Diary

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

TURKEY

ANKARA - Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to be special guest at Anadolu Agency Editors' Desk.

ISTANBUL - Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop to meet with Khalid al-Mishri, head of Libya’s High State Council, followed by official luncheon in honor of Mishri and his delegation.

ANKARA - Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank to meet with Oleg Uruskiy, Ukraine’s vice prime minister for strategic industries.

ANKARA - Following latest developments in Eastern Mediterranean.

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

ANKARA - Following latest developments in normalization deal reached by UAE, Israel.

US

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump to formally accept re-nomination on final night of Republican National Convention.

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Laura to make landfall on US Gulf Coast early Thursday morning, with some forecasting it to be powerful Category 5 storm.

MOLDOVA

COMRAT – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to hold talks in autonomous Gagauzia region, home to large Turkic population.

GERMANY

BERLIN - Informal meeting of EU foreign ministers to kick off in Berlin.

BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel to meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

BERLIN - Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to meet with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi.

GREECE

ATHENS - Greek parliament to vote on controversial maritime deal with Egypt.

RUSSIA

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

LIBYA

TRIPOLI - Following developments after UN-recognized government announced nationwide cease-fire.

MALI

BAMAKO - Following developments after military coup ousting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

NEW ZEALAND

CHRISTCHURCH - Following developments after life sentence without parole given to mosque shooter who last year killed 51 Muslim worshipers.

SPECIAL REPORT

Zimbabwe’s open-air churches fueling spread of COVID-19

By Jeffrey Moyo

MASVINGO, Zimbabwe (AA) - He is confined indoors, and his four wives and 17 children are plagued by coronavirus symptoms. Yet Tongai Muhacha, 57, has not ceased conducting church services with members of his flock at his home, after police dispersed them last month from their usual worship site in the bush.

SPECIAL REPORT

South Sudan: Ebola lurks, COVID-19 rages

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) – South Sudan is on alert as Ebola is lurking in the neighborhood and the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, overshadowing the threat of Ebola in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) spilling over.

SPECIAL REPORT

Questions loom over Haftar’s legal defense in US court

By Michael Hernandez and Vakkas Dogantekin

WASHINGTON (AA) - As a renegade Libyan general seeks to stave off a pair of civil lawsuits in a US court accusing him of responsibility for mass atrocities, he has chosen a risky legal defense, claiming he is immune from legal action under his alleged status as Libya's head of state.