10 Things Global News - 4th August 2025
News that matters from around the world
Boeing Defense Workers to Strike After Contract Rejection
Ukraine Drone Strike Sparks Sochi Oil Depot Fire
South Korea Takes Down Border Loudspeakers
Over 65 Migrants Dead in Yemen Boat Sinking
White House Defends Firing of Labor Statistics Chief
China’s Solar Leaders Cut Workforce by a Third
Texas Democrats Leave State to Block Redistricting
India Continues to Buy Russian Oil Despite US Tariffs
New Clashes Erupt in Syria Despite Ceasefire
Massive Pro-Palestine March Shuts Sydney Harbour Bridge
More than 3,200 unionised employees at Boeing defense facilities in Missouri and Illinois will strike beginning at midnight Monday after rejecting a modified labor contract. The workers, represented by IAM District 837, build and maintain weapons systems and aircraft at sites in St. Louis, St. Charles, and Mascoutah.
The union previously said members overwhelmingly voted down Boeing’s offer after the prior contract expired just before midnight on July 27, followed by a standard seven-day cooling-off period.
Boeing’s Air Dominance leadership said it was disappointed by the vote and has activated contingency plans to keep supporting customers during the work stoppage.
The action marks the first strike in nearly three decades at Boeing’s St. Louis-area defense factories. Production lines affected include work on F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets, among other defense programs, with no additional talks scheduled as of Sunday
Sources: NPR, Newsweek
A major fire broke out at an oil depot near Sochi, Russia, after Ukrainian drones struck the facility overnight, according to Russian officials. Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said debris from a drone hit two fuel tanks, prompting a response from more than 120 firefighters. The blaze was later extinguished.
Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences destroyed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 60 over the Black Sea and one in Krasnodar. Flights at Sochi’s airport were briefly suspended. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the incident but have previously targeted Russian energy infrastructure in retaliation for strikes on Ukraine’s power grid.
The attack was part of a wider exchange over the weekend. Russian strikes damaged the Ostrivsky bridge in Kherson, prompting partial evacuation orders, and hit Mykolaiv, injuring seven people. Ukrainian officials reported a deadly week, including at least 31 killed in a Kyiv strike on Thursday, as both sides escalated aerial attacks.
Sources: BBC, Reuters
South Korea has begun dismantling around 20 fixed loudspeakers along the border that had broadcast propaganda into North Korea, the defence ministry said Monday. The move follows President Lee Jae Myung’s suspension of broadcasts in June, shortly after taking office, as part of efforts to lower tensions and revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Officials described the dismantling as a practical step that would not affect military readiness. The Cold War-era broadcasts had included world news, democratic values, and K-pop music, and were resumed last year after North Korea sent hundreds of rubbish-filled balloons across the border.
North Korea has not formally commented on the latest move. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong-un, last week dismissed recent South Korean gestures as reversible. Seoul says it will remain steady in pursuing reconciliation and cooperation, despite Pyongyang’s scepticism and its focus on ties with Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Sources: The Guardian, JoongAn Daily
At least 65 African migrants have died and 74 remain missing after an overcrowded boat capsized off Yemen’s southern coast early Sunday, according to the UN migration agency. The vessel, carrying 154 Ethiopian migrants, sank in the Gulf of Aden near Abyan province. Twelve survivors were rescued, while the bodies of 54 victims were found along the shore in Khanfar district and 14 others were recovered in Zinjibar, the provincial capital.
Authorities have launched a large-scale search-and-rescue effort, but difficult conditions are hampering progress. The migrants were believed to be travelling toward Gulf Arab countries, part of a dangerous and frequently used route from the Horn of Africa.
Yemen received more than 60,000 migrants in 2024, down from 97,200 the previous year, amid increased patrols. The UN says hundreds have died along this route in recent years, with over 2,000 missing or dead in the past decade.
Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN
The White House is defending President Donald Trump’s abrupt firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, amid warnings the move could undermine public trust in official economic data. Trump accused McEntarfer of manipulating job figures, offering no evidence, after a report showed downward revisions of 258,000 jobs for May and June. Former BLS leaders and economists from both parties rejected the claim, saying such revisions are routine and based on additional employer submissions.
Top economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the president wanted “new leadership” to ensure numbers are “more transparent and more reliable.” Critics, including former commissioner William Beach and ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, said the firing damages the integrity of the statistical system. The episode comes as the BLS faces falling survey response rates, budget constraints, and questions over data quality — issues that predate McEntarfer’s tenure and complicate real-time measurement of the $20 trillion U.S. economy.
