ANKARA (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu’s English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):
MIDDLE EAST
PALESTINE
GAZA STRIP - Day 40 of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in deaths of more than 11,100 Palestinians – including over 7,700 children and women – and more than 28,200 others injured, with clashes continuing in northern part of besieged strip.
GAZA CITY - Following deteriorating health situation in Gaza Strip, especially in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as hundreds of bodies have piled up in its courtyard due to Israeli siege on hospital, sparking growing risk of spread of diseases. Lack of services in hospital led to 20 deaths.
WEST BANK - Following Israeli army’s ongoing arrest campaigns and storming of Palestinian cities in West Bank, which raised death toll of Palestinians in region to 187, and more than 2,300 people have been detained since start of Gaza war on Oct. 7.
LEBANON
BEIRUT - Rising tension on Lebanese-Israeli border and in southern Lebanon due to attacks between Israel and Hezbollah.
US
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to host bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on sidelines of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, California. Later Biden will hold press conference.
WASHINGTON - House Committee on Homeland Security to hold hearing entitled Worldwide Threats to the Homeland. Witnesses are Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid.
WASHINGTON - US to host meeting of heads of state and government from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations as well as invited guests. Welcome reception set for Wednesday, followed on Thursday by informal leaders' dialogue with guests.
EUROPE
IRELAND
DUBLIN - Irish parliament Dail to discuss motions calling for expulsion of Israeli ambassador and referring Israel to the ICC. (UK team, from office)
UK
LONDON - Supreme Court to hand down judgment in Home Office appeals against several cases collectively known as “Rwanda appeals,” challenging Court of Appeals June 29 decision to block sending refugees to Rwanda as part of government immigration resettlement plan, which it ruled unlawful.
LONDON - House of Commons may vote onamendment to King’s Speech to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. (The SNP has proposed an amendment to the Humble Address calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. By convention, as the SNP is the third-largest party in the Commons, their amendment should be selected for a debate and vote today. The vote would come amid division in the Labour Party in particular over calls for a cease-fire, and Labour leader Keir Starmer has faced calls to allow MPs a free vote on the amendment if it is selected.)
LONDON - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to take questions from lawmakers.
GERMANY
BERLIN - Chancellor Olaf Scholz to take questions from lawmakers in Bundestag. Expecting comments on international issues, escalating war between Israel and Hamas.
SWITZERLAND
GENEVA - World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to launch its Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
GENEVA - French President Emmanuel Macron to start two-day visit to Switzerland.
GENEVA - World Health Organization to hold weekly press conference, chaired by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on global health issues.
SPAIN
MADRID - Spanish lawmakers expected to hold debate on PSOE-led government, after an agreement between Pedro Sanchez's PSOE and the Catalan Junts party was reached last week.
EURASIA
RUSSIA
MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin to present awards to employees of election commissions.
MOSCOW - Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to hold weekly press briefing.
KUBINKA - Defense Ministry to hold briefing for foreign military attaches working in Russia.
UZBEKISTAN
TASHKENT - Tashkent International Tourism Exhibition "Tourism on the Silk Road.”
TÜRKİYE
ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to speak at Justice and Development (AK) Party’s group meeting on domestic and global issues, including recent developments in Gaza.
ISTANBUL - First lady Emine Erdogan to host summit with spouses of world leaders to support embattled people of Palestine.
ASIA
BANGLADESH
DHAKA – In address to nation, Bangladesh chief election commissioner expected to announce national election schedule.
AFRICA
SOUTH AFRICA
PRETORIA - President Cyril Ramaphosa on official visit to Qatar for bilateral talks. Qatar is South Africa’s fifth-largest trading partner in the Middle East.
ESWATINI
MBABANE- Civic groups expected to hold Pro-Palestine rally at US Embassy in capital Mbabane.
THE ECONOMY
TOKYO - Japan to announce flash reading of GDP growth rate for third quarter of this year and industrial production for September.
World’s third-largest economy grew 1.2% quarter-onquarter in the second quarter and 0.8% in the first quarter.
On an annual basis, Japan’s GDP increased 4.8% in April-June and 3.2% in January-March period.
BEIJING - China to release industrial production, retail sales and unemployment data for October.
BERLIN - Destatis to release data on wholesale prices for October.
