Chinese Soldiers Used Missile Fuel to Cook Hotpot

Hi Global Recap readers,

When writing about Chinese soldiers filling up their missiles with water, instead of fuel, I didn’t foresee a plot twist so soon.

Well, today’s our lucky day - there’s fresh intel.

An ex-military man from China has spilled the beans, risking Xi’s wrath.

🌐 Around the world:

• 🕍 Secret tunnel dug in Brooklyn.

• 🇪🇨 Ecuadorian gang storms a live TV show with guns.

• 🌴 Maldives official calls Indian PM a “clown.”

• 🇺🇸 US shoots down Houthi missiles

• 🇨🇳 Chinese soldiers used missile fuel to cook hotpot.

Let’s get into today’s news.

🕍 Secret Tunnel Dug in Brooklyn

A group of Hasidic Jewish worshippers were arrested for breaking into a historic synagogue in Crown Heights, New York, and vandalizing the sanctuary.

• Context: Chabad-Lubavitch is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic organization.

• What Happened: The so-called “extremist students” breached several walls of the main building to infiltrate. The situation escalated when a cement truck arrived for repairs, prompting the students to cause more damage.

• Get this: Before this incident, a group of Hasidic Jewish students had secretly dug a tunnel into the the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters.

• Reason For the Tunnel: The students wanted to preserve their unauthorized access to the synagogue, which they claimed was the wish of the late Rabbi Menachem Schneerson.

Click for more

🇪🇨 Ecuador in Chaos

Ecuador is facing a security crisis as armed gangs unleash a wave of violence and terror across the country. The situation escalated after the president declared a state of emergency and a drug lord escaped from prison.

But that’s not all.

• TV Attack: Masked gunmen stormed a live TV show, firing shots and threatening to detonate bombs.

• Hostage Video: Criminals kidnapped several police officers and forced one to read a message to the president: "You declared war, you will get war."

Click for more

🌴 Maldives vs India

A diplomatic spat between India and the Maldives has turned into a social media storm, with Indian travelers canceling their trips to the island nation.

The feud started after Indian PM Narendra Modi posted photos of his visit to Lakshadweep, a rival destination to the Maldives.

• Backlash: 3 Maldivian officials insulted Modi on X, sparking outrage among Indians who launched a #BoycottMaldives campaign.

• Impact: The Maldives, which relies heavily on tourism, saw a 40% drop in bookings from India, its largest source market, in just two days.

• Insults: The officials responded to Modi’s post by calling Modi a “clown,” “terrorist,” and a “puppet of Israel.”

• Reconciliation: The Maldivian government suspended the officials who made the offensive remarks and tried to distance itself from their views.

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🚀 US Shoots Down Houthi Missiles

The US Navy intercepted 21 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen, in one of the largest attacks in the Red Sea.

The attack coincided with the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Middle East.

• Impact: The US said the attacks affected 55 nations with direct connections to the ships, calling it an international problem.

• Goal: The Houthis are backed by Iran and seek to overthrow the internationally recognized government of Yemen.

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China

Chinese Soldiers Used Missile Fuel to Cook Hotpot

Previously, I’ve discussed a recent report from US intelligence exposing the rampant corruption in the Chinese military.

The situation is so dire that numerous missiles were discovered to be filled with water instead of fuel!

Well, there’s an update to that story.

🚀 Missile Fuel Hot Pot. Yao Cheng, an ex-officer of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), disclosed to Radio Free Asia that Chinese soldiers used missile fuel to prepare certain dishes, including hot pot.

❓ How. According to Yao, during his military service, he and his comrades would "drain fuel from aircraft fuel tanks for cooking, which burns green and has no smell at all.”

❓Why. Yao also went on to state that this was because there were “insufficient supplies.”

Here’s Yao detailing the situation further on X (press “Translate post”):

Summary:

• Transportation personnel sold gas.

• Aviation troops cooked with jet fuel.

• Warship personnel sold diesel.

• Missile troops used rocket fuel.

• This isn’t uncommon.

🎙️ Is Yao Safe? For now, yes. Yao Cheng fled to the US in 2016. Moreover, he disclosed these revelations on Radio Free Asia, a platform funded by the US government.

🌐 Opinion

Yesterday’s question regarding Musk’s decision to suspend a Hamas-related X account:

“Do you think Musk made the correct decision?”

• 🟢 🟢 🟢 🟢 ⚪️ 68%: Yes

• 🔴 ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️ 17%: No

• 🔴 ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️ ⚪️ 16%: I am conflicted…

Those who voted Yes highlighted the following as clear boundaries for the limits of free speech:

• Hamas’ demand for Israel’s total annihilation, and

• their international recognition as a terrorist group.

Resource: Here’s Hamas Covenant 1988, which calls for the “obliteration” of Israel.

Supporters of the No vote highlighted the need for “consistency.”

• I’m also a stickler for the uniform application of rules, but Hamas’ terrorist tag makes siding against Musk tough.

• However, the label’s subjectivity is worth noting. It’s understandable to argue that Israel, with its high civilian casualty count in Gaza, could also be seen as committing human rights violations.

• Also, Israel is UN-recognized too, remember?

I didn’t say this wasn’t complicated.

People who voted I am conflicted… I felt your pain reading your comments.

You expressed the following points:

• UN skepticism and their rule-setting for X? Noted.

• Musk’s platform, his rules - as long as they’re legal.

• Regarding the many innocents killed in this protracted war, one side cannot be solely blamed.

Thank you for all your level-headed and well-thought-out comments!