Diary

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

MIDDLE EAST

GAZA STRIP

Israeli onslaught against Gaza

- Humanitarian and military situation in Gaza with no let-up in Israeli attacks, which killed more than 37,100 people and injured nearly 84,700 others since last October.

West Bank tension

- The almost daily military raids into the cities and towns in the occupied West Bank, which left at least 534 people dead, 5200 injured and more than 9,100 in Israeli custody since last Oct. 7.

ISRAEL

After Benny Gantz’s resignation

- Fallout of the resignation of War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz from the Israeli government amid pressure on Premier Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse his Gaza policy and draft post-war plans for the Palestinian enclave.

JORDAN

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's Mideast tour

- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's Mideast tour to advance efforts to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza.

As part of his tour covering Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Qatar, Blinken, who is on his eighth regional tour since Oct. 7, is expected to be in Israel and Jordan today.

Blinken will separately meet with Israeli Chairman of the National Unity party Benny Gantz in Tel Aviv, and Israeli Chairman of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid.

Blinken will participates in a “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza” international conference in Sweimeh, Jordan.

Later, the secretary will hold a closed-door meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Sweimeh.

International conference in Jordan on Gaza ceasefire process

- King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to open the activities of the “emergency” international conference for humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, which lasts for one day in the Dead Sea region west of the Jordanian capital, Amman, in which representatives of 75 countries are participating.

LEBANON

Israel-Hezbollah clashes

-Border escalation between Hezbollah and Israel against the backdrop of the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip amid fires in northern Israel caused by drones and anti-tank missiles launched by the Lebanese group.

YEMEN

Red Sea tension

- Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected to have links with Israel in the Red Sea and retaliatory US airstrikes.

Following all topics through translation from Arabic wire, official accounts, and relevant websites.

TÜRKİYE

- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to receive World Bank President Ajay Banga at Presidential Complex for talks. The meeting will be closed to press. Communications Directorate may share info about the meeting.

Malaysia meeting

- Defense Minister Yasar Guler to meet his Malaysian counterpart Mohamed Khaled Nordin for talks. The meeting came after Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding to purchase three Turkish corvette warships.

Space traveling

- Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir and Türkiye’s second space traveler Tuva Cihangir Atasever will hold news conference.

Recently, Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity, carrying a six-person Galactic 07 mission team, including Atasever, completed a suborbital flight by landing on Earth.

Atasever served as a research astronaut aboard the spacecraft's final flight, designated Galactic 07.He was responsible for seven scientific experiments under microgravity conditions.

EUROPE

Ukraine Recovery Conference

- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver speeches at Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin. More than 2,000 participants from over 60 countries are expected to attend the conference, which will focus on mobilizing international support for Ukraine's economic stabilization, war recovery, and reforms for EU membership. POSSIBLE BREAKINGS IF ZELENSKYY, SCHOLZ MAKE IMPORTANT REMARKS. NO PHOTO, VIDEO FROM ENGLISH WIRE

Zelenskyy to address German parliament

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address German parliament in Berlin. He’s expected to renew his call on Western countries to increase their support for Ukraine, especially with additional air defense systems and more ammunition. POSSIBLE BREAKINGS IF ZELENSKYY MAKES IMPORTANT REMARKS. NO PHOTO, VIDEO FROM ENGLISH WIRE

B9 Summit

- Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics to host B9 Summit alongside his Romanian and Polish counterparts Klaus Iohannis and Andrzej Duda in Riga. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg attends. POSSIBLE BREAKINGS IF STOLTENBERG MAKES IMPORTANT REMARKS. NO PHOTO, VIDEO FROM ENGLISH WIRE

Conservative Party manifesto launch

- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to launch the Conservative Party manifesto for next month's general election in Northamptonshire. NO BREAKING, NO PHOTO, VIDEO FROM ENGLISH WIRE

UN agencies’ briefing

-The UN Information Service will hold its bi-weekly briefing for journalists in Geneva. POSSIBLE BREAKING IF GAZA ON AGENDA OF BRIEFING, NO PHOTO, VIDEO FROM ENGLISH WIRE

EURASIA

BRICS+ meeting in Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod

- The BRICS economic bloc to hold an expanded meeting as part of a two-day foreign ministers' meeting in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod. Fifteen countries, including Türkiye, have been invited to participate in the meeting alongside BRICS member states.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to attend the BRICS+ session as well.

Armenia, US to hold Strategic Dialogue meeting in Yerevan

- Armenia and the US to hold Strategic Dialogue meeting in the capital Yerevan. The meeting will be participated in by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and US Under Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien, who arrived in Armenia on an official visit.

