Morning Briefing: Sept. 19, 2025

By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including a US veto of a UN resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces in Donetsk, and nearly 100 arrests during nationwide protests in France.

TOP STORIES

• US vetoes UN Security Council draft resolution demanding ceasefire, full aid access in Gaza

The US vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution that demanded an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip.

The draft resolution expressed "grave concern at Israel's ongoing expansion of its military operation in Gaza and the deepening of the suffering of civilians as a result."

Calling on Israeli authorities to immediately reverse their decision to further their military operation in Gaza, the draft resolution also rejected "any attempt at demographic or territorial change" in the enclave.

• Zelenskyy says Ukraine conducting counteroffensive against Russia in Donetsk

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian troops are conducting a counteroffensive in the eastern Donetsk region against Russian forces, claiming that 100 Russian soldiers were captured.

In a video address shared on Telegram during a visit to the region, Zelenskyy said that “fierce clashes” are taking place as part of the ongoing “counteroffensive operation” near the settlements of Pokrovsk and Dobropillia, two key fronts in the region.

Zelenskyy did not specify when the counteroffensive began but claimed that Ukrainian forces have managed to inflict “significant losses” on the Russian military and prevented them from an offensive in the area.

• Nearly 100 arrested during France's nationwide protests, with 2 injured in Lyon clashes

The number of people arrested during ongoing strikes and protests across France jumped to nearly 100 in just five hours, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

Nationwide arrests now stand at 99, with 15 in the Paris region, jumping from 30 in the early hours of the protests led by trade unions.

Two people, one journalist and one police officer, were injured during the clashes between the protesters and the police in Lyon, where mortar fire and projectiles were thrown at the police.

Around 50 protesters briefly entered the Ministry of Economy compound before leaving minutes later.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• US Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a first-of-its-kind resolution in the Senate calling on the US to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
• The UN’s special representative for Syria, Geir Pedersen, announced his resignation from the post where he served for over half a decade through a civil war that only ended late last year.
• Internet and landline services in Gaza have been restored after being disrupted for two days due to Israeli attacks targeting the city’s infrastructure.
• Seismological centers in Russia, the US and Europe reported an earthquake off the Kamchatka Peninsula, with magnitude estimates ranging from 7.2 to 7.8.
• A tsunami advisory was issued for parts of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands after a powerful earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, while none were announced in Hawaii or Canada.
• Four Israeli troops were killed in a bomb explosion in southern Gaza, the army confirmed.
• A drone hit the entrance of a hotel in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, local media said.
• Two Israelis were killed in a shooting attack near a border crossing with Jordan, medics said.
• US President Donald Trump said his administration is trying to secure the return of Bagram Air Base from the Taliban, though specifics on the hitherto secretive negotiations remained scarce.
• Israeli warplanes staged a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon in the latest violation of last year’s ceasefire agreement.
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, at a news conference with US President Donald Trump, expressed their joint agreement on the need for peace and a roadmap towards peace in the Middle East as the situation in Gaza is "intolerable."
• Algeria warned the UN Security Council that it risks repeating past failures to prevent genocide after the US vetoed a resolution for the sixth time, backed by 14 of its 15 members, calling for urgent action over the mass slaughter in the Gaza Strip.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that plans to “trap our region in instability” will fail and that “imperialist and Zionist bloodshed perpetrators” will not be able to achieve their goals.
• US federal officers arrested 11 Democratic officials in lower Manhattan after they attempted to enter Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding cells and later joined protests outside, The New York Times reported.
• South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered acting police chief Yoo Jae-seong to take "strong measures" when necessary against anti-China rallies taking place in Seoul, Yonhap News Agency reported.
• US President Donald Trump criticized Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, linking her to her native country amid reports of a massive Medicaid-related fraud case in Minnesota.
• US President Donald Trump suggested that American broadcast networks could face scrutiny over their licenses if their coverage is overwhelmingly critical of him.
• Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6, is opening a digital front in espionage with a new dark web portal called Silent Courier, aimed at attracting potential spies to share secrets, particularly from Russia, CNN reported.
• French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron are planning to present "scientific evidence" in a defamation suit at a US court to prove that the first lady is a woman.
• Germany is concerned about Israel's massive military offensive in Gaza but hasn't yet decided whether to support proposed EU sanctions, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Bank of England leaves policy rate unchanged, matching forecasts

The Bank of England kept its benchmark interest rate at 4%, in line with market forecasts.

The move marked the end of a five rate-cut run since the bank began lowering borrowing costs last August.

"There has been substantial disinflation over the past two and a half years, following previous external shocks, supported by the restrictive stance of monetary policy," a bank statement said.

• Mexico, Canada sign strategic partnership agreement

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a strategic partnership agreement to deepen economic, security and environmental cooperation.

The pact, signed in Mexico City, was announced ahead of a formal review of the trilateral US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) scheduled for 2026.

During a joint press conference, both leaders said the new bilateral agreement is intended to complement and strengthen the USMCA, not undermine it, amid concerns over recent US tariffs and the looming USMCA review.