ISTANBUL

Here’s your Saturday morning news briefing, including US President Donald Trump to call for a probe into alleged Epstein ties to former President Bill Clinton and other prominent figures; Trump saying he has made up his mind on Venezuela action and; the UN reporting that Israel has rejected 23 humanitarian aid requests since the Gaza ceasefire began Oct. 10, leaving critical relief supplies blocked.

TOP STORIES

• Trump to call for probe into alleged Epstein ties of ex-President Clinton, other prominent figures

US President Donald Trump said he would ask for investigations into connections between late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and several prominent figures, including former President Bill Clinton.

Posting on his US social media company Truth Social, Trump repeated his accusation that Democrats are pushing the "Epstein Hoax" to distract from "failures," including a record federal government shutdown that ended earlier this week, with several Democratic lawmakers backing a Republican spending bill.

Trump's comments came after the release of more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate, including emails where he claimed he had damaging information about Trump.

• UN: Israel rejects 23 Gaza aid requests, leaving millions of shelter items stuck

The UN said Israel has rejected 23 humanitarian aid requests since the Gaza ceasefire began Oct. 10, leaving critical relief supplies blocked from entering the enclave.

"Millions of urgently needed shelter items remain stuck in Jordan and in Egypt and Israel as well, awaiting approval to enter Gaza," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

He said that "since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israeli authorities have rejected 23 requests from nine of our partners to bring in nearly 4,000 pallets of critical supplies, including tents, sealing and framing kits, bedding, kitchen sets, and blankets."

• Trump says he made up his mind on Venezuela action

US President Donald Trump said he has made up his mind on potential action on Venezuela, but declined to disclose details to reporters aboard Air Force One.

“I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of did,” Trump responded when asked if he had decided on next steps. “We’ve made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in.”

Trump said US efforts to curb narcotics trafficking were showing results, but pointed to challenges involving neighboring countries.

“We have a Mexico problem. We have a Colombia problem,” he said. “We're doing very well. Drugs coming into our country are greatly slowed, as you can imagine.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly" condemned Russia's latest wave of large-scale missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, which reportedly killed at least eight people and caused widespread damage across several regions.
• US President Donald Trump said he plans to call UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer because of a BBC Panorama episode that spliced together parts of his Jan. 6, 2021, speech, which “changed the words coming out of my mouth.”
• The death toll from a bus crash in Stockholm has climbed to three, police announced
• President Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out US military assistance in Mexico and praised the diplomatic relationship with her northern neighbor.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the need to achieve a “humanitarian ceasefire” in Sudan during a call with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a State Department readout.
• A woman was injured in an explosion in the Mezzeh district of Damascus, Syrian state media reported, as authorities said they were investigating the cause of the blast.
• The UN Security Council overwhelmingly agreed to renew its Yemeni sanctions mandate for another year.
• US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet soon with Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, according to a report.
• Egypt and Saudi Arabia stressed the need for a ceasefire in Sudan and the full implementation of the Gaza agreement.
• US President Donald Trump held calls with Cambodia and Thailand to tamp down border tensions that are threatening to upend a fragile peace between the Southeast Asian neighbors.
• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow has no intention of attacking NATO but warned any attack by the alliance would be met with a full-force response "using all means available."
• Ethiopia's Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of Marburg virus, citing an infection in a patient from Jinka in the south.
• The accumulation of tons of waste across the Gaza Strip threatens to trigger outbreaks of skin, respiratory and intestinal diseases, a Palestinian health official warned.
• US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and 20 other lawmakers introduced a resolution declaring that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and urged Washington to meet its legal obligations under the Genocide Convention.
• US President Donald Trump maligned a new redistricting effort in the state of California that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in a rebuke to his efforts to hedge his electoral chances ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack and US Deputy Assistant President for Counterterrorism Affairs Sebastian Gorka, according to diplomatic sources.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Swiss government says US tariffs will be cut to 15%

- Switzerland announced it reached an agreement with the US to reduce American tariffs to 15% from 39%, following "constructive" discussions with Washington.

"Switzerland and the U.S. have successfully found a solution: U.S. tariffs will be reduced to 15%. Thanks to President (Donald) Trump for the constructive engagement," the government wrote on US social media company X.

It added that a meeting with the office of the US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had also been "productive."

• Trump says he is weighing Saudi request to buy F-35 fighter jets

US President Donald Trump said he is weighing a request by Saudi Arabia to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, days before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits the White House on Nov. 18.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Riyadh expressed a strong interest in acquiring advanced US aircraft made by Lockheed Martin. “They wanna buy a lot of jets,” he said. “They’ve asked me to look at it. They want to buy a lot of ‘35’ but they want to buy actually more than that fighter jets.”

The remarks came after Bloomberg, citing an administration official, said Trump and the crown prince are expected to reach an agreement enabling Saudi Arabia to buy the F-35s during the visit.

• US provides $3.5M in military equipment to Guatemala to battle drug trafficking

Guatemala received military and navy equipment, valued at $3.5 million, to strengthen the country’s forces and help intercept transnational criminal activity such as drug trafficking.

President Bernardo Arevalo presided over a ceremony at the Port of Guatemala during the delivery of the military and maritime resources and equipment.

Accompanied by Defense Minister Henry Saenz, Navy Commander Vice Admiral Mario Alfonso Rojas Arevalo and US Ambassador Tobin Bradley, Arevalo received the donation from the Pentagon for the National Defense Naval Command.

• US group withdraws bid to buy Telegraph newspapers

US investment firm RedBird Capital has pulled out of its £500 million ($657 million) bid to buy the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, ending a protracted struggle over the future of one of Britain’s most prominent media groups.

The company’s previous attempt to acquire the titles was blocked after ministers objected to the level of funding from Abu Dhabi-owned IMI Group.

The government later introduced rules limiting foreign sovereign wealth funds to a maximum 15% stake in UK newspapers.

A RedBird spokesperson told BBC that the firm remained confident in the Telegraph’s “bright future” and would work to support a solution “in the best interests of employees and readers.”