The visit comes amid US efforts to reach a deal between Riyadh and Tel Aviv to establish diplomatic relations.

PALESTINE

RAMALLAH – Following a 2-day visit by Saudi Arabia’s first ambassador to Palestine. Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi presented a copy of his credentials to the Palestinian president as Ambassador Extraordinary, Non-Resident Plenipotentiary to the State of Palestine and Consul General in Jerusalem. The kingdom had a Consulate General in Jerusalem, but it was closed with Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967.

AFRICA

GABON

LIBREVILLE- Gabonese Prime Minister Ndong Sima will hold a press conference where he is expected to announce a process that will lead to new elections.

RWANDA

KIGALI - Rwanda will host the 9th East African Health and Scientific Conference to discuss challenges and strategies of dealing with communicable and non-communicable diseases.

NIGERIA

ABUJA - Nigeria declared on Wednesday a public holiday to allow millions of Muslims to celebrate Mawlid. Muslim leaders and politicians are expected to address celebrants.

SOUTH AFRICA

CAPETOWN – Following up on the disaster management's response to the devastating storms in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.

THE ECONOMY

MOSCOW – Russia to release unemployment and retail sales figures for August. The country’s unemployment rate has been decreasing since Aug. 2020 gradually. It was at 3% in July and is expected to be at the same level in Aug. Retail sales increased by 10.5% in July and are expected to increase by 10.1% last month. The country will also release monthly GDP figures. It was 5% in July and was expected at 4% in August.

IZMIR, Türkiye - The country's major technology and aerospace event TEKNOFEST to open its doors for the third time in 2023 in Aegean city Izmir. The previous editions of 2023 were held in Istanbul in May and Ankara in August.

LONDON - EBRD to reveal Regional Economic Prospects May 2023 report titled “Shifting gears” which contains the latest economic forecasts for its regions of operation.

SPORTS

NEWCASTLE, UK - Manchester City to visit Newcastle United in English League Cup third round.

SPECIAL REPORT

Aid groups take on migrant challenge in Lampedusa with ‘human touch’

By Giada Zampano

LAMPEDUSA, Italy – Report about the work being done by humanitarian agencies on Lampedusa, the Italian island facing a massive influx of migrants.

The story includes an on-ground interview with Francesca Basile, head of the migration unit of the Red Cross, who speaks about how the agency multiplied its efforts to provide immediate solutions and ensure a dignified welcome to the thousands of migrants arriving each week.

SPECIAL REPORT

Calls for reform, little progress on climate change at UN General Assembly

By Emre Basaran

ISTANBUL – Report about the key takeaways from the UN General Assembly session, focusing particularly on the louder calls for reforms and action on climate change from countries across the board.

The report gives details of comments made by leaders at the summit, along with an analysis of the proceedings and their potential outcomes from Nursin Guney, an international relations expert and academic.

It also includes an overview of the Sustainable Development Goals and where countries stand on fulfilling their obligations.

SPECIAL REPORT

Foreign capital flow signals return of investors to Türkiye: EBRD regional chief economist

By Nuran Erkul

LONDON – Interview with Rafik Selim, regional chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, focusing on the bank’s upward revision of its growth forecast for the Turkish economy for 2023 and how new measures are boosting investor confidence and foreign investment flow.

He points out the signs of measures regarding the Turkish economy and financial markets, explains the impact of returning foreign capital, and stresses the importance of maintaining orthodox economic policies to attract more investors.

SPECIAL REPORT

US on verge of another shutdown: Here’s what to know

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON – Report explaining how the US finds itself yet again on the brink of a complete federal government shutdown.

The report gives details of how persistent Republican infighting has left the House of Representatives unable to pass a critical spending bill needed to avert the shutdown.

The story delves into the sweeping ramifications that a federal government shutdown will have for the US, federal employees, military service members, and the wider world.

SPECIAL REPORT

Orphaned Land’s frontman: Music key to unite people

By Omer Faruk Yildiz

ISTANBUL – Interview with Kobi Farhi, the frontman of Orphaned Land, an Israeli progressive metal music band.

He speaks about the unifying power of music and how it transcends boundaries to bring people together.
Farhi, who often gives a message of peace in his concerts and calls for a solution to the Israel-Palestine dispute, also talks about the band’s new music and his love for Türkiye.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – Lampedusa migrant crisis: Aid agencies extend ‘human touch'

Interview with Francesca Basile, head of the Red Cross migration unit, working on the ground on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The official speaks about the humanitarian agency’s strategies and the approach it has taken to provide immediate solutions for the growing crisis.