Diary

ANKARA (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency’s English Desk plans to cover on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKEY

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend breakfast meeting with lawmakers from his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and orientation day of first batch of Diplomacy Academy.

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency’s Editors’ Desk to host Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

ANKARA - Turkish and Russian delegations to discuss latest developments in Idlib, Syria.

US

WASHINGTON - Turkish Heritage Organization to hold panel on Turkey-US relations.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zaharova to hold news conference.

SWITZERLAND

GENEVA - Following first round of political talks on Libya.

QATAR

DOHA - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Qatar to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional issues with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

ETHIOPIA

ADDIS ABABA - European Union and African Union to hold commission-to-commission meeting.

CHINA

WUHAN - Following global outbreak of coronavirus and efforts to fight it.

IRAQ

BAGHDAD - Parliament expected to hold vote of confidence for Allawi Cabinet.

SYRIA

IDLIB - Monitoring humanitarian crisis in Idlib and attacks by Assad regime, Iranian-backed terrorist groups, Russia in de-escalation zone.

LIBYA / RUSSIA / TURKEY

TRIPOLI / MOSCOW / ANKARA - Monitoring diplomatic initiatives to resolve Libyan crisis.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA - Turkish Statistical Institute to release economic confidence index for February.

SPORTS

ISTANBUL - Turkish football club Medipol Basaksehir to face Portugal's Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Europa League last 32 second leg.

BERLIN - Istanbul-based basketball club Anadolu Efes to take on German opponents ALBA Berlin in Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 26.

SPECIAL REPORT

India likely to join US to counter China’s global connectivity plans

By Iftikhar Gilani

ANKARA (AA) - India has nearly agreed to join the Blue Dot Network (BDN), a U.S.-led project aimed at developing an alternative to the China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- a global infrastructure development strategy, covering nearly 70 countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa.

SPECIAL REPORT

Turkey plans to open technical training college in Rwanda

By Hassan Isilow

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - A Turkish educational foundation is in the process of opening a technical and vocational education training college in Rwanda, said the Turkish envoy to the East African country.

SPECIAL REPORT

Turkey's Necmettin Erbakan: Political and engineering genius

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – Nine years have passed since the death of former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, the founding leader of the National Vision (Milli Gorus) movement, whose political wisdom and struggle have profoundly shaped Turkey’s political landscape in the 21st century.

SPECIAL REPORT

Pakistan celebrates day it countered Indian airstrike

By Islamuddin Sajid/Muhammed Semih Ugurlu

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan said it will celebrate ‘Surprise Day’ on Thursday to honor its air force which countered Indian strikes last year.