Morning Briefing: Jan. 30, 2025

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Thursday with, including a plane colliding with a military helicopter outside of Washington, D.C., Syria naming Ahmed al Sharaa as the country’s transitional president and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosting a delegation from Hamas.

TOP STORIES

• Plane collides with military helicopter in mid-air outside US capital

A regional plane collided in midair with a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C.

“A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan Washington National Airport around 9 p.m. local time," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

According to CNN, citing American Airlines, there were 60 passengers and four crew on board the flight. It also reported that the US Army Black Hawk helicopter had three soldiers on board.

• Ahmed al Sharaa officially named Syria's transitional president, with existing military factions, parliament, Constitution dissolved

Syria’s military operations administration announced the appointment of Ahmed al Sharaa as transitional president, the repeal of the 2012 Constitution and the dissolution of the former regime’s parliament, army and security agencies.

Additionally, all military factions as well as revolutionary political and civil bodies will be disbanded and integrated into state institutions, said the announcement declaring the “Victory of the Revolution."

It also includes the dissolution of the Assad era-ruling Baath Party and the National Progressive Front along with all affiliated organizations, institutions and committees, with a ban on their reformation under any name.

• Turkish president hosts Hamas delegation in Ankara

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will continue to expose the realities in Gaza.

In meeting with Hamas Shura Council Chairman Muhammad Darwish at the presidential complex in Ankara, Erdogan expressed hope for the successful completion of the second and third phases of the truce, which will ultimately lead to a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the start of rebuilding.

Erdogan said the Palestinian group's 471-day struggle in Gaza reaffirmed that the spirit of resistance will endure, praising the group’s efforts.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The Ankara Declaration was signed between Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, reaffirming the importance of contributing to Azerbaijan's reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts involving demining activities in its Karabakh and East Zangezur regions.
• Seven Palestinians were killed and four were seriously injured in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Tammun in the northern occupied West Bank.
• US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that opens the door to the deportation of pro-Palestinian student demonstrators in an effort he says is geared toward combatting anti-Semitism.
• US President Donald Trump said he is directing the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to establish a 30,000-person detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for undocumented migrants.
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned that his government is preparing a strong, unified response if the US imposes tariffs on Canadian goods.
• Former US Senator Bob Menendez was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison on bribery, extortion and corruption charges, authorities announced.
• A plane crash in South Sudan killed 20 people, with Indian and Chinese nationals among the dead.
• Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc.
• The US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has met with a senior adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
• Chinese tech giant Alibaba has launched its highly anticipated Qwen 2.5 AI model, claiming that it outperforms DeepSeek-V3.
• Meta Platforms reached a settlement to pay $25 million to US President Donald Trump over the suspension of his social media accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the US Capitol.
• Microsoft and OpenAI are investigating whether a group associated with Chinese AI startup DeepSeek improperly accessed data from OpenAI’s systems.

SPORTS

• Manchester City reach UEFA Champions League playoffs after beating Club Brugge 3-1

Manchester City reached the UEFA Champions League playoffs after beating Club Brugge 3-1.

With the result, Manchester City finished the League Phase with 11 points, securing 22nd place in the standings. Club Brugge, also with 11 points, advanced to the playoffs in 24th place.

Liverpool, who had won all their matches in the past seven weeks, lost their undefeated record in the final week after a 3-2 defeat to PSV Eindhoven. Despite this setback, they finished the league phase in first place with 21 points.

BUSINNESS & ECONOMY

• US Fed keeps interest rate constant, as expected

The US Federal Reserve kept the benchmark policy rate at 4.25%-4.5%, as widely expected.

The Fed said in a statement that recent indicators suggest economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace and the unemployment rate has stabilized at a low level.

The bank stressed that it is strongly committed to supporting maximum employment and returning inflation to its 2% objective.

• Norway's sovereign wealth fund posts record $222B annual profit

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest of its kind, reported a record annual profit of 2.5 trillion kroner ($222 billion) in 2024, marking its highest-ever annual gain in kroner terms.

The Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG), managed by Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), saw a 13% return on investment for 2024.

"The fund achieved very good returns in 2024 as a result of a very strong stock market. The American technology stocks in particular performed very well," NBIM CEO Nicolai Tangen said.