Diary

ISTANBUL

Here are the main topics Anadolu's English Desk plans to cover on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 (coverage may change depending on developing/ breaking stories):

Harsh weather conditions in Gaza

A polar low-pressure system bringing heavy rains and cold temperatures continues to batter the Gaza Strip, causing the death of an eight-month old baby on Thursday. The enclave's Health Ministry warned harsh conditions pose serious risks to lives of children, patients and the elderly across the enclave.

Ongoing regional tour by UN secretary-general

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to continue his visit in Saudi Arabia, where he arrived on Wednesday to hold bilateral talks on regional matters. Guterres will travel to Iraq on Dec. 13 to mark the closure of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), before returning to Riyadh to take part in the 11th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations on Dec. 14-15. He will then visit Muscat, Oman for talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on regional developments, including the situation in Yemen.

Erdogan attends International Peace and Security Forum in Turkmenistan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends International Peace and Security Forum, which is being held to mark the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s status of permanent neutrality and the designation of 2025 as the ‘International Year of Peace and Trust’ by the UN General Assembly.

Erdogan addresses participants at the general session titled “Peace and Trust: Unity of Goals for a Sustainable Future.”

Other world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin are also attending the forum.

Developments on Ukraine peace talks

Efforts led by the US to end Russia's war on Ukraine continue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has floated the idea of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand the Donbas region to Russia.

UK premier meets Belgian counterpart

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to host his Belgian counterpart Bart De Wever in London, with discussions between the pair likely to include the issue of the use frozen Russian assets. Belgium has particular concerns over the scheme as most of the assets are held there.

Italian premier meets Palestinian president in Rome

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome to likely discuss issues related to Gaza ceasefire as well as a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

UN agencies' briefing in Geneva

The UN Information Service holds a press briefing for UN bodies providing updates from UN agencies on the most pressing issues around the world. The latest updates from Gaza and Sudan are expected to top the agenda.

Trump to attend ceremonies at White House

US President Donald Trump will participate in a swearing-in ceremony for the CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation and chairman of EXIM Bank, an event currently scheduled to be closed to reporters. He will later also attend a bill signing event. Both will be held in the Oval Office.

US defense chief to visit newly relocated US Space Command HQ

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will attend a designation ceremony at the newly relocated US Space Command Headquarters, Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville, Alabama. He will also meet army acquisition counterparts and defense industry leaders.

UN Security Council to hold open briefings on DRC, Haiti

The UN Security Council will convene for an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the work of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee chair Michael Imran Kanu are expected to brief. In the afternoon, the council will hold a briefing on sanctions against the Caribbean island nation of Haiti.

Developments in eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels reinforce positions

Developments in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as the M23 rebel group entrenches itself in the strategic city of Uvira, a key trade hub on Lake Tanganyika near Burundi. The advance, displacing over 200,000 people and killing dozens, defies a recent US-brokered peace accord between Congo and Rwanda, and a Qatari-mediated ceasefire with M23.

Thailand-Cambodia developments

Developments along the Thailand-Cambodia border after renewed deadly clashes resulted in at least 16 deaths – 10 civilians in Cambodia and six soldiers in Thailand. Both sides continue to accuse each other of attacking each other with heavy weapons.

THE ECONOMY

UK economic growth

UK to release gross domestic product (GDP) growth data for October. The country will also share industrial production and foreign trade statistics.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Decade after Paris: How far off is the world on climate action?

Explainer on what the world has – and has not – achieved in the decade since the landmark Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015.

The report examines whether global efforts to curb warming are on track, with the growth rate of emissions slowing but overall global carbon emissions continuing to rise. It assesses how far the world remains from the treaty’s core goal of keeping warming “well below” 2C and ideally to 1.5C.

The report revisits the historic moment at COP21, outline the agreement’s key commitments, and evaluate progress made by governments over the past decade, drawing on climate data and ongoing debates around global accountability and ambition.

Asia’s deadly floods expose fragile infrastructure, climate pressures

Report examining how severe floods across Asia – which left more than 1,700 people dead and millions displaced from Indonesia to Sri Lanka – have exposed weak early-warning systems, inadequate infrastructure, and poor land-use planning.

The story highlights expert warnings that sprawling urbanization, deforestation of slopes, and construction in floodplains have worsened vulnerability, as governments struggle to adapt to rapidly shifting rainfall patterns driven by warming oceans and stronger storms.

The report has interviews with climate scientists, environmental geologists and disaster-management experts, including Daanish Mustafa, professor in critical geography at King’s College London; Roxy Mathew Koll, climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology; and Dwikorita Karnawati, former director of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency.

New Dutch coalition talks raise question: Is the Netherlands ready for stability?

Report examining whether the Netherlands can regain political stability and credibility within the EU as three centrist and center-right parties negotiate to form a new government after years of fragile coalitions and repeated breakdowns.

The story tracks early coalition efforts by D66, CDA and the VVD as they weigh forming either a minority government or a broader majority coalition, highlighting how prolonged instability and ministerial turnover have damaged the country’s standing in Brussels.

The report includes comments from Elizabeth Kuiper, associate director at the European Policy Center, and DENK MP Dogukan Ergin on whether the Netherlands can re-establish itself as a reliable EU partner, the challenges ahead for coalition-building, and the prospects for durable governance in a fragmented political landscape.