ISTANBUL (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Thursday, May 30, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):
PALESTINE
Gaza City - Reactions to the Israeli army taking full control of the Philadelphi Corridor separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt as part of its incursion into the southernmost city of Rafah.
Israeli offensive in Gaza Strip entered its 237th day, with nearly 36,200 Palestinians killed and over 81,400 others injured as the crippling blockade has left majority of population on verge of starvation.
Ramallah - Israeli raids in occupied West Bank have continued since Oct. 7, 2023, with at least 519 Palestinians so far killed, 5,000 more injured, and at least 8,935 detained, according to Palestinian sources.
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv - Protests in Israel to pressure government to resign and reach hostage swap deal with Palestinians.
EGYPT
Cairo - Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at reaching hostage swap deal and cease-fire in Gaza.
LEBANON
Beirut - Cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel that erupted last October, in deadliest clashes between the two sides since their full-fledged war in 2006.
YEMEN
Sanaa - Tensions in Red Sea continue to increase amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships suspected of having ties to Israel and airstrikes by US-led coalition forces on targets in Yemen.
TÜRKİYE
Izmir - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend Türkiye’s largest military drill EFES-2024 exercise.
This year's EFES exercise boasts the largest participation in its history, with 49 allied countries and nearly 11,000 military personnel taking part. The objective is to foster international cooperation and improve the coordination of military forces in various combat scenarios.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague - Czech Republic to host informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers ahead of the NATO Summit in July. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan participating.
UK
London - Parliament is dissolved after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a July 4 general election.
SWITZERLAND
Geneva - Two-day AI for Global Good Summit to begin. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deliver video message on opening day.
KAZAKHSTAN
Almaty - Meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Baikonur Cosmodrome - Launch of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Progress MS-27 transport cargo ship to the International Space Station.
RUSSIA
Moscow - Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to hold a weekly news conference.
US
Washington - Biden administration's reaction on Israeli offensive in Gaza's city of Rafah, including deadly strike on camp for displaced Gazans.
Washington - Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to deliver commencement address at US Air Force Academy.
New York - UN General Assembly to hold session to pay tribute to memory of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi following his death earlier this month in helicopter crash. US said it will boycott event.
New York - UN Security Council to meet for briefing on Middle East followed by consultations on Syria. In afternoon, a briefing is scheduled from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg -South Africa's top electoral commission to start releasing partial election results of the national and provincial polls held on Wednesday.
Johannesburg - Election observers from the African Union expected to brief the media regarding Wednesday's general election.
ZAMBIA
Lusaka - Former first lady Esther and daughter Tasila Lungu expected to appear before the anti-money laundering unit for questioning.
MADAGASCAR
Antananarivo - The elections body in Madagascar to start announcing winners of Wednesday's parliamentary elections where the ruling party hopes to retain its majority.
INDIA
New Delhi - Campaigning for last phase of ongoing Indian general elections ends. The polls are scheduled to be held on June 1 and results expected on June 4.
CHINA
Beijing - Beijing hosts China-Arab States Cooperation Forum with participation by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Tunisian President Kais Saied, and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Beijing - Foreign Ministry to hold regular news conference.
PAKISTAN
Islamabad - Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov is on an official visit to Pakistan where he will hold talks with his counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Bayramov will also meet on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
TAIWAN
Taipei - A group of four US lawmakers conclude their two-day trip to the island nation where they met President William Lai Ching-te amid tensions across Taiwan Strait.
SINGAPORE
Singapore - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to deliver keynote address at Shangri-la Dialogue. The defense chiefs of US and China are among participants from around 50 nations.
BANGLADESH
Dhaka - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit Cyclone Remal-hit coastal Patuakhali district on Thursday. Nearly four million people were affected while 15 people lost their lives in the South Asian nation.
SOUTH KOREA
Seoul - Newly elected parliament begins four-year term.
THE ECONOMY
Luxembourg - Eurostat to reveal unemployment figures for April. Rate is around 6.4-6.5%, and expected to be at same level in April.
Ankara - TurkStat to reveal Türkiye's foreign trade figures for April and economic confidence index for May. Country's foreign trade deficit narrowed 41.5% to $20.3 billion in first quarter on yearly basis, with exports of $65.6 billion and imports worth $83.9 billion. Foreign trade gap is expected to shrink further.
Istanbul - Turkish banking watchdog to release banking sector figures for April.
Washington - US to reveal provisional GDP figures for first quarter.
SPORTS
PARIS - French Open to run for 2 weeks, ending with final on June 9.
SPECIAL REPORTS
Climate change and mid-air turbulence: Is there a link?
By Rabia Ali
Istanbul – Report on the recently increasing incidents of turbulence on flights and how this could be directly linked to the effects of climate change.
The story gives details of research conducted at the University of Reading, which points to correlation and an expected uptick in frequency of such incidents.
It includes interviews with Mohamed Foudad, researcher of meteorology at the University of Reading; Doug Drury, a professor and head of aviation at Central Queensland University; climate researcher Leon Simons; and Damian Devlin, a researcher at the University of West London.
Future of Germany, Europe at stake in EU Parliament elections: German candidates
By Ahmet Gencturk
Athens – Interview with Karin De Rigo and Johannes Fehr, two German candidates in the upcoming European Parliament elections.
De Rigo and Fehr, nominated by the German left-wing MeRa25 party, speak about the importance of the polls and how they could impact the continent’s political future.
They also discuss the state of German politics, including the country’s fierce support to Israel and aggressive crackdown on pro-Palestine voices, warning that this represents a grave threat to its own economic and political interests.
Turkish defense firm to provide ‘system of systems’ to Nigeria
By Tuba Ongun
Abuja, Nigeria – Report about Turkish defense firm Asisguard’s multimillion-dollar road security project in Nigeria.
The story gives details of the Abuja-Kaduna road security project, which integrates various landmark Turkish-made defense industry products to offer a holistic “system of systems.”
It includes interviews with Baris Duzgun, general manager of Asisguard, and Sulaiman Muhammed Chiroma, a local partner in the project.
NEW MEDIA
VIDEO - Interviews with Karin De Rigo and Johannes Fehr, two German candidates in the upcoming European Parliament elections, about the importance of the polls and how they could impact the continent’s political future, as well as domestic politics in Germany.