Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Monday, March 11, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

PALESTINE

Gaza City - Developments in the Gaza Strip as Israeli onslaught continues for over five months, resulting in the killing of more than 31,000 people besides mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities. Accusations grow against Israel of intentionally starving Gaza’s population.

Gaza City - Hunger has spread all across the Gaza Strip as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan begins.

Ramallah - Tensions in the West Bank due to Israeli raids, which have increased since the beginning of the latest conflict in Gaza. Israeli army actions have killed at least 425 Palestinians and injured around 4,700 others. The number of arrests has also risen to record 7,505.

Security situation as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, with Israeli police deploying additional forces around the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

ISRAEL

Tel Aviv - Escalating protests to pressure the Israeli government for a deal with Hamas.

ISRAEL-HAMAS

Negotiations between Hamas and Israel to reach a cease-fire and hostage-prisoner swap agreement, as mediators seek to bridge differences between the two sides.

LEBANON

Beirut - Cross-border tension between Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel amid intensified attacks by both sides.

YEMEN

Sanaa - Escalating tensions in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having links with Israel, and US retaliatory airstrikes against targets inside Yemen.

ITALY

Rome - Foreign Ministry to launch Food for Gaza initiative. Participants also include FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain, and IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain.

BELGIUM

Brussels - Sweden's flag to be raised outside NATO's headquarters to mark the country's entry as the 32nd member of the military alliance.

UK

London - Commonwealth Day service celebrating relations between states of former British Empire to be held in Westminster Abbey. King Charles, who is receiving cancer treatment, is expected to attend the service.

London - Home Office legislation to restrict foreign care workers from bringing family members into the UK takes effect.

London - Anti-monarchy group Republic to hold demonstration near Westminster Abbey. King Charles III and other royal family members to attend.

FRANCE

Paris – Protest against Safran Defense company for alleged weapons sales to Israel and being accomplice in atrocities in Gaza.

GERMANY

Berlin - Chancellor Olaf Scholz to meet Malaysia's Premier Anwar Ibrahim for talks on bilateral relations, regional and international issues.

Berlin - Doctors working at university hospitals in several cities, including Munich and Heidelberg, expected to stage walkout over ongoing dispute over salaries and working conditions.

GREECE

Athens - Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to receive delegation of farmers representing various farmers unions which have demanded more state support to the agricultural sector in the face of rising production costs.

SERBIA

Belgrade - Turkish Foreign Ministry to commemorate a senior Turkish diplomat who was killed by an Armenian terror group in the early 1980s. A commemorative conference will be organized with the participation of Serbian politicians.

US

Washington - President Joe Biden to deliver remarks at National League of Cities. He will later speak on lowering costs for American families in New Hampshire and attend campaign event.

Washington - Intelligence agency directors to testify at Senate intelligence committee hearing on threats faced by US. Speakers include CIA Director William Burns, Department of National Intelligence Director Avril Haines and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

New York - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to speak to reporters at Security Council stakeout.

New York - UN Security Council to hold session to discuss report on sexual violence allegations by Hamas during Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.

AZERBAIJAN

Baku - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to conduct two-day official visit to Azerbaijan.

RUSSIA

Moscow - State Duma to discuss leaked conversations of German Air Force officers about supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

TURKMENISTAN

Ashgabat - 15th meeting of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) to be held.

SOUTH KOREA

Seoul - Government expected to wrap up sending out first notice of its plan to suspend medical licenses of trainee doctors as weeks-long strike by doctors against increase in annual medical seats continues.

CHINA

Beijing – ‘Two Sessions’ parliamentary event to conclude.

NEW ZEALAND

Wellington - Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh China pays official visit to New Zealand at the invitation of his counterpart Christopher Luxon.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Uncounted deaths and broken people: French-Moroccan doctor recalls painful memories of Gaza

By Hafsa Alami

Paris – Interview with Zouhair Lahna, a French-Moroccan doctor who has returned from a medical mission in the Gaza Strip.

Lahna, an obstetrician-gynecologist, shares his experience working in Gaza during Israel’s ongoing war, narrating how millions of people are struggling through a healthcare crisis of unprecedented proportions.

He speaks about conditions in various health facilities in different parts of Gaza, while sharing details of particularly harrowing cases that him and his team encountered.

Meet Mohammad Shiraz: Pakistan’s famous 5-year-old vlogger

By Aamir Latif

Skardu, Pakistan – Report about Mohammad Shiraz, a 5-year-old child who has become internet famous in Pakistan for his vlogs about life in his village in the country’s scenic north.

The story gives a profile of Shiraz and his family, while charting how he rose to prominence, not just in Pakistan but also in neighboring India and diaspora communities.

It includes interviews with Shiraz and his father, Mohammad Taqi, who speaks about how the family aims to use the child’s success as a way of showcasing the natural beauty of Pakistan, as well as the challenges of daily life that people face in their community.

Colombia sees decade’s first decline in Venezuelan migration

By Laura Gamba

Bogota, Colombia – Report about the decline in migration from Venezuela into Colombia, a drop recorded for the first time in a decade.

The story explores the reasons for the shifting trend, including changes in governmental policies, their possible impacts and the rise in xenophobia in countries in the region.

It includes an interview with Ronal Rodriguez of the Venezuelan Observatory, a think tank at the University of Rosario in Colombia.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – Interview with Zouhair Lahna, a French-Moroccan doctor who has returned from the Gaza Strip, in which he shares his experiences working during Israel’s ongoing war and narrates how millions of people are struggling through a healthcare crisis of unprecedented proportions.