Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, April 26, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

TÜRKİYE

ISTANBUL - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend 5th Inter-Parliamentary Jerusalem Platform Conference.

PALESTINE

Gaza City - Humanitarian and military developments in Gaza Strip, as Israel continues its relentless onslaught for 203rd day despite UN Security Council resolution demanding immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

Since last October, Israeli offensive has killed over 34,300 people and injured 77,293 others amid crippling blockade that has left most of population on verge of starvation.

The Israeli airstrikes continue on several areas in the Gaza Strip, including the city of Rafah, which Israel insists on invading under the pretext of confronting the last strongholds of the Hamas movement, despite increasing international warnings of catastrophic consequences, amid the presence of around 1.4 million displaced persons.

The Israeli army’s Nahal Brigade has withdrawn on Thursday from the Gaza Strip to prepare for a looming ground attack in Rafah city.

Ramallah - Ongoing Israeli raids in West Bank since Oct. 7 which have led to killing of nearly 490 Palestinians, injuring around 4,900, and arrest of nearly 8,455, according to Palestinian sources.

ISRAEL

Tel Aviv - Protests in Israel to pressure Israeli government to resign and reach a hostage swap deal with Palestinians.

LEBANON

Beirut - Continuing cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel that flared up last October, in deadliest clashes between two sides since their full-scale war in 2006.

YEMEN

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

SWITZERLAND

Geneva - United Nations Information Service holds biweekly press briefing for UN bodies headquartered in Geneva.

GERMANY

Berlin - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to meet Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev for talks on bilateral relations, regional and international issues.

Berlin - Scholz also to meet NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss military support for Ukraine, international security issues.

US

Washington - Statements from Biden administration regarding situation in Gaza.

Washington - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to chair meeting of the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Washington - Developments after student-led pro-Palestinian protests across US following establishment of encampment at Columbia University last week.

TÜRKİYE

ISTANBUL - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to receive Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

KAZAKHSTAN

Astana - A meeting of defense minister of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in the Kazakh capital.

RUSSIA

Moscow - Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to meet with his Bolivian counterpart Celinda Sosa Lunda.

Saint-Petersburg - President Vladimir Putin to speak at a meeting of the Council of Legislators.

TANZANIA

Dar es Salaam - Floods have killed more than 150 people in Tanzania with weather forecasters expecting additional rains that could bring even worse devastation.

SOUTH AFRICA

Johannesburg - Ruling African National Congress party to call its former leaders, including former President Thabo Mbeki to campaign for the party, as former President Jacob Zuma campaigns for a rival party. The May 29 elections are expected to be the most contested national elections since 1994.

CHINA

Beijing - Top US diplomat Antony Blinken is in China on a 3-day crucial visit.

Beijing - China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson to hold regular news briefing.

INDIA

NEW DELHI - Voting in the second phase of the general elections to take place.

PAKISTAN

Islamabad - A Pakistani High Court to continue to hear former Prime Minister Imran Khan's appeals against the conviction in a state secret case.

THE ECONOMY

Ankara - Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye to reveal newly established and liquidated companies’ figures for March.

Tokyo - Bank of Japan to reveal interest rate decision. After a long time in the negative interest side, the bank has decided to increase the rate from minus 0.1% to 0.1% last month. It is expected to remain unchanged this month.

Moscow - Russian Central Bank to reveal interest rate decision.

SPORTS

AYDIN, Türkiye - 59th edition of Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye to continue with stage 6 between Kusadasi and Manisa (Mount Spil).

SPECIAL REPORTS

What we are seeing in Gaza is a ‘repeat of Auschwitz,’ says genocide expert

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

London – Interview with Maung Zarni, a scholar, educator, and human rights activist, focusing on Israel’s actions in its ongoing deadly war on Gaza.

Zarni, recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on Rohingya rights in Myanmar, asserts that Israeli forces are committing a genocide in Gaza.

He also speaks about the historical context of Israel’s occupation, saying what has happened in the past 200 days “is only the latest episode” and that “Israel has institutionalized the destruction of the Palestinian population.”

Zarni also strongly criticizes Israel’s main supporters, saying the US, UK, Germany, and other European nations are all complicit in “a collective genocide” of Palestinians.

With Rwanda plan, UK has politicized, securitized, externalized migration issue: Expert

By Burak Bir

London – Interview with Amelia Hadfield, head of the politics department at the University of Surrey, about the UK’s attempt to push through its controversial Rwanda migration deal.

Hadfield criticizes the British government for pursuing the contentious agreement, which has been widely criticized by human rights activists and groups.

She says the UK has “securitized” the issue of migration and is guilty of trying to decouple itself from “international laws that are the very foundation of the rules-based system.”

North Macedonia presidential election: What next after first round ‘surprise’?

By Semir Sejfovic

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Report about the results of North Macedonia’s first round of presidential polls.

It gives a breakdown of the outcome, which saw main opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska Davkova end with a major lead over incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski. The two will head to a runoff on May 8, along with general elections in the country.

The story includes an interview with Marko Trosanovski, a political consultant and president of the Institute for Democracy in Skopje.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO - Interview with Maung Zarni, a scholar and human rights activist recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, about Israel’s actions in Gaza, where he says the world is witnessing a “repeat of Auschwitz.”

VIDEO - Interview with Amelia Hadfield, the head of the politics department at the University of Surrey, about the UK’s controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

VIDEO - Report about the key takeaways from North Macedonia’s first round of presidential polls, including an interview with Marko Trosanovski, a political consultant and head of the Institute for Democracy in Skopje.​​​​​​​