Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

TÜRKİYE

IZMIR - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend country's premier technology and aerospace event TEKNOFEST, which is being held at Cigli Airport.

EUROPE

MALTA

VALETTA - Malta to host leaders of MED9, an alliance of nine Mediterranean EU countries. European Council President Charles Michel will also attend.

SWITZERLAND

GENEVA - UN Human Rights Council convenes for third of its regular sessions. Today's schedule includes adoption of the Universal Periodic Review on France.

GERMANY

BERLIN - Chancellor Olaf Scholz to host leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to discuss economic and regional cooperation, as well as projects to better connect Europe and Central Asia.

SPAIN

MADRID - Spanish lawmakers to hold second vote, which will require only simple majority, as conservative leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo failed to secure enough votes to become prime minister earlier this week.

US

WASHINGTON - Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to speak at think tank Hudson Institute's event on India’s Role in a New Pacific Order.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to deliver remarks at event honoring outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and welcoming successor Gen. Charles Brown, Jr.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Antony Blinken to hold joint press availability with Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Barcena, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Mexican Secretary of Economy Raquel Buenrostro, and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai as part of the US-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue.

WASHINGTON - United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain to deliver address for update on strikes against Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors, also known as Big Three.

EURASIA

RUSSIA

TULA, Russia — A meeting of Council of Defense Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States, or CIS, (a working body in the Commonwealth of Independent States responsible for military policy of the CIS) to discuss regional issues.

KAZAN, Russia — A meeting of Moscow format on Afghanistan with the participation of acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

MENA

ISRAEL

TEL AVIV – Jewish festival of Sukkot to start; will be observed nationwide until Oct. 6.

SUDAN

KHARTOUM – Following security and health developments after death of 19 people from cholera in Qaradif province amid rising concerns of diseases spread due to the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since April.

ASIA

INDIA

NEW DELHI – Farmers in southern state of Karnataka to observe strike over release of water from Cauvery River to neighboring Tamil Nadu.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA – Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal foreign trade statistics for August. The country’s exports and imports amounted to $20 billion and $32.3 billion, respectively, in July.

ANKARA – Treasury and Finance Ministry to share foreign debt statistics for second quarter.

ISTANBUL – Watchdog to release banking sector figures for August.

TOKYO – Japan to reveal unemployment rate and annual inflation figures for August and September, respectively. The unemployment rate was 2.7% in July from 2.5% in June. The inflation rate was 2.3% in June, 2.5% in July and 2.6% in August.

BERLIN – Germany’s Destatis to reveal import price index for August, which was at minus 13.2% in July. The statistical authority will also share retail sales figures and unemployment rate for August and September, respectively. Retail sales have been dropping for last 17 months and expected to continue this trend in August. Unemployment rate is expected to be at same level of 5.7%.

LUXEMBOURG – Eurostat to share annual provisional inflation figures for September. The index has been decreasing since April, and is expected to drop to 4.6%, from 5.2% in August.

SPORTS

BARCELONA - Spanish La Liga title contenders Barcelona to play against Sevilla at home.

LISBON - Portuguese Super League to see Benfica vs. Porto match, Classic rivalry.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Africa can be ‘big challenge’ regarding climate migration, WMO chief tells Anadolu

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA – Interview with Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the UN World Meteorological Organization, on climate change and extreme weather patterns. Taalas speaks about the growing impacts of climate change around the globe, including its effect on migration patterns. He also discusses several other negative consequences of climate change and what the world could face in the upcoming years, while also delving into possible mitigation measures.

‘Afghanistan’s food crisis is one of access, not availability’

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL – Report focusing on the food crisis in Afghanistan, including an interview with Philippe Kropf, head of communications for the UN World Food Program in the country. He speaks about different aspects of the situation, particularly emphasizing that the crisis is one of access and purchasing power, rather than shortage in supplies. The official also shares his assessments about Afghanistan’s economic indicators and figures of how many people in the country are now in need of food assistance. The story includes an interview of an Afghan resident who gives a personal narrative of daily life in the country and how the financial crisis is affecting common citizens.

European politicians should stop exploiting migrant crisis: Human rights activists

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN – Report about Germany’s new measures to reduce irregular migration, which have prompted sharp criticism from refugees and human rights activists. The story includes interviews with human rights activists Sonkeng Tegouffo and Kangni Coco Locoh, who speak about the possible negative impacts of the proposed steps and highlight the dangers they pose to already vulnerable people. It also includes the personal narrative of Abdul-Kader Issaka, who arrived in Germany as a refugee eight years ago. He also shares his views on the measures being planned, which he says are not appropriate for a country that portrays itself as a defender of democracy and human rights worldwide.

Almost all weapons seized by Kosovo were produced in Serbia: Military analyst

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia – Interview with Aleksandar Radic, a Serbian military analyst from Belgrade, about the weapons seized by Kosovar authorities after the deadly violence in the village of Banjska last weekend. The analyst gives details about the weapons seized and other information about the incident. He also shares his assessment about prospects of peace between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as implications of the fresh wave of unrest on the wider region.

New COVID-19 variants do ‘not seem more severe’: Expert

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL – Report about new strains of the COVID-19 virus that have been raising infection figures over the world. The World Health Organization said this week that the new strains do not pose a particularly grave threat, and this story builds on that assessment with an interview with Georges Benjamin, head of the American Public Health Association. Benjamin also shares a similar viewpoint on the threat of the emerging strains, particularly BA 2.86, or Pirola, saying that they have been found to be more infectious but not more lethal. He speaks about vaccination, COVID misinformation, and other aspects of the pandemic.

Decline in US crude inventories pushes oil prices to 1-year high

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL – Analysis about the decrease of crude inventories in the American storage hub located in Cushing, Oklahoma, which led to the recent oil price jump. Saudi Arabia-led OPEC+, which includes Russia, continues to cut crude production levels and shore up oil prices. The report gives details about how the US responded to such moves in the past and delves into the future expectations about oil prices for this year and 2024.

Turkish Korean War veteran recounts war heroics of Turkish soldiers

By Ilyas Kacar

ISTANBUL – Interview with Mustafa Resberoglu, a 93-year-old Korean War veteran from Türkiye. Resberoglu shares his memories of the conflict and how Turkish soldiers played a critical part in the war. He also shares the story of Ayla, a little girl who was found by a Turkish soldier on the battlefield.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – European politicians should stop exploiting migrant crisis: Human rights activists

Interviews with human rights activists Sonkeng Tegouffo and Kangni Coco Locoh about Germany’s new measures to reduce irregular migration, which have prompted sharp criticism from refugees and rights organizations.

VIDEO – ‘Afghanistan’s food crisis is one of access, not availability’

Interview with Philippe Kropf, head of communications for the UN World Food Program in Afghanistan, about the food crisis in the country. He speaks about different aspects of the situation, particularly emphasizing that the crisis is one of access and purchasing power, rather than shortage in supplies, while also sharing his assessments about Afghanistan’s economic indicators.