Morning Briefing: April 1, 2025

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday with, including French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen convicted of corruption and barred from seeking office for 5 years, US President Donald Trump's remarks on a possible Russia-Ukraine peace deal, and Israel’s proposal for a 40-day ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for hostages.

TOP STORIES

• French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen convicted of corruption, barred from seeking office for 5 years

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was found guilty on Monday of embezzling public funds, according to media reports.

Marine Le Pen and eight other members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were found guilty of embezzling public funds as they are accused of having misused more than €3 million ($3.27 million) in European Parliament funds to pay party staff in France.

The twelve assistants tried alongside the MEPs were also found guilty of receiving stolen goods, according to BFMTV.

The total loss is around €4.1 million ($4.4 million).

The conviction might result in a five-year ban from public office for Le Pen.

• Trump says he wants to see Putin make a deal to end Russia-Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump said Monday that he wants to see his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin make a deal to end the Ukraine war.

"I want to see him make a deal so that we stop Russian soldiers and Ukrainian soldiers and other people from being killed. But mostly it's Russian and Ukrainian soldiers," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

He said he does not want to impose secondary tariffs on Russia's oil, adding "you know, (that’s) something I would do if I thought he wasn't doing the job."

He also said his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to renegotiate on rare earths.

• Israel proposes 40-day Gaza ceasefire deal to secure release of 11 hostages, return of 16 bodies: Report

Israel submitted a new proposal Monday for a ceasefire in Gaza, local media reported.

The Haaretz daily, citing a senior Israeli official, said Israel had asked the Palestinian group Hamas through mediators Egypt and Qatar for the release of 11 living hostages and the return of 16 bodies, in addition to providing information on the remaining captives in Gaza, in return for a suspension of hostilities.

In addition to the ceasefire, Israel would release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from its jails, the newspaper said.

The official said that on the fifth day of the deal, Israel would request information from Hamas regarding the rest of the captives in its custody.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on Monday signed an agreement on the junction point of their state borders.
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday announced that more than 24,000 people with no right to remain in the UK have been returned since Labour took office.
• French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen has been barred from seeking political office for five years in a corruption case, according to BFM TV on Monday.
• Moldova on Monday declared three employees of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau persona non grata, the Foreign Ministry said, citing “clear evidence” that the diplomats had carried out activities incompatible with their diplomatic status.
• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich resigned from his post on Monday, deepening tensions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, Israeli Channel 12 reported.
• US President Donald Trump said Monday that he could travel to Saudi Arabia next month.
• A pro-Palestine Cornell University graduate student announced Monday that he has left the US voluntarily amid threats of deportation.
• Two US lawmakers on Monday threatened sanctions if the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) creates special investigatory powers to target Israel.
• South Korea's Constitutional Court said Monday that it will deliver a decision on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment on April 4.
• Iran would have no choice but to acquire nuclear weapons if attacked by the United States or its allies, a senior adviser to supreme leader Ali Khamenei said Monday.
• US President Donald Trump said Monday that he would "love" to run against former President Barack Obama in 2028 for a third term, which is prohibited by the Constitution.
• At least 1,513 humanitarian workers have been killed and hundreds of medical and civil defense facilities destroyed since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, the Government Media Office in Gaza said Monday.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared once again before the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday to respond to corruption charges against him.​​​​​​​
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said he spoke with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to coordinate joint diplomatic steps aimed at achieving peace and ensuring security.
• Two people were killed and seven others injured in renewed US airstrikes on northern Yemen, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said Monday, as American military operations in the region continue to escalate.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Trump sets up new office to speed up investments in US

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to establish an office to speed up investments in the country.

The office within the Commerce Department, called the United States Investment Accelerator, will facilitate and accelerate investments above $1 billion in the US.

According to the order, the office aims to reduce regulatory burdens, increase access to national resources, and facilitate collaboration with national laboratories and state governments.

• European stocks slide amid Le Pen political ban, Trump tariff concerns

European stock markets closed lower on Monday, weighed down by mounting political uncertainty in France following a court ruling against far-right leader Marine Le Pen and renewed concerns over US tariffs under President Donald Trump.

The political shock, combined with fears over the impact of looming US tariffs, pressured markets across Europe.

Technology stocks led the decline, falling an average of 2.01%, while Europe’s banking index dropped 1.96%. Automotive shares suffered the steepest losses, down 2.6%, amid speculation surrounding Trump’s new tariffs on auto imports.

The broader pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 1.51%, or 8.18 points, to close at 533.93.