Diary

Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

MIDDLE EAST

PALESTINE

GAZA CITY - Last day of a four-day humanitarian pause in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The last batch of prisoners to be swapped under the pause deal is expected to take place according to agreement. Since Friday, 26 women and children from Israeli hostages in Gaza have been released in exchange for 78 Palestinian women and children in Israeli prisons as part of an agreement that includes the release of 50 Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and children in Israeli prisons.

WEST BANK - Daily raids by the Israeli army into cities and towns in the occupied West Bank. A violent storming of the city of Jenin left six dead on Sunday, raising the total to 237 Palestinians killed in the region since Oct. 7, while 3,200 have been detained.

EGYPT

CAIRO - Movement of humanitarian aid and fuel for the fourth day in a row through the Rafah land crossing into the Gaza Strip, as part of the humanitarian pause agreement between the Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel.

EUROPE

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to hold a press conference ahead of this week's meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

SPAIN

BARCELONA - Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) - Regional Forum ministerial gathering to be co-chaired by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud attending. Press conference planned later in day.

HUNGARY

BUDAPEST - European Council President Charles Michel to visit Budapest for talks with Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

UK

LONDON - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to meet with his visiting Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

LONDON - Ministers from Home Office to respond to questions from lawmakers.

POLAND

WARSAW - Deadline to be reached for Mateusz Morawiecki to form cabinet after nomination by President Andrzej Duda as first candidate to attempt to form government following inconclusive elections on Oct. 15.

US

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to deliver remarks on new actions to strengthen supply chains, lower costs for families. Potential remarks to be made on Gaza.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Antony Blinken to travel to Brussels for NATO Foreign Ministers meeting. He is expected to visit Israel before meeting, according to reports.

NEW YORK - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to speak to media on climate crisis following his recent travel to Chile and Antarctica.

NEW YORK - UN Security Council to discus North Korea's launch of military reconnaissance satellite last week. In afternoon, members will discuss situation in Middle East, including Palestinian question in closed session

EURASIA

AZERBAIJAN

BAKU - Defense ministers of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia to hold trilateral meeting in Baku.

TÜRKİYE

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to host Maldivian counterpart Muhammed Muizzu for talks.

ASIA-PACIFIC

PAKISTAN

ISLAMABAD - Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on official visit to United Arab Emirates from Sunday where he is scheduled meet Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to advance bilateral ties, including political, economic, trade, investment, cultural, defense, people-to-people relations.

NEW ZEALAND

WELLINGTON - Christopher Luxon sworn in as 42nd new prime minister of New Zealand to lead three-party coalition.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Economic interests and political constraints: What limits China’s role in Israel-Palestine issue?

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL – Report about China’s stance on the Israel-Palestine issue and the reasons why it has a limited role in the matter. The report includes interviews with Einar Tangen, senior fellow at the Beijing-based Taihe Institute, Chinese-American academic Haiyun Ma, Türkiye-based Middle East researcher Haydar Oruc, and Chienyu Shih, a China analyst and academic in Taiwan. They speak in detail about the factors defining China’s policy on the issue, including economic interests and the political objectives that restrain Beijing from taking a major role. The experts point out reasons ranging from constraints enshrined in China’s foreign policy guidelines to the need for Israeli lobbying to improve ties with the US, as well as Beijing’s hope that crises in the Middle East will divert Washington’s attention from the Pacific.

China-US battle over Taiwan would be ‘a war too many’ for the world right now: Expert

By Emre Basaran

ISTANBUL – Interview with David Campbell, an associate professor of Comparative Political Science at the University of Vienna, about the worldwide security situation and the conflicts threatening global stability. Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of the Stratcom Summit in Istanbul, Campbell warns of a possible World World III if China and the US somehow lock horns over Taiwan at this point in time. He says the possibility of such a confrontation was a matter of debate when the Ukraine war first started in February 2022, but has moved to the backburner with the Israel-Hamas flare-up. Campbell also speaks about the nuclear equation in the various conflicts raging around the world, giving his assessment of how it has been a force of deterrence.

Russia’s clinching defense deals in Africa but is it a reliable partner for the continent?

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda – Report exploring Russia’s growing defense ties with Africa and the potential impact of this increasing synergy. The story gives figures and details about Moscow’s defense and weapons deals in Africa, including with countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso, where military rulers are distancing the nations from their former colonial powers and increasing collaboration with Russia. It includes comments from Rwanda-based political analyst Louis Gitinywa and Freddie Egesa, a security analyst in Uganda’s capital Kampala. They speak about the factors that could determine whether Russia can prove to be a reliable partner for the continent, as well as the reasons for Moscow’s interest and its scope of influence in certain African countries.

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.