Diary

Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories)

PALESTINE

Gaza City - Military and humanitarian developments in the Gaza Strip on the 109th day of the Israeli onslaught. The latest death toll in the enclave climbed to 25,295, with over 63,000 injuries, most of whom are children and women. Attacks on the southern Gaza Strip are escalating after the Israeli army announced the expansion of its military offensive against the city of Khan Younis.

Ramallah - Since Oct.7, Israeli army raids have resulted in the death of 370 and the injury of nearly 4,200 Palestinians, while a total of 6,115 people arrested so far.

LEBANON

Beirut - Armed clashes along the border between Israel and Hezbollah continue since Oct. 8, 2023, after Israeli strikes with white phosphorus shells were reported Monday on several locations in southern Lebanon.

The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have so far led to the deaths of 30 Lebanese civilians, including three journalists and three children. Additionally, one Lebanese army soldier and five members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, along with 165 members of Hezbollah, have lost their lives.

On the Israeli side, Hezbollah's attacks have resulted in the deaths of six Israeli civilians and ten soldiers, according to statements from the Israeli army and authorities in Tel Aviv.

ISRAEL

Tel Aviv - Israeli demonstrations are expected to continue as protesters demand an end to the war on Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages held in the Strip. Stalemate between Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the families of hostages continue to escalate as the prime minister told families Monday that no concrete proposal for a prisoner exchange had been offered by Hamas.

Developments in the Israeli army operation in Gaza since Hamas' attack on the Gaza envelope, which has resulted in the deaths of 535 soldiers since Oct. 7, including 199 since the start of ground operations in various areas of Gaza.

YEMEN

Sanaa - Tensions continue escalating in the southern Red Sea, with almost daily announcements of the targeting of ships by members of the Houthi group and response by forces of the US and coalition. The US Central Command early on Monday changed the status of two US Navy SEALs who went missing earlier in January in an operation in the Gulf of Aden to deceased.

TÜRKIYE

Ankara - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to receive letters of credentials from new ambassadors of Austria, Tunisia, Singapore, and Portugal.

FRANCE

Paris - President Emmanuel Macron to give a speech on the upcoming 33rd Summer Olympic Games, to be held in France on July 26-Aug. 11, 2024.

Strasbourg - Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly to hold debates on Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel's response, as well as on the role of migration and asylum in election campaigns.

GERMANY

Berlin - Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck to deliver speech at business daily Handelsblatt's Energy Summit 2024.

UK

London - LSE European Institute to host event with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, themed "Protect, strengthen, prepare - 2024 as a moment of truth for the future of the European continent."

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Sarajevo - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to visit Bosnian capital alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

BELGIUM

Brussels - EU-Egypt Association Council to convene, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry co-chairing.

SWITZERLAND

Geneva - UN Information Service to hold its bi-weekly briefing for journalists.

Geneva - International Labour Organization (ILO) organizing hybrid Conference on Preventing and Addressing Violence and Harassment in the World of Work through Occupational Safety and Health.

PAKISTAN

Islamabad - Jail trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in cipher case to continue in garrison city of Rawalpindi. Khan, along with his Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, stand accused of revealing state confidential information.

CHINA

Beijing - Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to start three-day state visit to China at invitation of President Xi Jinping.

US

Washington - President Joe Biden to participate in campaign event in Manassas, Virginia, where he may make remarks on Gaza.

Washington - State of New Hampshire to hold primary election. Biden not on ballot due to changes in Democratic National Committee calendar, while former President Donald Trump enjoys apparent lead on Republican side.

Washington - Defense ministers from allied nations to hold virtual meeting of US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin previously held press conferences following such meetings.

New York - UN Security Council to meet for open debate on Gaza, regional implications of conflict. Foreign ministers from Türkiye, Russia, and France to attend.

New York - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to address Security Council meeting on situation in Middle East.

BELARUS

Minsk - First 2024 meeting of Commonwealth of Independent States' Council of Permanent Representatives to be held. Meeting to be first since Russia assumed this year's chairmanship of organization, designed to regulate relations among some post-Soviet states.

RUSSIA

Moscow - President Vladimir Putin to attend All-Russian Family Forum "Relatives - Loved Ones."

SPORTS

Melbourne - Australian Open women's, men's singles quarterfinals to kick off.

THE ECONOMY

Tokyo - Bank of Japan to reveal interest rate decision.

Ankara - Turkish Statistical Institute to reveal consumer confidence index for January, motor vehicles statistics for 2023.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Snowless winter deprives northern Pakistan of economic lifeline

By Aamir Latif

Kalam, Pakistan - Report about how changing climate patterns have affected snowfall in Pakistan's northern regions, impacting the areas' tourism-dependent economy.

The story includes interviews with people from the region's tourism and hospitality sector, who lay out how the situation has drastically dented tourist arrivals this winter.

It also has comments from Iqbal Hussain, director general of the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Department Gilgit-Baltistan, Fazl-e-Khaliq, a Swat-based journalist focusing on environmental issues, and Sardar Sarfraz, director general of the Pakistan Metrological Department.

They speak about the reasons for the decline in snowfall and rapidly shifting patterns, as well as the potential wider implications for the region.

Renewable energy growth puts spotlight on global inequalities

By Nuran Erkul

London - Report about the expansion of renewable energy sources around the world, focusing on how that growth is concentrated in a few rich countries while other parts of the world lag behind due to lack of necessary finance.

It includes data and figures for renewable energy production from the International Energy Agency's new report, showing that expected growth in the next five years will be mainly in 31 countries, including economic giants such as China, US, India and Brazil.

The report also has comments from Heymi Bahar, senior analyst for the International Energy Agency, who explains the reasons for the divide and gives further insights into the report's content.

AI and the future of jobs: Elimination or transformation?

By Emre Gurkan Abay

Moscow - Report about the growing impact of artificial intelligence technologies on jobs and global labor markets.

It includes data and projections for AI's impact on diverse employment sectors, from health care to finance and various other fields, while outlining the ways in which the technology is reshaping workflows.

The report has interviews with Philip Torr, professor of engineering science at the University of Oxford; Andrew Rogoyski, director of innovation and partnerships at the Surrey Institute for People-Centered Artificial Intelligence; Usama Fayyad, executive director for the Institute for Experiential AI at Northeastern University; and Daria Fokina, CEO of Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Fokina.AI.

NEW MEDIA

INFOGRAPHIC - Visual illustration of projected renewable energy growth in countries around the world over the coming years based on latest data from the International Energy Agency. -