In response to ongoing nationwide protests against government spending and the burgeoning fury following the death of a motorcycle taxi driver after being hit by a police car, Indonesian police said, according to student groups and authorities.
More than 140 kilometers (86 miles) west of Jakarta, authorities used tear gas to cover the campuses of Pasundan University and the Islamic University of Bandung (UNISBA).
Authorities used rubber bullets and tear gas canisters from outside the campus gates, according to Muhammad Ilham, a student from Pasunda, according to the Reuters news agency.
A student was struck by a rubber bullet in two shots, he claimed.
According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, at least eight people have died as a result of the protests since last week.
Authorities attempted to disperse crowds of non-student protesters who had been requesting protection on university grounds on Tuesday, according to police official Hendra Rochmawan.
Harits Nu’man, the rector of UNISBA, confirmed that the campus had been a medical hub for protesters and echoed the police’s statement.
The UNISBA student body, however, claimed that security forces “brutally attacked” the campus because tear gas made some students’ breathing difficulties.
Unrest in large numbers
According to Al Jazeera’s Jessica Washington, a group of motorbike taxi drivers in central Jakarta were gathered to pay tribute to the 21-year-old driver who died after being hit by an armored police car during the demonstrations.
“There are a lot of them,” They claim that they can call for their various demands, including economic inequality, and do it peacefully, in order to demonstrate the power of peaceful assembly so they can honor their colleague,” according to Washington.
She continued, noting that many Indonesian civil society organizations are “raising the alarm” about a Jakarta police officer’s arrest late last night.
A coalition of women’s groups is planning additional protests on Tuesday outside Jakarta’s parliament.
At least 20 protesters have vanished since the demonstrations started last week as rage increased as a result of widespread overspending by lawmakers and police, according to the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS).
The group claimed that 20 people had been reported missing in Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, and North Jakarta, as well as in the cities of Bandung and Depok on Java Island.
Students at universities have long been regarded as the face of Indonesia’s democracy because they participated actively in the 1998 uprisings that helped to overthrow President Soeharto.
The first significant test of his leadership will be facing current president Prabowo Subianto, a military leader under Soeharto. According to a statement from his office, he met labor unions and told lawmakers to discuss labor laws, some of whom joined the protest last week.
Kyiv’s European and regional allies have begun to work out commitments to a peacekeeping force that would enter Ukraine after a three and a half year-old ceasefire is reached following their summit with US President Donald Trump in the White House on August 18.
By the end of the week, they intend to collect those pledges.
Russia is also putting forth additional sanctions, according to Europe.
However, neither country’s position is shared on either issue.
What should you be aware of:
What promises have nations made?
Estonia has so far indicated that it will contribute at least one military unit to the peacekeeping force, and Lithuania has previously stated that it will send an unnamed number of troops.
Romania declared that it would not send troops, but instead would set up F-35 airstrikes to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian ambassador to Ankara, Turkey is considering sending troops to demine the Black Sea.
The German Armed Forces Association’s head, Colonel Andre Wuestner, told the Reuters news agency that at least 10,000 troops would be required for an extended period.
A command post in Ukraine won’t be enough, according to Wuestner, adding that there will need to be a few generals and smaller military units.
A resident of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, holds his cat as he stands near his apartment building, which was destroyed by a Russian drone and missile attack on August 30, 2025 [Stringer/Reuters].
Trump’s participation in such a force was a top priority for the Europeans at the White House meeting.
Trump had stated on August 18 that the US would participate, but not with troops.
The US recently told their European counterparts that the country would contribute “strategic enablers,” such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, command and control, and air defense assets, according to The Financial Times last month.
Is it feasible to establish a peacekeeping force and make a ceasefire plan?
It is entirely theatrical,” he said. According to Keir Giles, an expert on Eurasia at Chatham House, every European leader, including [Ukrainian President] Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has to find a way to keep Trump on his side. They did it without losing sight of reality, though.
According to Giles, a ceasefire is “entirely unachievable because]Russian President Vladimir Putin is obviously not interested in ending the fighting,” but it is also undesirable.
Before Trump took office, he said, “Everyone is aware that a ceasefire was one of the worst-case scenarios possible outcomes.”
Ukraine and its allies in Europe have repeatedly criticized a truce as a chance for Putin to reorganize his forces before starting an offensive with renewed vigor. However, in February, Trump declared a ceasefire as his top priority.
They still give lip service to these ridiculous ideas because they need to humor Trump and fit in with the fantasy world that drives the Trump world, according to Giles.
Trump and Europe: Will they cooperate?
Europe and Ukraine have been exerting great pressure on Trump’s direction since August 18.
Zelenskyy and Mark Rutte, the NATO’s chief executive, met in Kyiv on August 22 to discuss the need for “Article 5-like guarantees” operating under a blueprint that includes “a crystal-clear architecture of which countries assist us on the ground, which are responsible for the security of our skies, and which guarantee security at sea.”
