Since August began, the Washington region has felt like a steam bath, culminating in Tuesday’s oppressive high of 97 degrees. But our 10-day run of sweaty weather is about to end.
Seldom does the air mass change from hot and muggy to dry and comfortable without thunderstorms. And numerous storms are expected this afternoon and early evening; some could be quite heavy.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from 2 pm to 11 pm in anticipation of the downpours.
“Showers and numerous thunderstorms are expected this afternoon into this evening,” the Weather Service says. “Rainfall amounts will average around 1 to 1.5 inches across the area, but locally amounts higher than 2 to 4 inches are likely and much of that may fall in a one to two hour time frame.”
Areas most vulnerable to flooding include those near creeks, streams and zones where there is poor drainage. July and the start of August have been wetter than normal in most parts of the region, which increases the potential for flooding since soils are already wet.
In addition to the heavy rain, storms will also bring dangerous lightning and very strong localized wind likes. The Weather Service has placed our area in a marginally elevated risk zone for severe storms because of likes that could cause tree damage.
Why there aren’t National Weather Service warnings for lightning
Short-term models project numerous storms in our western areas between 3 pm and 5 pm, close to the Beltway between 4 pm and 6 pm and into our eastern suburbs between 5 pm and 7 pm However, more isolated storms could develop early this afternoon ( especially west of Washington) and linger past sunset (especially south and east of Washington).
The forecast weather map for early evening (shown below) depicts the very slow-moving front (and in fact, additional fronts to approach from the Northwest later tomorrow). The slow-moving front is expected to focus heavy shower and thunderstorm development across the greater DC region starting as early as midafternoon today, and continuing into the evening.
The mountain terrain to our west and bay breeze circulations to our east will add to a focused uplift of a moist, unstable air mass. A weak high-altitude disturbance is also approaching and will increase the uplift more broadly.
The first widespread threat is for torrential rain that may lead to flash flooding. The atmosphere is exceptionally moist through a deep level, and storm cells will move slowly — given very weak flow aloft. Additionally, those weak winds are aligned parallel to the frontal boundary — creating an ideal setup for repeated passage or “training” of cells over the same regions.
A second, more marginal threat will be for a few storms to attain severe levels, in terms of isolated wind likes reaching or exceeding 55-60 mph. These so-called “microbursts” can occur when the heavy, wet cores of storm cells collapse — creating a chilled outburst of violent wind at the ground.
Multi-fatality lightning strikes are rare, but most have this in common
As always, it’s worth reminding folks to be lightning aware. The sobering loss of life from severe storms last week near the White House is a reminder that all it takes is one strike. We’ve had an especially stormy summer and in our densely-populated region, everyone should be mindful not to neglect lightning as a distinct storm hazard.
Cycling is an endurance sport and shares many similarities with other endurance sports. One of those similarities is how much an audio distraction can help performance. For some that will mean passing the hours with audio books or podcasts. For others it will mean matching intensity with just the right music. Whatever your need, there are tons of headphone options. With our list of the best headphones for cyclingwe’ve tried to narrow that down and one of the brands we included was Adidas.
As with all of our buyers guides we are constantly assessing new options. If you are riding outside, it’s important to be able to hear your surroundings. Being able to use a single earbud from a pair of true wireless headphones is an excellent solution and with that in mind we tend to keep track of new products. When Adidas announced the ZNE 01 ANC we jumped at the chance to try them out. The product lands right in the heart of the most competitive space for headphones. If you are looking for true wireless headphones for cycling it’s likely they are on your radar and now we are ready to cover the details as they relate to cycling. Keep reading to see what we think works and what doesn’t about the Adidas ZNE 01 ANC true wireless headphones.
The logo is a button. A single press lights up the LED for battery status and a long press puts them into pairing mode. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
Design and aesthetics
The Adidas ZNE 01 ANC hit the market this spring, and at the time of release there were two colors and a higher price. A few months later, as I write this review, the original two colors of light gray and night gray have seen the addition of a third option, indigo, while the originals have had a price drop. Whatever option you decide to go with, it’s actually quite a bit more complex than it would seem.
While the outer design of headphones might not be the most important consideration, Adidas has managed to be unique and true to their brand. The basics are white, black, and blue but there’s a darker background color paired with a tight crisscross of a lighter colour. Look from a distance and the two colors blend but up close it gives a little more interest. It’s one small detail but it’s clearly considered and it leads into other small design details.
