Berk Kutay Gokmen
12 October 2025•Update: 12 October 2025
ISTANBUL
Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including 3 Qatari diplomats killed in a car crash in Egypt; the Afghan and Pakistani armies engaging in intense border clashes and the Egyptian and US presidents to co-chair an international peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh
TOP STORIES
- 3 Qatari diplomats killed in car crash in Egypt
Three Qatari diplomats were killed in a car crash in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh, Egyptian media reported.
Two diplomats were injured in the crash when the Qatari delegation's car crashed while traveling on the main road in South Sinai.
Authorities were alerted about the accident on the road between Sharm El-Sheikh and Taba.
The deceased were taken to the morgue at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital, while the injured were rushed to the hospital.
- Afghan, Pakistani armies engage in intense border clashes
Border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated as their armies are engaged in cross-border shelling and firing of heavy artillery.
Pakistani security sources told Anadolu that exchanges of heavy fire have been taking place along the border since Saturday evening.
The escalation comes one day after Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration accused the Pakistani army of violating airspace over the capital, Kabul, and bombing a market in the Margha region of Paktika province bordering Pakistan.
Islamabad neither confirmed nor denied it was behind the attacks but said it will do everything to protect its citizens as Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorism, which it blames on the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
- Egyptian, US presidents to co-chair international peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh
Egypt will host an international peace summit in the Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, to be co-chaired by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
A presidential statement said that the summit will bring together leaders from more than 20 countries.
The summit aims to “end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability,” the statement said.
The summit “comes in light of US President Trump's vision for achieving peace in the region and his relentless efforts to end conflicts around the world,” it added.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- US President Donald Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to allocate all of the agency’s “available funds” to ensure that military service members are paid during the government shutdown, which is approaching a third week.
- A federal appeals court ruled that National Guard troops in Illinois can stay under federal control but cannot be deployed while the appeals process plays out between the Trump administration and the state.
- Several people were injured when a helicopter crashed near Huntington Beach, California.
- Ukraine and the UK signed a statement of intent to expand their defense partnership through the LYRA program, which focuses on the joint development and scaling of battlefield technologies, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced.
- Thousands of Palestine supporters in Austria held a demonstration to call for an end to the genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip and for sanctions to be imposed on Israel.
- A senior Hamas member said his group is coordinating with other parties to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza under a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
- A massive explosion at a military explosives plant in the US state of Tennessee reportedly killed everyone on site, authorities said.
- At least six police officers and one civilian were killed when Pakistani security forces neutralized five militants in a retaliatory strike after attackers targeted a police training center in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
- The UN's World Food Program (WFP) said it is scaling up aid operations in the Gaza Strip, urging faster access and clearance at entry points as more than 170,000 metric tons of food, enough to feed the entire population for up to three months, await dispatch amid a nascent ceasefire.
- Four people were killed and 16 others injured in a shooting during a high school homecoming celebration in the US state of Mississippi, in addition to a separate shooting at another location in the state that killed two people, officials said.
- Dozens of civilians were killed when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled a shelter in North Darfur state, western Sudan, a relief group said.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his country's support for any plan to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
- Chinese police have offered rewards for tips on 18 individuals they said are Taiwanese military psychological operations officers involved in “inciting secession,” according to state media.
SPORTS
- Türkiye beats Bulgaria 6-1 in World Cup qualifiers
Türkiye defeated Bulgaria 6-1 in their third Group E match of the European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, played in Sofia.
The goals that secured the victory were scored by Arda Guler in the 11th minute, Viktor Popov’s own goal in the 49th minute, Kenan Yildiz in the 51st and 56th minutes, Zeki Celik in the 65th minute and Irfan Can Kahveci in the 90+3 minute.
Bulgaria scored with Radoslav Kirilov in the 13th minute.
In the 49th minute, Hakan Calhanoglu sent a long ball behind the defense, which Popov, running alongside Kenan, misjudged and scored an own goal, sending the ball into the net for a 1-2 score.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Spot market electricity prices for Sunday, Oct. 12
The highest electricity price rate for one megawatt-hour on Türkiye's day-ahead spot market for Sunday will be 3,399.45 Turkish liras at 7 pm (1600GMT), according to official figures released Saturday.
The lowest rate was set at 250 liras at 12 pm local time (0900GMT), data showed.
The Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST) data for Saturday's electricity market trade volume shows a decrease of 27.1% to around 1.11 billion liras compared to Friday.
The arithmetical and weighted average prices for electricity on the day-ahead spot market are calculated at 2,095.03 liras and 2,134.33 liras, respectively.