The collective defense clause in NATO’s Article 5 states that an attack on one NATO member is treated as an attack on everyone.
Would Trump consent to “Article 5-like guarantees,” which create an automatic defense mechanism that would cause NATO forces to conflict with Russia?
Giles remarked, “Trump doesn’t always seem to be saying anything that makes sense,” and it’s incredibly vague and unclear whether he means what he says.
With Trump, you can never be certain. Political scientist Theodoros Tsikas reaffirmed that Trump is “changeable,” but that political reality prevents him from getting too far into Putin’s camp.
He wants to end the Ukrainian conflict first so that he can pursue an energy and mineral wealth economic partnership with Russia.
In a summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska on August 15, Reuters reported late last month that Russia and the US discussed business deals that were related to the issue of Ukraine’s disposition.
According to five sources, “These deals were put forward as incentives to encourage the Kremlin to agree to terms with the Ukrainian people and to ease sanctions against Russia.”
ExxonMobil re-joined a joint venture with Gazprom, Russian gas liquefaction equipment was purchased by Moscow, US equipment for gas liquefaction, and Russian ice-breakers were also purchased by the US.
Second, according to Tsikas, Trump “wants to free up US troops in Europe to recommit them to Asia.”
On August 28, 2025, a woman screams at the site of an apartment complex in Kyiv that was attacked by Russian drone and missiles in a building close to the Ukrainian branch of the British Council. [Stringer/Reuters]
He can’t allow Ukraine to fall into his hands because it will cost him a lot of money in the US, much like Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, he says in this pirouette. Trump has limitations, too. The winner’s profile is the one he sells. That image crumbles if he suffers a significant defeat, he told Al Jazeera.
Trump is willing to provide security for Europe because of these reasons, Tsikas said.
Trump: Is there a deal with Ukraine?
According to Trump’s approach to Ukraine since taking office, this assistance would not be free.
According to The Financial Times, Ukraine has offered to purchase $100 billion worth of US weapons in exchange for US security guarantees. This is backed by Europe, which has already agreed to purchase $800 billion ($820 billion) worth of US weapons for itself.
Will these extraordinary sums ever be used? Through the NATO program PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List), Zelenskyy claims Ukraine needs US weapons worth $1 billion every month.
Through PURL, European nations have pledged to pay $ 1.5 billion for US weapons purchases for Ukraine. All of this is a far cry from the funds Trump demands, which raises the question of whether they will ever be put into action.
Russia’s position is unknown.
Once Putin and Zelenskyy reached a ceasefire, a peacekeeping force would only be put in place.
Despite Zelenskyy’s readiness, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov has twice confirmed that the meeting was postponed in recent days.
On August 21, he informed his Indian counterpart that a meeting would take place when the proposals were “well developed.”
Lavrov added that “no meeting is being planned,” but that “Putin is prepared to meet with Zelenskyy when the summit’s agenda is ready.” This schedule is insufficiently prepared.
Lavrov demanded that Zelenskyy adhere to the positions that Putin and Trump allegedly agreed to at the meeting in Alaska.
Zelenskyy said “no to everything,” and it was very clear to everyone that there are several principles that Washington thinks must be accepted, including no NATO membership.
Trump’s positions have been pushed closer to home by Russia and Europe. Putin tried to deter Trump from backing sanctions, which Europe supports, by persuading him that a ceasefire was not required for peace talks.
In a Tuesday evening address to Ukrainians, Zelenskyy said, “Russia’s only signals indicate that it intends to continue avoiding actual negotiations.” Strong sanctions, strong tariffs, and real pressure alone can change this.
Trump reiterated a two-week self-imposed deadline on August 22 before approving sanctions against Russia. In a press conference at the Oval Office, he said, “I believe we will know where I’m going in two weeks.”
Sean Hannity on Fox received a first report from Trump regarding the deadline following his meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15.
Trump is still wedged between Russia and Europe, and as a result, his predecessor, Biden, was a staunch European ally.
Leaders in Europe are more skeptical of Russia’s intentions because they only see it in terms of politics and security.
More than 1,100 people were killed when an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, and rescuers are desperately searching for survivors among the rubble of the homes.
About midnight on Sunday, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake and at least five aftershocks hit remote regions in mountainous provinces close to Pakistan’s border.
Ehsanullah Ehsan, the head of the Kunar Provincial Disaster Management Authority, stated on Tuesday that “operations continued throughout the night.”
He claimed that there were “still injured people in the distant villages” that needed hospitalization.
Villagers jumped in and rescued the debris from simple mud and stone homes built into steep valleys using only their bare hands.
According to the UN migration agency, some of the hardest-hit villages are still accessible due to blocked roads.
