Good morning, and welcome to the Global Situation Report for Wednesday, 08 May 2024.
- Global Rollup
- Israeli officials speaking anonymously said Israel taking control of the border crossing in Rafah is both the start of operations in Rafah and intended to put pressure on Hamas to release hostages.
- Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqal is headed to China to discuss the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is about starting the expected economic growth once the infrastructure is complete. (The Chinese will use this to promote the Belt and Road Initiative to wavering candidates. – J.V.)
- China appointed a new Ambassador, Xu Feihong, for India after an 18-month gap. (China is likely seeking to use tensions over India’s theft of allied secrets and extrajudicial killings to close off a potential theater of war. – J.V.)
- Embassy personnel from Japan and Sweden will join the Philippines’ 100-boat civilian mission on May 15th to counter China’s presence in the Scarborough Shoal.
- 70% of Air National Guard (ANG) troops who would be reassigned under the Air Force’s LP480 would rather retire or retrain within the ANG, according to a survey conducted by Brigadier General Michael Bruno of Colorado’s ANG.
THAT’S A WRAP: This does it for today’s edition. Thank you for reading. If you know folks who would also like to receive this email, would you please forward it to them? We appreciate you spreading the word. – M.S.