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Heavy fighting continues in Donbas as strikes escalate

In the past 24 hours, fighting along the Russia-Ukraine frontlines has been fierce, with over 130 combat clashes reported, particularly in the Pokrovsk sector. Russian forces advanced near Lyman, east of Kozacha Lopan, and on the northeastern edge of Novomykhailivka, while Ukrainian troops pushed into southern Novoekonomichne. Battles remain intense around Pokrovsk, Lyman, and Novopavlivka, with Russian infiltration attempts while Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt Russian supply lines.

Along the Sumy and Kursk border areas, Russian troops attacked near settlements including Bezsalivka, Kindrativka, and Oleksiivka, but without confirmed breakthroughs, as Ukrainian counterattacks were also reported.

Overnight, Russia launched a large missile and drone assault on Kyiv, killing at least 15 to 18 civilians and hitting central sites, including the British Council and European Union delegation buildings. The wider barrage killed 47 civilians across Ukraine.

Ukraine also launched more drone strikes on Russian infrastructure, including targets in Crimea such as the Kursk bridge (which was closed by Russia), causing fuel shortages. At sea, a Russian marine drone destroyed Ukraine’s warship Simferopol in the Danube estuary, while Ukraine damaged a Russian Buyan-M missile corvette in the Sea of Azov.

Meanwhile, Russia’s war-driven economy, which expanded by around 4.3% in 2024, is forecast to slow sharply in 2025 to roughly 1.5%, as high interest rates and the strain of prolonged conflict weigh on growth.

It’s now the U.S. vs China, everyone else needs to pick a side

Wicker visits Taiwan for security talks

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, arrived in Taipei on Friday, 29 August, for security discussions, accompanied by U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, a fellow member of the committee.

President Lai Ching-te is due to meet the delegation later on Friday.

Wicker said the visit aims to reinforce the U.S.–Taiwan partnership, invoking Ronald Reagan’s phrase “peace through strength.”

He noted that the Senate will take up the National Defense Authorization Act next week and said the measure would add provisions related to Taiwan.

The stop forms part of a wider Indo-Pacific swing that includes Hawaii, Guam, Palau, and the Philippines. Beijing had urged U.S. lawmakers to cancel the trip.

America First

U.S. tariffs - end of de minimus, and India tariffs bite

In the past 24 hours, U.S. trade policy has shifted markedly. The long-standing de minimis exemption, which allowed imports under $800 to enter tariff-free, has officially ended. Low-value e-commerce shipments are now subject to duties or flat fees of $80–$200. The measure is expected to raise up to $10 billion annually but will increase costs for consumers and force major platforms and shippers to adjust.

Several countries have responded by suspending or restricting mail services to the U.S. Australia Post announced that most goods bound for the U.S. and Puerto Rico would no longer be accepted “until further notice,” with only gifts under $100, letters, and documents exempt. Postal services in Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, and New Zealand have taken similar steps. Japan declared that it would stop accepting U.S.-bound individual gifts valued at more than $100 and goods for sale starting Wednesday, while Taiwan said it would halt all merchandise-type mail to the U.S. beginning Tuesday.

At the same time, the administration of President Donald Trump has expanded Section 232 national security tariffs, imposing 50% duties on more than 400 steel and aluminum product lines.

The U.S. economy has meanwhile posted stronger-than-expected growth. GDP in the second quarter was revised upward to 3.3%, driven largely by a sharp drop in imports ahead of the tariff change.

On the foreign policy front, tensions with India remain high after Washington doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50% earlier this week in response to New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil and its alignment with BRICS. Indian officials and economists warned of serious risks to growth and bilateral ties.

All this reflects the administration’s broader America First, national security-justified tariff and trade strategy.

Birth pangs in the birthplace of civilization

Israeli air strikes in Sana’a reportedly kill senior Houthi commanders

Houthi minister of defense Major General Mohamed al-Atifi and chief of the general staff Major General Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari are both believed to have been killed in a wave of Israeli Air Force strikes on Sana’a, the Houthi-held Yemeni capital in western Yemen. Separately, some Yemeni reports say that Israeli air strikes on the capital killed Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi.

Israel has sought to eliminate both al-Atifi and al-Ghamari repeatedly, most recently during the Twelve-Day War with Iran in June.

The planet will be fine, it’s the humans who should be concerned

Warming records and policy moves

July 2025 was the third-warmest July on record, and the period from August 2024 to July 2025 ran about 1.53 °C (2.75 °F) above pre-industrial levels. Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice extents were among the lowest on record for July, with Antarctica’s summer minimum matching the second-lowest in the satellite era.

New research argues that a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) may no longer be a long shot over coming decades if emissions remain high. The consequences of this would be a dramatic cooling of the weather in northern Europe, especially Britain.

On policy and energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rescinding the 2009 greenhouse-gas “endangerment finding”.

Administratively, the agency would need a robust evidentiary basis to survive “arbitrary and capricious” challenges under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Instability from Sahel to Horn of Africa amid state fragility, Russian interference, & Islamist insurgencies

Farabougou falls under JNIM control in central Mali

Overnight, local officials said that JNIM, an al-Qaeda-linked group, took control of Farabougou in central Mali. The army has not returned since withdrawing after an earlier attack ten days ago.

Around 19 August, JNIM reportedly raided and forced the evacuation of the town’s army camp, one of the largest in the area, which triggered civilian flight. Farabougou lies in Niono cercle, Ségou region, roughly 400 km (249 miles) north of the capital, Bamako.

Residents report some returns of civilians under JNIM rule after the community leadership agreed to abide by the group’s edicts, including taxes, bans on secular music, cigarettes and alcohol, and head-covering requirements for women.

No official toll has been released for the camp attack. Regional reports said hundreds fled Farabougou and nearby villages after the assault, leaving the town a “ghost town” before partial returns.

Farabougou is a small but significant town in Mali’s central rice-growing Office du Niger zone, on routes linking Sokolo–Dogofry–Diabaly.

Before the latest events, the town’s pre-conflict population was roughly 2,000–3,000. The area is one where JNIM operates between villages and the Wagadou Forest.

In October 2020, jihadist fighters blockaded Farabougou after kidnappings near the weekly market, destroying bridges and cutting supplies. Malian forces air-dropped aid and later lifted the siege, though many residents were displaced.

Afterward, ad hoc truces emerged in parts of Niono between jihadists and local self-defense groups, but these understandings were fragile and repeatedly broke down.

On 12 December 2023, jihadist group Katiba Macina attacked Malian forces in Farabougou, reportedly killing dozens, the deadliest incident there since 2020.

Jakarta protests escalate after fatal police vehicle incident

Protests in Jakarta intensified overnight into Friday after a police special unit (Brimob) armored vehicle struck and killed a motorcycle ride-hailing driver, identified as 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, during crowd dispersal near Pejompongan/Bendungan Hilir. Video of the incident circulated widely.

Hundreds of students, workers, and motorcycle drivers rallied again on Friday, concentrating outside Brimob headquarters in Kwitang, Central Jakarta. Police used tear gas and water cannon around the compound to push back crowds.

Military personnel were deployed to reinforce security and to help mediate around riot-police facilities after crowds gathered there overnight.

President Prabowo Subianto said he was “surprised and disappointed” by “excessive” police actions and ordered an investigation.

Student unions vowed to keep demonstrating over multiple grievances, especially lawmakers’ pay and allowances, but also education funding, and the national free-meals program. Unions and worker groups also pressed for wage increases and tax relief.

Authorities prepared for further unrest through Friday, with police and Brimob units on heightened readiness. There’s little sign of a reduction in tension, nor a plan by the government to address the concerns of the protestors.

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