ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday with, including US President Donald Trump ordering the declassification of JFK, RFK, and MLK assassination records, the Kremlin disputing Trump’s remarks a day earlier on the Soviet Union playing a supportive role during World War II, and the UK government weighing TikTok risks amid US ban moves.

TOP STORIES

Trump orders declassification of JFK, RFK, MLK assassination records

President Donald Trump ordered the declassification of all government records related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights icon Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"That's a big one, huh? A lot of people have been waiting for this one for years, for decades," Trump said as he signed the order in the Oval Office. "Everything will be revealed."

Trump directed an aide to ensure that the pen he signed the order with be given to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a former political rival who dropped out of the presidential race and backed Trump, and has now been selected to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kremlin disputes Trump’s remarks on Soviet role in World War II

The Kremlin disputed US President Donald Trump’s remarks a day earlier on the Soviet Union playing a supportive role during World War II.

On Wednesday, Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social that they must not forget that Russia “helped us” win World War II, claiming that the Soviet Union lost almost 60 million people during this period.

Trump's remarks came a day after he indicated that additional sanctions on Russia are "likely” if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not come to the negotiation table to end the Moscow-Kyiv war.

UK government weighs TikTok risks amid US ban moves, says technology secretary

The UK government is carefully balancing concerns over TikTok’s Chinese ownership and data usage with the app’s cultural appeal, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has said, as the US moves toward a potential ban or forced sale of the platform.

Speaking to The Guardian on Thursday, Kyle acknowledged "genuine concerns" over the way the short-video app, owned by China’s ByteDance, handles the data of millions of British users.

However, he also described TikTok as a "desirable product" that offers young people an opportunity to explore different cultures and ideologies.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized unity for peace and stability in the wider Asia-Pacific region during his inaugural meeting with counterparts from the Quad group, according to Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

The US Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe to head the CIA in a 74-25 vote.

Two Palestinians were killed and others injured in Israeli attacks in the southern and central Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire agreement.

Italy's far-right League party, a coalition partner with the current government, proposed a bill to withdraw from the World Health Organization following the new US President Trump's decision to leave the UN health agency.

Jordan's King Abdullah II emphasized the importance of adhering to the ceasefire deal in Gaza and warned about Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank.

Leaked internal documents reveal that Microsoft has come out as a major provider of cloud services and artificial intelligence (AI) to the Israeli military, with support increasing dramatically since the conflict in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023.

A senior UN official welcomed the recently implemented Gaza ceasefire, calling it a "ray of hope" for the ongoing suffering of Palestinians.

US President Trump vowed to push for immediate interest rate cuts during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Trump appointed the father of Brent Bozell, who was convicted of rioting during a Capitol Hill attack on Jan. 6, 2021, to be the CEO of the US federal agency Global Media Agency.

Türkiye is ready to provide any support needed to resolve the dispute between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, should both parties desire it, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

The EU commissioner for defense and space said the bloc should stand by Denmark in its row with the US over Greenland's future.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan affirmed his country’s continued support for Lebanon during his first visit to the Arab country in 15 years.

Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun revealed that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered troops to mobilize ahead of imposing a brief martial law last month.

Ireland’s parliament elected Foreign Minister Micheal Martin the country’s new taoiseach, or prime minister.

The Nigerian army killed one of the top terrorist commanders, as well as 31 fighters, during a military operation in the violence-ravaged northwestern region.

Meta has rejected accusations that Facebook and Instagram users were automatically directed to follow US President Trump’s official accounts.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol launched the Global Energy Transition Forum during the Davos Summit in Switzerland.

Ukraine said that at least one person was killed and 46 others were injured due to overnight Russian airstrikes on the country’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.

The International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan sought arrest warrants for Taliban's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and Afghanistan’s interim Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

China launched 18 satellites into space, marking the fifth such event this year, state media reported.

SPORTS

Norwegian football clubs vote to drop Video Assistant Referee system

The top Norwegian football clubs voted to eliminate the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which potentially could make Norway the first country in Europe to do so.

"We see that the technology has potential, but we see through today's discussion and subsequent voting that the majority of our clubs believe that the current version of VAR does not work well enough," Cato Haug, chairman of the Board of Norsk Toppfotball, said in a statement.

According to a statement by Norsk Toppfotball, the vote results show that a majority of the clubs in the Eliteserien and the OBOS league do not want to continue VAR in Norwegian football.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Appointment of former Amazon boss to UK competition watchdog sparks backlash

The UK government’s decision to appoint a former Amazon executive to lead the country’s competition watchdog has been met with fierce criticism from trade unions, who have called it a “slap in the face to workers.”

Doug Gurr, a former UK country manager and president of Amazon China, has been named interim chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for up to 18 months, replacing Marcus Bokkerink, who stepped down following a government push for regulators to prioritize economic growth.

The appointment has raised concerns over the CMA’s independence, particularly as it embarks on a series of investigations into major technology firms under a new digital markets competition regime.