Diary

Here are the main topics Anadolu’s English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

PALESTINE

GAZA - The fifth day of military escalation between Israel and the Gaza Strip, as well as in the West Bank and on the Lebanese front.

The deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in light of the cutting of water and electricity to the Gaza Strip by Israeli authorities amid international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Regional efforts led by several countries, including Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, to put an end to the war.

TÜRKİYE

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend Justice and Development (AK) Party’s group meeting. He is expected to speak on domestic and global issues.

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS - NATO Defense Ministers to meet in Brussels on Oct. 11-12. Alliance counterparts meet to discuss major operational issues.

BRUSSELS - Ukraine Defense Contact Group to meet in Brussels on margins of NATO ministerial meeting. US-led grouping, which includes nearly 50 countries and will be chaired by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and new Chairman of the Joint Chief Gen. Charles Brown Jr. meets. Austin and Brown likely hold a press conference later on.

BRUSSELS - The 16th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting will be held.

GERMANY

BERLIN - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to respond to lawmakers’ questions in parliament. Expecting comments on recent developments in the Middle East, Russia-Ukraine war.

SWITZERLAND

BERN - A ceremony to be held in Bern to mark return of historical artifacts from Switzerland to Türkiye.

SERBIA

BELGRADE - Belgrade Security Conference (BSC) will take place with the participation of foreign and defense ministers of the Western Balkans countries.

SWEDEN

MALMO - Climate activist Greta Thunberg goes on trial over her participation in a July 24 protest.

US

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to deliver remarks announcing new actions to protect consumers from hidden junk fees and put more money back in pockets of Americans.

WASHINGTON - House Republicans plan to hold leadership vote on successor for Kevin McCarthy after he was voted out of his role as speaker on Oct. 3.

TEXAS - Press conference to take place to announce findings from NASA's sampling mission OSIRIS-REx, which returned to Earth from asteroid Bennu on Sept. 24

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Start of the Russian Energy Week, an international forum to address the most pressing issues in the global energy sector.

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani will take part in the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week.

MOSCOW - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak will hold separate meetings with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Venezuelan Deputy Prime Minister Delcy Rodriguez.

AZERBAIJAN

BAKU - A meeting of the Heads of Security Organizations and Special Services Council of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States will be held.

KAZAKHSTAN

ASTANA - The 21st Meeting of the Secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions will be held.

TURKMENISTAN

ASHGABAT - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov to discuss bilateral ties, regional and global issues.

ARKADAG - The Vienna Ball will be held in new "smart" city of Arkadag.

AFGHANISTAN

KABUL / ISLAMABAD - Anadolu to follow aftermath of devastating earthquake that struck northwestern Afghanistan over the weekend and has resulted in more than 4,500 casualties.

SRI LANKA

COLOMBO - Sri Lanka will host foreign ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on Wednesday.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

SRINAGAR - Indian President Droupadi Murmu will make her debut visit to Jammu and Kashmir since she assumed the office. She is expected to preside over convocation of University of Kashmir and also visit the Indian Army's 15 Corps headquarters in Srinagar.

INDONESIA

BALI - Indonesia will host Archipelagic and Island States Forum 2023. The high-level meeting, chaired by Joko Widodo, will discuss operationalization of technological and nature-based solutions.

CHINA

BEIJING - Following Chinese Foreign Ministry’s daily news conference. Expecting comments on latest developments in Middle East, disputes in South China Sea and upcoming 3rd Belt and Road Initiative forum.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA - Turkish Central Bank to release current account balance figures for August. The budget saw surpluses during the July-August period. While the balance saw a deficit of $5.47 billion in July, a surplus of $670 million was recorded in June.

ANKARA - Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal turnover and retail sales indices for August. Retail sales have been around positive territory for almost whole year so far while turnover index is also increasing.

BERLIN - Germany’s statistical office Destatis to release inflation figures for September. The country’s inflation rate was at 6.1% in August but it is expected to drop to $4.5 in September.

NEW YORK - The US to reveal producer prices for September. The price index was up by 1.6% in August and 0.8% in July while it was at even double-digit levels in 2022.

MOSCOW - Russia to release inflation figures for September. This rate was at double-digit level in January and February but dropped to 3.5% in March and 2.3% in April and rebounded to 5.2% in August while markets expect a rate of 5.8% in September.

SPECIAL REPORT

Israel-Palestine violence has ‘huge impact’ on children’s mental health, warns UNICEF

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL – Interview with Jonathan Crickx, a UNICEF official currently based in Jerusalem, focusing on the impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict on children.

The official speaks about how children on both sides are suffering and facing situations that will leave them with long-term trauma.

He cites displacement for children in both Palestine and Israel as an additional factor inducing stress and taking a toll on their mental health.

Crickx also emphasizes the urgent humanitarian needs of the affected populations and details steps that both sides need to take to unconditionally protect children.

SPECIAL REPORT

Energy, food supply disruptions could further drive global inflation: OECD chief economist

By Nuran Erkul

LONDON – Interview with Clare Lombardelli, chief economist for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), about the dual challenge of inflation and low growth confronting the global economy.

She warns that energy markets remain tight and potential further disruptions on the supply side, along with a surge in food prices and shortages, could create new upward pressures on inflation.

Lombardelli says the OECD expects inflation to moderate gradually over 2023 and 2024, but to remain above the targets of central banks in most countries.

SPECIAL REPORT

Paradox of the Sahel: Rich in minerals but gripped by poverty

By Hassan Isilow and Emre Basaran

JOHANNESBURG/ISTANBUL – Report focusing on the natural resources of the Sahel and the reasons why this potential wealth has become more of a bane rather than a boon for the region.

The report includes data about the quantity of reserves, types of resources and other related information for various countries in the Sahel, including Mali, the Central African Republic, Niger and others.

It includes comments from Ahmed Jazbhay, a professor at the University of South Africa, and Buchanan Ismael, a political scientist at the University of Rwanda, about misgovernance and corruption in the region, as well as the reasons for the spiraling political instability affecting several Sahel countries.

SPECIAL REPORT

Does European football really need the Conference League?

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL – Interview with Tomislav Globan, an expert on sports economics at the University of Zagreb, about the utility of the UEFA Europa Conference League, the third-tier club football competition introduced in 2021.

The story focuses on the impact of the Conference League on smaller club teams across Europe, particularly the financial benefits.

Globan explains the pros and cons of the competition, while also going into detail about its wider impact on development of the game in countries that are on the fringes of mainstream European football.

SPECIAL REPORT

Residents of ruined Ukrainian village piece together shattered lives

By Anadolu staff

KHARKIV, Ukraine – Interview with Volodymyr and Lydmila Korniycha, two Ukrainians who have returned to their village of Kamianka in the country’s Kharkiv region.

Kamianka was captured in March 2022 following intense attacks and remained in Russian hands for about six months before Ukrainian forces regained control of the village in September last year.

The couple shares their personal experiences and gives details about how people are now trying to rebuild their lives.

SPECIAL REPORT

Brazilian volleyballer Guimares: 'Türkiye is one of the best leagues right now in the world'

By Ercan Cakar, Emre Dogan

ISTANBUL – Interview with VakifBank Istanbul's Brazilian volleyball player Gabi Guimaraes.

She speaks about her affinity for Turkish volleyball and Türkiye in general, as well as her future goals.

Guimaraes also emphasizes how the country's success in volleyball serves as a source of inspiration for younger generations.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEOS - Latest developments in Israel-Palestine conflict

Reports covering developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict, including packages from correspondents on the ground, updates about the overall situation and other major happenings.