Morning Briefing: Sept. 9, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou losing a confidence vote in the parliament, Norway's center-left bloc winning a majority in initial parliamentary election results, Israeli strikes killing 40 Palestinians across Gaza Strip, and Flotilla for Gaza saying that main boat was struck by drone.

TOP STORIES

• French premier loses confidence vote in parliament

France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the parliament on Monday, National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet announced.

Receiving 194 votes in support and 364 votes against, Bayrou failed to obtain a majority in the parliament, where 15 of the 589 deputies abstained.

He is expected to submit his government's resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

Bayrou has now become the only prime minister under the Fifth Republic since 1958 to be brought down by a confidence vote.

• Norway's center-left bloc wins majority in initial parliamentary election results

Norway's center-left bloc with the premier's Labor Party wins a majority in parliamentary elections with 88 seats, initial results indicated on Monday.

According to initial results, the center-left bloc, led by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store’s Labor Party, secured a majority in the parliamentary elections with 88 seats, surpassing the 85-seat threshold.

With about 74% of the votes counted, the center-right alliance, led by the Progress Party and Conservatives, currently holds 81 seats.

Store’s Labor Party is leading with 55 seats, followed by the Progress Party with 47.

• At least 40 killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza Strip

The Israeli army killed at least 40 civilians and injured many others in airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to medics.

Three Palestinians were killed and several others injured when the Israeli army opened fire on aid seekers in the Zikim area northwest of Gaza.

On Al-Nafaq Street, which runs from central Gaza City toward its northeastern areas, two Palestinian women and a child from the Al-Sahabani family were killed in an Israeli strike.

Six Palestinians were killed and several others injured by Israeli army fire while waiting for aid near distribution centers in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said a medical source.

Another Palestinian was killed when the army targeted a house in the Zarqa area of Gaza City’s al-Tuffah neighborhood.

• Flotilla for Gaza says main boat struck by drone, Tunisia denies claim

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) for Gaza said one of its main vessels, the “Family Boat,” was struck by what is suspected to be a drone off the coast of Tunisia early Tuesday, but Tunisian authorities rejected the claim.

In a statement reported by Tunisia’s state TAP news agency, Tunisa's Interior Ministry dismissed reports that the Portuguese-flagged ship had been struck by a drone while anchored outside the port of Sidi Bou Said.

The ministry said security units inspected the scene and determined that a fire was caused by a life jacket igniting. The blaze was swiftly contained and caused no injuries or material damage apart from the burning of several jackets, it added.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday expressed Ankara's solidarity with the Palestinian people, saying: "(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu government has completely gone off the rails."
• Four Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, the military said on Monday, as Tel Aviv pressed ahead with a plan to occupy Gaza City.
• The Oversight Committee of the US House of Representatives on Monday obtained a series of documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, including a so-called “birthday book” that allegedly contains a 2003 letter from President Donald Trump.
• Spain recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv on Monday after the Israeli government accused Madrid of antisemitism and barred two Spanish ministers from entering Israel.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday said the economic globalization was “irresistible trend of history,” stressing multilateralism, amid tariffs from US President Donald Trump.
• Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday proposed the creation of a unicameral parliament in his country in the “foreseeable future.”
• Authorities in Nepal imposed a curfew in the capital Kathmandu after protesters stormed the parliament to protest against alleged corruption and the government's decision to shut down social media.
• The British government denounced the "utterly appalling" situation in the Gaza Strip but said it does not regard what is happening in Gaza as a genocide.
• Two Palestinian children were killed and four others were injured by Israeli army fire in the West Bank city of Jenin on Monday evening, medics said.
• The UN on Monday dismissed claims that its General Assembly high-level week would be moved from New York to Geneva, following a US decision to bar Palestinian officials from entry.
• Professors and advocacy groups on Monday called on the Canadian government to immediately implement policy changes and prioritize the processing of visas for Palestinian students trapped in the Gaza Strip.
• The Colombian army reported on Monday that 45 soldiers are being held captive in a rural area of the municipality of El Tambo, located in the southwestern region of Cauca.
• The Czech Republic on Monday said that it declared a Belarusian diplomat "persona non grata" over alleged "espionage."
• Syria and Lebanon held a preparatory meeting on Monday to discuss the issue of detainees and related bilateral agreements.
• The UN on Monday sounded the alarm over mounting Israeli restrictions on humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip, warning that displaced civilians remain in dire need of essential supplies.
• Egypt and the US affirmed the need on Monday to continue close coordination to contain regional escalation and support stability in the Middle East.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• SpaceX to acquire spectrum licenses worth $17B from telecom firm EchoStar

US-based satellite communications provider EchoStar announced Monday that it has reached an agreement to sell spectrum licenses worth approximately $17 billion to SpaceX.

The firm said that it will sell all of its AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses to SpaceX.

The deal will consist of up to $8.5 billion in cash and up to $8.5 billion in SpaceX stock.

• Türkiye expects GDP growth of 3.3% in 2025, 5% in 2028, medium-term program shows

Türkiye aims to increase its gross domestic product (GDP) by 3.3% in 2025, 3.8% in 2026, 4.3% in 2027, and 5% in 2028, according to the country's medium-term program (MTP) for 2026-2028, released on Monday.

Inflation is expected to be 28.5% by the end of this year, 16% in 2026, 9% in 2027, and 8% in 2028, according to the MTP, which was published in the country's Official Gazette.

The budget deficit is projected to be 3.5% of the country's GDP in 2026 and 2.8% at the end of the program period.