10 Things Global News - 1 August 2025
News that matters from around the world
Medvedev Warns of Nuclear Retaliation After Ultimatum
Trump Enacts Sweeping New Tariff Order
Flash Floods Trigger Emergencies Across NE US
El Salvador Scraps Presidential Term Limits
Ukraine Restores Anti-Graft Agencies Bowing to Pressure
Death Toll Rises in Kyiv After Russian Strikes
Israeli Settler Released After Killing Palestinian Activist
Preparedness Saves Lives Following Tsunami
Myanmar Junta Ends Emergency Rule Ahead of Disputed Election
Vatican To Be First State To Achieve Carbon Neutrality
The war of words between Donald Trump and Dmitry Medvedev escalated this week, with the former Russian president invoking Russia’s Cold War-era nuclear retaliation system in response to U.S. pressure over Ukraine. Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, referenced the “Dead Hand” — a semi-automated command system designed to launch a retaliatory strike if Russian leadership is incapacitated — after Trump warned him to “watch his words” and threatened tariffs on Russia and its oil buyers if no Ukraine ceasefire is reached within ten days.
Medvedev responded on Telegram, calling Trump’s threats proof that Russia’s current course was correct and saying Trump should recall “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be.” Trump, for his part, labeled Medvedev a “failed former President” and extended criticism to India for its energy ties with Moscow.
The Kremlin has avoided direct comment, but observers say the choice to target Medvedev may reflect Trump’s interest in preserving room for diplomacy with Putin.
Sources: Time, Reuters
President Trump has signed a new executive order modifying reciprocal tariff rates across nearly all U.S. trading partners, citing persistent trade deficits as a threat to national security.
The order, a continuation of April’s Executive Order 14257, imposes higher ad valorem duties—some exceeding 40%—on imports from countries with which the U.S. runs significant deficits. Countries failing to align with U.S. economic and security goals face especially steep rates, including Syria (41%), Myanmar and Laos (40%), and Canada (35%) on certain goods.
The new tariffs take effect August 7, with exceptions for goods already in transit. The order includes transshipment penalties and grants broad authority to federal agencies for monitoring and enforcement. Trump defended the legal basis under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, though courts are reviewing the legitimacy of using emergency powers to impose tariffs. Several major partners, including the EU and India, are still engaged in trade negotiations that could influence their rates going forward.
Sources: CNN, The White House
Heavy rains swept across the U.S. Northeast on Thursday, flooding streets, halting flights, and prompting state-of-emergency declarations in New York and New Jersey. A powerful cold front, interacting with humid, unstable air, produced rainfall rates exceeding two inches per hour in some areas.
Parts of New York City were hit hard. In Queens, a car was nearly submerged on the Clearview Expressway, and emergency responders carried out water rescues. FloodNet sensors recorded more than 21 inches of water in Staten Island, while Brooklyn neighborhoods saw depths nearing 10 inches. Officials urged residents to stay off the roads.
Flight cancellations exceeded 1,100 across eight major East Coast airports, with rail service between Philadelphia and Wilmington briefly suspended. In Maryland, Baltimore was largely spared, but nearby Harford County required vehicle rescues.
Up to five inches of rain fell in some areas, but forecasters said the weather system was moving east. Cooler, drier conditions are expected Friday.
Sources: New York Times, Investing.com
El Salvador’s parliament has approved constitutional reforms that eliminate presidential term limits and extend terms from five to six years, clearing the way for President Nayib Bukele to run indefinitely. The vote passed 57 to 3, pushed through by Bukele’s New Ideas party using an expedited process with little public debate.
The reform also shortens Bukele’s current term by two years, moving the next presidential election forward to 2027 to align with legislative and municipal votes. Lawmakers also abolished the second-round runoff, meaning future elections could be decided outright in the first round.
Opposition figures warned the changes mark the death of democracy and a step toward one-party rule. Human rights groups expressed concern over Bukele’s ongoing state of emergency, under which an estimated 75,000 people have been detained. While Bukele remains highly popular for his crackdown on gangs, critics say the reforms further entrench authoritarianism in the country.
Sources: BBC, France 24
Ukraine’s parliament has voted 331–0 to restore the independence of two key anti-corruption agencies, reversing a controversial law that had triggered nationwide protests and sharp warnings from international allies. The new bill, submitted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reaffirms that the prosecutor general and deputies cannot interfere with ongoing investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
The previous amendments, passed just days earlier, had granted those powers and sparked the country’s largest public demonstrations since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Protesters, backed by the EU and rights groups, warned that the changes would erode Ukraine’s democratic institutions and jeopardize EU accession talks.
