Headline news for August 17, 2026: US President Trump intensifies economic pressure on Iran while scaling back South Korean military drills; a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia, displacing thousands and Berkshire Hathaway aggressively expands its stake in Alphabet, becoming its third-largest stock holding.

Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times. 

Written by: Howie Lim (howielim@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Claressa Monteiro or Nicole Teo

Produced by: BT Podcasts, The Business Times, SPH Media

Produced with AI text-to-speech capabilities

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