Diary

ANKARA (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu Agency's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

TURKEY

ISTANBUL - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to receive Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

ANKARA - Following COVID-19 normalization process in Turkey, virus variants, worldwide pandemic situation.

US

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden to deliver remarks on ongoing evacuations from Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Antony Blinken to attend virtual meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin to host German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

AFGHANISTAN

KABUL - Monitoring developments after Taliban seized Afghan capital, taking control of country for first time since 2001.

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS - Foreign ministers of NATO member countries, including Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, to held extraordinary videoconference meeting on Afghanistan

MYANMAR

YANGON - Monitoring developments after February military coup triggered violent protests, crackdown.

THE ECONOMY

ANKARA - Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) to release established and liquidated companies data for July.

ANKARA - Treasury and Finance Ministry to release Central Government debt statistics for July.

SPORTS

CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA - Turkey to take on Ukraine in game 2 of 2021 Women European Volleyball Championships.

SPECIAL REPORT

Pet abandonment riles animal activists in Ivory Coast

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) – Animal activists in the Western African country of Ivory Coast are up in arms against people who adopt dogs for shallow reasons and then abandon them on the streets.

SPECIAL REPORT

Adopting street dogs gaining popularity in India

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - When animal rescuer Laxmi Gowda posted a puppy for adoption in Bengaluru on social media 10 days ago, she was surprised to see the response.

SPECIAL REPORT

Hyperinflation erodes elder pensions in Zimbabwe

By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AA) – Hyperinflation in the landlocked southern African country of Zimbabwe is making pensions all but worthless and hitting the country’s retired seniors hard.

SPECIAL REPORT

Iran braces for refugee influx from Afghanistan

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Many Afghan soldiers and civilians have sought refuge in Iran over the last two weeks, since the Taliban started rapidly taking over provinces on their way to seizing the capital Kabul.

SPECIAL REPORT

Cellphones help Tanzanian farmers sharpen their game

By Kizito Makoye

MOROGORO, Tanzania (AA) – While spreading fertilizer, Sebastian Bukeke, 47, a small-time farmer in the village of Kiroka in Tanzania’s Morogoro region, is also using his cellphone to learn about the weather. He has been able to boost his farming skills using timely advice from experts on his cellphone.

SPECIAL REPORT

‘Community service’ new Israeli punishment for Palestinians

By Salam Abu Sharar

JERUSALEM (AA) – Mohammed Abu Qwider, 23, a resident of Jerusalem, was sitting in the audience celebrating the graduation of his friends. Though he was supposed to be on the stage along with them, Israeli authorities deprived him of the honor.

SPECIAL REPORT

Global powers urged to give Taliban a chance for regional peace, stability

By Mehmet Ozturk and Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) – A senior Afghan politician and peace activist is urging the world community and regional powers to give the Taliban a chance to run Afghanistan for the sake of peace and stability.