Good morning. Here’s your Daily Situational Awareness for Friday, 21 October 2022.
CHINA WELCOMES SAUDI INTEREST IN JOINING BRICS+: China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China “supports and welcomes” reports that Saudi Arabia will seek membership in BRICS+. Wang added that China is supportive of membership expansion and “going forward, China will work with fellow BRICS members to steadily proceed with the BRICS expansion process and enable more partners to join this promising endeavor.” The decision by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to seek Saudi membership in the alliance was revealed by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphonsa following a two-day visit to the kingdom.
ZELENSKY: RUSSIA PLANNING TO BLOW UP DAM IN KHERSON: According to a recent address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russian forces were planning to blow up the Kakhovka dam in order to flood parts of Kherson, an oblast that Ukrainian forces are trying to recapture.
BELARUS MAKING HIDDEN PREPARATIONS FOR MOBILIZATION: Unconfirmed reports indicate medical personnel and hospital staff at Belarus state clinics have been given warning orders from the military commissariat providing details of where to report should a mobilization be declared. The orders appear to be part of an ongoing “combat capability check” undertaken by the Lukashenko regime. Belarussian government officials have maintained that there will be no mobilization in the country.
MEXICAN NEWS TALKS UP AMLO SON AS SUCCESSOR: Mexican news is reporting that the son of President Andres Manual Lopez Obrador (AMLO) could be his political successor. His son, known as Andy, is currently working for the administration and plans to run for president in 2030.
In today’s Early Warning, the team takes a look at a range of domestic issues, including the latest imminent recession warning. Get access to the full brief here: https://forwardobserver.com/subscribe