ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Thursday, February 8, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):
MIDDLE EAST
PALESTINE
Gaza City - Update on humanitarian and military situation in Gaza Strip after 125 days of Israel’s military offensive, which since Oct. 7 has killed over 27,700 people and injured 67,174 others. Israeli army now plans to advance southward on Rafah in southern Gaza Strip amid concerns of worsening already dire humanitarian conditions.
Ramallah - Israeli army continues raids into Palestinian towns and cities in West Bank which since Oct. 7 have left at least 383 Palestinians dead and 4,400 others injured, while nearly 6,900 have been detained.
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv - Awaiting official Israeli response to Hamas’ cease-fire proposal. Proposal includes 3-stage plan, each lasting 45 days, during which military operations would be completely halted on both sides and prisoners and remains would be exchanged.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s regional tour to push for cease-fire in Gaza and hostage swap deal between Hamas and Israel. Blinken is visiting Israel and is set to visit West Bank as part of tour concluding today.
LEBANON
Beirut - Continuing cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces along Lebanon’s border with Israel, which has so far killed nearly 210 people, including 30 civilians, and displaced nearly 100,000 from southern Lebanon.
YEMEN
Sanaa - Growing tension in Red Sea due to Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having links with Israel and US retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi targets inside Yemen.
EUROPE
GERMANY
Berlin - Chancellor Olaf Scholz heading to Washington DC for two-day working visit to meet US President Joe Biden for talks on Ukraine and Middle East. Scholz is expected to speak to press before departure.
Berlin - Students to show their solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza by protesting in front of Berlin’s Freie Universitaet (Free University).
ALBANIA
Tirana - Albanian parliament to vote on migration deal with Italy, which would allow setting up two Italian-run refugee reception centers in country. They would host refugees rescued by Italian ships, with their asylum applications to be examined by Italian authorities.
GREECE
Athens - Left-wing student groups to protest conservative government’s education plan to enable opening of private universities.
EURASIA
GEORGIA
Tbilisi - Georgian parliament to vote on Irakli Kobakhidze for post of prime minister and new Cabinet.
MOLDOVA
Country - Moldova's withdrawal from Interparliamentary Assembly of Commonwealth of Independent States to come into effect.
RUSSIA
Moscow - President Vladimir Putin to chair meeting of Council for Science and Education.
US
Washington - Report by Special Counsel Robert Hur into President Joe Biden's mishandling of classified documents set for release as soon as Thursday.
Washington - Justin Mohn, man accused of murdering and beheading his federal agent father, to appear in court. Grisly murder was allegedly carried out as right-wing act of political violence. Mohn publicly espoused anti-state and anti-Democratic conspiracy theories in violent video posted to social media shortly after alleged murder.
Washington - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to speak to reporters after laying out his key agenda items for current year. Press conference to take place amid acute attention on unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza Strip caused by Israel’s war.
Washington - Ex-US President Donald Trump to participate in non-state sanctioned caucus in Nevada. Southwestern US state implemented new law last year mandating shift to primary system, but Republicans have defied law and will instead hold separate caucus on Thursday. Contest comes after state-sanctioned primary on Tuesday. Republicans will allocate delegates from this contest, which is expected to go for Trump.
Washington - US Supreme Court justices to hear arguments in case over Colorado Supreme Court ruling that Donald Trump is constitutionally ineligible to appear on state ballot due to his participation in Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. Case is being closely watched, and could affect other efforts to keep former president off ballot in other states.
ASIA - PACIFIC
PAKISTAN
Islamabad - Amid high security measures, around 128 million eligible voters set to cast ballots to elect new parliament and four new provincial assemblies for five-year term in high-stakes general elections.
CHINA
Beijing - Foreign Ministry to hold news conference.
THE ECONOMY
Beijing - China’s statistical bureau to release country’s inflation data for January. In December, China's consumer prices dropped 0.3% year-on-year, down for third straight month, longest declining streak since October 2009. Figure moderated November’s 0.5% decline, steepest decline in 3 years, with food prices falling the least since September. Market expects consumer prices to fall further 0.5% in January. Followed via online reports
Ankara - Turkish Central Bank to release first 2024 inflation report. Inflation in Türkiye was 64.77% at end of 2023 and is expected to reach 33% for this year. In January it was at 64.86%.
Istanbul - Turkish business body MUSIAD to hold International Young Businessmen Congress in Istanbul with participation of Turkish officials, private sector representatives, and officials.
SPORTS
LATVIA
Riga - Turkish basketball club Anadolu Efes to face Israel's Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Round 26 of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Separately, leaders Real Madrid to visit EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Italy.
SPECIAL REPORTS
WITH INFOGRAPHIC – Genocide and more: The varied forms of destruction inflicted on Gaza
By Rabia Ali
Istanbul - Report on the different ways Israel’s ongoing war has destroyed the Gaza Strip and its millions of Palestinian residents.
Report outlines different forms of destruction that Israeli forces have carried out since Oct. 7 and how this could fall under different categories such as genocide, domicide, ecocide, educide or scholasticide, and the cultural genocide of Palestinian society.
Explains meanings of these terms and gives data illustrating extent of damage inflicted by Israel all across the Gaza Strip. Story also has an interview with Omer Bartov, a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University.
NO PHOTO/VIDEO – Migrants face new dangers with tighter US-Mexico border curbs
By Jorge Antonio Rocha
Mexico City - Report on toughened migrant control measures being enforced by Mexico and US on their shared border.
Story focuses on impact that these steps are having on asylum seekers. It gives details of measures that are either planned by the two sides or have already been enforced.
Includes comparative data to illustrate scale of the issue, along with comments from Alejandra Conde, coordinator at Area 72, a civil organization and migrant shelter in Tabasco, Mexico, and activist Juan Garcia.
NO PHOTO/VIDEO – Political changes in Georgia: What do they mean for the region?
By Elena Teslova
Moscow - Report on recent political reshuffle in Georgia, where faces and figures are changing ahead of this year’s parliamentary elections.
Story gives details and potential reasons for political shifts, as well as possible impact they could have on the wider region and Georgian foreign policy.
Includes interviews with Gulbaat Rtskhiladze, head of independent analytical center Institute of Eurasia, and Zurab Makharadze, co-founder of the Georgian Conservative Party.
NEW MEDIA
INFOGRAPHIC - Visual illustration of different ways in which Israel has destroyed the Gaza Strip and the lives of its millions of Palestinian residents, breaking it down with data and figures into categories such as genocide, domicide, ecocide, educide, and cultural genocide.