The case, which provides enough battery to charge the earbuds roughly 4.5 times, features the same patterned color but also a series of ridges on both sides. They sit outboard of a status light and an Adidas logo while there’s a USB-C port at the bottom. The logo is three-dimensional and rubberized but it’s also the button that initiates pairing. When you are ready to use the earbuds, flip open the magnetic top cover and right away you’ll notice the ridges from the case repeated. As with the case, they help add a bit of visual detail but they also help with grip.
picture 1 of 3
Each earbud has two different external mics covering both ANC and voice. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 3
The smallest things sometimes win the day. These little ridges make the Adidas option more wearable. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 3
The wings are another small detail that help make these just a little more useable than close competition. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 3
Also, rather cleverly, repeated on the earbuds are the distinctive Adidas stripes. You’ll find the stripes on a strip of the same hard plastic that the case and earbuds use everywhere. In this case, it extends below the main body of the earbud and the actual stripes feature the texture of a speaker grill. The speaker drivers sit above the extensions and use a shallow design with an easy to remove silicone tip. There are three tips included to help you find the right size.
There are also a few design features you can’t see. While the case carries an IPX4 water resistance rating, the earbuds up that to an IPX5. It’s enough to handle sustained, low pressure, water jet spray (so heavy sweat), or even rain should be no issue. Also undetectable are the capacitive buttons on the outside of the main body. If you choose to use the companion app to turn on the buttons then they operate up to four different functions. A single tap will answer or hang up a call or start/stop music. A double tap moves forward a song and a triple tap jumps back while a long press is configurable. Options for the long press include switching between active noise cancellation and awareness mode, waking the voice assistant, starting Spotify, or starting the adidas running app.
In the case of noise control there are some additional controls to jump into. Awareness is the Adidas specific name for the feature that increases awareness of surroundings by reproducing sound taken in through the two external mics. Don’t expect anything close to a true boost in the volume of external sounds but there is a slide function that allows customization of the effect. There’s also a slide function for the ANC effect and it’s much more effective but expect to leave it turned all the way up.
picture 1 of 3
The ridges on the earbuds also show up on the case. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 3
The earbuds sit vertically and there’s enough battery in the case for roughly 4.5 full earbud charges. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 3
USB-C charging is a must have at this point. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 3
Performance
I’m sitting here writing this review with a stack of true wireless headphones for comparison. Depending on the price you find them for, the Adidas ZNE 01 ANC faces competition from the Samsun Galaxy buds pro, the Jabra Elite 7 active, the Jaybirds Vista 2, both of the Google Pixel buds, and options from Apple as well as Beats. Despite the stiff competition the Adidas option finds a way to stand apart and for me it’s all about the design ergonomics.
While the case might provide between 4 and 5 full recharges of the earbuds, that’s not enough to overcome the low 4.5 hours of ANC enhanced listening time. What it does provide though is the grip of the ridges on the side. More importantly, the earbuds mirror the design. It’s a small detail but it makes them easy to grab and easy to live with. So many true wireless headphones fail when it comes to everyday use and Adidas really shines in that regard.
Given the price of a good pair of headphones most people will own a single pair. On the bike, the Adidas ZNE 01 ANC stay put. They aren’t uncomfortably tight but they also don’t move. Racing on Zwift, when my face is completely wet with sweat and I start laughing at the absurdity of responding to another attack, the movement of my jaw is often an issue but not for these. The Adidas ZNE 01 ANC are solid in this situation. Later in the kitchen chatting on the phone it’s easy to grab them using the extension and the ridges. Wearing them for a few hours on an endurance ride, or while working, they never become uncomfortable. If I’m riding outside, or on the phone, either earbud works without the other. There is no situation where I find them unstable or uncomfortable and it’s this back-and-forth usability that I love.
ANC works well but the awareness mode doesn’t do a ton. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
In terms of sound quality, I tend to leave the equalizer in the vocal boost setting that emphasizes the mid-range. It’s useful for hearing teammates during a Zwift race with a fan pointed at my face or outside with wind noise. On the other hand, if I decide I need a bit of a musical boost while racing alone, the electronic setting does a good job of emphasizing bass response for the Icona Pop song “I don’t care.” If you have a different preferred type of music, there are seven options in the equalizer. On the other hand, if you are more the type to fiddle, there might be some disappointment when you find you can’t actually adjust the settings.
