Diary

ANKARA (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency's English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKIYE

ANKARA – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend State Commendation Medal Conferment Ceremony.

ANKARA - Erdogan to meet Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda. Two leaders to hold joint press conference following working dinner.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to meet Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Two sides to hold joint news conference.

MOSCOW – Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to hold weekly news conference.

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS - Extraordinary meeting of NATO defense ministers to be held amid Russia's attacks on Ukraine. National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to represent Turkiye.

NETHERLANDS

HAGUE - International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on case Ukraine filed against Russia, accusing Moscow of manipulating concept of genocide to justify its military attack.

SWITZERLAND

GENEVA - WHO to hold virtual presser on Ukraine, COVID-19 and other global health issues.

GENEVA – High-level pledging event on humanitarian crisis in Yemen to be held.

GERMANY

BERLIN - Chancellor Olaf Scholz to meet Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin for talks on bilateral relations, regional issues and Russia-Ukraine war.

BERLIN - German government spokesman to hold press briefing.

UNITED KINGDOM

LONDON - Prime Minister Boris Johnson to travel to UAE and Saudi Arabia to hold talks .

UKRAINE

KYIV - Following Russia's war on Ukraine, sanctions, efforts for peace, and related international developments.

US

NEW YORK - Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanik to attend panel on empowering women at Turkish House in Manhattan.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to deliver remarks on assistance US is providing to Ukraine.

WASHINGTON - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to virtually address US Congress.

NEW YORK - UN Security Council to discuss situation in Libya.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA - Turkish Central Bank to release Outstanding Loans Received From Abroad by Private Sector for January.

WASHINGTON - US Commerce Department to announce retail sales for February.

WASHINGTON - US Federal Reserve to announce interest rate decision and economic projections.

WASHINGTON - Fed President Jerome Powell to hold news conference.

SPORTS

TURIN, Italy / LILLE, France - UEFA Champions League's last 16 second leg to end after Juventus vs. Villarreal, Lille vs. Chelsea matches.

SPECIAL REPORT

Palestinians remember American activist Rachel Corrie

By Salam AbuSharar

RAFAH, Palestine (AA) - On a Friday 19 years ago, a 23-year-old American woman was killed by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes in the southern town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Since then, she has become an icon of solidarity with the Palestinians.

SPECIAL REPORT

D-8 economic bloc aims to become more globally visible

By Merve Aydogan

ANTALYA, Turkiye (AA) - In the very first interview since his appointment, the Developing 8 (D8) economic bloc's head defined "visibility" as a sticking point in his eight-point agenda.

SPECIAL REPORT

‘Stand tall’ against aggression, says head of security agency amid Russia-Ukraine war

By Handan Kazanci

ANTALYA, Turkiye (AA) – As the Russian war on Ukraine continues, a former top general and current head of a regional security organization called for “standing tall” against aggression.

SPECIAL REPORT

Ukraine war, high commodity prices put Fed in tough spot: Expert

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The war in Ukraine and high commodity prices have put the Federal Reserve in a difficult position as those issues affect US economic growth, according to an expert.

SPECIAL REPORT

Bangladesh is ‘peace loving nation, doesn’t want war’: Top diplomat

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANTALYA, Turkiye (AA) – Bangladesh is a “peace loving nation” and wants disputes to be resolved through dialogue, the country’s top diplomat said on the war between Russia and Ukraine.

SPECIAL REPORT

Bangladeshi farmers switch to alternatives to beat climate change

By Md. Kamruzzaman

SATKHIRA, Bangladesh (AA) – To combat challenges thrown by climate change, farmers in Bangladesh’s Satkhira district, 300 kilometers (186 miles) southwest of the capital Dhaka, have resorted to alternative agricultural practices for survival.

SPECIAL REPORT

Sweet chocolate a faraway fantasy for Tanzania’s cocoa farmers

By Kizito Makoye

KYELA, Tanzania (AA) – Chocolate lovers in Basel, Switzerland, can be forgiven for taking a long time in the supermarket sweet aisle deciding which chocolate to buy, but thousands of miles away, smallholder farmers in Tanzania's southern highlands who work tirelessly to grow cocoa – a key ingredient in the chocolate industry – have never tasted it.