Diary

ANKARA (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency's English Desk plans to cover on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKEY

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to chair National Security Council meeting.

ANKARA - Monitoring forest fires in southern Turkey.

ANKARA - Following COVID-19 normalization process in Turkey, virus variants, worldwide pandemic situation.

IRAN

TEHRAN - Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop to attend swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi. He will meet Raeisi, and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

GREECE

ATHENS - Monitoring wildfire in northwestern Peloponnese region of Achaia, Greece.

ITALY

ROME - Monitoring fires in forests, rural areas in southern regions of Italy.

TUNISIA

TUNIS - Monitoring developments after President Kais Saied suspended parliament.

MYANMAR

YANGON - Monitoring developments after February military coup triggered violent protests, crackdown.

THE ECONOMY

ITALY

TRIESTE - Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank to attend G20 Digital Ministers’ Meeting.

US

WASHINGTON - Weekly initial jobless claims, trade balance for May to be announced.

SPORTS

TOKYO - Following Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

ISTANBUL - Turkey's Galatasaray to face Scottish club St. Johnstone in UEFA Europa League third qualifying round's first leg at Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium.

SPECIAL REPORT

Return statehood to restore confidence in Kashmir, says opposition leader

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - A senior opposition leader in India has said that contrary to the claims of progress, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has retreated in the past two years since the revocation of its special status.

SPECIAL REPORT

Construction of Ram Temple in India gathers pace after hurdles

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - A year after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of a grand Ram Temple at the site of the demolished historic Babri Mosque, the construction has faced many hurdles, including allegations of a scam in the purchase of land.

SPECIAL REPORT

PROFILE - Hagop Baronian: Moliere of Armenians

By Merve Berker and Dilan Pamuk

ANKARA (AA) - Despite more than a century having passed since his death, the literary works of Ottoman journalist, playwright, and humorist of Armenian descent Hagop Baronian still serve as a window into everyday life in 19th-century Istanbul.

SPECIAL REPORT

Hindus of Jammu and Kashmir 'demand job, land security'

By Hilal Mir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Hindus in Jammu province of Jammu and Kashmir are apprehensive about outsiders taking over jobs and businesses after the loss of the region’s unique political status, and are demanding constitutional guarantees to prevent this, a top politician said.

SPECIAL REPORT

Local journalism in Kashmir hard hit since August 2019 status change

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Ishfaq Reshi, a journalist in Indian-administered Kashmir, has been unemployed for two years.

He lost his job soon after the Indian government scrapped the limited autonomy of the region on Aug. 5, 2019, while imposing a strict military and communications lockdown.