Diary

ANKARA (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency’s English Desk plans to cover on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKEY

RIZE – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend mass opening ceremony in Black Sea province. Erdogan later to join local members of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party at dinner.

ANKARA – Following latest developments in Eastern Mediterranean.

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

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

LIBYA

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

SPECIAL REPORT

UAE, Israel deal against democracy in Arab world: Experts

By Mahmoud Barakat

ANKARA (AA) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel made a deal earlier this week to forestall Tel Aviv's controversial plans to annex large swathes of the occupied West Bank and start a new era of normalization.

SPECIAL REPORT

OPINION - UAE, Israel deal not surprising, but shameful

By Basem Naim

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The announcement of an agreement to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Israeli occupation state was not surprising, but it was rude in terms of form and timing.

SPECIAL REPORT

OPINION - 'Soft power, pillar of Indian foreign policy'

By Yogendra Kumar

ANKARA (AA) – The expression “soft power” may be understood in terms of a usable national capacity to advance foreign policy objectives and priorities by using non-coercive means. It remains a vital instrument in foreign policy by itself or as a complement to the application of “hard power”, that is, military power or other types of compelling diplomacy.

SPECIAL REPORT

Harris not likely to change Indo-US relations: Experts

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) – The first American of Indian origin to be featured on a major US national ticket as a vice presidential candidate will not change US-India relations if Democrats take the White House, according to experts.

SPECIAL REPORT

Empty stadiums no effect on Turkish pitch performance

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Despite the disruption of matches across Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic, rescheduling of matches or competitions held in empty stadiums, most Turkish footballers enjoyed a productive 2019-20 campaign.

SPECIAL REPORT

PROFILE – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Life devoted to countrymen

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Amid incessant catastrophe by the novel coronavirus, Bangladesh is commemorating the 45th anniversary of assassination of its founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was brutally murdered on Aug. 15, 1975.

SPECIAL REPORT

Tanzania’s tourism sector rebounds as virus fears wane

By Kizito Makoye

KILIMANJARO, Tanzania (AA) – Hordes of tourists are flocking to Tanzania as fears over the coronavirus pandemic are rapidly fading, raising hopes for the country’s hardest-hit tourism sector, which is emerging from the ravages of the deadly pathogen.

SPECIAL REPORT

COVID-19 alters Indian Independence Day celebrations

By Cheena Kapoor

NEW DELHI (AA) – As the COVID-19 cases in India touch an all-time high, the world’s second-most populous country prepares itself to celebrate the 74th Independence Day following pandemic precautions.