text: MEXICO SEEKS EXTRADITION OF SINALOA CARTEL BOSS FROM U.S.: Mexican authorities announced they are seeking to extradite Sinaloa cartel leader Dámaso “El Mini Lic” López Serrano, son of former Sinaloa leader Dámaso “El Licenciado” López Núñez, following his release of from a U.S. prison in California where he had been serving a 6-year sentence for drug trafficking. López Serrano, who turned himself into the DEA to avoid being killed by the sons of El Chapo, secured an early release from a federal judge in return for cooperation with U.S. officials. The former Sinaloa cartel trafficker is wanted in Mexico for ordering the death of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas in 2017. López Serrano has claimed he is a “different person” and wishes to “start a new life.” – R.P.BRAZIL’S RISING BANK ROBBER VIOLENCE: Critics and opposition parties are accusing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro of willingly endangering the country by allowing citizens access to military-style semi-automatic rifles which are stolen by criminal gangs of bank robbers. Bolsonaro passed laws in 2018 expanding access to semi-automatic firearms for those who register with the army as “hunters, marksmen, or collectors” to curb the country’s murder rate. Bolsonaro claims the 700,000 Brazilians registered under the ‘CAC’ program have cut the per capita murder rate from 27 to 19 per 100,000. However, federal police officials report the semi-automatic rifles allowed under the program are being stolen or purchased through straw buyers for use by “Novo Cangaco” criminal gangs to commit bank robberies. The claims are likely to become a hot-button issue ahead of upcoming elections, potentially widening Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s growing lead over Bolsonaro. – R.P.China Indo-Pacific SITREPNUCLEAR SAFE-WORD: CHINA FINDS THE END OF ‘NO LIMITS’: In a break from its ‘no limits’ friendship with Russia, China has urged peace following Putin’s call for mobilization and issuance of nuclear threats. In a news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China respects the “sovereign and territorial integrity of all countries” and called for peaceful negotiations. Wang urged all parties to engage in dialogue in observation of the “purposes and principles” of the United Nations to find a way to peacefully end the ongoing crisis in Ukraine that addresses the “legitimate security concerns” of all parties. – R.P.TAIWAN TO PURCHASE $600 MILLION IN CORN FROM U.S.: In a move to shore up its strategic reserves, Taiwan will acquire $600 million worth of corn products from the state of Iowa in 2023-24. The announcement came yesterday from the Iowa Corn Group. The agreement includes 1.5 metric tons of corn and 250,000 metric tons of corn products. This is an increase of 18% over last year and it makes Taiwan the sixth largest consumer of U.S. farm exports. – R.P.MALARIA SPREADING FAST IN FLOOD RAVAGED PAKISTAN: Malaria cases are running rampant through Pakistan’s flood-ravaged regions, authorities said Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced by flooding from an unusually heavy monsoon season. This is on top of Pakistan’s financial crisis and a quickly spreading political brawl between its deposed former prime minister and the military/intelligence apparatus that is in de facto control of the country. Pakistan’s flooding and the resulting malaria crisis will likely strain the country’s foreign exchange reserves, further putting the nuclear-armed country in jeopardy of a sovereign debt default. – M.M.EUROPEAN INVESTORS BAIL ON CHINA: The European Chamber of Commerce released a white paper indicating a loss in confidence in China. The document suggests China’s “erratic policy shifts” and “[i]nflexible and inconsistently implemented” Zero-Covid policy had eroded investment interest from the Euro sphere. Commerce Chamber president Joerg Wuttke said China’s continued turn inward had revealed a “stark contrast” between the country and the rest of the world, leading businesses to shift investments to other markets. – R.P.