Inside Daily Brief

For August 06, 2023

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🗞️ Today's issue features Hiroshima's 78th atomic bomb anniversary, a dive into global wheat consumption, India's Chandrayaan-3 entering the moon's orbit, and more.

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Japan commemorated the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Hiroshima, with the city's mayor calling for nuclear disarmament and labeling the G7 leaders' concept of nuclear deterrence as "folly." The memorial comes amidst rising nuclear threats from Russia and a renewed global focus on nuclear weapons.

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The commemoration coincides with Russia's implied threat of using nuclear weapons in its conflict with Ukraine.
The U.S. box-office hit "Oppenheimer," a biopic about the creation of the atomic bomb, has faced criticism for largely overlooking the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In May, Hiroshima hosted a G7 summit where leaders committed to disarmament but maintained the need for nuclear deterrence as long as nuclear weapons exist.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui and PM Fumio Kishida attended the ceremony, with Kishida acknowledging the increasing difficulty of achieving a nuclear-free world.
- Approximately 50,000 participants observed a moment of silence at the outdoor memorial ceremony.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his support for nuclear disarmament, warning that "the drums of nuclear war are beating once again."

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On July 16, 1945, J. Robert Oppenheimer and the team of Manhattan Project scientists carried out the inaugural detonation of an atomic bomb at the Trinity test site in New Mexico.
On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. made history as the only country to deploy a nuclear weapon in war, dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, wiping out 90% of the city and killing over 80,000 people immediately and many more from radiation exposure in the ensuing years.
- Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 40,000.
- Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's unconditional surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, citing the new bomb's devastating power.

What the numbers say: During 2021/2022, the leading global wheat consumers were China, the European Union, and India, with China consuming nearly 150 million metric tons.

Relevance: Global wheat intake has been on a gradual rise, seeing about a 7% growth since 2018-19. By the end of the 2022-23 trade year, Russia solidified its position as the leading global wheat exporter. With an unprecedented production of 92.0 million tons, Russia's wheat supply surpassed 100 million tons for the first time. Russia's projected wheat exports for 2022-23 stand at 45.5 million tons. The primary markets are the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

Impact: Following the Kremlin's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the National Security Council's spokesperson, Adam Hodge, warned of Russia potentially targeting civilian ships in the Black Sea and pinning it on Ukraine. Russia has increased sea mines near Ukrainian ports, and any ship nearing these ports is viewed as potentially carrying military cargo by Russia.

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Chandrayaan-3, India's latest moon mission, has successfully entered lunar orbit, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). If the mission's lander and rover successfully touch the lunar surface on Aug. 23 or 24, India will be the first country to land near the moon's underexplored south pole.

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Chandrayaan-3, which includes an orbiter, lander, and rover, was launched on July 14.
- It is the third in India's lunar exploration program, following the first mission in 2008, which discovered water molecules on the moon's surface.
The second mission, Chandrayaan-2, launched in 2019, was partially successful.
- Its orbiter continued to study the moon, but the lander rover crashed during touchdown.
ISRO has studied the data from the Chandrayaan-2 crash to fix glitches in Chandrayaan-3, which cost 6.1B rupees ($75M).
Once landed, the six-wheeled rover will explore the moon's surface, gathering data and images for analysis on Earth.

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Astrobotic CEO John Thornton stated that the NASA Artemis program aims to establish a U.S. presence at the lunar south pole while accommodating international interests.
According to the prevailing theory, the moon was formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago, early in the solar system's formation, when a Mars-sized rock collided with Earth.

A rare Pacific walrus calf, estimated to be one month old, was found alone four miles from the Beaufort Sea in Alaska and is now under the Alaska Sealife Center's (ASLC) care. The calf, suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, and infection, was found far from its natural habitat, raising concerns about its survival.

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The calf was discovered alone, which is concerning as walrus calves require two years of maternal care for survival.
The ASLC and the Alaska Clean Seas initiative intervened with permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The calf, weighing 140 pounds, was transported to a warehouse for strict observation and care, funded by ConocoPhillips Alaska.
Medical tests revealed the calf was malnourished, dehydrated, had a cloudy eye, and was fighting an infection.
The calf is receiving "cuddling" therapy to mimic maternal closeness and regular bottle feedings of formula milk.

Europe's ambitious plans to cut carbon emissions are facing backlash due to the political and economic costs of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables. As the reality of these changes becomes more tangible, resistance is growing across the continent, challenging the commitment to achieving "net zero" by 2050.

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Britain and the EU have committed to steep emission cuts by 2030, but the summer's heat waves and fires have sparked a backlash against these green targets.
British PM Rishi Sunak recently announced plans to increase oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, a move criticized by Greenpeace activists.
Italy and other EU nations are challenging "Euro 7" regulations to tighten vehicle exhaust emissions by 2025.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a "European regulatory break," arguing that Europe has already passed many environmental regulations and should focus on implementing them.
Surveys strongly support reducing emissions in Britain and Europe, but a willingness to make lifestyle changes or spend significantly decreases.

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Ahead of its Climate Ambition Summit in September, the U.N. is calling on global leaders to phase out fossil fuels.
Major fossil fuel producers, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, South Africa, and Indonesia, have opposed the goal of tripling renewable energy capacity this decade.

Mexico's immigration agency discovered 491 migrants, including 277 children and adolescents, in a roadside compound east of Mexico. Most of these migrants, who were on their way to the U.S., were from Guatemala.

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Among the children and adolescents, 52 were unaccompanied.
The migrants were found in a walled compound outside Puebla, a common smuggling route.
Smugglers in Mexico often use such compounds as temporary holding areas for migrants before transporting them to the U.S. border.
A federal appeals court recently upheld Biden administration rules restricting asylum-seekers' flow at the southern border.
Under the policy, migrants seeking legal entry into the U.S. must use the CBP One App for appointments or apply for protection in transit countries before seeking refuge in the U.S.

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Since the end of Title 42, border crossings from Mexico to the U.S. have fallen from 10,000 a day to approximately 3,500 a day.

QUICK HITS:

Wiz partnered with Wiley to create the AWS Security Foundations Guide For Dummies. This free 46-page guide includes techniques for securing AWS resources.*
Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles won in her first competitive gymnastics event since 2021, successfully qualifying for the U.S. national championships.
China stands accused by the U.S. and the Philippines of escalating tensions in the South China Sea by illegally using water cannons on two Philippine supply ships.
Former VP Mike Pence confirmed that he noted his talks with Trump, who pressured him to contest the 2020 election results before the Jan. 6 riot.
In Pakistan, at least 15 people died, and 40 were injured when the Hazara Express train, en route from Karachi to Havelian, derailed near Nawabshah.
Online rescue videos are staged, causing serious harm to animals, with little action taken by social media platforms to halt this harmful trend, say campaigners.
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