While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 17, 2025
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Russian President Vladimir Putin leaving a press briefing in Alaska after his summit with US President Donald Trump on Aug 15.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Outline emerges of Putin’s offer to end his war in Ukraine
Russia would relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine and Kyiv would cede swathes of its eastern land which Moscow has been unable to capture, under peace proposals discussed by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at their Alaska summit, sources briefed on Moscow’s thinking said.
The account emerged the day after Mr Trump and Mr Putin met at an airforce base in Alaska, the first encounter between a US president and the Kremlin chief since before the start of the Ukraine conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to travel to Washington on Aug 18 to discuss with Mr Trump a possible settlement of the full-scale war, which Mr Putin launched in February 2022.
Although the summit failed to secure the ceasefire he said he had wanted, Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he and Mr Putin had discussed land transfers and security guarantees for Ukraine, and had “largely agreed”.
US ‘proposed Nato-style joint defence guarantees for Kyiv’
PHOTO: EPA
The US has proposed Ukraine be protected by a Nato-style collective defence guarantee to allay fears of renewed Russian aggression in the event of a peace deal, Italy’s premier and diplomatic sources said Aug 16.
The suggestion was raised during a call US President Donald Trump held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on Aug 16, the day after Mr Trump’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“As one of the security guarantees for Ukraine, the American side proposed a non-Nato Article 5 type guarantee, supposedly agreed with Putin,” one diplomatic source told AFP on condition they not be identified.
Israel prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza
PHOTO: REUTERS
Gaza residents will be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting from Aug 17 ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety,” the Israeli military said on Aug 16.
This comes days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, home to about 2.2 million people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Aug 17 said that before launching the offensive, the civilian population will be evacuated to what he described as “safe zones” from Gaza City, which he called Hamas’ last stronghold.
US suspends visas for Gazans after Loomer posts
PHOTO: REUTERS
The US government said on Aug 16 it is suspending visitor visas for Gazans after a far-right influencer with the ear of President Donald Trump complained that wounded Palestinians had been allowed to seek medical treatment in the United States.
The announcement came one day after a series of furious social media posts by Ms Laura Loomer, who is known for promoting racist conspiracy theories and claiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were an inside job.
“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the State Department, which is led by Mr Marco Rubio, wrote on X.
One win does not signal that ‘City are back’
PHOTO: REUTERS
The several thousand Manchester City fans who travelled to Molineux on Aug 16 sang “City are back” as Pep Guardiola’s men kicked off their season with a thorough 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But Guardiola, whose once-mighty team stormed to four consecutive league titles before last season’s shocking third-place finish, pleaded patience, saying that one win meant little.
“The start is a good result, (but) no more than last season. Last season, we started against Chelsea, 2-0 (win), and look what happened later,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
