AnewZ Morning Brief - 17th August, 2025

Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of August, covering the latest developments you need to know.

1. Trump seeks trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy on 22 August

U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as early as 22 August, according to Axios.

The proposal follows Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday - their first meeting since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It was also Putin’s first visit to the U.S. for presidential talks since 2007.

According to sources briefed on the call, Trump informed European leaders that he wanted to convene a trilateral session involving Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump is due to meet Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday and has invited European leaders to join the talks.

While Trump said he and Putin made “some headway” during their Alaska discussions, he admitted that no agreement had yet been reached to end the conflict in Ukraine. However, Putin described the outcome of their meeting as an “understanding”.

The Kremlin has not confirmed whether Putin will attend the proposed three-way summit.

2. Northern China flash flood kills 8, Xinhua reports

At least eight people have died and four remain missing after a river burst its banks in Inner Mongolia late Saturday, sweeping away campers near Bayannur, state media said. One survivor was rescued.

China has faced weeks of extreme monsoon rains since July, with floods displacing thousands and threatening major economic losses. Bayannur is a key hub for grain and sheep farming.

Elsewhere, heavy rain ended a fishing ban in Hainan, while in Sichuan severe weather at a beer festival killed two and injured three.

The disaster follows last month’s Beijing floods that left 44 dead. Beijing has allocated 430 million yuan ($59.9m) in fresh relief, bringing total aid since April to 5.8 billion yuan.

3. Earthquake of magnitude 5.7 strikes Sulawesi, Indonesia, GFZ says

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Sunday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.

4. U.S. cancels India trade talks scheduled for August, NDTV Profit says

U.S. trade negotiators have called off a planned trip to New Delhi scheduled for August 25–29, postponing discussions on a potential bilateral trade deal, NDTV Profit reported on Saturday, citing sources.

5. Sudan attack kills at least 31 in El Fasher displacement camp

At least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, were killed and 13 injured when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled El Fasher’s Abu Shouk displacement camp in North Darfur on Saturday, volunteer groups said.

The Sudan Doctors Network called it a “heinous crime,” accusing the RSF of deliberately targeting civilians. It warned that the siege of El Fasher is causing severe shortages of medicine, food, and staff.

The Abu Shouk Emergency Room said the camp’s northern side came under “intense artillery shelling,” while resistance committees reported the attack lasted from morning into the afternoon, sparking panic and fresh displacement.

The RSF has not commented. Fighting between the RSF and Sudanese army since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur outside RSF control, has been besieged since May 2024.

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