Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

PALESTINE

Gaza City - The humanitarian and military situation in the Gaza Strip as Israel continues its relentless onslaught despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

Ramallah - Continuous security tensions in the occupied West Bank amid almost daily Israeli military raids on Palestinian towns in the occupied territory, which resulted in the death of nearly 456 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023.

ISRAEL

Tel Aviv - Escalating protests in Israel to pressure Israel's government to resign and reach a hostage swap deal with Palestinians.

Indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas group in Cairo and Doha aimed at reaching a prisoner swap deal and cease-fire in Gaza.

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. Expected reactions over Monday's airstrike that targeted Iranian officials in Damascus.

YEMEN

Sanaa - Growing tension in the Red Sea as Houthis stage attacks on commercial ships suspected of ties with Israel and retaliatory airstrikes by the US 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.

SWITZERLAND

Geneva -UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs organizing news conference on two-day 2024 Conference of Civil Society Organisations Working on the Question of Palestine, convened by UN Committee on Exercise of Inalienable Rights of Palestinian People.

Geneva - World Health Organization to hold virtual news briefing on global health issues to be chaired by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

BELGIUM

Brussels - NATO foreign ministers to gather, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to deliver doorstep statement, remarks alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, followed by North Atlantic Council meeting, press conference with Stoltenberg.

Brussels - Blinken to meet separately with Stoltenberg, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, other counterparts, participates in US-EU-Armenia trilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Blinken later to travel to Leuven for US-EU Trade and Technology Council meetings.

KENYA

Nairobi - Doctors' strike for higher wages, better working conditions enters third week with no resolution.

SOUTH AFRICA

Johannesburg - National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to face imminent arrest over allegations of corruption.

SOUTH SUDAN

Juba - Transitional National Legislative Assembly to reopen after being in recess since December 2023. President Salva Kiir to officiate.

TAIWAN

Taipei - Aftermath of 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan, killing at least four people, injuring dozens of others. The tremor, largest in 25 years, has damaged infrastructure, while public services were temporarily affected.

AUSTRALIA

Canberra - Australian government expected to receive response from Israel over killing of aid worker in Gaza. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also likely to speak to his Israeli counterpart as Canberra has demanded "full accountability" from Tel Aviv after Israeli air strike killed 7 members of World Central Kitchen aid group including one Aussie Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom.

PAKISTAN

Islamabad - Supreme Court to begin hearing case to probe allegations leveled by six Islamabad High Court sitting judges that country's premier spy agency was influencing outcome of the court proceedings.

NORTH KOREA

Pyongyang - Monitoring situation on Korean Peninsula after ballistic missile launch by North Korea, subsequent joint air drills by US, South Korea, Japan. Pyongyang launched this year's first ballistic missile on Jan. 14.

INDIA

New Delhi - Court to hear bail plea of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in jail after being arrested in graft case last month.

JAPAN

Tokyo - Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to host Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto.

CHINA

Beijing - Foreign Ministry to hold regular news conference.

THE ECONOMY

Ankara - Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal annual inflation figures for March. Country's inflation rate was at 67% in January, expected to reach similar level in February.

Luxembourg - Eurostat to reveal annual inflation figures for March, unemployment rate for February. Inflation rate in 27-member bloc was at 2.6% in January, 2.8% in December 2023.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Is Israel risking regional war to hide Gaza failures?

By Rabia Ali

Istanbul - Report about the growing concerns and possibility of a regional war in the Middle East as Israel increases attacks on targets in different countries, such as the Iranian consulate in Syria.

The story explores reasons behind Israel attacking other countries, along with expected reactions from the region and wider international community, and the potential impact on its war on Gaza.

The report includes interviews with Mahjoob Zweiri, director of the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University; Ahmed Nagi, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Yemen; and Hayder Al Shakeri, research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Program.

NATO has achieved primary goal of peace and stability in Europe: Experts

By Ahmet Gencturk

Athens - Report exploring the importance and relevance of NATO, particularly for security in Europe, as it gears up to mark its 75th foundation anniversary.

The story details NATO’s major achievements since its foundation in 1949 and discusses the future of the transatlantic security architecture, with experts sharing their assessments on the role the war in Ukraine and crises in the Middle East have played in revitalizing the alliance.

The report includes interviews with Panayiotis Ioakimidis, emeritus professor of international relations at the National University of Athens, and Dimitrios Triantaphyllou, professor of international politics at the Panteion University of Athens.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO - Interviews with Greek international politics experts Panayiotis Ioakimidis and Dimitrios Triantaphyllou about the importance and relevance of NATO, particularly for Europe, ahead of its 75th foundation anniversary, focusing on the alliance’s major achievements and future.