Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, March 29, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

PALESTINE

Gaza City – Humanitarian and military situations in the Gaza Strip as Israel continues its unabated offensive despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

The Israeli onslaught, now in its 175th day, resulted in the killing of more than 32,500 people and injuries of over 74,900 others since last October amid a crippling blockade that has left most of the population on the verge of starvation.

Ramallah – Continuous security tension in the West Bank amid almost daily Israeli military raids on Palestinian towns in the occupied territory, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 454 Palestinians and injuries of around 4,750 others since Oct. 7, 2023. The number of arrests has risen to nearly 7,845, reaching record highs over nearly 6 months, exceeding those recorded on an annual basis in previous years.

As the Israeli restrictions on Palestinians' access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem remain in place, further escalation and tension are expected to take place between Palestinians and Israeli forces at the time of the Friday prayer.

ISRAEL

Tel Aviv - Escalating protests in Israel to pressure Israeli government to reach a prisoner swap deal with Palestinians.

Israeli War Cabinet convenes on Thursday evening to discuss developments in Gaza and Israeli captives held in Gaza.

QATAR

Doha – Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel continue in Doha, at least, on the technical level teams, according to Qatari and Israeli sources. No breakthroughs have been reached so far as points of contention still exist.

LEBANON

Beirut – Cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel that broke out last October, in the deadliest clashes between the two sides since their full-scale war in 2006. More than 300 people are estimated to have been killed in Lebanon, including 247 Hezbollah fighters, while nearly 20 Israelis have been killed, according to Israeli figures.

YEMEN

Sanaa - Growing tension in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of ties to Israel and US retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi targets inside Yemen amid fears of a significant disruption to maritime traffic in one of the busiest global routes for oil and fuel transport.

RUSSIA

Moscow - A meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States' Economic Council will take place in the Russian capital.

KAZAKHSTAN

Baikonur Cosmodrome - Launch of Soyuz 2.1b rocket with scientific satellite.

MADAGASCAR

Antananarivo - The humanitarian response to Cyclone Gamane, which has killed several people and displaced thousands after it made landfall on the island nation.

RWANDA

Kigali - Health professionals from across the globe have gathered in Rwanda to discuss ways of shaping the future of cancer care in Africa through cutting-edge digital health technologies.

SOUTH AFRICA

Johannesburg - Covering reactions after the Electoral Commission disqualified former President Jacob Zuma from standing as a candidate in the upcoming general elections.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Ituri - Humanitarian groups are appealing for urgent aid as the situation in Ituri province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo becomes increasingly critical, with over 1 million displaced people.

PAKISTAN

Islamabad - Federal government expected to form an inquiry commission to probe allegations of interference by intelligence agencies in court proceedings as claimed in a letter by six senior judges of Islamabad High Court. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s chief justice discussed the letter which will now be presented before the Cabinet.

CHINA

Beijing - China is expected to react to a warning of response by the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who accused Beijing of an "attack" on Filipino vessels, as well as personnel in the disputed South China Sea.

Beijing - Visiting Kazak President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing - Foreign Ministry to hold regular news conference.

NEW ZEALAND

Wellington - New Zealand parliament is likely to discuss a motion to support Palestinians fleeing from Gaza, including the provision of issuing special visas to people from the besieged coastal enclave.

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang - North Korea is expected to respond to Tokyo’s fresh proposal for a summit between Chairman Kim Jong-un and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

THE ECONOMY

Ankara – Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal foreign trade figures for February. The country’s exports totaled $20 billion in January and are expected to be at $21.9 billion in February. The trade deficit was at $6.2 billion in January.

Ankara – Turkish Treasury and Finance Ministry to share foreign debt data for 2023.

Istanbul – Turkish banking watchdog to reveal sector statistics for February.

Washington – US to share goods trade deficit figures for February. The deficit was at $90.2 billion in January.

SPORTS

Istanbul - 6th-place Fenerbahce Beko to host 18th-place Alba Berlin at Ulker Sports and Event Hall in Round 32 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

The best 6 teams in the standings at the end of the regular season move directly to playoffs. Teams ranked 7th through 10th advance to play-in, knockout phase before playoffs.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Bangladeshi seafarers in a double bind as piracy picks up in Horn of Africa

By Faisal Mahmud

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Report about the recent hijacking of a Bangladesh-flagged vessel by pirates off the Somali coast, focusing on the larger issue of piracy and how it is affecting Bangladesh.

The story discusses how maritime trade from Bangladesh has been impacted by the Red Sea crisis, while also giving details of the March 12 hijacking of the MV Abdullah and the efforts being made to rescue the crew.

The report includes interviews with Capt. Shakhawat Hossain, general secretary of the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association, and family members of the crew members being held for ransom.

Tractor powered by manure breaks new ground in agriculture

By Hafsa Alami

Paris – Report about a new tractor that runs entirely on cow manure and methane gas.

The story explains the features of the tractor and the benefits of the technology, which range from reduced costs and emissions to increased efficiency.

The report includes an interview with Nicolas Morel, an official of the CNH Industrial, one of the companies involved in designing and producing the tractor.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO - Report about a new tractor that runs entirely on cow manure and biomethane gas, including the interview with Nicolas Morel, who explains the features and benefits of the project.