Hello again, Global Recap readers! No time for greetings, as we have a lot to cover today! Let's dive into the highlights:

• 🇨🇳 China's foreign minister, who had disappeared, has been ousted and replaced.

• 🇷🇺 A Russian diplomat sets targets for both Bulgaria and Romania, marking them as Russia's next objectives.

• 🇮🇱 Israeli doctors have begun their 24-hour strike, further attracting more protesters.

📈 Top News

👀 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that there are mines near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. On Sunday, a team of IAEA inspectors visited the plant and discovered some mines in a buffer zone between the site’s internal and external perimeter barriers.

Why it matters: Although the plant’s six reactors have been shut down since September 2022, 6 months after Russian forces took control, the plant still holds nuclear fuel and radioactive waste that must be properly cooled and stored. Damage to the plant could lead to nuclear disaster.

Find out more.

🔥 Russian jet flares up US drone over Syria. On Tuesday, the US accused Moscow of “unprofessional behavior” after a Russian fighter damaged a US MQ-9 Reaper with a flare on Sunday.

The US MQ-9 Reaper drone was conducting a mission targeting ISIS forces when a Russian fighter jet approached it from behind and deployed flares from a position overhead. One of the flares struck the drone’s propeller, causing severe damage.

Find out more.

🇰🇷 South Korea’s Marines going to the US. South Korea’s Marine Corps is sending 50 of its elite troops to the US mainland for the first time ever. They will join a US Marine Corps training program in California from August 2nd to 29th.

Where in California? The training will take place at the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command in Twentynine Palms, a desert base that hosts the largest live-fire exercises in the US military.

Why it matters: The training comes amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea has recently tested what it claimed was a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US mainland. South Korea has also been beefing up its defense capabilities, including developing its own submarine-launched ballistic missiles and acquiring F-35 stealth fighters from the US.

Find out more.

🇺🇦 Ukraine strikes back. Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, declared that Ukraine will persist in carrying out attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea and the vital Kerch Bridge, which links it to the Russian mainland. Just a week ago, seaborne drones targeted the Kerch Bridge, followed by Ukrainian drones hitting an ammunition depot on Tuesday.

Reznikov also accused Russia of being a “terrorist state.” Find out why.

🇰🇵 North Korea is hosting two high-profile delegations from Russia and China this week, marking the first time foreign guests have visited the isolated country since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

• A Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will attend a ceremony on Thursday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

• A Chinese delegation led by Politburo member Li Hongzhong will arrive in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The visits can be interpreted as demonstrations of solidarity and friendship with North Korea, while also serving as a means to assert influence and leverage in the region. Given the escalating military preparedness of South Korea and the US on the other side of the border, North Korea finds itself in dire need of such displays of alliance.

Find out more.

✍🏻 In-Depth

China
Qin Gang: Ousted

👀 Qin Gang out, Wang Yi in. Just when everyone’s speculation about Qin Gang’s whereabouts started picking up heat, Chinese authorities approved the replacement of Qin with his predecessor Wang Yi. The move was voted on by the National People’s Congress on Tuesday.

When previously asked about Qin’s whereabouts and status, Chinese authorities said that his absence is “due to health reasons.” This might still be true since he still hasn’t been seen in public for over a month. However, some speculate that he has been arrested. As of now, all we can do is speculate, as China has not provided any clarification on this matter.

Why it matters. The change in China’s foreign policy leadership is significant for several reasons.

• First, it signals a possible shift in China’s diplomatic strategy, which has been increasingly assertive and confrontational under Qin, who was known as a “wolf warrior” diplomat.

• Second, it raises questions about Qin’s political fate and whether he fell out of favor with China’s top leader Xi Jinping, who personally appointed him as foreign minister in December 2022.

• Third, it restores Wang Yi, a veteran diplomat with more experience and connections, to the helm of China’s foreign affairs at a time when China faces multiple challenges and conflicts with the US, Japan, India, Taiwan, and various other countries.

What’s next for Wang? Wang Yi is expected to resume his role as China’s top diplomat and also serve as director of the CCP Central Committee Foreign Affairs Commission Office - a position he held before Qin took over. Wang will have to deal with the fallout of Qin’s controversial policies and statements, as well as try to improve China’s image and relations with the international community.

Bulgaria
Russia Threatens Bulgarian Invasion

🚨 It seems like Russia wants to invade every nation around its borders. It hasn't even been long since Russia and Belarus teased Poland about invading them. In a broadcast on Russian state television, Pyotr Tolstoy, the deputy speaker of the Russian parliament, said that Russia will attack Bulgaria and Romania after finishing its war in Ukraine.

He also claimed that the “Bulgarian Black Sea” is Russian because “everyone is [Russian] citizens” there and that they they will organize protests in the country. Tolstoy’s logic is absolutely air-tight here. 🙄

Bulgaria’s reaction: Bulgarian politicians and citizens are outraged by these threats. Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov has said he will ask the foreign ministry to react and give a clear sign to Russia that such statements are unacceptable. He also assured Bulgarians that they “should not be afraid,” as Russia would “not dare to attack a NATO member.”

What’s next: It remains to be seen what further actions will be taken in response to these threats. But in the meantime, it should be noted that this isn’t the first time Tolstoy has made controversial statements about Bulgaria. In 2016, he said that Russia “will buy out the entire [Bulgaria]” and had already bought half of the coastal area.

Israel
Doctors Go on Strike Over Judicial Reform

📢 Doctors on strike in Israel. Israeli doctors began a 24-hour strike on Tuesday to protest a parliamentary vote that ratified a crucial part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul. The walkout covered most of the country, with the exception of medical care in Jerusalem and emergency services across the country.

📰 Black ads cover newspapers. Front pages of major newspapers in Israel were covered with black ads in protest of the recent parliamentary vote. The ads on the all-black fronts of four major newspapers declared Monday’s parliamentary vote “A Black Day for Israeli Democracy.”

👥 Protests continue to grow. As the protests gain momentum, protest leaders are reporting a surge in support from military reservists, with an estimated 10,000 stating they would refuse to report for duty if the government proceeds with its judicial reform. Former top military leaders have warned that this could jeopardize Israel's war readiness. Adding to the pressure, the Histadrut public sector union, boasting a membership of 800,000, has also threatened to initiate a nationwide strike. The situation remains tense as public dissent continues to grow.

👀 The world is watching. 

• The White House has affirmed that Joe Biden remains committed to pursuing a broader consensus among politicians in Israel, indicating that he has not abandoned this goal.

• Germany's foreign ministry expressed regret over the breakdown of negotiations between the Israeli government and the opposition.

• The parliamentary vote has also drawn criticism from Jewish groups in the US. They have condemned the vote, viewing it as a potential threat to democracy, and have expressed concerns about its potential impact on relations with American Jews.

The repercussions of this decision seem to resonate beyond Israel's borders, prompting international attention and scrutiny.

Brief overview of the parliament’s vote

🏛️ Knesset votes in favor. The 120-member Knesset, Israel’s parliament, voted 64-0 in favor of the first part of sweeping changes that call for curbing powers of the judiciary, from limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions to change the way judges are selected. In the Monday vote, lawmakers backed by Netanyahu approved a provision that would prevent judges from overturning government decisions on the grounds that they are “unreasonable.”