Diary

ANKARA (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency’s English Desk plans to cover on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

US

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to host bipartisan mayors attending annual US Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting at White House.

NEW YORK - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to meet UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Antony Blinken to speak at event hosted by University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

GERMANY

BERLIN - US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to hold talks with allies at Ramstein Air Base on military support to Ukraine.

FRANCE

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron to address members of armed forces.

UK

LONDON - Ballots close for junior doctors in England part of the HCSA union in vote for strike action over an ongoing pay dispute.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to meet Mirjana Spoljaric, president of International Committee of the Red Cross.

TURKMENISTAN

ASHGABAT - Monitoring Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s working visit to Turkmenistan.

SPORTS

MELBOURNE - Following 2023 Australian Open, first Grand Slam of the year.

LEIPZIG, Germany - Bayern Munich to face RB Leipzig as German Bundesliga resumes after World Cup break.

SPECIAL REPORT

Will fragile peace in Ethiopia’s Tigray endure?

By Sadik Kedir Abdu

ANKARA (AA) - Eyes welled with tears of joy, faces beamed with genuine smiles, and hearts brimmed with cautious hope as dozens gathered in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa for a journey that, just months ago, seemed all but impossible

SPECIAL REPORT

Kashmir’s pay-to-publish corps of young writers growing

By Hilal Mir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Hurairah Yasir’s discussions on faith and doubt with her fellow mates at a boarding school in the northern Baramulla district of Kashmir impacted her to an extent that she decided to write a book.

SPECIAL REPORT

Having banned far-right parties, Greece overlooks terror group PKK’s operations on its soil

ANKARA (AA) - Amid media reports that the Greek government seeks to outlaw the Ellines party, led by Ilias Kasidiaris, a former deputy and spokesperson of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party that was declared a criminal group and banned in October 2020, one rightfully wonders what Athens thinks about the terror group PKK’s current operations on its soil.

SPECIAL REPORT

Russia left without world’s top brands in wake of Ukraine war

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Top global brands, excluding some Chinese firms, are no longer active in the Russian market due to its war on Ukraine, which began last February.

SPECIAL REPORT

After 1st Diyarbakir Mothers’ Congress, impressions on terrorist PKK’s child recruitment

By Valeria Giannotta

ISTANBUL (AA) - While in the West some states show a certain positive attitude toward the terrorist organization PKK by offering shelter to some of its members and setting themselves up as a logistical base for the recruitment and collection of funds for the militias, they certainly neglect the pain that PKK causes its innocent victims.

SPECIAL REPORT

Pakistan not interested in launching cross-border operation in Afghanistan, says foreign minister

By Aysu Bicer and Muhammet Ikbal Arslan

DAVOS, Switzerland (AA) - Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said his country does not intend to launch a cross-border operation against Afghanistan.

SPECIAL REPORT

No appetite for return to conflict or violence: Sinn Fein leaders

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal and Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - There is “no appetite for a return to conflict or violence” across Irish society, say nationalist party Sinn Fein leaders, expressing hope for a “unified Ireland.”

SPECIAL REPORT

‘Turkish president true friend of Serbia despite different stance on Kosovo’

By Aysu Bicer and Muhammet Ikbal Arslan

DAVOS, Switzerland (AA) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday said he considers Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a true friend of his country despite their “different stances on Kosovo’s independence.”

SPECIAL REPORT

What do we know about allegedly Qatar-linked European Parliament corruption scandal?

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ISTANBUL (AA) - The EU has been shaken by one of the biggest corruption scandals since Eva Kaili, a Greek Member of the European Parliament (MEP) was arrested on Dec. 9 by Belgian police on corruption charges allegedly involving Qatar, which was accused of paying Kaili to lobby for the Gulf state's interests.