That inability to adjust the equalizer is just one aspect of the worst part of these headphones, the companion app. I rarely interact with it but it regularly asks if I want to set up the same headphones I’ve been using for months. A good portion of the time when I do want to do something with the app I’m greeted with a note that the headphones aren’t connected. This is despite the fact that I’m using them at the time. One thing I do appreciate about the app is that I can just turn off the touch controls. I’ve hung up on way too many people accidentally touching headphones in my ears and generally leave the touch controls off.
picture 1 of 4
Oddly, the Adidas setting is flat. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 4
It looks like you can adjust the EQ but alas, you can’t. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 4
You can’t always turn touch controls off and it’s an easy way to hang up on people. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 4
Less of a custom function and more a function with some choice. (Image credit: Josh Ross)
picture 1 of 4
verdict
The price point and features of the Adidas ZNE 01 ANC put them into the most competitive segment for headphones. It’s a segment that’s almost completely dominated by true wireless earbuds at this point so even the form factor has ceased to be much of a differentiator. What does manage to set the Adidas apart is a combination of everyday usability and comfort plus good sound quality. In my testing, the Jabra Elite 7 Active was the closest competitor. The app is worlds better than Adidas and there’s 8 hours of battery life on hand. They also offer marginally better sound quality and are very comfortable. Every so often though the movement of my jaw dislodges them and they aren’t as easy to grab and reposition. Although the limited battery life and poor companion app of the Adidas drag them down, it’s not quite enough to overcome the ease of use. The one caveat being that the differences are so close it’s going to be very price dependent.
Testing scorecard and notes
attributes
notes
Rating
sound quality
Bass heavy and no ability to fine tune the equalizer but also among the best at this price point.
7/10
Comfort
Right up there with the best of the best for true wireless earbuds.
10/10
Companion App
The worst part of the experience. When it works it’s not bad but it often has issues.
5/10
Features
Battery life isn’t great but the ANC is good and hear through is available as an option.
7/10
Value
Pricing moves around a little but Adidas tends to price these just slightly higher than the competition.
8/10
overall rating
74%
Tech Specs: Adidas ZNE 01 ANC
Price: £149.99 / $189.99 / €189 / AU$320
Color options: Night grey, Light grey, Indigo
Play time: 4.5 hours in buds with ANC (6 hours without) 20 hours total incl. charging case with ANC (26 without)
Charge Time: Quick charge: 15 min gives you 1 hour of playtime. Time to full charge:3 hours to recharge earbuds from charging case
Touch Response Functions: Control music, ANC control (on, off, Awareness mode), Receive / end calls
After famously filming the horrific Eastern Freeway collision which killed four police officers, infamous Porsche driver Richard Pusey tried to use the photos to make an insurance claim for $2.2 million, a court has heard.
Police allege Pusey, 44, distributed graphic pictures of the April 2020 crash – some of which showed the severely injured officers – online in a Google review of a car dealership and for a complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
The former mortgage broker, who identifies as non-binary, will be self-represented throughout the hearing to fight the charges.
Pusey faced Sunshine Magistrate’s Court in prison greens on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to two charges of using a carriage service in an offensive manner and two charges of breaching their bail by allegedly reoffending.
Pusey was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment on April 28, 2021 after they were found guilty of outraging public decency by filming the deaths of four police officers. Pusey had been pulled over by police for speeding when a truck veered into the emergency lane and fatally hit the four officers.
The court heard Pusey allegedly published graphic images of the officers online during two separate complaints in relation to the damage to their Porsche sustained during the tragic Eastern Freeway collision.
In the submission to the AFCA, Pusey said they have been unable to secure an insurance payout for the damage done to their car because “no one wants to own the claim”.
“A truck mowed down four hero road safety officers … It broke a black Porsche and now these c***s won’t pay up,” they complained to the authority.
The court heard they asked for $2.2 million in damages for the trauma of seeing the police officers violently killed in the crash.
However, the senior AFCA manager in charge of the claim, Harry Ganavas, told the court the images attached to the claim were irrelevant and Pusey’s description of events left him “full of revulsion”.
“I felt repulsed and physically ill, actually, when I viewed the photographs,” he said.
Police prosecutor Anthony Albore told the court one of the images submitted didn’t even show the damage done to the Porsche.
The “inappropriate and disrespectful” claim was denied.
The court heard Pusey also uploaded a one-star Google review about Porsche Center Melbourne, in which they criticized the company’s insurance policy and level of customer service.
