Beril Çanakcı
04 September 2025•Update: 05 September 2025
ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Thursday, including the death toll rising to 15 in Lisbon after the Gloria funicular derailment, Hamas agreeing to the formation of an “independent administration of technocrats” to run Gaza, and US President Donald Trump saying he is open to sending more troops to Poland and imposing penalties on Russia.
TOP STORIES
- Death toll rises to 15 in Lisbon Gloria funicular derailment, 18 injured
At least 15 people were killed and 18 injured when Lisbon's historic Gloria funicular derailed and crashed into a building on Rua da Gloria, according to media reports.
The accident occurred shortly after 6 pm local time (1700GMT) as the funicular was descending from the Sao Pedro de Alcantara viewpoint toward Restauradores, said the Diario de Noticias newspaper.
- Hamas says it agrees to formation of ‘independent administration of technocrats’ to run Gaza
The Palestinian group Hamas said it has agreed to the formation of an independent national administration made up of technocrats to run the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas is still awaiting Israel’s response to the proposal put forward by mediators on Aug. 18, which was accepted by the group,” it added in a statement.
Hamas reiterated that it is ready to reach a comprehensive agreement “that would see the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, ending the war on Gaza, the withdrawal of all occupation forces, opening the crossings to allow the entry of all necessary supplies into the Strip, and beginning the reconstruction process.”
- Trump says he is open to sending more US troops to Poland, imposing penalties on Russia
US President Donald Trump said he is open to the possibility of sending more American troops to Poland if Warsaw requests the increase and suggested his administration is working on further economic penalties on Russia.
"We'll put more there if they want. But they long wanted to have a larger presence. We have some countries that have more, not too many, but they'll be staying in Poland. We're very much aligned with Poland," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, where he was hosting his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki.
"We never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland. We do think about it with regard to other countries, but we would never, no. We're with Poland all the way, and we will help Poland protect itself," he added.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Tunisia lodged a protest late with France over the killing of a Tunisian national by French police in the city of Marseille.
- Egypt and Sudan called an Ethiopian dam built by Addis Ababa on the Nile River a “threat” to the two countries.
- An explosion was reported in the Mezzeh neighborhood of the Syrian capital Damascus.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended continued military action against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, calling them "imminent threats" to American security.
- US President Donald Trump called on the Palestinian group Hamas to immediately release hostages held in Gaza, warning that "things will change rapidly."
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would be willing to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy should he visit Moscow.
- The EU is failing to use its geopolitical power on Gaza as member states are not united on the issue, the bloc's foreign policy chief said.
- Moscow denied US President Donald Trump’s accusation that the Russian, Chinese and North Korean leaders were conspiring against Washington amid a massive parade held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
- Seven Syrians were detained by Israeli forces in an overnight raid on the Quneitra countryside in southwestern Syria, according to local media.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Bulgarian lawmakers vote down euro referendum proposal
Bulgaria's National Assembly rejected a proposal from a small party to hold a referendum on keeping the lev as the country's sole official currency until 2043.
The motion by the Eurosceptic "Greatness" party was defeated with 65 votes in favor, 110 against and 28 abstentions during parliament's first sitting after its summer recess, according to Sofia News Agency.
The vote concluded a debate that began several weeks ago and revealed divisions within Bulgaria over eurozone membership.
- Fed’s Beige Book shows 'little' change in US economic activity
US economic activity posted "little or no change" in most of the 12 Federal Reserve districts since the prior Beige Book, the Fed's latest Beige Book said.
The report, prepared with analyses from 12 districts of the central bank, noted that economic activity in most regions had changed little or not at all since the previous reporting period, while four regions recorded "modest" growth.
"Across Districts, contacts reported flat to declining consumer spending because, for many households, wages were failing to keep up with rising prices," it said.
