Good morning, readers!

🎉 Congratulations, you made it to Friday! Thank you for joining us this week.

🔥 Today’s map is definitely the most heated it has ever been in our newsletters.

Today’s geopolitics hotspots:

• 🇺🇸 US Navy sailors selling secrets to China?

• 🇳🇪 Nigerien president finally speaks out.

• 🇰🇷 President Yoon will “never” seek an end to the Korean War.

• 🇮🇳 India’s new import license mandate.

• 🇷🇺 Ex-Wagner’s violent rampage at home.

• 🇮🇱 Israel’s High Court hearing on the judicial reform plan.

• 🇪🇺 New hardline sanctions against Belarus.

US Navy sailors sell secrets to China

A shocking case of espionage has been revealed in the US Navy. Two sailors have been arrested and charged with sending sensitive US military information to Chinese intelligence officers.

✍🏻 Rapid Fact Check:

Jinchao “Patrick” Wei (22): 

• Arrested Wednesday at Naval Base San Diago.

• Charged with conspiracy to send national defense information to Chinese officials.

• Served as a machinist’s mate on the USS Essex, responsible for operating, maintaining, and repairing ship equipment.

• Sent dozens of manuals related to the ships’ layouts and weapons systems, as well as photos and videos of the Essex and other Navy ships.

Wenheng “Thomas” Zhao (26):

• Arrested at Naval Base Ventura County north of Los Angeles.

• Charged with conspiracy and receipt of a $15,000 bribe from a Chinese official.

• Served as an electrician on US military installations in Ventura County and Okinawa, Japan.

• Sent photos of computer screens that displayed operational plans for a major military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as blueprints and diagrams of a US radar system stationed in Okinawa.

📚 Context: 

• Both had security clearances to restricted Navy computer systems.

• Both are naturalized US citizens who were born in China.

• The case is part of a larger national strategy to counter China's attempts to steal US military secrets.

• If the two sailors are found guilty of espionage, they could be sentenced to life imprisonment, in addition to facing charges related to failing to report foreign contacts and making false statements.

Hostage Nigerien president speaks out

Amidst the gripping drama of Niger’s coup, Niger's president Bazoum penned an op-ed for the Washington Post while under house arrest.

Here’s what he had to say.

✍🏻 Rapid Fact Check:

• Denial: Bazoum firmly rejected the coup plotters' claims, which suggested that his fight against jihadist terrorists was failing and that Niger's associations with the US and Europe were harmful.

• Niger’s economy: 40% of Niger's budget relies on foreign aid, and the coup's success would result in its termination—posing a severe threat to Niger’s economic stability.

• Russian influence: Supporting the coup and enlisting Wagner mercenaries, Mali and Burkina Faso pose a threat to the rights and dignity of their people. The growing influence of Wagner in the Sahel region is a matter of deep concern.

• Seeking help: Bazoum appealed to the US and the international community for assistance in reinstating Niger's constitutional order.

📚 Context: 

• Foreign military presence: In Niger, there are approximately 1,000 to 1,500 soldiers from France, around 1,100 troops from the US, roughly 300 from Italy, and between 50 to 100 from the EU.

• On July 26: a group of soldiers led by General Tiani stormed the presidential palace and detained Bazoum and his family.

Quick updates