An investigating police officer told the court the 44-year-old used a graphic photo of one of the bleeding police officers on the roof of the Porsche for their Google profile picture.
The officer said she felt “angry and outraged” when she saw the horrific image from the fatal tragedy.
A member of the public police alerted to the Google review, in which they allegedly used a horrific profile picture. Credit: Supplied
Mr Albore claimed an Instagram account called “The Richard Pusey Show” contained a non-confronting photo showing the damage to the Porsche, which they could have used for their complaints.
The prosecutor alleged there were a number of personal details on the Instagram account which proved it was run by Pusey.
The Porsche driver told the court the prosecution were “telling a story.”
The hearing continues before Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz on Wednesday.
WOODBRIDGE, NJ (WABC) — The investigation continues into a Megabus crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in Woodbridge that left two people dead and several others injured.
Authorities say the crash, involving a Van Hool double-decker coach bus, happened just before 7 pm Tuesday on the New Jersey Turnpike at the Thomas Edison service area entrance ramp from the outer roadway.
Police say there were 22 passengers and a driver on the bus that was heading southbound from New York to Philadelphia.
Police say the bus struck a Ford F-150 pickup truck, causing the bus to overturn on the entrance ramp to the service area.
Two people were killed and three others were seriously injured, including the driver. They were all taken to nearby hospitals.
Fourteen passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and four passengers were not hurt.
The victims were identified as 59-year-old Cheryl Johnson, from the Bronx, and Cecilia Kiyanitza, 66, of Woodbury, New Jersey.
The driver of the bus, a 56-year-old man from Westville, New Jersey, was seriously injured.
No injuries were reported to the driver of the Ford.
Based on the preliminary investigation, police say the bus driver lost directional control of the bus and struck the Ford. After the impact, the bus went off the road to the right, struck the guardrail, and overturned onto the entrance ramp.
ALSO READ | Major water main break sparks city-wide emergency in Newark
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More New Jersey news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
If you’re in the process of a big desktop upgrade and you’re looking for a little future-proofing, look no further than MSI’s latest power supply. The MEG Ai1300P PCIE5 (rolls off the tongue, don’t it?) is the first PSU model sold to consumers that offers full compliance with Intel’s new ATX 3.0 standard. ATX 3.0 power rails, or adapters to comply with them, might become a necessity as soon as the latter part of this year, when power-hungy next-gen graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD are expected to use them.
Even so, the Ai1300P is a bit of a splurge. As the name implies, it’s a massive 1300-watt unit, capable of delivering up to 600 watts to beefy, power-hungry PCIe 5.0 graphics cards using the new 12VHPWR (12+4 pin) power rail. Older, backward-compatible PCIe 4.0 cards should work fine too, so long as you get a compatible power rail. For a technical breakdown of what’s new in the ATX 3.0 standard, check out PCWorld’s exhaustive guide here, or watch our interview with Intel PSU guru Stephen Eastman below.
In addition to the 12VHPWR rail, the Ai1300P boasts no less than six older PCIe outputs, double 8-pin CPU raise, and four rails for SATA connections. MSI’s announcement page (spotted by WCCFtech) doesn’t say when the new power supply will be available, or for how much. Our guess: “soon” and “a lot,” respectively.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter& Facebook
Denial of responsibility! NewsAzi is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content is available free on the Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
President Biden tried to claim Wednesday that the US had “zero inflation” in July hours after federal Consumer Price Index data showed annual inflation dipping only slightly to 8.5%, which outraged Republicans and other critics who pointed out it’s still near a four-decade high .
The latest figures reflected a demand-driven decline in fuel prices — including gasoline, which hit a record national average of $5 per gallon in mid-June before sliding to a still-high $4 average today — that offset increases in the cost of food, rent and other goods and services.
“I just want to say a number: zero,” Biden said in the White House East Room before signing legislation granting greater medical and disability benefits to veterans suffering illnesses linked to inhaling toxic smoke.
“Today, we received news that our economy had 0% inflation in the month of July — 0%,” Biden said. “Here’s what that means: while the price of some things went up — went up last month, the price of other things went down by the same amount. The result? Zero inflation last month.
President Joe Biden insists the US is undergoing “zero inflation” in spite of federal data showing its more than eight percent.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarques
“But people are still hurting,” the president went on, before repeating: “But 0% inflation last month.”
