* UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said Friday that the confirmation of famine in Gaza is "a moment of collective shame" at a press briefing.
* The political crisis in the Netherlands escalated on Friday after all ministers from the New Social Contract (NSC) party resigned from the caretaker government, following the departure of Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp earlier in the day.
* China urges the United States to immediately stop the blockade and sanctions on Cuba in any name and do more things that help improve relations with Cuba and promote regional peace and stability, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in Beijing on Friday.
* The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) condemned an ongoing major joint military exercise between the United States and the Republic of Korea, saying it is "extremely provocative" and calling the two countries "chief culprits" who undermine peace on the Korean Peninsula, state media said Saturday.
* Russia and the United States are discussing the possibility of cooperating in liquefied natural gas (LNG), not only in the Russian Arctic zone but also in the U.S. state of Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he discussed security guarantees for Ukraine during a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kiev.
* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said U.S. migration policies were responsible for a decrease in July remittances sent home by Mexicans living in the United States. Sheinbaum said remittances dropped 16 percent from June to July and are down by about 5 percent so far in 2025, back to 2022 levels.
* Slovenia's largest steel producer on Friday urged the EU to adopt new safeguard measures to protect the steel sector from unfair competition, stressing that the measures should be introduced before the current ones expire in July 2026.
* Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday exchanged views on the latest developments regarding Iran's nuclear issue.
* Intel Corporation on Friday announced an agreement with the Trump Administration under which the U.S. government will make an 8.9 billion USD investment in Intel common stock.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that the country will lift its counter-tariffs on U.S. goods specifically covered under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) starting Sept. 1.
* Chinese authorities have unveiled a set of interim rules to strengthen the control and management of rare earth mining, smelting and separation.
* Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan plan to launch an industrial trade and logistics center on their border in 2026, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Friday during his visit to Kyrgyzstan, according to the Kazakh presidential press service.
* China's National Development and Reform Commission on Friday allocated 30 million yuan (about 4.21 million USD) from the central budget to help Yunnan Province cope with the aftermath of severe flooding and geological disasters.
* The Indonesian government has prioritized meeting domestic gas demand following a recent supply disruption caused by a pipeline fire, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said in Jakatar on Friday.
* The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees accused Israel on Friday of deliberately causing famine in Gaza after international monitors confirmed that famine conditions have taken hold in the enclave.
* The Israeli Prime Minister's Office on Friday rejected a UN-backed report confirming famine in Gaza, saying it was "an outright lie."
* The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday condemned Israel's newly-announced settlement plan in the occupied West Bank and its ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip.
* Iran and European powers will resume talks on Tehran's nuclear program and sanctions relief on Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said, days before a deadline set by France, Britain and Germany to trigger a "snapback" sanctions mechanism.
* A total of 1,693 Afghan refugee families, totaling 6,202 individuals, returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, from the neighboring Iran and Pakistan on Friday, Afghanistan's High Commission for Addressing Returnees Problems announced Saturday.
* The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits has increased by the most in approximately three months last week, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday.
* Brunei's economic growth in 2025 was expected to remain moderate, driven by a gradual recovery in oil and gas production, and expansion in the non-oil and gas sector, including construction, tourism, trade, and info-communications technology (ICT), the central bank said on Friday.
