On May 7, the government of Malawi and the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) inaugurated a $350 million compact, as reported by Nyasa Times, a Malawian news service.  The MCC is an agency of the US government that invests in “well-governed countries” and “provides time-limited grants promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, and strengthening institutions”, according to its website The MCC primarily invests in projects that deal with agriculture, health, water security, and education.  The main goal of this investment into Malwai is to improve road infrastructure between rural areas and market regions.  At the inauguration ceremony, President Chakwera, the president of Malawi, said that “These prices potentially inhibit the development of Malawi’s rural economy and stymie structural transformation by preventing the rural to urban movement of labor and diversified production of cash crops”, according to the Nyasa Times.  Although the partnership between the MCC and Malawi has existed since 2005, this recent large-scale investment is likely part of a greater movement by the US to politically engage African nations. As China’s influence across Africa has steadily increased in the past decade, the US likely seeks to deny further influence, and by extent, access of China to African nations.   

The Bahamas has become the newest nation to recognize the State of Palestine. With this new development, the entire 14-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc recognizes Palestine. Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago have all made done such as well. None of the aforementioned nations have yet established diplomatic relations with Palestine. Additionally, all of those nations still retain diplomatic ties with the State of Israel. 

The Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) entered the war against the Myanmar junta in Shan State, located in eastern Myanmar. The decision was made on April 24th by Vice President Lieutenant General Sao Khun Hsai, during the 60th anniversary celebrations of the SSPP.  The SSPP claimed peace talks with the junta were not effective or viable, stating the only way to achieve their goals was through armed conflict. The SSPP held talks with the junta in 2021 and 2022, but the Junta rejected the SSPP's demands.  On February 24th, the SSPP announced that it would join forces with anti-junta groups, effectively ending its neutral stance toward the junta.

Ma Wen-chun, Kuomintang (KMT) legislator and convener of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, has postponed her trip to Taiping Island, set for May 16th. Ma said the postponement was due to a vote in the session on important bills at a legislative session on May 17th. She wished to prevent legislators from being unable to return to Taiwan for voting. A delegation of 20 members from the KMT and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) would join Ma, inspecting defense facilities before returning to Pingtung the same day.  Despite lawmakers urging Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to visit Taiping Island to reaffirm Taiwan's sovereignty over it, the president, National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen, and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu are against the idea. 

Indonesia may reduce its contribution to the joint KF-21 fighter project with South Korea by one-third of the original costs because of concerns about payment delays. The original agreement in 2015 was approximately 20 percent of 8.1 trillion won (around 1.18 billion USD). Indonesia has suggested only paying 442 million USD (600 billion Won).  Around 219 million USD (300 billion Won) has been paid so far, raising questions about the late payments. Indonesia has agreed to lower the payment amount in exchange for fewer shared technologies. 

On May 7, Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order that indefinitely postponed former President Donald Trump’s classified documents, due to the issues surrounding the utilization of classified evidence.  In Judge Cannon’s statement, she wrote that “The Court also determines that finalization of a trial date at this juncture—before resolution of the myriad and interconnected pre-trial and issues remaining and forthcoming—would be imprudent and inconsistent with the Court’s duty to fully and fairly consider the various pending pre-trial motions before the Court, critical CIPA issues, and additional pretrial and trial preparations necessary to present this case to a jury”.  Judge Cannon has created a list of legal disputes stemming from handling classified evidence that must be resolved before a jury could hear the case, according to CNN.  This process will take “at least until late July” according to Judge Cannon.  This is a win for Donald Trump’s camp as it gives them more time to prepare their case and to build public momentum against the case.  As American Presidential Elections are around the corner, Trump will likely utilize this and other cases against him to galvanize his supporters. Trump has continually pushed the idea that these cases are politically motivated attempts to deny and or hurt his Presidential candidacy.   

Israel's military forces, according to reports by Al-Arabiya that quote reporters and eyewitnesses, have begun launching artillery and air attacks by plane upon the Rafah and Kerem Abu Salem border crossings into Gaza, Palestine, close to the Egyptian border. Air attacks on neighborhoods near the area have been reported as well. Additionally reported is that IDF armored vehicles are deployed in the area around the crossings and are also targeting buildings with shells. Heavy gunfire and "violent clashes" east of Rafah are also reported by Al-Arabiya correspondents as well as Al-Qahera News who also captured video of the start of exchanges. This is likely the beginning of an IDF offensive to capture territory so as to cut off crossings into Egypt and then begin a push northeast into Rafah. https://twitter.com/Alqaheranewstv/status/1787601261811872093

According to 165th Airlift Wing, an F-22 participating in exercise SENTRY SAVANNAH has been involved in a mishap. The statement reads below. No other details are available at this time. Sentry Savannah is the Air National Guard’s annual counter air exercise for 4th and 5th generation fighters that showcases the nation's combat aircraft readiness. This exercise is held annually at the Air Dominance Center, one of four Combat Readiness Training Centers in the United States.

