Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

GAZA/ISRAEL

Day 25 of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Following:

• Israel’s continued attacks on Gaza and possible ground operations, as a total of 25 hospitals ran out of service.

• Rising death toll as at least 8,300 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks, including 3,457 children and 2,136 women, while more than 21,048 people have been injured.

• Israeli politics as the death toll of more than 1,538 and failure to secure the release of hostages have prompted calls for removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power.

• Situation in West Bank after Israel announced freezing transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority.

TÜRKİYE

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan due to chair Cabinet meeting and later address nation on domestic and international issues.

SWITZERLAND

GENEVA - United Nations Information Service holds biweekly press briefing for UN bodies headquartered in Geneva. Updates from UN agencies - such as UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO, OHCHR, OCHA, and the IFRC - on the latest situation in the Israel-Palestine conflict are likely.

UK

LONDON - King Charles III, Queen Camilla to start Kenya visit.

NORWAY

OSLO - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to speak at Nordic Council meeting to be held in Norway. It will be followed by a meeting of the leaders of member countries.

MONTENEGRO/SERBIA

PODGORICA/BELGRADE - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to visit Montenegro and Serbia. In Podgorica, she will hold talks with Montenegro’s President Jakov Milatovic and caretaker Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic. In Belgrade, she will hold talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

RUSSIA

ST. PETERSBURG - St. Petersburg International Gas Forum to begin.

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a traditional meeting with the 2023 graduates who will start working at the Foreign Ministry.

KYRGYZSTAN

BISHKEK - Independence Day celebrations will take place in Kyrgyzstan.

US

WASHINGTON - Senate Appropriations Committee to discuss National Security Supplemental Request that includes major additional funding for Israel and Ukraine. Witnesses are US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

WASHINGTON - Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid to testify at hearing by Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on threats to homeland.

CHINA

BEIJING - Following 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, China's prime international security conference, which brings together participants from more than 90 countries, including the US and Russia, to discuss regional and international security issues including conflicts in Middle East and Russia-Ukraine war.

GHANA

ACCRA - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expected to visit Ghana on Tuesday, on his third trip to Africa since taking office almost two years ago.

THE ECONOMY

TOKYO - Bank of Japan to release interest rate decision. The bank has been keeping the rate at constant at minus 0.1% for a long period. It is expected to be at level in October meeting.

BERLIN - Germany’s Destatis to share import prices index, and retail sales figures and import prices for September. Retail sales figures were also in negative side in the recent period.

ANKARA - Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry to reveal tourism revenues for the third quarter.

ANKARA - Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal foreign trade balance for September. It was in negative side for a long period. It will also release the number of foreign tourists visiting the country in September.

LUXEMBOURG - Eurostat to reveal annual inflation data for October. It was 4.3% in August and 5.2% in July. The downward trend, stemmed from base affect related to Russia-Ukraine war, may not continue in October. Eurostat will also reveal GDP figures for the 27-member bloc. It grew by 0.6% in second and 1% in first quarter.

WASHINGTON – US Federal housing finance agency to reveal housing price index for August.

ISTANBUL - Türkiye-UAE Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting to be held in Istanbul under the co-chairmanship of trade ministers Omer Bolat and Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. The meeting to address bilateral trade, investment, customs and cooperation. Türkiye-UAE JETCO memorandum of understanding to be signed during the event.

SPECIAL REPORTS

eSIMs: How technology is helping Gaza overcome communications blackout

By Rabia Ali

ISTANBUL - Report on the initiative taken by activists to provide eSIMs to people in Gaza to overcome Israel’s communications blackout in the besieged Palestinian territory. The story includes an interview with Yara El Helbawi, who started the campaign along with her sister Mirna El Helbawi, a journalist and writer. The report also includes comments from people on the ground in the Gaza Strip, including Anadolu correspondent Hind Khoudary, who was one of the first recipients of an eSIM. The story also includes interview from a Saudi resident, Bashar Shaheen, who is also running a similar campaign in handing out e-sims to Palestinians. The story explains the importance of the initiative and gives details such as how many people have received them and how do eSIMs work.

In talks with US, Beijing wants to remove ‘misunderstandings about strategic intentions’: Chinese experts

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL – Analysis on the renewed push for rapprochement between China and the US, focusing on Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to Washington. It includes comments from three Chinese analysts and political observers about the reasons for the outreach between the world’s two biggest economies, the chances of a successful breakthrough, and the key objectives for Beijing. The experts including Wang Zaibang and Einar Tangen from Beijing and Hongda Fan from Shanghai, who share their assessments on the approach being taken by the two sides, what can stabilize the world's most consequential bilateral relations, and whether a potential summit between the Chinese and US presidents could materialize and help improve ties.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEOS – Latest developments in Israel-Palestine conflict

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