According to the USGS, the earthquake epicentre was located 27 kilometers (17 miles) away from Jalalabad, which claimed it struck at a shallow 8 kilometers (5 miles) below the Earth’s surface.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced an initial $5 million in aid on Monday, stating in a statement that the organization was working with local authorities to “sweekly assess needs, provide emergency assistance, and stand ready to mobilize additional support.”
According to the Afghan Red Crescent Society, a humanitarian organization active in the area, the death toll from the earthquake has increased to 1,124. The organization claimed that the disaster caused at least 3, 251 injuries and more than 8, 000 homes, as well as at least 3, 251 of those who were hurt.
According to government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, there are also dozens of injured in Laghman province.
Given that the majority of Afghans reside in low-rise, mud-brick homes vulnerable to collapse, relatively shallow quakes can cause more damage.
Pope Leo XIV expressed his deep sadness over the magnitude of the earthquake’s “significant loss of life” in a post shared by the Vatican.
Near the confluence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, earthquakes frequently occur in Afghanistan, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range.
Western Herat province was ravaged by an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 in October 2023, which left over 2, 000 people dead and more than 63 000 homes without life.
As the two men began a series of meetings in Beijing thought to be a message of defiance and strength to Western powers, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as an “old friend.” Putin added that their countries’ ties were at an “unprecedented level.”
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s rampant tariff increases and the two allies’ sharp disagreements with one another, the two countries are at odds with one another.
Putin praised Moscow’s strengthening ties with Beijing on Tuesday while addressing Xi as a “dear friend.” They planned to have another meeting with some of their top aides over tea in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People following their formal discussions.
The discussions take place in Tianjin, a city in China, one day after both attended a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Moscow and Beijing have endorsed the SCO as a counterweight to Western-led alliances, with Putin claiming that the world needs a “system that would replace obsolete Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models.”
Putin is expected to “sign 20 agreements increasing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow,” according to Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, who is based in Beijing. It appears that Putin and Xi have a very warm, sincere relationship, according to Yu, adding that neither the US nor Western European leaders have had any negative impact on their friendship.
In recent years, China and Russia have bolstered their ties, particularly with regard to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the early 2022.
China maintains trade despite Western sanctions, but claims to be neutral in the Ukraine war. However, it has also provided an economic lifeline to Russia by continuing to trade. Some of its businesses have been accused of supporting the military.
The two leaders’ discussions come one day before a massive Chinese military parade in Beijing to commemorate both Japan’s victory and World War II’s climax.
Around 20 world leaders will be present, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who state media claim he entered China before his planned visit.
Although the former Soviet Union was neutral during the majority of the war in Asia, China was helped by its earlier support for Japanese forces in the 1930s. In the final days of World War II, Japan was also at war and troops were sent over the border into northeastern China from Japan.
China hopes to convey a message to the West through this military parade, Yu said. The point China wants to make by rolling out the red carpet for them is that they are not isolated, that they do have friends and do have power, Yu said, adding that many of the leaders attending this parade “have been styled by the US, by the Trump administration as outcasts, as weak, as pariahs.”
The SCO meeting has demonstrated how to support a new global order and demonstrate solidarity among the world’s citizens. Chinese President Xi Jinping made remarks that were widely perceived as criticism of the US that “global governance has reached a new crossroads.”
Before their Tuesday meeting, Putin and Xi had a trilateral meeting with Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. Between the two giants are his grasslands-strewn, mineral-mined land, and his landlocked nation.
In his opening remarks, Putin stated that the three nations share a desire to develop ties and are good neighbors. He claimed that “our three nations have a lot in common.”
China, Russia, and Mongolia should strengthen their solidarity and cooperation, and increase their mutual support, according to Xi in his own words.
Australia has announced plans to outlaw deepfake nudes that are created and used for stalking.
Under the reforms announced on Tuesday by the Australian government, tech platforms will be tasked with preventing access to “nudify” and undetectable online stalking tools.
Anika Wells, the minister for communications, said Australia would work with businesses to stop “abhorrent technologies” and make sure “legitimate and consent-based” artificial intelligence (AI) and online tracking services were not adversely impacted.
Abusive technologies are now widespread and readily accessible, according to Wells, who issued a statement.
We’ll work closely with industry to achieve this by working with them as these new, constantly evolving technologies demand a new, proactive approach to harm prevention.
While this action, along with existing laws and our world-leading online safety reforms, will make a significant difference in protecting Australians, she continued.
With the proliferation of platforms that can produce photo-realistic material with the click of a mouse, there is growing concern about the use of AI to sexually explicit images of people without their consent.
In a survey of 1,200 young people conducted by the advocacy group Thorn last year, 6% of respondents said they had been a direct victim of such abuse, while 6% said they knew someone who had created fake nude imagery for them.
In recent years, Australia has implemented a number of significant legal reforms, including the first social media use ban for minors.
More than 1, 000 people were killed by a landslide triggered by heavy rain on Sunday in the Darfur region of Sudan, according to an armed group that controls the area.
