Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Thursday, November 23, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

MIDDLE EAST

GAZA

• The start of the implementation of the agreement between Israel and Hamas after 48 days of war in Gaza expected to be announced, with more than 14,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes. The deal includes a four-day humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip (but not the West Bank) and a hostage swap in which Hamas releases 50 Israelis in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners in batches.
• The humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the humanitarian pause agreement allows for more aid during the four-day pause. The World Health Organization called for increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, saying more aid will be required to enable hospitals to cater to the growing needs of the affected people.
• Continuous reactions in Gaza and around the world to the humanitarian pause, which was widely welcomed on Wednesday.

WEST BANK

• Tensions in the West Bank remained high as Israeli army forces conducted raids, killing seven Palestinians and arresting 35 others on Wednesday. Israeli forces have killed 225 Palestinians and arrested 3,035 others in the West Bank since Oct 7.

LEBANON

• Tensions remain high along the Israeli-Lebanese border, with intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. The Lebanese group announced on Wednesday that one of its members had been killed in clashes with Israeli forces near the border, bringing the total number of group members killed to 78 since Oct. 8.

EUROPE

BELGIUM

• EU and Türkiye to hold a high level dialogue on migration, with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson hosting the latest EU-Türkiye high level dialogue on migration.

UK

• LONDON - Home Office to publish quarterly statistics on irregular migration to the UK.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE

• TEL AVIV/WEST BANK - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to visit Israel and Palestine, accompanied by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. Talks are planned with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

SWEDEN

• STOCKHOLM - A Nordic-Baltic defense ministerial meeting to be held, followed by a joint press conference.

US

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to call military personnel on Thanksgiving Day to thank them for their service.

WASHINGTON - Native American activist organization, United American Indians of New England, to hold day of mourning in Massachusetts, which coincides with Thanksgiving.

EURASIA

BELARUS

• MINSK - Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the Belarusian capital.

AZERBAIJAN

• BAKU - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to visit Azerbaijan on November 23-24 to attend the first summit of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).

ASIA-PASIFIC

CHINA

• BEIJING – At the invitation of China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, his French counterpart Catherine Colonna to pay a two-day official visit to China from Thursday. The two sides will hold 6th meeting of the China-France high-level dialogue mechanism on people-to-people exchanges.
• BEIJING - Following official exchanges between Beijing and Tokyo, Japanese government partner Komieto party chief Natsuo Yamaguchi visits China for a two-day visit that will conclude on Thursday. His visit is seen as helping to stabilize bilateral relations, as Tokyo seeks an end to Beijing's blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports.

KOREAN PENINSULA

• PYONGYANG - Following up on aftermath of North Korea's satellite launch as Pyongyang claimed its satellite, which was launched successfully for the third time this year, sent down images of a US army base in Guam from space.

SOUTH CHINA SEA

• PHILIPPINES – Following conclusion of a 3-day joint maritime drill between the Philippines and US in the disputed South China Sea on Thursday, this prompted a response from Beijing, stating that the exercises should not jeopardize China’s sovereignty.

INDIA

• NEW DELHI - Expectations are rising as India moves closer to evacuating 41 workers from a collapsed tunnel in northern Uttarakhand state, where an under-construction tunnel caved in on Nov. 12, trapping workers inside.

THE ECONOMY

• NEW YORK - US-based data provider S&P Global to share provisional PMI figures for Germany, and Euro area.
• ANKARA – Turkish Central Bank to announce interest rate decision. An Anadolu survey this week expects the bank will deliver a 250 basis points rate hike this week. In October, the Turkish Central Bank hiked its policy interest rate by another 500 basis points to 35%, meeting the market forecast. Over the course of five monetary policy meetings, the bank has been gradually increasing the rate, also known as the one-week repo auction rate, from 8.5% in May to 35% last month.

SPORTS

BOLOGNA, Italy - Fenerbahce Beko to play with Italy's Virtus Segafredo Bologna in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

SPECIAL REPORTS

After indecisive battle, Israel will use Gaza pause to regroup for ‘extremely difficult’ underground war: Expert

By Rabia Ali

• ISTANBUL – Report on the military ramifications of the Gaza humanitarian pause for both Israel and Hamas. The story includes an interview with geopolitical and security analyst Zoran Kusovac, who discusses his assessment of the fighting in Gaza thus far, as well as his outlook for the coming days. He discusses both sides' military strategies over the last six weeks and how they intend to capitalize on the humanitarian pause. Kusovac discusses how the two sides will move forward, as well as their goals and potential limitations.

Europe’s divisions over Israel's support deepen as Gaza deaths mount

By Ahmet Gencturk

• ATHENS – Report about the deepening divisions in Europe over the Israel-Palestine issue. It charts how countries are changing their stances, particularly with regard to complete support for Israel due to the mounting casualties that Israeli attacks are causing in the Gaza Strip. The report includes details of official statements and policy moves in major European countries, including Germany, France and the UK, as well as Spain, Ireland, Belgium and others.

Who benefits the most as Australia-China ties warm up?

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

• ISTANBUL – Report about the recent high-profile push between China and Australia to improve bilateral relations that have nosedived over recent years. It includes interviews with John Lee, director of East-West Futures think tank, Australian National University senior policy adviser David Andrews, and Beijing-based Einar Tangen, a senior fellow with the Taihe Institute. They share their assessments on what both sides gained after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent visit to Beijing, while also giving details of the major outcomes of the summit.

Turkish actor appeals for protection of children in Gaza

By Muhammed Yaylali and Burak Bir

• CARDIFF, Wales – Interview with Turkish actor Emre Uctepe about the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, particularly focusing on child victims of Israel’s devastating attacks. Uctepe, famous for his portrayal of Osman Bey in the blockbuster Turkish drama ‘Resurrection: Ertugrul’ laments the hardships and violence that children in Gaza have been facing for more than six weeks now. He calls for immediate efforts from the international community to protect the most vulnerable groups, urging people around the world to continue to raise their voices.

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.