Asiye Latife Yılmaz
24 October 2025•Update: 24 October 2025
ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including US Vice President JD Vance ruling out Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, US President Donald Trump saying Israel is “not going to do anything” with the West Bank after an annexation vote, and Trump ending all trade talks with Canada over the “fraudulent” use of a video advertisement featuring the voice of Ronald Reagan.
TOP STORIES
- US vice president rules out West Bank annexation by Israel, calls Knesset vote ‘stupid political stunt’
US Vice President JD Vance ruled out Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, calling a Knesset vote for annexing the occupied territory “a stupid political stunt.”
“If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it. The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel,” Vance told reporters in Tel Aviv.
“The policy of the Trump administration is that the West Bank will not be annexed by Israel. That will continue to be our policy,” he added.
- Trump says Israel ‘not going to do anything’ with West Bank after annexation vote
US President Donald Trump said Israel “is not going to do anything” with the West Bank following a controversial parliamentary vote to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Don’t worry about the West Bank. Israel’s not going to do anything with the West Bank,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
His remarks came in response to a question about whether he viewed the parliament’s vote on annexing the West Bank as a challenge to his peace efforts.
- Trump ends all trade talks with Canada over ‘fraudulent’ use of video advertisement featuring voice of Ronald Reagan
US President Donald Trump announced the termination of all trade negotiations with Canada, citing the “fraudulent” use of a video advertisement featuring the voice of the late President Ronald Reagan.
He said the video advertisement, reportedly costing $75,000, had been used to interfere with decisions of the US Supreme Court and other courts.
“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- The European Union has passed its latest package of sanctions on Russia, the bloc’s foreign policy chief announced.
- China slammed the EU over its fresh Russia sanctions, stressing that dialogue and negotiation are the "only viable way" out of the Russia-Ukraine war.
- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said that more than 61 million tons of debris blanket the Gaza Strip as a result of more than two years of Israel’s war.
- Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Shas Party withdrew from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition in the Knesset amid a dispute over the conscription of Haredi Jews.
- Ukraine has received the bodies of 1,000 of its servicemen from Russia as part of a repatriation operation coordinated between several Ukrainian agencies, officials said.
- Over 100,000 homes have been left without power after Storm Benjamin hit France, said the country's public energy supplier.
- France issued a new arrest warrant for deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad over crimes against humanity.
- US President Donald Trump said he “will be making a decision” about the release of Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison.
- Egypt hosted talks between Palestinian factions to discuss the implementation of the second phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement.
- The director of Paris’ Louvre Museum announced her resignation after the crown jewels, valued at €88 million ($102.2 million), were stolen from the famed Apollo Gallery in a spectacular burglary.
- 15 nations including Türkiye as well as the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the strongest terms condemned Israel’s approval of draft laws to impose so-called “sovereignty” on the occupied West Bank.
- US President Donald Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of crypto exchange Binance.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said talks on the potential supply of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine by the US are an “attempt at escalation.”
- Lithuania has accused Russia of briefly violating its airspace when two military aircraft crossed from the Kaliningrad region.
- At least four people were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed several sites in eastern and southern, said Lebanese authorities.
- Türkiye said progress was made on a Eurofighter deal with the UK and signaled its readiness to take part in a proposed Gaza Task Force.
- A meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "is not completely off the table," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has granted Israel an additional two months to submit its written response in the ongoing genocide case filed by South Africa over the war in Gaza.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- US, Chinese top trade negotiators to hold talks in Malaysia this weekend
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US and China will hold two days of trade talks this weekend in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
On Saturday and Sunday, Bessent will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, he told Fox Business Network.
Malaysia is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit from Sunday to Tuesday.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will also take part in the talks.
- Türkiye’s international reserves reach another record high of $198.4B
The Turkish Central Bank's official international reserves reached an all-time high of $198.4 billion as of Oct. 17, according to official figures.
Total reserves surged 4.6%, or $8.7 billion, from the previous week's $189.7 billion, the bank said.
Foreign currency reserves — in convertible foreign currencies — ticked down 0.1% to $79.6 billion compared to the previous week.
- EU passes latest package of sanctions on Moscow, targeting Russian banks, entities in India, China
The EU has passed its latest package of sanctions on Russia, the bloc’s foreign policy chief announced.
"We just adopted our 19th sanctions package. It targets Russian banks, crypto exchanges, entities in India and China, among others," Kaja Kallas said on the US social media company X’s platform.
The package bans the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), effective Jan. 1, 2027, for long-term contracts and within six months of the sanctions’ entry into force for short-term contracts.
It also removes the exemption for EU imports of oil and gas from major companies Rosneft and Gazprom Neft while sanctioning two Chinese refineries and an oil trader that are major buyers of Russian crude oil.
- US Senate blocks bill to pay essential federal workers required to work during government shutdown
US Senate Democrats voted down a Republican-backed bill that would have provided pay to active-duty service members and other essential federal workers continuing their duties during the government shutdown, which is now in its 23rd day.
By a vote of 54-45, the Senate did not invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Shutdown Fairness Act, sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson. It required 60 votes to move forward.
