ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including the Israeli Navy attacking a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and detaining over 450 activists, Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring the world is entering a “polycentric era” and warning Europe about security risks, and Venezuela accusing the US of military “provocation” as tensions rise.
TOP STORIES
- Israeli Navy attacks Gaza aid flotilla, detains over 450 activists
Israeli naval forces attacked an international aid flotilla bound for the besieged Gaza Strip and detained more than 450 activists on board, its organizers said.
According to the official tracker of the Global Sumud Flotilla, 28 ships were attacked and seized by Israeli forces and 13 others are believed to have been attacked, but it was not yet documented.
Of the vessels remaining, two support ships turned back while the vessel Marinette continues sailing toward Gaza but is still far away after a late arrival due to technical malfunctions, the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) said.
A statement by the Global Sumud Flotilla said activists on the vessels were forcibly taken from their ships by Israeli forces, describing their detention as “unlawful abduction.”
It confirmed that more than 450 activists from 47 countries were transferred to Ashdod Port in southern Israel.
- Putin says world entering ‘polycentric era,’ warns Europe over security risks
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the world is entering a “polycentric era” where no single power can dictate rules, warning Europe against militarization, expressing conditional support for US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposals and placing responsibility for the continuation of the Ukraine war on Western states.
“Discussions at the Valdai forum provide an opportunity to objectively and comprehensively assess the situation around the world,” he said, adding that multipolarity is “a qualitatively new phenomenon” that creates both opportunities and risks.
“No one is ready to play by rules set by one person somewhere far away,” he said.
Putin argued that a multipolar world is more democratic, since it allows “a large number of political and economic players” to influence outcomes.
- Venezuela accuses US of military 'provocation' as tensions escalate
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said that five fighter jets were detected near the country's coast, which he described as a "threat" and "provocation" by the United States.
"They are fighter jets. Imperialism has dared to approach the Venezuelan coast," Padrino said from an air base in a state television broadcast, adding the presence of the planes was reported by an international airline to a control tower.
"The presence of these planes flying near our nearby Caribbean Sea is rude, a provocation, (and) a threat to the security of the nation," he said.
Padrino assured that if the US attacked the South American nation, the country would launch a "national mobilization."
NEWS IN BRIEF
- German air traffic control (DFS) suspended all flights at Munich Airport following multiple drone sightings that raised safety concerns, the airport said.
- The international organization the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said that 11 more ships are sailing toward the Gaza Strip to challenge a years-long Israeli blockade.
- At least 14 people were killed in an attack by militias on a camp for displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, local media said.
- A Hamas leader said the group will soon respond to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan.
- US President Donald Trump is seeking political "retribution" and is not engaging with Democrats as the ongoing government shutdown nears a second full day, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
- US President Donald Trump has declared that his country is engaged in a formal “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which his administration has labeled “terrorist organizations,” and that suspected smugglers for these groups are “unlawful combatants,” according to a report citing a confidential notice to Congress.
- Typhoon Bualoi has killed 49 people, with 16 missing in Vietnam, according to officials
- The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers pledged to step up coordinated economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine, vowing new sanctions and trade measures targeting Moscow and those helping it circumvent restrictions.
- The Israeli army killed 43 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip amid an expanded offensive aimed at fully occupying Gaza City, medical sources and witnesses said.
- The Israeli human rights organization "Adalah" demanded the immediate release of activists detained in the "illegal attack" on the Global Sumud Flotilla.
- The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used a special unit to detain Tufts University doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk and other students who support Palestine, according to a report.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe must scale up its air defense and deterrence capacities rather than rely on the idea of a “drone wall,” which he described as “not totally feasible.”
- Russia and Ukraine exchanged 185 servicemen each as part of deals reached in Istanbul earlier this year.
- China has blasted the "abuse" of veto power by the US at the UN Security Council, blocking attempts to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
- The Balkan nation of Serbia has received bomb threat reports at over 800 schools, officials announced, with the schools reportedly evacuated as a precautionary measure.
SPORTS
- FIFA ‘cannot solve geopolitical problems,’ chief says amid calls for sanctions on Israel
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the world football governing body “cannot solve geopolitical problems” amid growing calls for sanctions against Israel.
"FIFA cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values," Infantino said, in what appears to be a justification for not discussing the exclusion of Israel at the body's council meeting held Thursday.
"Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity," he added.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Trump says government shutdown is 'unprecedented opportunity’ to cut more Democratic federal jobs
US President Donald Trump said the Democratic Party gave him an "unprecedented opportunity" to slash more jobs at federal agencies, while blaming them for the federal government shutdown.
Trump said he will meet with White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to determine which federal agencies will suffer job cuts. In previous government shutdowns, employees were furloughed, not fired, and Democrats have argued that any firings would be illegal.
"I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent," the president wrote on the US social media company Truth Social’s platform, which he owns.
- Netflix loses over $15B in market value after Elon Musk calls for subscription cancellation
US-based streaming service Netflix has lost over $15 billion in market capitalization in just more than a day after billionaire Elon Musk called for a subscription cancellation due to what he called "woke" content.
Netflix shares were down by 4.3% in one-and-a-half days to $1,140.50 as of 1435GMT Thursday.
The market cap of the firm fell to $482.9 billion Thursday, compared to around $498 billion Wednesday, according to data from stockanalysis.com.
