Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signing a defense pact declaring an armed attack on one as an attack on all; Colombia's new President Abelardo de la Espriella breaking more than a century-old tradition by being sworn in outside Bogota; and Lebanon saying direct talks with Israel made "positive progress" on border disputes and prisoner exchanges as US-mediated negotiations continue.
Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, pledging to strengthen collective security, defense cooperation and deterrence.
The agreement stipulates that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all, while providing for enhanced defense cooperation across all areas.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the agreement targets no country and remains open to other friendly nations seeking peace, prosperity and stability in the region.
Erdogan said the agreement would strengthen counterterrorism efforts, while Türkiye would continue supporting the resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy based on international law.
Meanwhile, Turkish Communications Director Burhanettin Duran described the pact as a "historic step," saying it will strengthen collective security, defense industry cooperation and military interoperability.
Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president in Cali, breaking more than a century of tradition by holding the inauguration outside the capital amid a constitutional dispute with outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
The ceremony marked an ideological shift for Colombia as de la Espriella succeeded Petro following a deeply polarized four-year term.
The inauguration was attended by several international leaders, including Spain’s King Felipe VI and the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, Panama and the Dominican Republic, while Petro and lawmakers from his coalition boycotted the ceremony.
Separately, the US announced plans to provide $1 billion in assistance as part of a security package aimed at strengthening cooperation with De la Espriella’s administration.
The State Department said the package would support Colombia’s security forces via US technology, improved defense spending, military interoperability, and coordinated operations with US forces.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said direct negotiations with Israel in Rome made “positive progress” on border disputes and the return of prisoners, though further efforts are needed to secure a lasting ceasefire.
Aoun said the seventh round of US-mediated talks also addressed the demolition of homes, ceasefire arrangements and proposed pilot areas, expressing hope that practical steps would follow soon.
A senior Lebanese official said the sides exchanged initial prisoner lists and discussed a new security arrangement for the border, with the next round tentatively proposed for Sept. 1.
Aoun added that the US would continue efforts on the ceasefire and proposed pilot areas.
· Eight people were killed and more than 30 injured in a school shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Thailand, with nine of the wounded in critical condition, with the suspected teen shooter dead.
· Yemeni government forces shot down several Houthi drones over Marib after the group targeted the central city with missiles and drones, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
· Fourteen people were injured and two killed after an explosive device detonated aboard a passenger minibus in Jaramana, near Syria's Damascus, with three of the wounded in critical condition.
· Belgium is to deploy around 30 troops to Greenland in September as part of NATO's Arctic Sentry mission to strengthen the alliance's presence and deterrence in the Arctic region.
· More than 10 children went missing after a wooden boat capsized on the Lulua River in DR Congo’s Kasai-Central province while they were crossing to collect caterpillars, with rescue efforts underway.
· An Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb near a Lebanese army bulldozer clearing a road in southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces carried out strikes and artillery shelling in the area.
· A 97-year-old British woman broke her own Guinness World Record as the world’s oldest female wing walker after completing her sixth aerial stunt in Gloucestershire, England.
· US President Donald Trump said Iran wants to reach a deal with Washington and avoid being targeted, as negotiations between the two sides continue over a final agreement.
· Spain threatened to take “proportionate measures” against Italy if Rome does not lift temporary border controls with Spain, which Madrid said are unjustified and disrupting summer travel.
· Spanish authorities, backed by French, Portuguese and Polish authorities, detained 78 suspects in a crackdown on a major network smuggling drugs, weapons and migrants between Europe and Algeria.
· The Democratic Republic of Congo reported more than 4,000 Ebola cases and 1,850 deaths as the outbreak spread across 53 health zones in five provinces, becoming the world’s second-largest by recorded infections.
· Two people were killed and 14 injured in Houthi missile and drone attacks on residential neighborhoods and displacement camps in Yemen’s Marib, according to the government.
· The Pentagon released its fifth batch of UFO files, featuring 41 documents, photos, and videos from multiple US government agencies spanning more than seven decades.
· US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington will impose more sanctions on Cuba as the Trump administration escalates economic pressure to prevent Havana from evading penalties.
· Mexico and Peru restored diplomatic relations after more than three years of strained ties, with Peru granting former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez safe conduct as part of the normalization process.
· "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" became the fastest film to surpass $500 million at the North American box office, reaching the milestone in just seven days and breaking "Avengers: Endgame"'s previous record.
· The US imposed new sanctions on Iran-linked exchange houses and shell companies accused of helping Tehran secretly move hundreds of millions of dollars through the international financial system.
· The UN warned that at least 8 million school-aged children remain out of school in war-torn Sudan as the conflict fuels displacement and deprives millions of children of education.
· The US Senate passed a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia in an 86-11 bipartisan vote, sending the measure to the House of Representatives for consideration.
· Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said domestic critics of a memorandum with the US are echoing Israel’s narrative, while dismissing speculation that he may resign.
· Morocco’s rights council said the death toll from last week’s mass migration attempt toward Spain’s Ceuta enclave rose to 14, citing Spanish figures showing 80 deaths linked to the incident.
· Spain will impose random identity checks on travelers arriving from Italy starting Saturday, escalating a dispute over Rome’s border controls introduced after the recent Ceuta migration crisis.
· A US federal appeals court blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to build a new ballroom at the White House, giving him two weeks to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
Global food prices rose 0.6% in July to 131.1 points, the highest since January 2023, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Food Price Index, driven by geopolitical supply disruptions and hot, dry weather.
The FAO Cereal Price Index climbed 3.4% from June and 6.9% year-on-year to 113.8 points, with wheat prices rising 5.8% month-on-month and 9.9% annually amid disruptions to Black Sea exports and damage to export infrastructure.
The Vegetable Oil Price Index increased 3.7% to 195.7 points, its highest since June 2022, while meat and dairy prices declined.
Despite the increase, global food prices remained 18.2% below the record high in March 2022.
The US economy unexpectedly shed 23,000 jobs in July, falling far short of expectations for an 85,000 increase, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data.
The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1% from 4.2% in June, while the number of unemployed people stood at 6.9 million. The labor force participation rate remained at 61.4%.
Employment fell in local government, education, retail trade, and financial activities, while health care added 22,000 jobs, below its average monthly gain in the previous year.
The BLS also sharply revised payroll growth for May and June, cutting the combined total by 103,000 jobs from previous estimates.
Average hourly earnings rose 3.2% year-on-year to $37.62, while the average workweek remained unchanged at 34.3 hours.
Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness called Friday for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign on Friday, saying the federation had lost trust in him over his handling of a failed plan to sell stakes in the commercial rights to FIFA competitions.
Klaveness said there was "no trust in Infantino now" and "no way back" for the FIFA chief following concerns that had grown over time.
Her comments came after FIFA apologized for mistakes related to the proposal, which sought to establish a subsidiary valued at $20 billion to manage commercial and event operations for the World Cup and other competitions.
The football associations of Argentina and Mexico backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino, breaking ranks with criticism from their respective regional governing bodies after FIFA acknowledged mistakes in handling its failed proposal to sell stakes in competitions including the World Cup.
Argentina's football association expressed support for Infantino's leadership over the past decade, citing global football development and what it called transparent governance.
Mexico's football federation also backed Infantino and stressed the importance of respecting FIFA's institutional procedures and governance.
The Mexican federation said it would not recognize or approve any process convened outside FIFA's institutional framework and supported Infantino's call for collective efforts among FIFA's 211 member associations.
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