Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

PALESTINE

Gaza City – Israel's offensive on Gaza enters its 139th day with 29,410 people killed and nearly 70,000 injured.

Ramallah - Daily military incursions by the Israeli army into Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank continue. The incursions have left 400 Palestinians and injured over 4,500 others since Oct. 7. More than 7,100 Palestinians have been arrested breaking a four-month record.

ISRAEL

Tel Aviv - Palestinians continue organizing attacks on Israeli settlers with one Israeli killed and eight injured in a shooting incident.

LEBANON

Beirut - Border tensions between Lebanon and Israel heighten amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

YEMEN

Sanaa - Escalating tensions in the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having links with Israel as US launches retaliatory targets in Yemen.

Houthis threaten to respond to any European attempt to send naval missions to protect Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

THE NETHERLANDS

The Hague - Public hearings at International Court of Justice on Israeli practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to continue. Pakistan, Indonesia, the UK, Switzerland, Syria and Tunisia to present their arguments.

GERMANY

Berlin - German lawmakers to vote on a government motion to join EU naval mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping. Berlin is planning to deploy air defense frigate Hessen in the region, as part of the EU’s Aspides mission.

POLAND

Warsaw - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk a day before the 2nd anniversary of the start of Ukraine-Russia war.

HUNGARY

Budapest – Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to visit Budapest for talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The talks are expected to focus on Hungary’s pending approval for Sweden’s NATO membership.

AZERBAIJAN

Baku - Turkish Parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus to meet Azerbaijan's Prime minister Ali Esedov.

ARMENIA

Yerevan - French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu will hold talks in the Armenian capital amid an official visit.

RUSSIA

Moscow - Russia celebrates Defender of the Fatherland Day, commemorating the country's armed forces.

US

Washington - US to announce major sanctions package against Russia over death of Russian government critic Alexey Navalny and upcoming second anniversary of war in Ukraine.

Washington - Former President Donald Trump to hold election rally in South Carolina.

New York - UN General Assembly to hold debate on situation in 'temporarily occupied territories' of Ukraine. In afternoon, UN Security Council will hold meeting on maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine.

ARGENTINA

Buenos Aires - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit Argentina, where his schedule includes meeting with President Javier Milei.

INDIA

New Delhi - Farmer protests are expected to intensify in coming days as more people announce to join demonstrations.

PAKISTAN

Islamabad - Interim government requests President Arif Alvi to summon the newly-elected parliament which must convene by Feb. 29.

CHINA

Beijing - Foreign Ministry to hold news conference.

ECONOMY

Ankara - Turkish Central Bank to release capacity utilization rate for manufacturing industry for February.

Ankara - Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye to reveal newly established/liquidated company statistics for January.

Ankara - Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry to reveal tourist figures for January.

Berlin - Destatis to reveal Germany’s GDP figures for last quarter of 2023. German economy narrowed in last two quarters and entered technical recession. Now, markets expect another contraction in last quarter and in whole year.

SPORTS

Nyon, Switzerland - UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League last 16 draws to be held.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Two years of war: How the Russia-Ukraine conflict has unfolded

By Elena Teslova and Burc Eruygur

Moscow/Istanbul - Report presenting a timeline of the Russia-Ukraine war since Feb. 24, 2022.

It outlines in chronological order the key events that have taken place over the past two years, starting from the launch of Russia’s “special military operation” to the latest developments in the city of Avdiivka.

The report includes brief descriptions of all major developments that have influenced the course of the war as it enters its third year.

Two years of war: Ukraine sees major changes in energy sector, outlook

By Burc Eruygur

Istanbul - Report charting the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war on Ukraine’s energy sector and outlook as the conflict enters its third year.

The story focuses on the impact on various areas of Ukraine’s energy sector, including petroleum, nuclear and green energy. It also analyses the prospects of the Ukrainian energy sector for the foreseeable future, as the conflict continues with no end in sight.

The story includes interviews with Andrian Prokip, a senior associate at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute and director of the energy program at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, and Volodymyr Omelchenko, director of the energy program at Ukrainian think tank Razumkov Center.

Two years of war: Economic costs of the Russia-Ukraine conflict

By Gokhan Ergocun

Istanbul - Report focusing on the economic side of the Russia-Ukraine war as it enters the third year.

The story includes data and assessments from various sources, such as Ukrainian think tank Center for Economic Strategy and the World Bank, about various aspects of the economy of the two countries, including food security, employment and trade.

It also has figures for defense spending, financial reserves and the costs of the eventual reconstruction in territories affected by the war.

NEW MEDIA

INFOGRAPHIC - Timeline of the Russia-Ukraine war since Feb. 24, 2022, listing the key events that have taken place over the past two years, starting from the launch of Russia’s “special military operation” to the latest developments in the city of Avdiivka.

VIDEO - Interview with Andrian Prokip, a senior associate at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute and director of the energy program at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future, about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Ukraine’s energy sector and outlook.