People gathered to pray at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, in commemoration of 80 years since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the city on Aug. 6, 1945, marking the first use of a nuclear weapon in war. More than 100,000 people were killed instantly from the bomb and hundreds of thousands died in the following years from injuries and illnesses caused by the radiation. The use of atom bombs in Hiroshima and, three days later, the nearby city Nagasaki, remain the only times nuclear weapons have been used in warfare. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15.
People gathered to pray at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, in commemoration of 80 years since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the city on Aug. 6, 1945, marking the first use of a nuclear weapon in war. More than 100,000 people were killed instantly from the bomb and hundreds of thousands died in the following years from injuries and illnesses caused by the radiation. The use of atom bombs in Hiroshima and, three days later, the nearby city Nagasaki, remain the only times nuclear weapons have been used in warfare. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15. Credit: Kyodonews/ZUMA 

👋 Manao ahoana!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls for “complete” defeat of Hamas as Israel considers total Gaza occupation, the world marks 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and today’s quiz question highlights a Parisian mishap. Meanwhile, La Marea’s Amador Iranzo looks at the worrying gentrification at play in the heart of Valencia, Spain.

[*Malagasy, Madagascar]

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Peruvian newspaper El Comercio dedicated its front page to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who recently accused Peru of violating the Rio de Janeiro Protocol by seizing Colombian territory in the Amazon. Lima has strongly rejected the accusation. Under the headline “unanimous rejection of Petro,” El Comercio writes that the issue has called Peruvian sovereignty into question, further straining tensions between the two South American States.   

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Netanyahu calls for “complete” defeat of Hamas as Israel considers total Gaza occupation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met with senior security officials to finalize a new strategy for the nearly two-year war in Gaza, with media reporting he favored a complete military takeover of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. A top UN official warns of “catastrophic consequences” if Israel expands its military operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza, have collapsed. Read more in Worldcrunch’s latest piece: Statehood As A Symbol – Why The West Is Finally Pushing For Palestinian Recognition

• U.S. envoy Witkoff lands in Russia for talks with Putin ahead of sanctions deadline. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow, days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face economic penalties. Meanwhile, Russian strikes killed two people and wounded 10 others in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region on Wednesday. Read more about the U.S.-Ukraine relationship in this piece, translated from Ukrainian into English by Worldcrunch.

• Hiroshima warns against nuclear weapons as it marks 80 years since A-bomb. A silent prayer was held in Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday, marking exactly 80 years since the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the western Japanese city — the first time the weapon was used in a war. At the ceremony, the city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, called on world leaders to take into consideration the lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (which was bombed three days later) and warned of the consequences of the global trend toward a military buildup.

• RFK Jr cancels $500 million in U.S. mRNA vaccine development. The move will impact 22 projects being led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In response, Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations stated, “I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business.”

• Floods in India leave more than 100 missing. At least one person has died after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Rescue operations are under way in Uttarkashi district after a massive wave of water surged down the mountains into Dharali village on Tuesday, submerging roads and buildings in its path.

• Australia’s Great Barrier Reef hit by record bleaching as oceans warm. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) said on Wednesday that it surveyed the health of the reefs between August 2024 and May 2025 and found the “most spatially extensive” bleaching since records began in 1986, which was “predominantly driven by climate change-induced heat stress.”

• News Quiz! French police arrested a man after a video, posted on social media, showed him doing what in Paris?

A. Flying a drone over the Elysée palace
B. Lighting a cigarette from the Arc de Triomphe memorial flame
C. Base-jumping from the Eiffel Tower
D. Snorkeling in the Fontaine Saint-Sulpice

[Answer below]

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

6.8 million

WhatsApp deleted over 6.8 million accounts connected to scammers in the first half of this year, according to Meta, the messaging app’s parent company. The removed accounts, many of which were tied to Southeast Asian scam centers, largely represent increasingly common scamming methods of hijacking WhatsApp accounts or adding users to group chats advertising fake investment ploys. Meta’s announcement comes as WhatsApp is rolling out new anti-scam measures to identify potential fraudulent activity. 

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🏠 In Valencia, Spain, the expansion of both licensed and unlicensed tourist accommodations is raising housing prices and pushing locals out of traditionally working-class neighborhoods.
— LA MAREA

🇮🇳 As U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, it may be time for India’s prime minister to respond accordingly — and turn to India’s former leaders for potential playbooks.
— THE WIRE

💵 The tipping culture is a deep-rooted phenomenon in several societies, which raises the question about its pertinence and necessity. Should this practice disappear? What is its role in different parts of the world?
— ETHIC

📣 VERBATIM

“I am truly sorry that a nobody like myself has caused concern for everyone in the country.”

— South Korea’s former First Lady Kim Keon Hee apologized while entering the office of the special prosecutor for questioning on her husband’s corruption charges Wednesday. Kim and her husband, ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, are both under investigation following Yoon’s impeachment and removal from office after he briefly declared martial law in December 2024. Kim has not spoken to reporters about the charges against her, which include stock fraud, bribery and illegal influence peddling, and are punishable by years in prison.

✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Gabrielle Nadler

Quiz Answer: B. A French man was arrested after lighting a cigarette from the fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 

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