ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):
PALESTINE
Gaza City - Humanitarian and military developments in the Gaza Strip due to Israel’s military offensive, which has so far killed 28,176 people and injured 67,784 others since Oct. 7. The Israeli army prepares to advance southward towards Rafah amid international and regional concerns.
Evolving threat of famine in the blockaded enclave. The hunger endangers the people's lives due to the shortage of humanitarian aid and Israeli restrictions on its entry.
Ramallah - Daily military incursions by the Israeli army into the cities and towns of West Bank.
Israeli actions in the occupied territory since the start of the war in Gaza have led to the killing of 389 Palestinians and the injury of around 4,450 others. The number of arrests has also risen to a record 6,950.
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv - Israeli response to Hamas proposal on cease-fire and release of hostages in exchange of Palestinian prisoners.
Developments related to Israeli preparations for a ground attack on the city of Rafah.
EGYPT
Cairo - Negotiations for cease-fire and hostage-prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas. Expected meeting on Tuesday to involve officials from Mossad, CIA, Egypt and Qatar.
LEBANON
Beirut - Cross-border tension between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israeli forces along the shared border. Israeli chief of staff moved the largest army division from the Gaza Strip to the border with Lebanon.
Exchange of fire has so far killed nearly 210 people, including 30 civilians, and displaced nearly 100,000.
YEMEN
Sanaa - Growing tension in the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having links with Israel, and US retaliatory airstrikes against targets inside Yemen.
GERMANY
Berlin - Chancellor Olaf Scholz to meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for talks on bilateral relations, EU affairs, and international security issues. The leaders are expected to discuss increasing weapons supplies to Ukraine.
Berlin - Munich Security Conference’s (MSC) chairman Christoph Heusgen to hold news briefing on the upcoming event, where top foreign and defense officials from around the world will gather to discuss geopolitical challenges. This year’s MSC will be held from Feb. 16-18.
FRANCE
Paris - President Emmanuel Macron to host Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Talks between the leaders are expected to focus on bilateral relations, EU affairs, and international security issues, as well as increasing weapons supplies to Ukraine.
Paris - Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne to host his German and Polish counterparts, Annalena Baerbock, and Radosław Sikorski, for Weimar Triangle meeting. A joint press conference is planned for 5.15 p.m. CET.
UK
London - Joint Committee of Human Rights to publish its report on the government's controversial Rwanda deportation legislation. The law is yet to be passed by the House of Lords.
London - Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson to give exclusive press conference following establishment of the new Executive in Belfast.
ITALY
Rome - Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to host Argentinian President Javier Milei for talks. Milei is also meeting his counterpart Sergio Mattarella in the capital.
VATICAN
Vatican City - Pope Francis to host Argentinian President Javier Milei.
SERBIA
Belgrade - President Aleksandar Vucic to host Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on working visit to Serbia.
US
Washington - President Joe Biden to host King Abdullah II of Jordan for talks at White House.
New York - UN Security Council to meet under 'threats to international peace and security' to discuss Ukraine.
New York - Trial of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was extradited to US to face drugs and weapons charges.
PAKISTAN
Islamabad - Political parties continue talks to form government after final results of Feb. 8 elections released. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI seeking legal recourse to regain party symbol and lost seats amid allegations of rigging.
THE ECONOMY
Ankara - TurkStat to announce Türkiye’s unemployment rate for December. In November, the jobless rate rose to 9%, up from an upwardly revised 11-year low of 8.6% in the previous month.
SPECIAL REPORTS
'Scholasticide’: How Israel is systematically destroying Palestinian education in Gaza
By Rabia Ali
Istanbul - Report focusing on Israel’s concerted campaign targeting the Palestinian education sector in Gaza, which falls under the definition of the interchangeable terms scholasticide or educide.
The story gives details of the destruction of educational institutions, both schools and higher education, and the killings of Palestinian teachers, professors and academia figures in Gaza.
It includes an interview with Abdel Razzaq Takriti, a Palestinian historian and professor at Rice University in the US, who is part of the transnational coalition Scholars Against the War on Palestine.
Green light pending: Will the Israeli army enter Rafah?
By Rania Abu Shamala
Istanbul - Report about the potentially looming Israeli ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza.
The story lays out the various possibilities at the moment as Israel ramps up its rhetoric over a ground operation, which would threaten the over 1 million displaced Palestinians currently sheltering in the area near the Egyptian border.
It includes an interview with Moath Al-Amoudi, a Palestinian researcher focusing on international relations, who gives insights into whether Israel could be playing a political gambit to pressure Hamas, while also explaining the tenuous position of the US and Egypt, and how that could determine what happens in the next few days.
Why are farmers protesting across Spain?
By Alyssa McMurtry
Oviedo, Spain - Report about the recent wave of protests by farmers in Spain, which is one of several European countries facing such demonstrations.
It will explain the main reasons for the unrest and the primary demands that farmers are pursuing, ranging from delayed payments and bureaucratic hurdles to the impacts of EU regulations and international trade dynamics.
The report includes interviews with protesters and farmers’ organizations, as well as officials such as Ana Isabel Fernandez, the mayor of Navia, a municipality in northern Spain.
NEW MEDIA
VIDEO - Report about Israel’s systematic decimation of the Palestinian education sector in Gaza, which explains how it falls under the definition of the interchangeable terms scholasticide or educide, and gives details of the destruction of educational institutions and killings of Palestinian academia figures.
VIDEO - Report about the recent wave of protests by farmers in Spain, explaining the main reasons for the unrest and their primary demands, and including interviews with protesters and local officials.