Zelenskyy, who cited concerns over Russian interference to justify the initial shift, quickly signed the new bill into law following its passage. European officials welcomed the reversal, though they noted that broader reform efforts must continue. Ukraine’s eligibility for further Western aid remains closely tied to its anti-corruption record.
Sources: ABC, Al Jazeera
Russian missiles and drones struck Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least 26 people, including three children, and injuring over 150 in one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in recent months. The strikes destroyed residential buildings and damaged a hospital, school, and kindergarten. Ten bodies were recovered from the rubble of an apartment block in the Sviatoshynskyi district, among them a two-year-old child.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s threat of new sanctions if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire by 8 August, Moscow launched over 300 drones and multiple cruise missiles overnight. Kyiv officials said it was the highest number of child casualties in a single night since the war began.
Ukraine denied Russian claims of victory in Chasiv Yar, where fighting continues. President Volodymyr Zelensky called for regime change in Moscow and urged allies to increase pressure. Kyiv declared a day of mourning in honour of the victims.
Sources: BBC, The Independent
Israeli authorities have released Yinon Levi, the settler accused of fatally shooting Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen, placing him under three days of house arrest. Levi, previously sanctioned by the U.S. under President Biden for alleged violence against Palestinians, had those sanctions lifted by the Trump administration in January.
Hathaleen, a teacher and co-creator of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was killed Monday during a settler incursion in Umm al-Khair. Video shows Levi firing his weapon before Hathaleen collapsed. Despite court claims of self-defense, police have refused to release Hathaleen’s body, demanding restrictions on the funeral. The family has rejected the conditions, which would limit mourners to 15 and require burial outside his hometown.
The case has sparked international criticism and renewed attention to settler violence. On Thursday, a separate settler attack in Silwad resulted in another Palestinian death, while Israeli officials promised investigations into both incidents.
Sources: The Guardian, ABC
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific, but rapid evacuations and early alerts helped prevent mass casualties. While waves up to four metres hit Russia’s coast, most other locations—including Hawaii, California, Japan and Chile—saw lower-than-feared surges. One fatality was reported in Japan, and damage elsewhere remained minimal.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), based in Hawaii, issued immediate alerts following the quake, with national and local agencies coordinating mass evacuations across more than a dozen countries. In Hawaii, tsunami sirens and phone alerts sent thousands to higher ground. In Chile, authorities evacuated 1.4 million people in what officials called the largest operation in the country’s history.
Experts credited global coordination and decades of preparedness since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. But the PTWC, a U.S. agency recently targeted by budget cuts, faces an uncertain future despite its crucial role in this near-miss.
Sources: Associated Press, The Guardian
Myanmar’s military government has lifted a four-year state of emergency, a move that paves the way for a December election already dismissed by opposition groups as illegitimate. The emergency rule, imposed after the 2021 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, had granted junta leader Min Aung Hlaing sweeping powers. On Thursday, he appointed himself acting president under a restructured “Union government” and filled a new National Security and Stability Commission with senior generals.
Military officials claim the change is part of a transition to “multiparty democracy,” but critics say it is merely a rebranding of military rule. The National League for Democracy and other opposition groups plan to boycott the election, calling it a sham designed to grant the junta international legitimacy. The military is also enacting new laws and training officials for electronic voting, even as a census last year failed to reach over a third of the population due to ongoing conflict.
Sources: New York Times, South China Morning Post
The Vatican has finalized an agreement with Italy to convert a 430-hectare site north of Rome into a solar farm that will generate enough electricity to meet the Holy See’s needs. If completed, it would make Vatican City the world’s first carbon-neutral state. The Santa Maria Galeria site, long associated with health controversies over Vatican Radio’s transmission towers, will be redeveloped to preserve agricultural use while minimizing environmental impact.
The plan, championed by Pope Francis and continued by Pope Leo XIV, aligns with the Church’s climate advocacy. Development costs are expected to remain under €100 million, and excess electricity will be supplied to nearby communities. While the Vatican will be exempt from import taxes on solar equipment, it will not benefit from Italian solar incentives. Approval by Italy’s parliament is still required. The agreement was signed by Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher and Italy’s ambassador to the Holy See.