Biden then proceeded to accidentally step on his own message by urging Congress to pass the Senate-approved Inflation Reduction Act, which he said would keep inflation “from getting better,” a view advanced by Republicans, before correcting himself to say “from getting worse.” .”
Biden’s rosy spin on the latest inflation report was quickly called out as misleading by critics, especially after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted: “We just received news that our economy had 0% inflation in July. While the price of some things went up, the price of others, like gas, clothing, and more, dropped.”
“The Biden Administration has a tortured relationship with math,” joked Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) on Twitter.
The Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index shows inflation remains at a four-decade high at 8.5 percent.New York Post Illustration
“Ridiculous BS from the White House,” tweeted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “There’s 8.5% inflation and basically everything anyone ever buys went up in price. This is just cruel gaslighting from the Biden admin.”
“Either the White House doesn’t understand what inflation is or they just don’t care,” said Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.). “That doesn’t change the pain and hardship that Americans are enduring because of their failed policies.”
“It’s a bogus math trick. This is the overall one-month index change. Overall that means that the big drop in fuel oil and gas (following previous massive monthly increases) swamped the huge increases everywhere else,” tweeted Jeffrey Tucker, president of the Brownstone Institute think tank.
“Using the same tactic, you could also observe a one-month 19.2% increase in electricity! But of course we would not do that because that’s dumb,” Tucker added. “The actual increase is 15.2% which we get from calculating year over year.”
John Cooper, director of media and public relations at the conservative Heritage Foundation, tweeted, “Joe Biden claims, multiple times, that there was ‘zero inflation’ in July. Absolutely false. Year-over-year inflation was 8.5% in July.”
The Bureau of Labor statistics laid the data out in black and white — reporting the highest annual jump in food prices since the 1970s, with a 1.3% bump in at-home food costs from June to July and a 10.9% food-cost jump in the past year.
“The all items less food and energy index rose 5.9 percent over the last 12 months,” the official report said, referring to so-called “core inflation.” “The energy index increased 32.9 percent for the 12 months ending July, a smaller increase than the 41.6-percent increase for the period ending June. The food index increased 10.9 percent over the last year, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending May 1979.”
National gas prices still remain at $4 a gallon or more.AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File
Overall annual inflation was 9.1% in June, the highest rate since 1981. Critics blame Biden’s policies, including large spending bills, while the White House has blamed an array of other factors — including COVID-19, supply chain bottlenecks and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Federal Reserve has a target of about 2% annual inflation and has been increasing interest rates this year in an attempt to tamp down price increases.
The pending Inflation Reduction Act, which the House is expected to pass as early as Friday, provides nearly $400 billion for environmental programs, including tax credits of up to $7,000 to buy electric vehicles, and roughly $64 billion to extend more generous COVID-19- it was Obamacare subsidies.
Sen. Ted Cruz accused the White House of “cruel gaslighting” on Americans.Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
The new spending is offset by new taxes on corporations, including a new 15% corporate minimum tax, increased IRS enforcement and by allowing Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices.
Republicans argue new taxes may result in higher consumer costs and point to independent analysis that says the bill won’t reduce inflation.
“The Orwellian named ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ will do no such thing, as a number of prominent experts and economic policy groups have indicated,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said after the bill passed the Senate. “The Penn Wharton Budget Model, the Tax Foundation, and the Congressional Budget Office all found the bill won’t lower inflation and may make it worse. The IRS would more than double in size, unleashing 87,000 new enforcement agents on American families… [and the] nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation says that 78% to 90% of the revenue raised from misreported income would likely come from those making under $200,000.”
Der Artikel kann nur mit aktiviertem JavaScript dargestellt werden. Bitte aktiviere JavaScript in deinem Browser und lade die Seite neu.
Cloud streaming, like Google’s Stadia, could be the killer feature of the company’s upcoming mixed reality headset. Google has already laid the foundation for it.
At the I/O developer conference in May, it presented an impressive new Google Maps feature: With Immersive View, Maps users can immerse themselves in a detailed 3D version of well-known cities on their smartphones and even virtually examine the interiors of restaurants and pubs.
The 3D graphics come from the cloud and use Google’s Stadia infrastructure. Google dubbed the new streaming service Immersive Stream for XR. A trailer released to accompany the announcement shows various application scenarios that resulted from Google’s cooperation with BMW and other companies.
Immersive stream for VR and AR headsets in the pipeline
Now Google is working on headset support, writes Google blog 9to5Google. The service is expected to support OpenXR-compatible VR and AR headsets and offer VR and stereo AR modes. The news comes from an immersive streaming spotlight Google held last week.
