Hi Global Recap readers,

Today is a solemn day, commemorating the 78th anniversary of the US bombing of Nagasaki in 1945. While it played a significant role in ending World War II, it also marked the beginning of the Atomic Age, where powerful nations worldwide engaged in a race to develop increasingly massive nuclear bombs.

I am sorry for the depressing image, but here is the Soviet Union’s Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created.

Let’s get into today’s news.

🗓️ On This Day

On August 9th, in 1945, the United States detonated an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Nagasaki. This was the second atomic bombing by the United States, following the bombing of Hiroshima three days earlier.

The bombs got Japan to finally surrender, but it took the lives of more than 200,000 people (estimated).

📈 Top News

🇷🇺 Russia is making NATO nervous. The Kremlin is sending more soldiers and weaponry to its western borders, citing the threat of an escalated military presence by Poland and Finland, both NATO members. Meanwhile, Poland is also intensifying its security measures on the border with Belarus due to concerns about a potential invasion and a surge of illegal immigration.

Note: the heightened military presence by these countries is a response to the increased Russian and Belarusian military activities in the region.

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✈️ Russia shoots down two drones headed for Moscow. Russian authorities announced that two “combat drones” en route to Moscow were shot down by the country’s air defense.

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🔥 Anonymous EU country buys tanks. An undisclosed European government has bought dozens of second-hand Leopard 1 tanks from Belgium. The tanks will be stripped and repaired before being sent to Ukraine.

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☢️ Chechen Troops Take Over a nuclear city. An elite Chechen military unit, loyal to the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been deployed as a police force in the occupied Ukrainian nuclear city of Enerhodar. Enerhodar is home to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

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👩‍⚖️ Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi threatened to crack down on women who do not wear the hijab, or headscarf. He said that some women were “ignorant” and need to be “woken up,” while others were “trained by foreigners” to undermine the government.

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✍🏻 In-Depth

Italy
Migrant Tragedy Kills 41 People

🌊 Migrant tragedy in the Mediterranean. Tragedy struck as a boat transporting hundreds of migrants from Tunisia capsized in the vicinity of the Italian island of Lampedusa, resulting in the loss of at least 41 lives, including three children. The fortunate survivors, rescued by a private vessel and assisted by the Italian coast guard, said they had left from Sfax, Tunisia, a few days earlier.

🙏 Why Lampedusa? The southernmost Italian island has emerged as a beacon of hope for thousands of migrants who have reached its shores throughout the years. Its humanitarian efforts led to it being awarded the Jan Karski Eagle Award in 2021.

Problems: However, the island grapples with many challenges, such as overpopulation, limited resources, environmental deterioration, and societal strains. For numerous migrants, the island becomes an extended stopover, with months and even years passing as they await their asylum claim processing and their eventual transfer to other countries.