World News in Brief: August 17

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said Russia would like an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine by peaceful means.

This photo taken with a mobile phone provided by Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Central Sulawesi shows a damaged building after an earthquake in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Aug. 17, 2025. A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Poso Regency in Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, early Sunday, injuring at least 29 people, the country's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said in a statement. (BPBD Central Sulawesi/Handout via Xinhua)
This photo taken with a mobile phone provided by Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Central Sulawesi shows a damaged building after an earthquake in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Aug. 17, 2025. A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Poso Regency in Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, early Sunday, injuring at least 29 people, the country's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said in a statement. (BPBD Central Sulawesi/Handout via Xinhua)

* The chiefs of Cambodian and Thai regional military regions on Saturday vowed to avoid clashes after a ceasefire agreement reached by both countries recently, said a press release issued by the Cambodian side.

* U.S. President Donald Trump has told European leaders after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that he wants to arrange a trilateral summit with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as soon as Aug. 22, U.S. online media outlet Axios said Saturday.

* German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Washington on Monday, joining Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, the German government announced on Sunday.

* German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Saturday that a trilateral meeting is expected to follow Monday's meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.

* Top European leaders on Saturday stressed that Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be fully respected, following U.S. President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

* Russian forces launched strikes on depots of Ukrainian missiles, ammunition, and drones as well as deployment sites, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday.

* Libya began its second phase of municipal council elections on Saturday, with polling stations across the country opening from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time. The elections covered 26 of the 63 municipalities initially slated for this phase, the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) said.

* The 45th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government opened in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, on Sunday, with regional leaders urging stronger industrial capacity and modernized agriculture to drive integration.

* Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the army will "soon" begin a new offensive to take over Gaza City, the Gaza Strip's largest urban center, despite international warnings about the consequences for the already devastated enclave.

* Israel struck a power plant south of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Sunday morning, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

* Iraqi security forces have carried out two airstrikes on Islamic State (IS) hideouts, killing a group of terrorists inside, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said on Saturday.

* The Sri Lankan government plans to sign more free trade agreements (FTAs) with foreign partners to diversify its export markets and boost foreign exchange earnings, state media reported on Sunday, citing a senior official.

* Canada's largest airline Air Canada said Saturday it has suspended all operations of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge due to a strike by its 10,000 flight attendants.

* Russia plans to launch its Venera-D interplanetary mission to revisit Venus before 2036, and preparations are already underway, local media reported on Sunday.

* Myanmar has exported over 145,000 tons of fishery products to China from September 2023 to August 2025, the state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television reported on Saturday.

* The Afghan power company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) has signed contracts worth about 41 million USD to develop critical electricity infrastructure in western Herat province, the company said on Saturday.

* Three people were killed and another eight injured in an overnight shooting at a club in Brooklyn, New York, NBC News reported early Sunday, citing the city's police.

* At least 313 people have died and over 150 others are still missing in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the past three days after flash floods triggered by days of torrential monsoon rains, a senior official said on Sunday.

* A total of 126 people lost their lives in disasters across Nepal in the past four months, a government agency said on Sunday. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 23 people remained missing and 585 others were injured in 2,853 disasters between April 14 and August 16.

Xinhua
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