Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Thursday, March 6, 2025 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

Mecca to host Gulf ministerial meeting with Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Jordan

Mecca on Thursday is set to host meetings between the foreign ministers of the Gulf states and their counterparts from Egypt, Syria, Morocco, and Jordan to discuss strengthening relations and addressing regional and international developments.

Meetings are taking place on the sidelines of the 163rd session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ministerial Council, chaired by Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya, the council’s current president.

They follow the emergency Arab summit held in Cairo on Tuesday, during which the Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza – without the displacement of Palestinians – was adopted.

Gaza ceasefire, hostage swap deal

Latest developments after phase one of the Gaza ceasefire deal, which began on Jan. 19, ended on March 2 and was not extended, nor did it move into phase two.

The Trump administration has been holding direct talks with Hamas on the release of US hostages held in Gaza and the possibility of a broader deal to end the war, two sources with direct knowledge of the discussions told Axios on Wednesday.

The US outlet added that White House envoy Steve Witkoff also planned to travel to Doha this week to meet Qatar’s prime minister about the ceasefire negotiations but canceled the trip on Tuesday after he saw there was allegedly no progress from Hamas' side.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty hinted Wednesday that Israel is trying to evade its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

As of yet, there has been no official statement from the mediators – Egypt, Qatar, or the US – on the future of the agreement or the progress of efforts to bring Israel and Hamas closer to a resolution.

⁠Humanitarian and security situation in Gaza

Humanitarian and security situation in the Gaza Strip as Israel escalated its attacks across Gaza since Sunday, shortly after end of phase one of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Palestinian medics and rescue teams recovered 30 more bodies from the rubble in the Gaza Strip, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,440, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

⁠Israeli raids in West Bank

Nearly daily Israeli military raids on Palestinian cities and towns in the occupied West Bank with the army deploying tanks in the northern parts of the territory for the first time in over two decades.

On Wednesday, Israel demolished several Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the first such demolitions in years, an Israeli organization said.

The Israeli army also issued demolition orders for 17 Palestinian homes in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank, a local official said.

Four Palestinians were injured in an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, medics said.

The escalation came amid a deadly Israeli military onslaught in the northern West Bank since Jan. 21, killing more than 65 Palestinians and displacing thousands.

Israel has killed at least 930 people in the occupied territory since October 2023 and injured nearly 7,000 others, with more than 14,300 taken into custody.

⁠Israel's violations in southern Lebanon following incomplete pullout

Two people were injured in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, in the latest violation of the ceasefire agreement, Lebanese media said.

Lebanese authorities have reported over 1,000 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the deaths of at least 83 people and injuries to over 280 others.

Military and humanitarian situation in war-torn Sudan

The security and humanitarian situation in Sudan where the Sudanese army in recent days has gained ground against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in key areas and states.

Fierce clashes were reported on Wednesday between the Sudanese army and the RSF in the capital Khartoum and the southeastern Sennar State.

Activists also reported clashes between army forces and RSF fighters in Al-Dali and Al-in Sennar, the last strongholds of the paramilitary group in the state.

Meanwhile, a local relief committee in El-Fasher, capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan, said six people were killed and several others injured by RSF shelling on the Abu Shouk displacement camp.

Developments in Syria under new administration

Latest developments and updates in Syria under new post-Assad administration.

Security forces aligned with Syria’s new government have launched an operation targeting remnants of the ousted Baath regime in the south of the country, security sources told Anadolu.

The General Security Forces initiated the operation against those who refused to surrender their weapons in Sanamayn in the Daraa province.

Turkish foreign minister to meet Croatian counterpart

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlic Radman in the capital Ankara.

Trump executive order on Education Department

President Trump is expected to issue an executive order as soon as Thursday aimed at abolishing the Education Department, according to media reports. Desk is monitoring related developments.

Defense chiefs Pete Hegseth and John Healey - meeting expected

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to host his UK counterpart John Healey to discuss defense and security and support for Ukraine, meeting in the wake of President Donald Trump's announcement that he is pausing military aid to Ukraine.

Keith Kellogg - Council on Foreign Relations address

US Special Presidential Envoy for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg to deliver keynote address at event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. Desk will monitor for key remarks.

State Department to hold first press briefing

US State Department will hold its first press briefing under Trump administration with spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Desk will monitor key issues from the briefing.

UN Security Council - Yemen discussed

UN Security Council will meet for a briefing on the Middle East followed by consultations on Yemen.

MEXICO

Trump and Claudia Sheinbaum - Phone call expected

US President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expected to speak by phone following US announcement of 25% tariff, as announced by Sheinbaum at press conference.

EU leaders summit in Brussels

Leaders of EU member states to gather in Brussels for extraordinary summit to discuss support for Ukraine, transatlantic relations, and European security. EU Council President Antonio Costa said in a letter to the leaders ahead of the summit that EU member states should take more responsibility for Europe's security. "We should be prepared for a possible European contribution to the security guarantees that will be necessary to ensure a lasting peace in Ukraine," he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expected to visit Brussels to meet with leaders over lunch and discuss the latest developments, including Ukraine's defense needs and peace plan with security guarantees from Western partners.

