ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including starvation kills three more Gazans amid an Israeli siege; Trump envoy visits Gaza aid center; and former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe sentenced to 12 years of house arrest.

Starvation kills 3 more Gazans amid Israeli siege: Palestinian Health Ministry

Three more Palestinians died from starvation in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours amid a choking Israeli blockade, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

“Hospitals recorded three fatalities in Gaza in the past 24 hours as a result of famine and malnutrition,” it said in a statement.

The new deaths brought the toll from starvation since October 2023 to 162, including 92 children.

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe sentenced to 12 years of house arrest in historic ruling

Former right-wing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest, a decision delivered by Judge Sandra Heredia.

It marks a historic moment, as it is the first time a former Colombian president has been convicted and sentenced for a crime.

The sentencing comes after Heredia found Uribe guilty Tuesday of witness tampering and procedural fraud.

Uribe, who served as president from 2002 to 2010, was found to have attempted to obstruct justice in 2017 and 2018.

Trump envoy visits Gaza aid center near Rafah amid famine crisis

US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived at an aid center operated by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the Morag corridor, north of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

The visit comes as international condemnation escalates about Israel’s starvation policy in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Witkoff was accompanied by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The delegation is expected to inspect distribution sites amid reports that more than 1,000 starving Palestinians have been killed since May at food collection points run by the GHF.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Witkoff would “visit distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food, and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

-Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Istanbul as part of a cooperation summit of Türkiye, Italy and Libya.

- China expressed “shock” and “disappointment” about the US’ move to sanction the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

-Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that Israeli airstrikes Thursday led to the deaths of four people.

-Responding to US President Donald Trump voicing “disappointment” about a lack of progress on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged him to avoid "excessive expectations" and to resume talks on the issue.

-Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a high-level meeting with the Russian leadership to resolve the ongoing conflict.

- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the international community has a great responsibility to establish an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the region as soon as possible.

-A UN official raised alarm about the growing number of fatalities and injuries to civilians in the Gaza Strip who are being killed while trying to secure basic food supplies.

-The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced it will cease operations after its funding was eliminated under a rescissions bill signed by US President Donald Trump and approved by Congress.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

-Data on jobs were ‘rigged,’ Trump claims

US President Donald Trump said he believed the most recent unemployment figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics were "rigged" and politically motivated.

"In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad — Just like when they had three great days around the 2024 Presidential Election," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added that "the figures were 'taken away' on November 15, 2024, right after the Election, when the Jobs Numbers were massively revised DOWNWARD, making a correction of over 818,000 Jobs — A TOTAL SCAM."

-US economy adds less-than-expected 73,000 jobs in July

The US economy added 73,000 jobs in July, well below expectations, according to data from the Labor Department.

The expectation for nonfarm payrolls last month was set to show a gain of 106,000.

Job additions for June, meanwhile, were revised down by 133,000, from 147,000 to 14,000.

"Employment continued to trend up in health care and social assistance. Federal government continued to lose jobs," the agency said.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate inched up to 4.2% in July from 4.1% in June, matching forecasts.

The number of the unemployed saw little change at 7.2 million in July, while the labor force participation rate was at 62.2%.