South Korean president to visit Kazakhstan as part of Central Asia tour

- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to travel to the Kazakh capital as part of a regional visit to Central Asia. Yoon is expected to meet his counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Laotian president's 2-day visit to Mongolia

- ⁠Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith to pay a two-day official visit to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.

US

Joe Biden's remarks

- Developments regarding Gaza cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden and Biden's administration's statements about Israeli operation that killed nearly 300 Palestinians to rescue four hostages in Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza.

- Biden to deliver remarks on efforts to prevent gun violence in US during event in Washington.

US primaries

- American voters to head to polls in primaries to be held in states of Nevada, South Carolina, North Dakota and Maine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel

- Outcome of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's talks in Tel Aviv and Jordan. Blinken will meet Benny Gantz, Israeli War Cabinet member who resigned from Benjamin Netanyahu's government, and Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid in Tel Aviv. Later, he will meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Jordan.

UN Security Council meeting

- UN Security Council to hold consultations on use of chemical weapons in Syria.

AFRICA

MALAWI

- A military plane carrying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima has disappeared on the radar and is suspected to have crashed.

ZAMBIA

- Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority to donate food hampers to the Zambian Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit for drought relief.

SOUTH AFRICA

- The ruling African National Congress party continues talks with opposition parties in a bid to form a government of national unity ahead of parliament's first sitting on Friday.

ASIA–PACIFIC

Pakistan's top diplomat in Jordan

- Pakistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar to pay two-day visit to Jordan where he will also attend conference on Gaza, hosted by the US in capital Amman.

Ex-Pakistan premier to face court

- Islamabad High Court will hear petitions of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife challenging their convictions in a case related to violation of Islamic marriage law. This is Khan's final of the three convictions. IT MAY INCLUDE BREAKING / NUM 3 IF CONVICTION HELD OR VACATED)

Tensions between Koreas

- Cross-border tensions between South and North Koreas have escalated as the two sides have resumed propaganda tactics, including the use of loudspeakers along the border on Korean Peninsula. IT MAY HAVE BREAKING IF SITUATION ESCALATES IN CASE OF FIRING

Palestine to play Australia amid visa denial to Football chief

- After Australia denied visa to head of Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub, visiting soccer team to play hosts in Perth. BREAKING IF PALESTINE WINS

China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Russia

- China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to attend BRICS+ meeting in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. He is expected to hold sideline bilateral meetings. ​​​​​

Foreign Ministry news conference in Beijing

- China's Foreign Ministry to hold regular news conference in Beijing.

Australia to push for Gaza cease-fire

- Early Childhood Minister Anne Aly, who has been an outspoken critic of her own Labor government over Palestine, to push for cease-fire in Gaza at a UN-organized conference in Amman, Jordan.

Pakistan to release annual economic survey

- A day ahead of budget proposal, government to release annual Pakistan Economic Survey. The survey reveals economic progress and challenges with eyes on annual growth target.

ECONOMY

- Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal turnover and retail sales indexes for April.

SPECIAL REPORTS

‘Very tight spot’: Will Netanyahu go for early elections or woo the far-right?

By Rabia Ali

Istanbul - Report about the possible choices that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be forced to make to ensure his political survival.

The story explains the increasing pressure on Netanyahu particularly in the wake of the resignation of Benny Gantz and the US’ push for a UN Security Council vote on a cease-fire in Gaza.

It includes an interview with Israeli academic Neve Gordon, who speaks about the strategies Netanyahu could be mulling, such as announcing early elections or redoubling efforts to assuage his far-right and ultra-orthodox Jewish coalition partners.

EU election results: ‘Acceleration of backlash against globalism, resurgence of populism in West’

By Muhammed Enes Calli

Istanbul - Report about the results of the European Parliament elections and their significance for the continent’s political landscape.

The story breaks down the key trends witnessed in the crucial polls and the implications of various changes such as the growing far-right presence at the heart of Europe.

It includes an interview with Mark Hannah, a senior fellow at the Institute for Global Affairs, who shares his assessment on the outcomes and the reasons for the shift in voters’ choices.

‘No place to be neutral’: Norway’s arts and culture world takes a stand for Gaza

By Leila Nezirevic

London - Report about the pro-Palestine solidarity actions taken by people from the world of culture and arts in Norway.

The story gives details of the initiative by workers of Norway’s National Museum, who have launched a petition urging their management to join the global chorus of voices calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and a halt to the “genocide of Palestinians.”

It includes an interview with Jannik Abel, a Norwegian artist who is among hundreds to have signed the petition, and Faisal Saleh, executive director of the Palestine Museum US.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO - Interviews with Norwegian artist Jannik Abel and Faisal Saleh, executive director of the Palestine Museum US, about Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and its attacks on Palestinian cultural heritage, who both stress the need for more voices to be raised against Israel’s actions.