Diary

ANKARA (AA) - Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency’s English Desk plans to cover on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKEY

ANKARA - Following latest developments in coronavirus outbreak in Turkey, worldwide.

ANKARA - Following latest developments in Eastern Mediterranean.

ANKARA – Following latest developments in normalization deal reached between United Arab Emirates and Israel.

US

WASHINGTON - Results expected of UN Security Council vote on US resolution to extend Iran arms embargo.

SWITZERLAND

BERN - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to hold news conference after meeting with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis.

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS - Foreign ministers of EU member states to hold extraordinary meeting via video conference.

BELARUS

MINSK - Monitoring protests against Sunday's election results giving landslide victory to President Alexander Lukashenko.

PAKISTAN

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan celebrates Independence Day with limited events due to coronavirus pandemic.

ISLAMABAD - Islamabad to confer pro-freedom Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani with country's highest civilian award 'Nishan-e-Pakistan'.

LEBANON

BEIRUT – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to pay official visit to Lebanon.

LIBYA

TRIPOLI - Following clashes between Libyan army, militias of warlord Khalifa Haftar.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA – Turkish Central Bank to release Balance of Payment Statistics for June.

ANKARA – Turkish Statistical Institute to release industrial production, retail sales and turnover indices for June.

SPORTS

LISBON - Barcelona to face Bayern Munich in UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

SPECIAL REPORT

India: Historians recall role of Muslims in freedom struggle

By Cheena Kapoor

NEW DELHI, India (AA) – Celebrating the country’s 74th Independence Day on Aug. 15, under the shadow of recent communal riots in capital Delhi and anti-citizenship law stir, many Indian scholars have called for recalling the role of Muslims during India’s freedom struggle.

SPECIAL REPORT

Ebola lessons secure Africa from COVID-19

By Addis Getachew and Felix Tih

ADDIS ABABA / ANKARA (AA) – Despite poor health infrastructure, the African continent baring few countries has so far fared well in combating the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic compared to other continents.

SPECIAL REPORT

India: Civil society, democratic culture feats since independence

By Cheena Kapoor

NEW DELHI, India (AA) – While praising India’s desire to become a $5 trillion economy in the next few years, experts believed that moving away from secularism and traditional pluralistic culture could puncture the country’s grand aspirations.

SPECIAL REPORT

PROFILE - Syed Ali Geelani: Icon of Kashmir resistance

By Nusrat Sidiq and Riyaz ul Khaliq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir / ANKARA, Turkey (AA) – In recognition of his lifelong struggle for freedom from India, Pakistan on its 74th Independence Day on Friday, awarded veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani Nishan-e-Pakistan – country's highest civilian honor.

SPECIAL REPORT

What's behind Israel allowing West Bank residents to flock to beaches?

By Salam Abu Sharar

RAMALLAH (AA) – It took Palestinian Al-Qassam Budeir, a West Bank resident, some 30 long years to cover a distance of 60 kilometers (37 miles) to see the sea for the first time in his life.