Diary

ANKARA (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

PALESTINE

Gaza City – For the 105th consecutive day, the Israeli aggression on Gaza, triggered by the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, has resulted in 24,620 fatalities and 61,830 injuries, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis and famine, as the latest internationally recognized food insecurity assessments conducted in Gaza indicated that “roughly 2.2 million people – were in crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.”

Ramallah – The Israeli military operations persist in the West Bank, with recent developments leading to a rise in the death toll to 367 and the number of Palestinians from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, detained in Israeli prisons reaching 6,090 since Oct. 7. The Israeli army states that nearly 2,700 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since the beginning of the Gaza war.

YEMEN

Sanaa - The security developments in the southern Red Sea region unfold after Washington's announcement of re-designating the Houthi group in Yemen as a terrorist organization, specifying that the decision will take effect within 30 days to allow time for mitigating its impact on the Yemeni people. Responding to reports attributed to a Pentagon official that about a quarter of the Houthi arsenal was destroyed by US and British strikes, the Houthi group asserted on Thursday that the American-British aggression would not impact its military capabilities, dismissing such claims as mere illusions and media propaganda.

LEBANON

Beirut - Tensions continue between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Lebanon-Israel border.

SWITZERLAND

Davos - World Economic Forum to conclude with various events. Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, and German Finance Minister Christian Lindner will appear at a session of global economic outlook on the final day of the summit.

GERMANY

Munich - Chancellor Olaf Scholz to attend a memorial for German footballing legend Franz Beckenbauer. The German football legend died on Jan. 7.

Berlin - German parliament to vote on a draft bill to modernize country’s citizenship law. If approved, immigrants will have a right to German citizenship after 5 years of residence in country, instead of the current 8 years. The law will allow holding multiple citizenships. Immigrants who become German citizens will not have to relinquish their previous citizenship.

SWEDEN

Stockholm - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to visit and hold talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. The visit comes as the EU country’s application to join NATO is pending approval of all members.

UK

London - LSE Law School to host discussion with Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh. Jordan is one of the countries that hosts the highest number of refugees with 760,000, according to the UN figures.

Belfast - Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is expected to issue a statement on next steps in Northern Ireland if an executive government is not formed today. The executive formation period initially set to expire in January 2023 under the terms of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation Act) 2022 was extended by a year in February 2023 to allow more time for parties to break the deadlock over the Northern Ireland Protocol. On Jan. 15, Heaton-Harris said he 'will have various decisions to make and I will set out my next steps in due course if an executive had not been formed.

US

Washington - Desk to monitor Houthi attacks on merchant vessels in Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and US strikes on Houthi targets inside Yemen.

Washington - Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bercena to lead delegations in talks on migration.

Washington - Former President Donald Trump to hold another rally in US state of New Hampshire ahead of next week's primary.

Washington - President Joe Biden to welcome bipartisan mayors attending US Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting.

PAKISTAN

Islamabad - Tensions persist between Pakistan and Iran following counter cross-border airstrikes against each other. Islamabad is expected to review the security situation at a high-level meeting.

CHINA

Beijing - Foreign Ministry to hold routine news conference.

UGANDA

Kampala – Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz to speak at the 19th Heads of State and Government Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

THE ECONOMY

Tokyo – Japan to share inflation figures for December. In November, the annual inflation rate in Japan came in at the lowest level for the last 16 months with a slowdown in food price hike.

Berlin – Germany’s Destatis to reveal producer prices index for December.

Ankara – Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal house sales figures for 2023 and December. In 2022, some 1.5 million residential properties were sold, decreasing 0.4% year-on-year.

Ankara – Turkish Central Bank to share international net investment position data for November 2023.

Ankara - Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye to reveal newly launched and liquefied companies’ data for 2023.

SPORTS

Ivory Coast - Africa Cup of Nations' (AFCON) defending champions Senegal to face Cameroon in group match.

Melbourne - Round 3 matches in women's and men's singles to be held at Australian Open, first Grand Slam of 2024.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Looming nitrogen gas execution in US state of Alabama raises questions of cruelty, torture

By Michael Hernandez

Washington – Report about the controversy in the US after the state of Alabama was given permission to execute an inmate with nitrogen gas for the first time later in January.

The decision has drawn international criticism, including from the UN, which said “suffocation by nitrogen gas could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under international human rights law.”

The report includes an interview with Deborah Denno, a professor of law with expertise in the death penalty and criminal procedure, who shares her views on the issue and explains the reasons for the controversy it has sparked.

Brewing crisis: How climate change is reshaping coffee production

By Seda Sevencan

Istanbul – Report about the growing impact of climate change on global coffee production.

It includes interviews with coffee scientist Sarada Krishnan and Hanna Neuschwander, strategy and communications director at World Coffee Research.

They explain how changing climate patterns are affecting coffee harvests, with extreme temperatures in coffee-growing regions having severe repercussions on yields and quality.

The experts also discuss possible strategies to mitigate the impacts, while also sharing information about steps that some businesses are already taking to secure their supplies.

Could Russia go to war with Sweden?

By Leila Nezirevic

London – Report exploring rising fears in Sweden about a potential conflict with Russia, based on recent statements by top officials such as Defense Minister Pal Jonson and Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

It includes interviews with Moscow-based military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer and Gunilla Herolf, senior research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

The experts share their assessments on the situation, laying out reasons both for and against the possibility of an imminent escalation with Sweden.

They provide historical context about the region’s relations with Moscow, while also touching on potential Russian aggression against countries such as the newest NATO member Finland.

INTERVIEW – Redesignation of Houthis largely political, symbolic move: Ex-US ambassador

By Iclal Turan

Washington – Interview with Gary Grappo, a former US ambassador to Oman, about Washington’s move to redesignate Yemen’s Houthis as a “specially designated global terrorist group.”

He says the US decision is “largely political” and “mostly symbolic,” questioning the impact it would have on the Houthis’ stance in their ongoing standoff with Washington and its allies.

Grappo also talks about the effectiveness of the US response to the Houthis’ attack on vessels in the Red Sea, saying the “impact will not be very significant.”

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – Interview with Deborah Denno, a professor of law with expertise in the death penalty and criminal procedure, regarding the controversy in the US over permission granted to the state of Alabama to execute an inmate with nitrogen gas for the first time later in January.

VIDEO – Interviews with Moscow-based military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer and Gunilla Herolf, senior research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, about the possibility of imminent Russian aggression against Sweden or the newest NATO member Finland.

VIDEO – Interview with Gary Grappo, a former US ambassador to Oman, about Washington’s move to redesignate Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist group, who questions the impact of a decision that he views as “largely political” and “mostly symbolic.”​​​​​​​