Germany’s wholesale prices fell for the sixth consecutive month 4.1% year-on-year in September, the largest decline since May 2020 due to base effect.
On a monthly basis, wholesale prices edged up by 0.2% in September.
ANKARA - Turkish Treasury and Finance Ministry to release central government’s budget balance table for October.
Government budget deficit rose to 129.7 billion liras ($4.8 billion) in September.
LUXEMBOURG - Eurostat to announce industrial production and trade balance for September.
Production dropped 5.1% in the euro area compared to a year ago and rose 0.6% compared to a month ago.
SPORTS
HUNGARY
FELCSUT - Israel to play Switzerland in rescheduled UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying Group I. Israel, which previously lost to Kosovo 1-0 in Pristina on Nov. 12, are playing their home games outside the country for security reasons.
SPECIAL REPORT
How far can unbeaten leaders Bayer Leverkusen go in German Bundesliga?
By Can Erozden
ANKARA - Report on German football club Bayer Leverkusen's fairy-tale season.
German top-tier football league Bundesliga has been always dominated by the country's most successful club Bayern Munich but this season (2023-24) unbeaten leaders Bayer Leverkusen could turn the tables.
The story focuses on Leverkusen's possible way to domestic success for the first time in history. Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen won 10 matches and drew once in the first 11 weeks, taking 31 of a possible 33 points, and they leveled the record for the best season start in Bundesliga set by Bayern Munich during the 2015-16 campaign
The detailed special report also includes Leverkusen key players' contributions to the team's goalscoring.
SPECIAL REPORT
Clear that Gaza cease-fire ‘must be reached as soon as possible,’ says Luxembourg’s foreign minister
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN - Interview with Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who stresses the need for humanitarian corridors and pauses in the Gaza Strip, while calling for efforts for a cease-fire and a complete cessation of hostilities.
He says the people of Gaza “cannot be held collectively responsible and punished,” urging Israel to “ensure the protection of the civilian population of Gaza at all times.”
Asselborn calls Israel’s evacuation orders for the northern Gaza Strip “not feasible and highly dangerous.”
He also calls for European countries and international community to take urgent steps to relaunch Middle East peace process, and put it at the top of their agenda.
SPECIAL REPORT
WITH VIDEO - Accountability for Israeli actions in Gaza a must: Norwegian Refugee Council head
By Burak Bir
LONDON - Interview with Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, on devastating humanitarian situation caused by Israel’s relentless assault on the Gaza Strip.
Egeland emphasizes need for accountability under international law, saying that thousands of Palestinian women, men, and children, have been killed in Israel’s indiscriminate attacks.
He also shares insights about humanitarian situation on the ground, which is growing more dire by the hour due to Israel’s complete blockade of essential supplies.
SPECIAL REPORT
Artificial intelligence can revolutionize diabetes care, enhance quality of life for patients: Expert
By Sahin Oktay
KOCAELI, Türkiye - Interview with Dr. Filiz Mine Cizmecioglu Jones, head of the Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Department at Kocaeli University Medical School in Türkiye.
Report focuses on critical role that artificial intelligence can play in diabetes treatment and care, with the expert giving details of various technologies being employed in the field.
She speaks in detail about AI-powered sensors and pumps that can mimic the function of pancreas, while continuously monitoring blood sugar levels and automatically adjusting insulin doses.
Jones also shares insights about possible future uses and the wider applications of AI technologies.
SPECIAL REPORT
Ahiska Turks’ Soviet exile was persecution, not just deportation: Turkish academic
By Omer Faruk Madanoglu
ISTANBUL - Interview with Ayna Askeroglu, historian at Istanbul University, about the 1944 exile of almost 100,000 Ahiska Turks from their homeland in the Caucasus region during the Soviet era.
Speaking on the 79th anniversary of the exile, Askeroglu tells of the painful experiences of Ahiska Turks during the nearly 40-day deportation from their homeland in Georgia’s Meskheti region to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
He also explains the reasons for Joseph Stalin’s persecution of the Ahisa Turks, such as his plan for “establishing an Armenian state in areas vacated by Turks.”
NEW MEDIA
VIDEOS - Latest developments in Israel-Palestine conflict
Reports covering developments in Israel-Palestine conflict, including packages from correspondents on the ground, updates on the overall situation, and other major developments.