Sources: Washington Post, Reuters
China’s largest solar manufacturers shed about a third of their workforces last year as falling prices and heavy losses rippled through the industry. Company filings show leading firms together cut roughly 87,000 positions, an average reduction of 31%, amid overcapacity and tepid demand. The world now produces about twice as many solar panels as it uses, with most output in China, intensifying a price war that drove an estimated $60 billion in industry losses last year.
Since 2024, more than 40 solar companies have delisted, gone bankrupt, or been acquired. Beijing is signaling intervention to curb capacity: polysilicon prices jumped nearly 70% in July, and major producers are discussing an OPEC‑like coordination group plus a 50 billion‑yuan vehicle to buy and shut lower‑quality lines. Officials have urged halts on new projects and closures of under‑utilized lines, though provincial resistance remains. Analysts estimate 20–30% of capacity must be eliminated for profitability to return.
Sources: Japan Times, Reuters
Dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state on Sunday to deny a quorum and block a mid‑decade congressional map Republicans are advancing at President Donald Trump’s urging. The proposal, moved through committees over the weekend, is drawn to flip five Democratic seats. With at least two‑thirds of the 150‑member chamber required to conduct business, Democrats say more than the needed 51 members departed.
Governor Greg Abbott threatened to seek removal of absent lawmakers, citing a legal opinion from the attorney general, and warned they could face fines. Republican leaders also floated civil arrest to compel attendance. Democrats traveled chiefly to Illinois, with others bound for New York and Boston, and pledged to hold out as long as necessary.
The standoff also delays action on flood relief measures sought after deadly storms. Previous Democratic walkouts have ultimately failed to stop GOP priorities, but party leaders argue the maneuver is necessary to challenge what they call a rigged process.
Sources: Associated Press, New York Times
India is weighing its options after the U.S. announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods and warned of an additional penalty tied to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian crude and defense equipment. Russian oil now accounts for roughly 36% of India’s imports, up from near-zero before the Ukraine war, with current flows around 1.78 million barrels per day.
Despite U.S. pressure, India has not ordered refiners to halt Russian purchases. Officials asked state-run processors to draft contingency plans for sourcing non‑Russian barrels if flows are disrupted, while maintaining that procurement remains a commercial decision.
Analysts say a forced shift away from Russian crude could raise India’s annual import bill by $9–11 billion. India has simultaneously boosted U.S. crude purchases by more than 50% this year. European measures taking effect in 2026 and tighter financing or insurance linked to penalties could further constrain trade, complicating supply strategies for major refiners and adding uncertainty to costs.
Sources: Times of India, Bloomberg
Fresh violence flared in Syria’s southern Suwayda province despite a ceasefire, with Druze armed groups accused of attacking internal security forces and shelling nearby villages. At least one government soldier was reported killed and others wounded, while a separate monitoring group cited four deaths, including three soldiers and one local fighter. Authorities said “rebel gangs” violated the truce through coordinated attacks, vowing to investigate recent clashes that followed days of sectarian bloodshed last month.
Fighting in Suwayda erupted on July 13 between Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze factions. Government deployments failed to halt the escalation, and Israel conducted strikes on Syrian troops and in Damascus, saying it acted to protect the Druze. A U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Syria was announced alongside a ceasefire declared by Syria’s president.
Separately, the military said it raided targets in southern Syria, seizing weapons and questioning suspects, while the Syrian Democratic Forces reported five members killed in an ISIL attack in Deir Az Zor.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Jerusalem Post
An estimated 90,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday in one of the largest protests in the city in over two decades, calling for Australia to sanction Israel and increase aid to Gaza. Organisers claimed the turnout was closer to 200,000–300,000, far exceeding police expectations and sparking crowd safety concerns that led officers to redirect marchers mid-route.
The event, led by the Palestine Action Group, drew a diverse mix of political figures, community leaders, and first-time protesters, united in opposition to Israel’s military actions and restrictions on aid. Former NSW premier Bob Carr, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, and federal MP Ed Husic were among those attending.
The march proceeded peacefully despite Premier Chris Minns’ earlier opposition and a last-minute Supreme Court battle over the event. The federal government responded by pledging an additional $20 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza, taking Australia’s total contribution to about $130 million.