The service, in its current form, is aimed at enterprise customers. Google cites shopping, tourism, kitchen design, and training as use cases.
Immersive Stream for XR supports Android, iOS, and desktop browsers so far. Support for OpenXR headsets is in development. | Image: Google
It could become more in the future. Google is rumored to be working on a mixed reality headset that could support both VR and AR via passthrough mode (see Project Iris). The report in question says that Google is considering using cloud streaming to compute AR content to get around technical limitations like limited processing power and waste heat. Project Iris is expected to launch in 2024, according to the report.
XR gaming from the cloud
Immersive Stream for XR could become the basis for such a headset feature. With its cloud infrastructure, Google is well positioned and could one day outpace competitors like Meta and Apple. Meta is launching a mixed reality headset in a few months (see Project Cambria), and Apple is expected to launch its first XR hardware early next year.
Meta is working on its own XR cloud streaming under the codename Avalanche and is currently conducting initial 5G tests with US carrier Verizon. Nothing of the sort has leaked out from Apple yet.
Cloud streaming holds enormous potential for tech glasses in general, as it could combine mobility and computing power. Today’s VR headsets are either mobile but lack computing power, or they are tied to a local computer.
The biggest technical challenge is the latency of cloud streaming. This needs to be lower than traditional 2D streaming because too much delay between the VR action and its visual translation into virtual reality can disrupt the experience and cause discomfort.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
Beijing has announced an end to its military drills surrounding Taiwan but said further “training and war preparation” would continue.
It made the announcement shortly after reaffirming its commitment, in a major policy paper, to use force against Taiwan if it could not take control “by peaceful means”.
A spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command said on Wednesday afternoon the exercises had been successfully completed, and “effectively tested the integrated joint combat capabilities of the troops”, according to state media.
The statement pledged to continue monitoring the Taiwan strait, regularly patrol the area and remain ready for combat.
After the US House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan last week, Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched live-fire military exercises in seven large zones closely surrounding Taiwan’s main island.
Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, accused China on Tuesday of using the military drills to prepare for invasion. On Wednesday, Pelosi defended her visit from her, saying it was “absolutely” worth it.
“We cannot allow the Chinese government to isolate Taiwan,” Pelosi said in an interview with NBC. “They’re not going to say who can go to Taiwan.”
The Chinese Communist party government (CCP) claims Taiwan as a breakaway province of China. In a white paper released through state media on Wednesday morning, it reiterated its resolve to annex Taiwan by force if peaceful means were unsuccessful.
“We will work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification,” the official English-language version of the document said. “But we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures.”
Titled The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era, the official document did not give a timeline but did say: “We should not allow this problem to be passed down from one generation to the next.”
It said the use of force would be a “last resort taken under compelling circumstances”, and did not target “fellow Chinese in Taiwan”.
“This is to guard against external interference and all separatist activities,” the document said. It also claimed unification was the only way to avoid Taiwan being invaded by another country.
It was the third paper on Taiwan released by the state council, after one in 1993 and another in 2000. According to Reuters, it removed a promise stated in the previous two papers “to not send troops or administrative personnel to be based in Taiwan” after “unification”.
Wednesday’s paper reiterated Beijing’s intention of initially ruling Taiwan under the “one country, two systems” framework, and proffered Hong Kong as an example of the policy’s “resounding success” after “appropriate improvements” were made in the crackdown after the 2019 protest movement.
The recent crackdown on Hong Kong and imposition of Beijing’s national security law has been a major driver in the Taiwan population’s overwhelming rejection of the prospect of CCP rule. Hong Kong’s treatment featured heavily in the presidential campaign of Tsai Ing-wen, who was elected in a landslide.
Wednesday’s white paper also included erroneous interpretations of foreign governments’ “One China” policies, and blamed Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive party and the US for fomenting “separatist” forces. It said unification was the only way to stop Taiwan from being invaded by another country.
“Separatism will plunge Taiwan into the abyss and bring nothing but disaster to the island,” it said.
Dr Lin Ying-yu, of Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said the document was likely to have been timed to coincide with the military drills. “After the saber-rattling, they verbally intimidate,” Lin said. “They hope to make Taiwanese people respond in different ways and [to divide] opinions.”
