ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including Türkiye issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli officials; the US removing Syrian president from specifically designated global terrorist sanction list; and UN saying illegal Israeli settler attacks hit highest monthly toll.

TOP STORIES

• Türkiye issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli officials on charges of crimes against humanity, genocide

An Istanbul court issued arrest warrants for 37 suspects, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for crimes against humanity and genocide in the Gaza Strip and against the Global Sumud Flotilla vessel that was seized in October.

The warrants were issued upon the request of the Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office, which said that as a result of the systematic genocide and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Gaza to date, thousands of people, including women and children, have lost their lives, thousands more have been injured, and residential areas have been rendered unusable.

• US removes Syrian president from specifically designated global terrorist sanction list

The US removed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa from its Specially Designated Global Terrorist sanctions list, the Treasury Department announced.

In a listing of several names that were used to refer to Sharaa, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said it also removed Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the list.

The move came one day after the UN Security Council adopted a draft resolution to remove al-Sharaa and Khattab from the sanctions list.

• UN says illegal Israeli settler attacks hit highest monthly toll in nearly 20 years

The UN warned of a sharp rise in illegal Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, marking the highest monthly toll in October in nearly two decades.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq reported "a sharp rise in settler violence against Palestinians, both in frequency and severity," during a news conference. "Last month, OCHA recorded 264 settler attacks that caused casualties, property damage or both."

According to OCHA, more than 9,600 attacks have been documented, with about 1,500 occurring this year alone -- roughly 15% of the total, he said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• US congressman Ro Khanna criticized former President Joe Biden's handling of Gaza and called for a major shift in US policy toward Israel and Palestine.
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• Cornell University, a major research university in the US state of New York, announced it reached an agreement with the federal government to immediately restore and continue $250 million in research funding, ending months of disruptions that affected faculty and students.
• Russia criticized EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after Brussels decided to end multi-entry Schengen visas for most Russians, saying the bloc “feeds and waters millions of illegal migrants.”
• US troops will remain in Romania but adjustments will be made to their rotation structure, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
• Fifty-four people, including students and teachers, were injured after multiple explosions occurred inside a school mosque in Indonesia’s capital during Friday prayers.
• China said it is "unfair, unreasonable, and unfeasible" to require Beijing to join nuclear arms-control talks after US President Donald Trump said he discussed denuclearization with China and Russia.
• Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Dutch Premier Dick Schoof on the sidelines of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
• Denmark could be hit by severe storm surges every three years if the world fails to meet climate targets, broadcaster DR reported, citing data from the Danish Meteorological Institute.
• Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out drone strikes targeting areas in Omdurman city in Khartoum state and Atbara in River Nile state.
• A new study found that extreme heat and drought turned an Amazon lake into water hotter than a jacuzzi, killing hundreds of dolphins and exposing the growing toll of climate change on tropical ecosystems.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• China temporarily lifts export controls on strategic resources, resumes US soybean, log imports

China announced the suspension of several 2025 export control measures on key strategic resources and materials for one year, while also lifting import bans on US soybeans and logs, according to state-run media.

The suspension, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), applies to several announcements made jointly by the ministry and the General Administration of Customs (GAC), Global Times reported.

Export controls for superhard materials, rare earth-related equipment, raw or auxiliary materials, medium and heavy rare earths, lithium batteries and synthetic graphite anode materials have been lifted.

• Ukraine's international reserves hit historic high of $49.52B in October

Ukraine's international reserves rose to a historic high of $49.52 billion in October, according to the central bank.

The 6.4% increase was driven by significant financial aid from Western partners, which exceeded the National Bank of Ukraine's foreign currency sales and the government's external debt payments, it said in a statement.

Key inflows for the month totaled over $6 billion from Western partners, with the majority, $4.6 billion, coming from the EU through the G7's ERA emergency loan program, which uses proceeds from frozen Russian assets.