August 6, Tuesday, 2024

1. Tuesday marks 79 years since an atomic bomb dropped by the United States devastated the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Mayor Matsui Kazumi has called on people to press leaders relying on nuclear deterrence to shift their policies. A ceremony to commemorate the victims was held at the city’s Peace Memorial Park from 8 a.m. About 50,000 people participated, including atomic bomb survivors and bereaved families, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and representatives from 109 countries.
2. The United States is engaged in diplomacy to prevent conflicts in the Middle East from expanding. The White House announced that President Joe Biden called Jordan’s King Abdullah on Monday and discussed their efforts to deescalate regional tensions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described the situation in the Middle East as a critical moment. 3. Big pay raises in this year’s salary negotiations saw real wages in Japan rise in June for the first time in 27 months. The labor ministry says the inflation-adjusted wages were up 1.1 percent from a year earlier. It says more businesses paid bonuses in June than in the average year. The figures are from a monthly survey of more than 30,000 businesses with at least five employees.