Israel's war cabinet has unanimously decided to carry on with their planned ground invasion of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in order to "exert military pressure on Hamas in order to advance the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war." The Prime Minister's office has further stated that the ceasefire proposal put forward and accepted by Hamas is "far from Israel's necessary requirements," but that Israel would be sending a delegation of mediators in order to participate in negotiations aimed at bringing about a deal they find acceptable. Israel has stepped up airstrikes against eastern Rafah in recent hours, suggesting the invasion is soon to begin. Evacuations of several zones of eastern Rafah were ordered earlier this morning. https://twitter.com/idf/status/1787562636839735661?s=46  

Update (1605 EST): https://twitter.com/cbsnews/status/1787571111128920158?s=46&t=fwloThPnqgTH71QlDeR_hA Update (1535 EST): The United States Army has confirmed that a soldier was arrested while on leave in Vladivostok on “charges of criminal misconduct.” Update (1500 EST): https://twitter.com/jenniferjjacobs/status/1787556917721641036?s=46&t=fwloThPnqgTH71QlDeR_hA According to NBC, a U.S. Military servicemember has been arrested in the Russian Federation for theft. https://twitter.com/ckubenbc/status/1787551525461529085?s=46&t=fwloThPnqgTH71QlDeR_hA This is developing.

Update (1303 EST): Israel has reportedly not received confirmation of the acceptance. However, the accepted proposal is reportedly a "softened" version of the Israeli proposal which Israel will not accept. https://twitter.com/N12News/status/1787524619924066690 Update (1249 EST): Hamas Political Bureau Head Haniyeh has confirmed the group accepted the proposal. The announcement reads below: "The mujahid brother Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, made a phone call with the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, Mr. Abbas Kamel, and informed them of the Hamas movement’s approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement." According to Al Jazeera, a senior Hamas official disclosed the group's leadership agreed to the Egyptian and Qatari-brokered ceasefire. https://twitter.com/AJABreaking/status/1787519498695692407 This comes as IDF operations in Rafah are beginning in earnest after several days of waiting for a Hamas response to the most recent Israeli ceasefire proposal. After a Hamas rocket strike on Kerem Shalom killed four IDF troops on May 5th, the Israeli government ordered the evacuation of civilians from Eastern Rafah and preparation fires to begin. It is not clear if this revelation will prevent the Israeli operation into Rafah. This is developing.

At approximately 1110 EST, ransomware group LockBit 3.0 posted on their forum that it had exploited data from Deutsche Telekom, the parent company and operator of T-Mobile. It has given a deadline for negotiations from the company of May 21st, 2024. Deutsche Telekom has made no statement as of this publication. LockBit is a cybercriminal group proposing ransomware as a service (RaaS). Software developed by the group (also called ransomware) enables malicious actors who are willing to pay for using it to carry out attacks in two tactics where they not only encrypt the victim's data and demand payment of a ransom, but also threaten to leak it publicly if their demands are not met. Deutsche Telekom is a German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and is the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. The company operates several subsidiaries worldwide, including the mobile communications brand T-Mobile. It is the world's fifth-largest telecommunications company by revenue.

At approximately 1950 EST, initial reports indicated that at least five people were shot in Sevran, France. At least three have already been hospitalized and one has died. https://twitter.com/redabelhajj/status/1786537011169390884?s=46&t=fwloThPnqgTH71QlDeR_hA As of this publication, the suspect is still at large after fleeing the Micro-Folie cultural center. Micro-Folie was launched by the French Ministry of Culture in 2020 as a mobile, digital museum of French art. This is developing.

The Shan State Army-North (SSPP-N) said any discussions with the junta are "useless," and the only way to reach federal democracy is through armed conflict.  Should the SSPP enter the conflict, it could potentially bring in more alliances, such as the United Wa States Army (UWSA). Another possibility is potentially opening a new front in the war, impacting the balance of Southern Shan State.  The SSPP/SSA is opposed to the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and its armed wing, the SSPP-South, over territory amid other issues. Despite having a ceasefire, the two groups still have problems.

On April 29, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that it had strengthened “law enforcement patrols” around the Taiwanese Kinmen Islands, according to Taiwan News. The Kinmen Islands are only around 5 miles (8km) away from the Chinese mainland. On February 14 of this year, a Taiwanese Coast Guard vessel pursued a Chinese fishing boat that had entered the territory of Kinmen. The pursuit led to the death of two Chinese fishermen, according to Taiwan News. On Feb. 17, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said there are no "restricted" or "prohibited" waters around the Kinmen Islands. This comes as Taiwan has increased its cooperation with the United States, and China has increased its aggressive actions in the South China Sea. China is very likely to continue its active violation of Taiwanese territorial claims by utilizing air and sea assets to penetrate Taiwan's territorial claims. The tension between China and several nations in the Pacific has risen as China has increasingly utilized aggression to cement its claims in the region.