Diary

ANKARA (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency’s English Desk plans to cover on Monday, Oct. 18, 2016 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKEY

ANKARA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend ceremony marking the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year for higher education.

ANKARA - Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman to participate in the 36th Executive Committee meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

ANKARA - Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to separately meet Pakistani Parliament Speaker Serdar Ayaz Sadiq and Afghan Parliament Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi.

ANKARA - Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avci to attend Anadolu Agency's Editor Desk.

IRAQ

BAGHDAD - Latest developments in ongoing military operations to “liberate” Daesh-held Mosul.

MOROCCO

RABAT - Political parties begin consultations to form coalition government after polls.​

ITALY

ROME - Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik to attend meeting of South-Eastern Europe defense ministers and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts, including Italy's Roberta Pinotti.

GREECE

ATHENS – Syriza party’s European MPs along with Lesbos mayor to hold press conference in Brussels on the refugee crisis.

GERMANY

BERLIN – Chancellor Angela Merkel meets Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela for talks on bilateral economic relations and the fight against tax evasion.

UNITED STATES

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama to host Italian President Matteo Renzi at the White House.

WASHINGTON - The United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to unveil its first annual report.

UGANDA

SPECIAL REPORT: Ugandan student ruffles feathers with homemade tear gas

By Halima Athumani

KAMPALA, Uganda – Cooking up something like homemade tear gas usually ends in a visit from the police. However, for one Ugandan science student, his unusual work with noxious chemicals has earned him an invitation to meet the country’s president.

KENYA

NAIROBI - UN to hold press conference on threats of desertification and droughts in Kenya.

NIGERIA

LAGOS - A conference on countering violent extremism to take place in the capital Abuja, which will be attended by top Islamic scholars and politicians.

THAILAND

BANGKOK – Mourning Thais continue camping overnight in front of Grand Palace to pay homage to King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

CHINA

BEIJING – Commentary run by state news agency welcomes visit of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte as sign of good faith, expressing hope for improvement of relations and trade.

JAPAN

TOKYO – Around 80 lawmakers visit war-linked shrine after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent ritual offering to site, drawing criticism from South Korea.