Diary

ISTANBUL / ANKARA (AA) — Here are the main topics Anadolu’s English Desk plans to cover on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing / breaking stories):

MIDDLE EAST

GAZA / ISRAEL

Day 27 of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Following:

• Ongoing Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza amid casualties in Israeli ranks in battles against Palestinian factions.

• International reactions on Israeli attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp, with the UN saying they could amount to "war crimes."

• Rising death toll as at least 8,796 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, including 3,648 children, 2,290 women, and 22,219 others injured. More than 1,500 people killed in Israel.

• Movement of the injured and foreign passport holders from the Gaza Strip to Egypt via Rafah border crossing.

• Israeli reaction to announcement made by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh about possibility of halting attacks, opening border crossings and accomplishing prisoner swap deal.

US

NEW YORK - UN General Assembly members to hold annual discussion on necessity of ending economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by US against Cuba.

NEW YORK - UN Security Council to hold meeting on situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to meet separately with President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader and President Gabriel Boric of Chile at White House.

WASHINGTON - House of Representatives expected to take up and vote on legislation providing $14.3 billion to Israel.

TEXAS - Former President Donald Trump to speak at campaign event in Houston.

EUROPE

GERMANY

BERLIN - Foreign ministers from EU member states and candidate countries to gather in Berlin to discuss enlargement and reforming the bloc’s decision making. The conference will begin with a keynote speech of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also expected to attend the conference.

BERLIN - Germany’s cybersecurity agency BSI to release its annual report on cyberattacks and threats.

UK

MILTON KEYNES - First-ever global artificial intelligence safety summit concludes today. Attendees include representatives from international governments, AI companies, and research experts.

SWITZERLAND

GENEVA - World Meteorological Organization and World Health Organization to release report on “state of climate services for health.”

TÜRKİYE

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to depart for Kazakhstan to attend 10th Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), where leaders will discuss efforts to further enhance cooperation within organization and exchange views on current global and regional issues.

ANKARA – National Defense Ministry to hold background briefing on defense issues, including fight against terrorism.

ASIA-PACIFIC

CHINA

BEIJING - Cuba's Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz to visit China on week-long visit.

PAKISTAN

ISLAMABAD - Crackdown against undocumented foreigners as hundreds of undocumented Afghan refugees leave country.

EURASIA

KAZAKHSTAN

ASTANA - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to pay official visit to Kazakhstan.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin to meet Equatorial Guinea’s counterpart Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

MOSCOW - Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to hold weekly news conference.

UZBEKISTAN

SAMARKAND - French President Emmanuel Macron to pay official visit to Uzbekistan.

TASHKENT - Uzbekistan to host 12th meeting of transport ministers of the member countries of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

SPORTS

ISTANBUL - Turkish basketball club Fenerbahce Beko, 4th in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings, to host 7th-place Olympiacos from Greece in Round 6.

ECONOMY

ANKARA – Turkish Central Bank to share inflation figures. Consumer prices rose 19.58% year-on-year last month, from 19.25% in August.

BERLIN – Germany’s Destatis to reveal unemployment rate for October. The figure was 5.7% in September, and market expects the rate would rise to 5.8%.

NEW YORK – US based data provider S&P Global to release PMI data for EU. The index is on a downward trend in recent months and is expected to decline in October.

LONDON – Bank of England to announce decision on interest rates. The bank stopped interest rate increases, which began in December 2021, in September by keeping the rate at 5.25%. It is expected to stay the same.

WASHINGTON – US to release factory orders data for September. It rose by 1.2% in August and a 1.2% hike is expected.

SPECIAL REPORT

Israel lacks ‘realistic goals’ in campaign against Hamas: Ex-Israeli premier’s adviser

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL – Interview with Daniel Levy, a former senior adviser to ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

He speaks in detail about Israel’s objectives in its campaign against Hamas, criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for its strategies.

He also shares his assessments on the wider implications of the Gaza crisis, both domestically for Israel and the region.

Levy also calls out Western hypocrisy over Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza, particularly focusing on the US and its role in the entire issue.

SPECIAL REPORT

US President Biden’s handling of Israel-Hamas war ‘horrific,’ says Jewish-American activist

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON – Interview with Leah Harris, a Jewish-American activist who was detained last week following a protest on Capitol Hill.

Harris was among roughly a dozen protesters briefly arrested following an Oct. 25 sit-in outside US Senator Bernie Sanders’ office demanding he endorse a cease-fire.

He speaks about the Jewish-American community’s reservations over President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s devastating attacks on Gaza, accusing his administration of “enabling genocide” and “ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”

The report also includes data from recent surveys on how Biden’s backing for Israel, including a proposed additional $14.3 billion in military assistance, has dented his approval ratings, bringing them down to the lowest point during his nearly three years in office.

SPECIAL REPORT

Türkiye’s Fatih drillship set for new missions

By Dilara Hamit and Fuat Kabakci

ZONGULDAK, Türkiye – Report about the Fatih drillship, Türkiye’s first drillship that is known as The Conqueror for its significant gas discoveries.

The report gives details of the vessel’s upcoming missions and recounts its achievements over previous years, such as the discovery of 710 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea.

The story also includes information about Türkiye’s continuing efforts to reduce its energy dependency on outside sources, as well as its expanded exploration activities.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEOS – Latest developments in Israel-Palestine conflict

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