Daily world briefing, Aug. 16

Trump, Putin meet in U.S. state of Alaska

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he had a "very productive meeting" with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, the U.S. state of Alaska.

The two presidents held a joint press conference after concluding their talks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in the city of Anchorage.

Trump said at the press conference that there were many points agreed on, adding that the two sides made some headway, but there was no deal.

Putin said he agrees that the security of Ukraine should be ensured. He said the agreement he reached with Trump will bring closer that goal and pave the path toward peace in Ukraine.

5 killed, 112 injured in factory fire in Russia's Ryazan

Five people were killed and 112 were injured after a factory fire on Friday in western Russia's Ryazan Region, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said.

About 350 specialists and more than 80 units of equipment are working on site, the ministry said, adding that two people were rescued from the rubble.

The fire broke out at around 10:30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT) in a production workshop of a factory in Lesnoy, Shilovsky District, the regional operational headquarters said earlier in the day.

At least 46 killed in latest Israeli attacks across Gaza

At least 46 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Friday, the Civil Defense said.

Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense Authority, told Xinhua seven people were killed in an airstrike that targeted a tent housing displaced persons in the Al-Rimal neighborhood in western Gaza City.

Since Israel resumed its intensified military campaign on March 18, at least 10,300 Palestinians have been killed and 43,234 injured, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 61,827, with a total of 155,275 people injured, according to health authorities in Gaza on Friday.

At least 18 killed in bus crash east of Algeria's capital

At least 18 people were killed and nine injured on Friday when a passenger bus veered off a bridge and plunged into a streambed in El Harrach, east of Algiers, Algeria's Civil Protection agency said.

The accident occurred at around 5:45 p.m. (1645 GMT), the agency said. Two of the injured were in critical condition.

Record heatwaves, wildfires hit Europe

Record heatwaves have turned Europe into a sweltering sauna above 40 degrees Celsius as raging wildfires sweep many countries on high alert.

The extreme summer heat has created favorable conditions for rampant wildfires, which have already killed several people, displaced thousands and forced firefighters to battle blazes across large parts of Europe.

In France, a heatwave broke temperature records in the southwest, with maximums up to 12 degrees Celsius above normal, before spreading to the center-east and northeast of the country.

194 killed in rain-related incidents across Pakistan in 24 hours

At least 194 people were killed and 28 others injured in rain-related accidents across Pakistan in the past 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Friday.

The northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was the worst hit, reporting 180 deaths, followed by Pakistan-controlled Kashmir with nine fatalities and the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region with five, according to the NDMA.

Officials said the casualties were caused by flash floods, landslides and house collapses triggered by heavy monsoon rains in northern and northwestern areas. Flash floods also damaged roads, bridges, houses, schools, water tanks and agricultural land, Faizullah Faraq, a spokesperson for the GB government said.■