Morning Briefing: Oct. 17, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including Russian President Vladimir Putin telling his US counterpart Donald Trump that sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would damage Russia-US ties, the reappointed French prime minister’s government surviving two no-confidence votes, and a report by a UN agency saying that over 650,000 children are deprived of education in the Gaza Strip for the third consecutive year.

TOP STORIES

• Putin tells Trump potential Tomahawk transfer to Ukraine would damage Russia-US ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart Donald Trump in a phone call that potential long-range Tomahawk cruise missile deliveries to Ukraine will damage ties between Moscow and Washington.

“Putin reiterated his thesis that Tomahawk missiles will not change the situation on the battlefield but will cause significant damage to relations between our countries, not to mention the prospects for a peaceful settlement (in Ukraine),” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists in a briefing.

Noting that the nearly two-and-a-half-hour conversation was “very substantive, yet also extremely frank and confidential,” Ushakov said that particular emphasis was placed on the Ukraine war during the talks, in which Putin gave Trump a “detailed assessment of the current situation.”

• Reappointed French premier's government survives 2 votes of no-confidence

The new government of France’s reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived two no-confidence votes in a row, with both falling well short of the 289-vote supermajority required to topple a government.

The first motion failed with 271 deputies voting in favor and 18 against the no-confidence motion, leading the National Assembly to reject the motion by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party. The second, proposed by the far-right National Rally (RN), fared even worse, with just 144 votes against the government.

Olivier Faure, the first secretary of the Socialist Party, which has signaled they could file a separate no-confidence motion, said they will not censure the government "as long as Parliament is respected."

• Over 650,000 Gaza children out of school for 3rd year: UN agency

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said that over 650,000 children are deprived of education in the Gaza Strip for the third consecutive year.

“In Gaza, children are out of school for a third year in a row,” UNRWA said on the US social media company X’s platform. "For nearly 660,000 girls and boys, returning to learning is not only about education, it’s about starting to heal from deep trauma."

As the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza, UNRWA stands ready to support them, the agency added.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the current Gaza ceasefire in a phone call, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
• US-based multinational health care company Johnson & Johnson is facing a major lawsuit in the UK, where more than 3,000 people claim the company knowingly sold talcum (talc) powder contaminated with asbestos, leading to cases of cancer.
• TikTok removed more than 189 million videos in the second quarter due to community guidelines violations, according to a recent statement from the firm.
• A US federal judge ordered federal immigration officers in the Chicago area to start wearing body cameras following incidents where agents deployed tear gas and used other aggressive tactics against protesters.
• Local authorities in Gaza said that some 480 aid trucks entered the besieged enclave under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
• A top health official in Gaza said that signs of torture and burns were found on the bodies of Palestinian detainees returned by Israel under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.
• The Israeli army launched 12 airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, marking a new violation of a ceasefire deal in place since November 2024.
• A Hamas leader reaffirmed his group’s commitment to a Gaza ceasefire agreement with Israel.
• US President Donald Trump said he is "outraged" by a looming global carbon tax on shipping that a key UN organ is slated to soon vote on, vowing the US will not comply.
• China’s new space-borne radar technology can detect fast-moving stealth aircraft day and night, the South China Morning Post reported, citing a study.
• Greek recognition of Palestine would come only after a UN-supervised political process, the nation’s prime minister said.
• The Houthi group confirmed that its chief of staff had been killed in US–Israeli airstrikes on Yemen.
• Indonesia's Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the country is set to acquire 10 Chengdu J-10 fighter jets from China.
• Pakistan’s army said that at least 34 militants were killed during security operations in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
• A US federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by 22 young climate activists seeking to halt President Donald Trump’s executive orders supporting fossil fuels, saying that granting an injunction would be “unworkable,” The Guardian reported.
• Russia declined to comment on whether the issue of extraditing Bashar al-Assad was raised during talks between President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa a day earlier in Moscow.
• Nearly 700 million people around the world are classified as living in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 per day per person, according to the World Bank.
• The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that the UK and Ukraine are “planning sabotage” against the TurkStream pipeline.
• China vowed to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests if its “legitimate rights” are harmed over the purchase of Russian energy products.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• US Senate blocks $852B defense spending bill

The US Senate blocked an $852 billion defense budget for fiscal 2026 as a government shutdown has stretched into a third week.

By a vote of 50-44, the upper chamber did not invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 4016, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act.

Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman and Jeanne Shaheen voted in favor.

• Eurozone posts $1.1B trade surplus in August, down from $14.8B

The eurozone posted a €1 billion ($1.17 billion) foreign trade surplus in August, the region’s statistical bureau Eurostat said.

The figure significantly fell from a €12.7 billion ($14.8 billion) surplus in the previous month and came well below market forecasts of a €6.9 billion surplus.

The downturn was mainly due to a sharp decrease in the surplus of machinery and vehicles, which fell from €18 billion to €7.8 billion, Eurostat said in a statement.