Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, December 15, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

MIDDLE EAST

GAZA CITY - The devastating Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, continues bringing the death toll to 18,787 Palestinians, along with 50,897 wounded, most of them children and women. Human rights reports have documented more than 120 random mass graves in the Gaza Strip to bury war victims.

RAMALLAH - Almost daily incursions of the Israeli army take place into the cities and towns of the occupied West Bank, in addition to settlers' attacks. The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire has risen to 283 while over 4,400 have been detained since Oct. 7.

ISRAEL

TEL AVIV - The second day of the visit of Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to the US president, in which he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, members of the Israeli War Council, and President Isaac Herzog, to discuss the latest developments in Israel, amid differences that have emerged publicly between Washington and Tel Aviv regarding the war on Gaza.

LEBANON

BEIRUT - Armed clashes between Israel's army and Hezbollah continue a day after the Lebanon-based resistance group announced the death of one of its members in a gunbattle on Lebanon's southern border, bringing the death toll since Oct. 8 to 104, while Lebanon confirmed that an Israeli bombing targeted homes.

EUROPE

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS - European Council summit to conclude.

SWITZERLAND

GENEVA - The Global Refugee Forum 2023 to end.

GENEVA - The UN Information Service to hold its biweekly briefing for journalists.

GENEVA - WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to hold his annual press conference on global health issues.

ITALY

ROME - The Atreju Forum to continue, with X owner Elon Musk, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to speak on Saturday, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday.

NORWAY

OSLO – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to hold meetings within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League Contact Group’s efforts to stop the war in Gaza and to achieve lasting peace.

The contact group to meet representatives of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

TÜRKIYE

ANKARA - The 47th Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) member states to be held virtually under the chairmanship of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Albania will take over the six-month rotating presidency of BSEC from Türkiye.

US

WASHINGTON - US desk to monitor statements from the Biden administration regarding the Israeli war on Gaza, possible protests against Israeli attacks, and in support of Palestinians.

NEW YORK - UN General Assembly to hold further special session on Israel-Hamas war. Türkiye's representative is expected to deliver remarks.

EURASIA

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - A joint meeting of Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries to be held.

MOSCOW - A meeting of the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of Russia on the key interest rate to be held.

ASIA – PACIFIC

PAKISTAN

ISLAMABAD - A special court to continue a closed-door hearing of the Cipher case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a jail near Islamabad. The duo are accused of exposing state secrets but have pleaded not guilty.

CHINA

BEIJING - China’s Foreign Ministry to hold routine news conference.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA – Turkish Central Bank to share Türkiye’s short-term foreign debt figures for October.

ANKARA – Turkish Statistical Institute to release house sales statistics for November.

ANKARA – Turkish Treasury and Finance Ministry to reveal central government’s budget balance table for November.

BEIJING – China to share industrial production figures for November.

SPORTS

ISTANBUL - Fenerbahce Beko to host French side Monaco in round 14 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Biden’s handling of the Gaza crisis alienates key voters ahead of the 2024 election

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON – Report about US President Joe Biden’s declining standing among voters as he seeks re-election next year.

With the latest polling data, the story illustrates how the administration’s support for Israel’s deadly war on Gaza has impacted American voters’ view of Biden.

It also includes interviews with Mohamed Younis, editor-in-chief of Gallup, and Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

They explain the reasons for Biden’s falling approval ratings and share their assessments for next year’s electoral battle.

International Criminal Court seems determined not to act on Israel’s Gaza war crimes: Ex-UN rapporteur

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL – Report on the humanitarian and political situation in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Israel’s ongoing deadly offensive.

The report includes an interview with John Dugard, former UN special rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, who calls for Israel to face accountability for its “war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly the crime of genocide.”

It also has an interview with Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and director of the institute’s Program on Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, about the US role in the entire crisis and the inadequate response of the West.

US knows days of supporting Israel’s Gaza war ‘are numbered’: Analyst

By Beril Canakci

ISTANBUL – Interview with Zaha Hassan, a Palestinian human rights lawyer, political analyst, and researcher, about the ongoing Gaza crisis and its implications on the future of the Israel-Palestine issue.

Hassan, who is a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, also focuses on the US role in the entire issue, particularly during the current Israeli campaign.

She speaks about the potential shift in Washington’s position and the impact of growing domestic pressure. The story also focuses on the possibility of a long-term solution and the measures needed to achieve that objective.

El Nino effect to make 2024 another record hot year, leading scientists warn

By Nuran Erkul

LONDON – Report focusing on global temperature forecasts for next year and how the current assessments paint a particularly bleak picture for the world.

It includes interviews with Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and Sarah Kapnick, chief scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

They explain how climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon are pushing temperatures up, putting 2024 on course to be another record-breaking year in terms of global temperatures.

They also warn of an increased likelihood of extreme weather events across the world and other risks that global populations face in the coming days.

US Fed pivots to dovish stance but recession risk remains: Expert

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL – Interview with Martin Wurm, a director at Moody’s Analytics, about the US Federal Reserve’s final monetary policy meeting of 2023 and its key outcomes.

Wurm speaks about the central bank’s projections for inflation, interest rate cuts in coming years, and economic growth and offers an assessment of the risk of a recession in the US economy.

He also offers insights on possible Fed strategies in the coming year, as well as projections for economic growth and unemployment levels.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – Interviews with Mohamed Younis, editor-in-chief of Gallup, and Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, about US President Biden’s declining support among voters due to his support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

VIDEO – Interviews with John Dugard, former UN special rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, and Khaled Elgindy, director of the Middle East Institute’s Program on Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, about the ongoing Gaza crisis and the need to hold Israel accountable for its deadly campaign.

VIDEO – Interview with Zaha Hassan, a Palestinian human rights lawyer, political analyst and researcher, about the Gaza crisis and how the US stance in Israel could be shifting due to growing pressure.

VIDEO – Interviews with Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and Sarah Kapnick, chief scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, about global temperature forecasts and how 2024 is likely to be another record-breaking year.​​​​​​​