Gizem Nisa Demir
22 September 2025•Update: 22 September 2025
ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including mysterious drones being spotted over a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in the Mediterranean, US President Donald Trump pledging to defend Poland and the Baltic states amid rising Russian tensions, and Palestine welcoming the recognition of its statehood by the UK, Canada and Australia ahead of key UN meetings.
TOP STORIES
- 3 drones flying over vessels of Gaza-bound aid flotilla: Spokesperson
The Maghreb Sumud Flotilla reported three drones of unknown origin hovering over one of its boats in the Mediterranean Sea.
“Three drones are flying over us, and one of them came very close,” Wael Naouar, the spokesperson for the Maghreb fleet of the Global Sumud Flotilla, said on the US social media company Facebook’s platform.
Naouar said the second drone was spotted over the Deir Yassin boat, one of the Tunisian vessels, which reported similar drone activity on Saturday.
- Trump vows to defend Poland, Baltic states if Russia escalates
US President Donald Trump pledged to defend Poland and the Baltic states if Russia continues escalating tensions in the region.
"Yeah, I would," Trump said when asked whether he would help defend Poland and Baltic countries from Russia if Moscow keeps escalating.
This came before he departed for a memorial service of assassinated conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona.
Trump's statement follows Russia's recent alleged violations of Baltic airspace. On Friday, three suspected Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission for 12 minutes.
- Palestine welcomes recognition of statehood by UK, Canada, Australia
Palestine hailed the official recognition of its statehood by several countries ahead of UN General Assembly meetings, saying the move would protect the two-state solution and achieve peace.
In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the UK, Canada and Australia for their “courageous decisions” to officially recognize the state of Palestine, which came “in line with international law and legitimate UN resolutions.”
The ministry called the recognition “an acknowledgment of the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and ensures the protection of the two-state solution from the continued crimes of genocide, starvation, displacement and annexation” committed by Israel.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Kabul urged the US to not threaten Afghanistan’s territorial integrity after President Donald Trump warned that "bad things" would happen if the interim Taliban administration does not cede control of Bagram Air Base to the Pentagon.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that his country officially recognized the state of Palestine, pledging partnership to build peace between Palestine and Israel.
- The UK officially recognizes the state of Palestine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced ahead of the UN General Assembly.
- Australia formally recognized the statehood of Palestine, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
- Portugal officially recognized the state of Palestine, the country's foreign minister announced in New York.
- Five people, including three children, were killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon in the latest violation of a ceasefire agreement, the Health Ministry said.
- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in New York for what state media called a “historic visit” to attend the UN General Assembly, marking the first appearance by a Syrian head of state at the annual gathering since 1967, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended his government’s decision to recognize the state of Palestine after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the move as “an absurd prize for terrorism.”
- Three police officers were killed and seven others abducted in an armed attack in Nigeria’s Benue State, said authorities.
- The Venezuelan government confirmed that President Nicolas Maduro had sent a letter to US President Donald Trump proposing the establishment of direct dialogue between the two countries.
- Tens of thousands of mourners filled a football stadium in Glendale, Arizona to honor Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, who was assassinated at a university in Utah 11 days earlier.
- The Libyan vessel Omar al-Mukhtar set sail to join the Global Sumud Flotilla aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip after being equipped with an intensive care unit to provide health services for the fleet.
- The Turkish Stars Aerobatic Team of the Turkish Air Force won the “Best Show Flight” award at the NATO Days event in the Czech Republic.
- Syria will hold parliamentary elections next month, the first polls since last year’s ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime, said the electoral commission.
- The Somali army, working with international partners, has carried out a planned operation, killing at least four al-Shabaab militants, local media reported.
- Telegram and the US social media platform Facebook were disrupted in Guinea, the global watchdog Netblocks said, as the country held a constitutional referendum seen as a key step toward ending military rule and restoring civilian governance after the 2021 coup.
- US President Donald Trump said he does not think that the Pentagon should control what reporters can report amid new media restrictions at the Defense Department.
- A senior government official and his wife were killed in western Sudan’s North Darfur State, while thousands fled the regional capital El-Fasher amid escalating violence, officials and a UN agency said.
- Western recognition of Palestinian statehood invited anger across Israel, with government ministers calling for the annexation of the occupied West Bank in retaliation.
- French President Emmanuel Macron rejected criticism from US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner, calling his remarks “unacceptable” and insisting that France’s opposition to Israeli policies in Gaza cannot be equated with antisemitism, CBS news reported.
- The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) launched airstrikes on rebel positions in the Masisi and Walikale territories in the eastern province of North Kivu, according to UN radio.
- A bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers visited China, marking the first such visit since 2019, where they also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Türkiye's premier tech event TEKNOFEST welcomes 1M+ visitors
Türkiye's premier technology, aviation and space event, TEKNOFEST, welcomed 1.03 million visitors this week in Istanbul, the event announced on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.
The five-day event at Ataturk Airport, which opened last Wednesday, was organized by the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation and Türkiye’s Industry and Technology Ministry.
TEKNOFEST has been held since 2018 with the support of dozens of government bodies, private sector partners and universities, and Anadolu has been serving as a global communications partner for the festival.
- South Korea’s LG, London Stock Exchange Group launch AI tool for financial reports
South Korea’s LG Group has launched an artificial intelligence-based financial agent in partnership with the London Stock Exchange Group, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The platform, called EXAONE Business Intelligence (EXAONE-BI), is capable of producing complete financial reports without human involvement, according to LG AI Research.
A launch ceremony was held Friday in London, where LG AI Research and the London Stock Exchange Group presented the system.
Officials said EXAONE-BI can integrate and process vast amounts of data to deliver market forecasts.
