World

Morning Briefing: Sept. 23, 2025

Anadolu’s recap of top stories from around the globe

Rabia Ali  | 23.09.2025 - Update : 23.09.2025
Morning Briefing: Sept. 23, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including France officially recognizing the state of Palestine, world leaders preparing to meet in New York for the 80th UN General Assembly, several European countries announcing recognition of Palestine at a high-level conference in New York and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying in an interview with US media that Israel is committing a “complete genocide."

TOP STORIES

  • France officially recognizes state of Palestine, Macron announces

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his nation officially recognizes the state of Palestine.

"I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine," Macron said at an international conference on Palestine in New York ahead of the start of this week’s UN General Assembly.

He emphasized that the recognition represents "the only solution that will allow for Israel to live in peace."

Macron said France's recognition "is a defeat for Hamas, just like for all those who foment antisemitism, nurture anti-Zionist obsessions and who want the destruction of the state of Israel."

He thanked other nations that also recently announced recognition, including Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, the UK and San Marino.

  • World leaders to meet in New York for 80th UN General Assembly

World leaders will gather in New York City on Tuesday for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, an annual summit that comes at a time of heightened tensions and shifting diplomatic tides.

The General Debate of the 80th session of the assembly opens Tuesday and is set to close on Sept. 29.

Several crises are expected to be on the agenda, including Gaza and Ukraine.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will make a notable debut at this year’s General Assembly in his first appearance before the UN after the US granted him an entry visa to attend. He will be the first Syrian leader at the assembly since 1967.

With Washington refusing a visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, he will be addressing the gathering by video link.

  • European countries announce recognition of Palestine at high-level conference in New York

Several European leaders announced their countries’ recognition of Palestine during a high-level meeting held on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York, framing the move as a historic step toward ending the war in Gaza and advancing a two-state solution.

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden formally declared his country’s recognition of Palestine, calling it “the beginning of a renewed commitment” to hope, diplomacy and coexistence. He stressed that the decision was not “against Israel or its people” but aimed at reviving the prospect of peace based on international law and the UN Charter.

Monaco announced that it recognizes the state of Palestine.

Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela also confirmed his country’s recognition of Palestine, saying: “What is happening in Gaza is morally and legally very wrong, and we have a duty on all of us to act.”

  • Turkish president says Israel is committing 'complete genocide' in Gaza, blames Netanyahu

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel is committing a “complete genocide” in Gaza and directly blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the killings.

“I don’t think we can explain it in any other way. This is completely a genocide. And this genocide is caused by Netanyahu. Netanyahu, mercilessly, has unfortunately killed tens of thousands with this genocide,” Erdogan told Fox News on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He added that over 120,000 people have been wounded in Gaza and that Türkiye has taken many of the injured into the country for treatment.

“We are in complete opposition to this genocide,” he said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

  • Türkiye is in consultations with US President Donald Trump and his team on regional developments, especially the crisis in Gaza, the Russia-Ukraine war and Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
  • Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to organizing presidential and parliamentary elections within one year after the end of Israel’s war on Gaza.
  • US President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating the Antifa movement as a domestic terrorist organization.
  • US President Donald Trump will hold a multilateral meeting Tuesday with the leaders of several majority-Muslim countries including Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the White House announced.
  • Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime has ushered in “a new historic phase for the region,” stressing that Syria today has “converging interests with the West and the United States.”
  • Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned Israel's ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip, saying it amounts to an effort to "exterminate the Palestinian people."
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres slammed Israel’s continued illegal settlements in the Palestinian West Bank, calling them "morally, legally and politically intolerable."
  • The EU foreign policy chief said the bloc’s foreign ministers are united in believing a "two-state solution is the best chance to lasting peace" as they met at the UN in New York with their counterparts from Brazil, Mexico and India.
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his country’s commitment to deepening ties with China, the state-run Korea Central News Agency reported.
  • Copenhagen International Airport was closed to air traffic due to drone sightings.
  • The Israeli army killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded others in attacks across the Gaza Strip, renewing warnings for residents to evacuate Gaza City and move south, witnesses and medical sources told Anadolu.
  • The UN raised alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as Israeli military operations continue across the enclave.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

  • White House official says Oracle, Silver Lake to be among US firms in TikTok deal

Tech giant Oracle and private equity firm Silver Lake are among the "investor consortium" that is set to take control of TikTok's US operations, a senior White House official said.

The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said there has been "an overwhelming interest" from American and international companies in the investment and tech sectors to take part in the acquisition but acknowledged that talks are ongoing to pull in additional investors.

The final group will be made up of existing investors in ByteDance, the Chinese tech firm that owns TikTok, "as well as a significant number of new investors who have no affiliation with ByteDance."

  • Nvidia to invest up to $100B in OpenAI data center infrastructure

US chip giant Nvidia announced that it plans to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI as part of its artificial intelligence (AI) lab's plan to construct data centers worth hundreds of billions of dollars using its AI processors.

The two companies said that OpenAI will develop at least 10 gigawatts of AI data centers with Nvidia systems representing millions of graphics processing units (GPUs). The largest clusters of AI processors are increasingly being described in terms of power, known as gigawatts.

The initial part of the investment, according to the firms, would use Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin systems and go live in the second half of 2026.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.