Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

MIDDLE EAST

PALESTINE

GAZA STRIP – Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continue unabated, with the Palestinian death toll surging to 18,800, along with 51,000 others injured amid reports of Qatar-mediated negotiations for new hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas.

RAMALLAH – Tensions continue to escalate across the occupied West Bank amid settler attacks and Israeli military raids into Palestinian towns, which have left at least 297 Palestinians dead, including 111 children, since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

ISRAEL

TEL AVIV – Calls grow for holding fresh elections amid criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of killing of three Israeli hostages by army fire in Gaza Strip.

LEBANON

BEIRUT – Cross-border exchanges of fire continue to escalate along the borderline between Lebanon and Israel amid growing fears that the situation will go into all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel.

KUWAIT

KUWAIT CITY - Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus to pay visit to Kuwait for condolences on death of Kuwait Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to meet with new Emir Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

EUROPE

HUNGARY

BUDAPEST - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to hold talks with President Katalin Novak and Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Erdogan and Orban to hold joint press conference.

UK

LONDON - Foreign Secretary David Cameron gives evidence at Foreign Affairs Committee session on work of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

LONDON - Over 1,000 staff working for Barts Health NHS Trust, who are members of Unite union, go on strike in ongoing dispute over pay, staffing levels and lump-sum payments.

GERMANY

BERLIN - Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to travel to Georgia for two-day visit to discuss cooperation on migration and asylum issues.

EURASIA

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Extraordinary meeting of heads of government of CIS countries.

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin to meet winners and mentors of All-Russian Championship of Professional Skills.

ASIA PACIFIC

PAKISTAN

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar to pay day-long visit to Kuwait for condolences on death of Kuwait Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

CHINA

BEIJING - Foreign Ministry to hold regular news conference.

KOREAN PENINSULA

PYONGYANG / SEOUL - North Korea launches back-to-back Ballistic missiles in to East Sea after arrival of US nuclear-powered submarine in South Korea. Move expected to trigger reactions on Korean Peninsula and beyond.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA – Turkish Central Bank to share international investment position data for October.

MUNICH – ifo institute to release Germany’s business climate index for December.

SPORTS

NYON, Switzerland - UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Brazilian football club Fluminense to face Egypt's Al Ahly in 2023 FIFA Club World Cup semifinal.

SPECIAL REPORTS

After Israel’s deadly war, ‘uninhabitable’ Gaza will face environmental disaster for decades: Experts

By Nuran Erkul

LONDON – Report focusing on the environmental destruction that Israel has inflicted upon the Gaza Strip during its ongoing war on the besieged Palestinian territory.

The story includes interviews with Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, and Wim Zwijnenburg, humanitarian disarmament project leader at Dutch advocacy group PAX for Peace.

The experts give details about the ecological and environmental damage caused by Israel’s continuing assault, explaining what its impact will be in both the short and long term.

They also speak about the specific challenges facing Gaza once the war ends, including debris management, rebuilding critical infrastructure and revitalizing agricultural land.

Israel’s unprecedented censorship, harassment of journalists aimed at news blackout: Committee to Protect Journalists

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA – Interview with Sherif Mansour, Middle East and North Africa program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, about Israel’s actions against journalists and news outlets during its ongoing war on Gaza.

Mansour shares insights about Israel’s “unprecedented level of censorship and harassment,” including in the occupied West Bank, and how that is hindering the ability of media outlets to report from Palestinian territories.

He speaks about Israel’s past actions against journalists and its pattern of trying to evade responsibility for the killing of multiple press workers.

Mansour warns that Israel “cannot evade the responsibilities and obligations under international law,” calling for the International Criminal Court to investigate past cases and the ones that have happened during the ongoing war.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – Interviews with Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, and Wim Zwijnenburg, humanitarian disarmament project leader at PAX for Peace, about the ecological and environmental damage that Israel has caused during its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

VIDEO – Report about Israel’s actions against journalists and news outlets during its ongoing war on Gaza, including an interview with Sherif Mansour, Middle East and North Africa program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists.