Morning Briefing: Dec. 27, 2025

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including President Donald Trump's calling recent US strikes on Nigeria a "Christmas present" to ISIS terrorists, Israel sparking a wave of international criticism over its decision to become the only country to recognize Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, and Thailand and Cambodia arrive at a temporary ceasefire after three weeks of resumed border clashes.

TOP STORIES

• Trump calls Nigeria strikes as 'Christmas present' to terrorist ISIS

US President Donald Trump on Friday described late-Thursday strikes on alleged ISIS (Daesh) targets in Nigeria as a "Christmas present" to the terror group.

"Tens of thousands of Christians" are being killed in Nigeria, Trump claimed in an interview with broadcaster WABC radio, adding that he had warned the Nigerian government about consequences. Authorities in the West African country have denied such claims, maintaining that attacks there are driven by criminal motives, land disputes, and resource competition, rather than religious faith.

"I said yesterday, 'Hit them on Christmas Day. It will be a Christmas present'," Trump said, adding that US forces struck ISIS "hard" in different locations.

Nigeria confirmed early Friday that it continues collaborating with the US on security matters to address the ongoing threat of terrorism and violent extremism.

• Israel draws international ire after recognition of Somaliland

In a move that sparked strong rejection from Somalia and other countries in the region, Israel on Friday announced its recognition of the Horn of Africa country's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state.

The move was unlawful and amounted to a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity, the office of Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said in a press release, reaffirming the government’s “absolute and non-negotiable commitment to its sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity.”

“The Federal Government of Somalia categorically and unequivocally rejects the deliberate attack to its sovereignty and the unlawful step by Israel purporting to recognize the northern region of Somalia,” the statement said.

Regional organizations, including the African Union, Arab League, and Gulf Cooperation Council, also rejected the move, along with numerous countries such as Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.

• Thailand, Cambodia agree to temporary halt to resumed deadly border clashes
  

Cambodia and Thailand agreed to an immediate 72-hour ceasefire along their shared border to halt three weeks of fighting that left dozens dead and many others injured, official said on Saturday.

The agreement was announced in a joint statement issued after a meeting of the 3rd Special General Border Committee (GBC), a body co-chaired by the defense ministers of both Southeast Asian countries, according to Cambodian Prime Minister office.

The ceasefire will take effect on Saturday starting at noon local time (0500GMT).

Under the arrangement, both sides commit to halting all armed hostilities and pledge to avoid unprovoked fire, troop advances, or movements toward each other’s positions.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• A Malaysian court on Friday sentenced former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison and imposed a fine of about $2.7 billion after he was found guilty on four charges of abusing his power and 21 counts of money laundering.
• Three women were injured after being stabbed by a man on Line 3 of the Paris metro on Friday, French daily Le Parisien reported.
• Eight people were killed and 16 others wounded on Friday when an explosive device detonated inside a mosque in the central Syrian city of Homs, according to state media.
• Several people were stabbed at a workplace on Friday in central Japan, Kyodo News reported.
• Spain’s foreign minister on Friday said that the situation in Sudan has become “unsustainable,” as two years of war have left millions displaced and more than 150,000 people dead.
• Two police officers were critically injured after being shot on Friday morning in the eastern US state of North Carolina, authorities said.
• Japan's Cabinet approved a record draft defense budget of 9.04 trillion yen ($58 billion) for fiscal 2026 amid tensions with China, local media reported Friday.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday discussed ongoing preparations for upcoming negotiations in the US and the development of a 20-point framework document aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war during a phone call with several European countries and Canada.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Russian government working to establish Islamic bank, official says

The Russian government is working to establish an Islamic bank in the country, the head of the Financial Markets Committee of the State Duma, lower house of the Russian parliament, announced Friday.

Anatoly Aksakov made the remarks at an event in Kazan, the capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan.

He said that they are consulting with business leaders and Muslim representatives in Russia regarding the establishment of an Islamic bank, adding: "We are also in discussions with Arab countries to establish such a bank."

• Global markets keep seeking direction during Christmas

Global markets are seeking direction in the few open stock exchanges and futures markets, as major US and European exchanges have been closed since Thursday due to Christmas.

According to analysts, trading volume is expected to be low when markets open on Friday, and price fluctuations may be steeper due to thin market conditions.

As markets prepare to wrap up the eventful 2025, investors are focused on who will replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell.