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According to Israeli media reports, Kushner discussed the issue of maintaining the ceasefire in Gaza with officials from the Peace Committee.

Market news: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner reaffirmed the necessity of resolving the current regional crisis and reiterated that all parties must commit to fulfilling their obligations under the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

According to Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiya TV, the Saudi Civil Defense announced that the danger alert for the Jizan region has been lifted after the early warning system was activated.

On August 16th, according to the WeChat Coral Security official account, WeChat recently released an announcement regarding the handling of illegal short dramas (July 2026). In accordance with the deployment requirements of the State Administration of Radio and Television and the Guangdong Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, the platform has continuously strengthened its inspection and review of vulgar and harmful short dramas and the operation and management of illegal and infringing short drama mini-programs. The platform also continues to standardize the management standards, creation requirements, and dissemination order of live-action short dramas, other animated short dramas, and AI live-action short dramas to effectively protect user rights and the physical and mental health of minors. Recently, through inspection and review, the platform discovered that some short dramas contained content with negative value orientations or infringing behaviors. In accordance with relevant national laws and regulations and the relevant provisions of the "Tencent WeChat Software License Service Agreement" and the "WeChat Mini-Program Operation Specifications," the platform removed dozens of illegal short dramas, including some with incorrect value orientations and poorly made content. At the same time, the platform also dealt with mini-programs with violations.

Air raid sirens have been activated in the Jizan region, according to the Saudi official news agency. This comes after Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported that an explosion was heard near the Jizan oil refinery in Saudi Arabia.

On August 16, Abbas Goudarzi, spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's Presidium, announced that the Iranian Parliament had passed an anti-infiltration bill to counter infiltration by enemy intelligence agencies and foreign governments or institutions. According to reports, Hassan Kashkawi, spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said while introducing the bill that Iran already has laws against espionage, but there was a legal gap regarding anti-infiltration, and this bill aims to fill that gap.

Israel's economy rebounded in the second quarter, recovering from the economic contraction triggered by the military action against Iran. Data released Sunday by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics showed that seasonally adjusted GDP grew at an annualized rate of 15.4% in the second quarter, exceeding the median forecast of 8.3% from eight economists surveyed by Bloomberg. First-quarter GDP was revised to contract by 2.2%. Exports of goods and services led the growth, increasing by 35.2%; government consumption rose by 19.5%, private consumption by 14.7%, and fixed capital formation by 6.3%. Yonie Fanning, chief strategist at Mizrahi-Tfahot Bank, said in a telephone interview before the data release that the Israeli economy is expected to experience a "rapid recovery" after the economic contraction caused by the conflict with Iran. He stated that consumer spending, including on durable goods, is expected to be a key driver of the economic rebound.

According to Israel's i24News, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet with US Special Envoy Jared Kushner and senior peace committee officials in Israel tomorrow.

According to Israel's Channel 12: Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes on the Haniyus region in the southern Gaza Strip.

August 16th - According to a report by The Washington Post on the 15th, officials from several Arab and Western countries stated that frustration with the United States is steadily rising among its Gulf allies. Informed officials revealed that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and several other Gulf states have reached a consensus on their dissatisfaction with the Trump administration, and some countries have begun discussing whether it is still necessary to allow the continued deployment of large-scale US military facilities on their territory. Recently, US President Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch a new large-scale attack on Iran, but subsequently withdrew these threats, citing progress in negotiations. This has led to growing concerns among Gulf states that Trump lacks the diplomatic ability to reach a peace agreement with Iran.

SenseTime (00020.HK): It is expected to record a profit of approximately RMB500 million to RMB700 million in the first half of the year, compared with a loss of approximately RMB1.48927 billion in the same period last year.

On August 16, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported that Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Amir Hatami announced a $30,000 reward for the capture or killing of U.S. soldiers. The reward will reportedly be given to any Iranian soldier who comes from "the Iranian people."

On August 16, Zijin Mining International (02259.HK) announced that in the first half of the year, thanks to the full contribution of newly acquired assets and the continued optimization of mature mines, gold production increased by 44% year-on-year to approximately 27.3 tons; revenue and profit attributable to owners of the parent company increased by 100% and 179% year-on-year, respectively, and net cash flow from operating activities increased significantly by 331% year-on-year.

On August 16, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that Ukrainian forces attacked the "Kamensky Joint Enterprise" in Rostov Oblast, Russia, a Russian military-industrial complex. The Ukrainian side stated that a fire broke out at the target site, and the extent of the damage and the results of the operation are still being verified. The Ukrainian military stated that this military-industrial enterprise is a major Russian military-industrial enterprise, producing solid rocket fuel for the "Hurricane," "Tornado," and "Tornado-S" multiple rocket launcher munitions, as well as related fuels for various missile systems and air-to-ground weapons. On August 16, local time, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a 24-hour combat report stating that Russian forces had taken control of two settlements: Pershomalievka in the Donetsk region and Kudyevka in the Kharkiv region. The report stated that Russian air defense forces shot down 14 guided bombs, 1 US-made HIMARS rocket, 9 Flamingo long-range cruise missiles, and 1,478 fixed-wing drones. This is the highest number of Ukrainian drones shot down in a single day as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense to date.

August 16 (Yonhap) -- Several North Korean soldiers recently crossed the Military Demarcation Line in the eastern region, prompting South Korean forces to fire warning shots. This is reportedly the first time this year that South Korean forces have fired warning shots in response to a North Korean incursion.

August 16 - Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency official Abdul Muhari stated on the afternoon of the 16th that the 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia has so far caused 53 deaths. Since the earthquake, 995 aftershocks have been recorded in the area.

Hamas: The delegation's meeting in Cairo aimed to ensure the occupiers' commitment to the roadmap reached with the Peace Commission.

Hamas: The delegation’s meeting in Cairo was part of ongoing communication with the mediators, aimed at informing them of Israel’s violations.

Hamas: The delegation has arrived in Cairo and is about to begin a meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza.