Diary

ANKARA (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

MIDDLE EAST

GAZA / ISRAEL

GAZA CITY – The humanitarian and military situation in the Gaza Strip as the conflict enters its 33rd day, with the death toll rising to 10,328, including 4,237 children and 2,791 women, while 25,956 other people are injured due to Israeli attacks.

RAMALLAH – Following tension in the West Bank caused by continued Israeli raids in several areas, raising the death toll to 163 Palestinians since Oct. 7.

LEBANON – Tensions on Israel-Lebanon border due to exchange of shelling between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. Israeli warplanes flew over Lebanese capital Beirut and outskirts on Tuesday.

EUROPE

GERMANY

BERLIN - Pharmacies in several German cities to close as part of a strike action to protest under-funding, excessive bureaucracy, and medication bottlenecks.

UK

LONDON - House of Commons to debate the King's Speech.

US

WASHINGTON - NBC News to host third live debate between Republican presidential hopefuls as former President Donald Trump holds rally in Florida.

WASHINGTON - Marquette Law Poll to release poll results in state of Wisconsin on Republican presidential primary and potential general election matchups.

ASIA-PACIFIC

JAPAN

TOKYO - Top diplomats of G-7 member nations continue summit-level meetings for second day in Japanese capital Tokyo. Besides bilateral meetings, discussions on Israel's war on Gaza, and need for humanitarian pause remain on agenda.

PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTAN

ISLAMABAD / KABUL - Reporters in Pakistan continue to follow repatriation of undocumented foreigners, most of whom are Afghan nationals, despite calls for halting such a process.

CHINA

BEIJING - Following daily news briefing by China’s Foreign Ministry.

NANCHANG - The “Volga-Yangtze” Forum on Russia-China regional cooperation continues (until Nov. 10).

EURASIA

AZERBAIJAN

BAKU - Victory Day is being celebrated throughout Azerbaijan. The day commemorates the country’s victory in the 2nd Karabakh War in the fall of 2020.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a videoconference meeting with government members.

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a roundtable meeting with foreign ambassadors to Russia over the situation in Ukraine.

MOSCOW - The 11th meeting of the heads of the security councils of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will take place in the Russian capital.

TAJIKISTAN

DUSHANBE - Following visit of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, which was rescheduled from Nov. 7-8 to Nov. 8-9.

UZBEKISTAN

TASHKENT - The 16th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) will be held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as the presidents of Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan’s premier will officially attend the summit.

TASHKENT - The International Festival of Artistic Creativity of the Peoples of Eurasia continues (until Nov. 10).

KAZAKHSTAN

TURKESTAN - The 2nd Turkic Universiade that began on Nov. 5 continues (until Nov. 10).

RUSSIA

OMSK - The 3rd "Russia-Central Asia" Young Leaders Forum continues (until Nov. 10).

ECONOMY

BERLIN - Germany’s statistical office Destatis to release inflation figures for October (second reading).

According to flash estimates, Germany's annual consumer inflation cooled to 3.8% in October, the lowest rate since August 2021. The figure eased for the fourth consecutive month in October, led by energy prices.

On a monthly basis, Germany's consumer price index was expected to remain unchanged from September.

LUXEMBOURG – Eurostat to announce Euro area retail sales data for September.

The retail trade volume in the Euro area was down by 1.2% in August and fell 2.1% on a yearly basis. Market expects retail trade volume to decrease 3.1% year-on-year and 0.2% month-on-month.

ANKARA - State Airports Authority General Directorate expected to release passenger, plane and freighter traffic data for October.

SPORTS

MUNICH - Galatasaray to face Bayern Munich in UEFA Champions League week 4.

SPECIAL REPORT

Israel dehumanizing and massacring Gazans, says Palestinian journalist who lost entire family to Israeli bombs

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL – Interview with Ahmed Alnaouq, a Palestinian journalist who had 21 family members killed in Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip.

He narrates his personal experience of coping with the grief and the harrowing tragedy, while also giving insights into just how challenging life is for people in Gaza at the moment.

Alnaouq refers to the racist and dehumanizing statements repeatedly made by Israeli officials, explaining how these have laid the ground for unabated killings of Palestinians.

He also calls for international intervention to stop Israel’s “massacres” and “genocide” in Gaza.

SPECIAL REPORT

Nothing less than survival of women and girls at stake in Gaza, warns UN Women

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL – Interview with Sarah Hendriks, deputy executive director ad interim at UN Women, about the conditions of Palestinian women and girls in the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip.

She explains the challenges faced by women in Gaza, including aspects such as physical dangers and mental health.

Hendriks shares details of various on-ground realities for women right now, such as protection risks, data for displaced and pregnant women, lack of access to basic facilities and personal hygiene materials.

SPECIAL REPORT

‘No freedom of speech in the world when it comes to Palestine’

By Dilara Hamit

ADANA, Türkiye – Interviews with two international activists who attended the “Freedom Convoy for Palestine” rally in Türkiye’s southern Adana province.

Zohar Chamberlain Regev from Germany explains how any form of support for Palestine is being criminalized in European countries, citing instances of restrictions on the Palestinian keffiyeh or the Palestinian flag.

She warns that such actions represent a “threat for human rights all over Europe.”

Another participant, Arne Birger Heli from Norway, emphasizes the global impact of demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians, calling for more concerted campaigns to increase pressure on the international community to act against Israel.

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.