NATO chief meets Polish President

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Brussels to discuss international security issues and military support for Ukraine. Joint press conference to follow. The meeting comes as European leaders work to strengthen their defense capabilities and maintain support for Kyiv, as US President Donald Trump advanced negotiations directly with Russia to end its over three-year-long war with Ukraine.

Ukrainian defense minister visits Berlin

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to host talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in Berlin. The visit comes after US President Donald Trump paused military aid to Ukraine to increase pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Germany is currently Ukraine’s second-largest donor after the US, and has provided advanced weapons such as Leopard 2 battle tanks, Patriot missiles, and IRIS-T air defense systems.

UK-Ireland summit

UK and Irish governments to hold summit to discuss shared priorities in security, climate, trade, and culture. Summit was announced following September 2024 meeting between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and then-Irish Taoiseach (premier) Simon Harris.

⁠Briefing on Myanmar

Association of Accredited Correspondents at the United Nations (ACANU) to host press briefing on how the international community can support nation-building in Myanmar after post-coup crisis. Speakers include Yanghee Lee, SAC-M founding member and former UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar; Chris Sidoti, SAC-M founding member and former member of UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar; and Marzuki Darusman, SAC-M founding member (former chair of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar).

Top Russian diplomat to meet Zimbabwean counterpart, attend Vologda region presentation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov set to meet with Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Amon Murwira to discuss bilateral cooperation. Later in the day, Lavrov to participate in presentation showcasing economic, investment, and tourism potential of Russia's northern Vologda region.

Russian Foreign Ministry press briefing

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to hold press briefing in Moscow on key foreign policy issues, followed by Q&A.

African health body press briefing on outbreaks across continent

Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will particularly focus on the prevailing security situation in eastern DR Congo and its impact, as well as that of the withheld US funding to foreign aid.

Growing international pressure on Rwanda over alleged support for M23 rebels

Situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo remains precarious as Rwanda faces international pressure over alleged support for M23 rebel group. Countries including Germany, the US, and UK announced punitive measures and sanctions on Kigali over alleged support. M23 captured the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, resulting in more than 8,500 deaths and at least 5,700 injuries, according to Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba.

Kyrgyz prime minister pays official visit to Vietnam

Kyrgyzstan’s Premier Adylbek Kasimalyev to begin two-day official visit to Vietnam. During visit, bilateral relations such as cooperation potential in key sectors are expected to be discussed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing

China’s Foreign Ministry to hold briefing. Ministry is expected to deliver statements on recent developments with tariffs and relations between US and China.

Japan's wildfire continues to burn

Rain and snow fall have provided slight relief but firefighters are still struggling to put out wildfire which has already burned 2,900 hectares of land in forested areas in city of Ofunato. Government is considering declaring the wildfire a major disaster.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred expected to make landfall earlier than predicted

Category-2 Tropical Cyclone Alfred expected to make landfall on Australia's east coast earlier than predicted. The storm could inundate 20,000 houses in Brisbane alone. Residents in the expected hit areas of the cyclone are evacuating. Authorities say over 4 million people in Queensland state are in the firing line.

THE ECONOMY

Eurozone retail sales

Eurostat to release retail sales figures for January. Retail sales rose 1.9% in December and similar figure is expected for January.

Türkiye’s interest rate decision

Turkish Central Bank to release interest rate decision. It lowered the rate to 45% at the last meeting. An Anadolu survey expects that the bank may lower the rate by 250 basis points to 42.5%.

US foreign trade figures

US to release foreign trade figures for January. Its foreign trade balance posted a deficit of $98.4 billion in December and a slight decline is expected for January. The country will also announce initial jobless claims.

Eurozone interest rate

ECB to release interest rate decision. From last April to this January, the bank has gradually lowered the rate from 4.5% to 2.9%. Market expectation for new monetary policy decision is another drop of around 25 basis points.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Transatlantic divide: Have US-Europe ties reached breaking point?

Interview with Antonio Missiroli, former assistant general secretary at NATO, about deepening divisions between Europe and the US under Donald Trump’s return second term.

Missiroli discusses the various dynamics that have led the two sides down a path of unprecedented tensions, sharing his assessments on the current state of affairs, particularly on Ukraine, and a possible permanent rupture in ties.

Missiroli, also a former director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies, lays out various scenarios that could play out in EU-US relations in the near future, while also explaining the broader impact of the situation on global security and politics.

Despite inflation dip, soaring prices curb Ramadan cheer in Pakistan

Report on how rising costs are impacting Ramadan festivities in Pakistan despite a recent decline in inflation.

Story explores why commodity prices remain high despite significant drop in inflation, making Ramadan more difficult for middle- and lower-income families. Includes comments from consumers on the problems they are facing, while economists explain the reasons for the persisting economic issues.

Report also details Pakistani government’s relief efforts, and has insights from economist Shahid Hasan Siddiqui and charity representatives on economic realities and future outlook.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO - Interview with Antonio Missiroli, former NATO assistant general secretary, about escalating tensions between Europe and the US, exploring the possibility of complete breakdown and the situation’s broader geopolitical impact.