Japan Set to Dump Radioactive Wastewater into the Ocean

Hello, Global Recap readers! We are starting today’s newsletter with a bit of buzz - and not an amusing one.

✈️ Today, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that they tracked 4 Russian military jets flying in the US air defense zone.

But rest assured. Russian activity in the area occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.

Russia
Putin Tries to Put a Brave Face On

🇷🇺 Putin wears a stern expression in front of his dwindling allies. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) online summit hosted by India on Tuesday, Putin boldly declared that Russian society is "more united than ever before," brushing off Prigozhin's rebellion.

The SCO is a Eurasian intergovernmental organization focused on political, economic, and defense cooperation between its 8 member states, comprised of China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

However, during the summit, the SCO expanded its ranks by welcoming Iran as its 9th member, transforming the organization into a 9-member state organization.

Xi Jinping urged the leaders of his fellow SCO member states to boost ties and resist sanctions from the West - all while refraining from engaging in public discussions with his friend “with no limits”, Putin, following the coup attempt. This speaks volumes. China has dismissed the uprising as a mere "internal matter," showing its unwillingness to get involved.

Japan
Dumping Radioactive Wastewater into the Ocean

🌊 Japan gets the green light to dump radioactive wastewater into the ocean this year. You read that right. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has just approved Japan's plan to release contaminated water from the Fukushima power plant. This water was originally used to cool the reactors after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.

Despite being treated, this water still carries traces of tritium, a radioactive isotope that some experts say could pose health risks.

The plan has been met with fierce opposition from neighboring countries, local fishermen, and environmental activists who fear that the water release will harm marine life and public health. With the storage tanks at Fukushima bursting at the seams, Japan claims they have no choice but to dump the radioactive water.

Japan is hoping the IAEA's seal of approval will calm the nerves of the international community and its own people, who have already endured so much from the aftermath of this nuclear nightmare. But let's face it, not everyone is buying into the idea of turning our beloved ocean into a radioactive watering hole.

Turkey
Erdogan: Not Ready to Ratify Sweden’s NATO Bid

🇹🇷 Turkey’s President Erdogan is playing hardball with Sweden’s NATO membership. He has signaled that Turkey is not ready to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO, citing Stockholm’s need to work harder on its “homework.” Yes, he actually said that.

Erdogan renewed his condemnation of a Quran-burning protest in Sweden last week and made it crystal clear that fighting terrorism and stomping out Islamophobia are Turkey's absolute no-go zones. He has been accusing Sweden of being too lenient toward anti-Islamic demonstrations and groups that Ankara regards as security threats. While Sweden doesn’t endorse Quran-burning protests, they believe in individuals' liberty to express their views through such protests.

World
Top of the News World

🌐 NATO keeps Stoltenberg as boss for another year. With the alliance announcing the extension of his contract for the fourth time, it's clear that Stoltenberg's reign will continue until September 2024. This means the former prime minister of Norway is set to outshine all his NATO predecessors, as he heads toward a legendary decade-long reign as NATO's chief.

📉 China's major state banks take another swing at the dollar. The country's "Big Five" state-owned lenders have once again turned down the dial on their dollar deposit rates, now hitting a low of 2.8% from the previous rate of 4.3%. With this move, they're hoping to put a stop to the yuan's wild drop to eight-month lows against the dollar. Is the yuan in trouble?

🔥 Russia claims Moscow is under fire again. Russia says it has shot down several drones that targeted civilian infrastructure in and around its capital, blaming Ukraine for the "act of terrorism." But Kyiv denies any role in the strikes, saying it is busy fighting off Russia’s invasion in the south and east of the country.