ISTANBUL

Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including the US conducting strikes on ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria, President Erdogan's remarks on Türkiye seeking peace in Sudan, and Polish fighter jets allegedly intercepting "Russian reconnaissance aircraft" flying near Poland's airspace.

TOP STORIES

• Trump announces US airstrikes on ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria

The US conducted "powerful and deadly” strikes against ISIS (Daesh) targets in northwest Nigeria, President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform.

"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!" he said.

“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” he added.

• Türkiye seeks peace, stability, ceasefire in Sudan, supports its territorial integrity: President Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Sudan’s Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Ankara to discuss bilateral ties and the continuing conflict in Sudan, Türkiye's Directorate of Communications said.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Sudan as well as regional and global developments, said a statement posted by the directorate on the US social media company X’s platform.

During the meeting, Erdogan said Ankara aims to deepen cooperation with Sudan in areas including trade, agriculture, the defense industry and mining.

• Polish fighter jets allegedly intercept 'Russian reconnaissance aircraft' flying near Poland's airspace

Polish fighter jets intercepted and escorted a "Russian reconnaissance aircraft" flying over international waters of the Baltic Sea near Polish airspace, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces claimed.

According to the statement, the aircraft was visually identified and monitored while operating close to Poland’s area of responsibility. No violation of Polish airspace was reported.

“Despite the holiday period, the past night was busy for Poland’s air defense duty services,” the command said on the US social media company X’s platform.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers have destroyed over 8,000 olive trees in the occupied West Bank in one week, causing nearly $7 million in losses, the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry said.
• At least five people were killed and 35 injured in a bomb explosion at a mosque during evening prayers in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state, police spokesperson ASP Nahum Daso Kenneth said on the US social media platform Facebook.
• Japan’s eastern region of Ibaraki confirmed an outbreak of “highly pathogenic” avian influenza at a poultry farm, marking the first case of the season in the area.
• Poland temporarily relieved Ambassador to France Jan Emeryk Rosciszewski of his duties amid an ongoing fake diploma investigation.
• Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) banned public gatherings for two weeks after it passed a controversial anti-protest law under which people can be asked to remove their face coverings.
• The death toll from border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia rose to 96.
• French farmers continued blocking roads and highways in southwestern France despite Christmas, according to local media.
• Five people were killed in an armed clash on the Tajik-Afghan border after an alleged illegal border crossing from Afghanistan, Tajik officials said.
• Azerbaijan's parliament approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen mutual military security with Türkiye, formalizing a defense agreement signed earlier this year by the two countries' defense ministries.
• Delivering his first Christmas Mass address from St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV evoked the plight of Gazans facing weeks of harsh winter conditions, alongside refugees and displaced persons worldwide.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport serves 44.2M passengers in 11 months, breaking last year's record

Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Istanbul's Asian side air hub, served 44.2 million passengers between January and November, breaking the previous year's record of 41.4 million.

Turkish Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said a runway opened in December 2023 to accommodate wide-body aircraft landings contributed to the record. The statement was released on the second anniversary of the runway becoming operational.

Uraloglu said the taxiway, high-capacity aircraft and cargo aprons, traffic control tower and the state-of-the-art superstructure put into service alongside the new runway significantly boosted Sabiha Gokcen Airport’s air traffic capacity.

• China says it hopes firms can reach lawful, balanced solutions in wake of TikTok deal

China said it hopes companies can reach solutions that comply with Chinese laws and regulations and reflect a "balanced consideration" of interests following a deal to put TikTok's ‌US operations into US hands.

Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yongqian told a press briefing that to implement the "important consensus" reached during a phone call between the two heads of state, the two sides’ economic and trade teams previously reached a basic framework consensus on properly resolving issues such as TikTok through cooperation based on mutual respect and equal consultation.

She expressed hope that the US will work with China in the same direction, sincerely fulfill its pertinent obligations, offer a "fair, open, transparent and nondiscriminatory" business environment for Chinese companies to maintain stable operations in the US and support the "steady, sound and sustainable" development of bilateral trade and economic ties.