Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc securing 53 seats following completion of vote counting in parliamentary elections, Saudi-led coalition in Yemen intercepting and destroying Houthi drone launched toward Saudi Arabia's Mecca region, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying at the Organization of Turkic States summit that the Turkic world would strive to make the coming period the "Turkish Century."
Israel’s Central Elections Committee completed counting votes in Tuesday’s parliamentary elections, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc securing 53 seats, opposition parties 48 and Arab parties 19, the Ynet newspaper reported.
The committee said it had completed counting special ballots, known as double envelopes, but would release the final results later.
Results from 12,644 polling stations have been entered into the system, totaling 5,589,836 votes, including 5,564,764 valid votes and 25,072 invalid votes, it said. Netanyahu’s Likud party rose from 26 to 27 seats, while the ultra-Orthodox Shas party fell from seven to six.
Among Arab parties, Ra’am gained one seat, increasing its representation to eight, while the Joint List dropped one to 11. Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition bloc reached the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced on Friday that it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone launched toward Saudi Arabia's Mecca region.
"A drone launched by the Houthi terrorist militia was intercepted and destroyed in the Makkah region," coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki wrote on X.
Earlier Friday, al-Maliki said the coalition's air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi cruise missile that targeted western Saudi Arabia.
The incident comes amid escalating hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, with both sides reporting military operations and attacks in recent days.
The Houthis also announced Thursday that they carried out six attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, including oil facilities and airports.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Turkic world would strive to make the coming period the "Turkish Century" through solidarity, mutual respect and brotherhood.
"I sincerely believe that, as the Turkic world, we will strive to make the coming period the Turkish Century through full solidarity, mutual respect and brotherhood," Erdogan said at a dinner reception for leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Ankara.
The reception came as Ankara hosted the OTS' 13th summit Thursday and Friday under the theme “Turkic Century: Unity in Language, Thought and Deed.”
The summit is expected to address regional cooperation, strengthen solidarity among member states and advance the Turkic World Vision 2040.
Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has won the "Ballon d'Or of All Time" fan vote organized by France Football, finishing ahead of longtime rival Lionel Messi.
The 41-year-old Al Nassr forward received the recognition following a month-long online vote in which supporters selected the greatest individual season among previous Ballon d'Or winners.
Ronaldo was recognized for his 2007-2008 campaign with Manchester United, when he scored 42 goals in all competitions and helped the English club win the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
The head of the French Football Federation (FFF) defended Kylian Mbappe, saying the Real Madrid forward should be allowed to move on after apologizing for remarks about the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, local media reported.
Mbappe, 27, sparked a backlash in China after referring to Mao as a dictator while discussing a social media meme on a French podcast.
"It is a controversy which, ultimately, should not, I hope, last because Kylian has very well explained the context in which this intervention took place. He has apologized," federation head Philippe Diallo told French newspaper Ouest-France.
Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed British actor who achieved worldwide fame as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films after decades on the Shakespearean stage, has died at the age of 86.
Stewart died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles following an illness involving Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, his spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter.
Sanrio, the maker of the famous cartoon character Hello Kitty, apologized for its collaboration with the Japanese spy drama Vivant following backlash from Chinese media.
The content of this collaboration includes expressions that are "inconsistent" with Sanrio's corporate philosophy, a statement said, adding the company has decided to cease all related activities, future developments and promotional activities.
Sanrio has cherished values such as "compassion" and "connection" through its characters since its founding, it said.
Major cryptocurrency exchange Binance said Thursday that it is investigating a "potential security issue" while around $3 billion worth of digital assets were frozen.
"Our teams are aware of reports of a potential security issue and are actively investigating. User funds are completely safe," it announced on the US social media platform X.
It reaffirmed that its security teams were reviewing all relevant information with "urgency" and called on users to remain cautious of scams and to avoid unofficial links, messages or requests for account information.
"User funds are safe! It does look like a hack on Binance. Appreciate the quick freeze from Tether (~$971m) and Circle (~$823m)," Binance co-founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao wrote on X.
US semiconductor producer Intel reported a 21% year-on-year increase in third-quarter revenue to $16.5 billion, driven by robust demand for its data center and artificial intelligence processors.
Revenue rose from $13.7 billion in the third quarter of 2025, topping company guidance, according to its financial results statement.
The Data Center and AI group led the performance with revenue surging 78% year-on-year to $7.3 billion, delivering the segment's fastest growth rate in 15 years.
US delivery firm DoorDash has agreed to acquire grocery delivery technology platform Instacart in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $17 billion, the companies announced.
Under the definitive agreement unanimously approved by Instacart's board, DoorDash will pay $65 per Instacart share, representing a 26% premium over its closing price on Oct. 22.
The purchase price will be paid with at least 75% cash, with DoorDash stock capped at 25% of the total consideration.
Instacart shareholders may elect to receive all cash, DoorDash shares, or a combination of both, subject to proration.
news_share_descriptionsubscription_contact
contact_the_ombudsman
is_there_an_error_in_this_story