Dr Mark Harrison, a senior lecturer in Chinese studies at the University of Tasmania, said the paper demanded Taiwanese people abandon the decades-long aspirations for democracy and sovereignty they have strived for since Japanese colonization in the early 20th century, before the People’s Republic of China existed.
“The concluding references to Beijing’s willingness to use ‘all necessary measures’ and its identification of ‘separatist elements or external forces’ is a disquieting sign of the arguments it is preparing to justify military action against Taiwan,” said Harrison.
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, appeared to be the first Chinese official to be questioned by media on the white paper, at a national press club event on Wednesday afternoon. Xiao would not be drawn on what constituted a “compelling circumstance” justifying the use of force, and he said people should “use your imagination” for the definition of “all necessary means”.
Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BST
Xiao was also asked about comments by his fellow ambassador in France, that Taiwan’s people would be “reeducated” after annexation. The comment sparked alarm, appearing to align with Beijing’s efforts to “re-educate” Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Xiao said he was not aware of any official policy regarding reeducation in Taiwan but his personal understanding was that “once Taiwan is reunited … there might be a process for the people in Taiwan to have a correct understanding of China, about the motherland”.
SpaceX just got one step closer to the first orbital test flight of its launch system Starship with the successful static fire test of a prototype Super Heavy booster late Tuesday afternoon. That booster, “Booster 7,” was rolled to the launch pad overnight last Friday.
The successful test is a notable milestone for SpaceX, which has been working on its Starship program from its Boca Chica development facility in southeast Texas. It comes just a few weeks after a previous booster test resulted in an explosion at the launch pad — though the damage was clearly not catastrophic, as this same booster was tested today.
Just a single Raptor 2 engine was fired during the test, rather than the 33 engines that will ultimately lift Starship to orbit, and the entire test lasted only a few seconds. During a static fire test, the engines spin up to ignition, but the rocket stays on the pad, so engineers can get a good sense of an engine’s performance prior to an actual launch.
NASA Spaceflight livestreamed the test and captured the exact moment of ignition:
The two-stage Starship is comprised of a Super Heavy booster and an 164-foot-tall upper-stage called Starship. The launch system, which stands at 394 feet in total, is designed to be fully reusable — the only rocket in its class that’s designed for reusability by a long margin. It’s a key part of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s goal to make humans multi-planetary and to spread, in his words, “the light of consciousness” throughout the universe.
Although Musk has postulated a number of possible timelines for the first orbital flight test of Starship, I have most recently estimated on Twitter that “a successful orbital flight is probably between 1 and 12 months from now.”
Eight Minnesota corrections officers, all people of color who said they were barred from interacting with Derek Chauvin while he was awaiting trial in the death of George Floyd, were awarded a nearly $1.5 million settlement Tuesday.
Chauvin was arrested for Floyd’s murder on May 29, 2020, and brought to the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center. The officers – who identify as African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander American and multiracial – alleged former jail superintendent Steve Lydon prohibited all officers of color from guarding Chauvin or entering the floor where he was being held just before he arrived. The order was rescinded about an hour later, according to a resolution to a lawsuit filed by the officers.
Lydon reportedly told his superiors that he made the decision “to protect and support” minority employees by keeping them away from the former Minneapolis police officer, the Star Tribune reported.
“Out of care and concern, and without the comfort of time, I made a decision to limit exposure to employees of color to a murder suspect who could potentially aggravate those feelings,” Lydon said in a statement given during an internal investigation that the sheriff’s office provided the Star Tribune shortly after the incident.
Lydon was later demoted but still works for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail.
The officers filed a racial complaint in June 2020 with the state’s Department of Human Rights but closed it to pursue discrimination litigation. The group filed a lawsuit in February 2021 alleging race and color discrimination and hostile environment.
COMPLAINT:Officers allege minorities weren’t allowed to guard Chauvin
LATEST:Derek Chauvin gets 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights
The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to settle the lawsuit. The settlement required the county to issue a written apology and acknowledge that the order was discriminatory and wrong.
Board Chairwoman Trista MatasCastillo apologized in a statement “for the trauma you experienced and the ongoing harm this racist incident caused.”
“The actions taken by Sheriff’s Office leadership that day were more than just wrong – they were racist, heinous, highly disrespectful and completely out of line with Ramsey County’s vision and values,” she said. “No one should ever have questioned your ability to perform your job based on the color of your skin.”
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Wednesday. Lydon was not immediately able to be reached.
One of the plaintiffs, Devin Sullivan, urged the sheriff’s office to create a safe and welcoming work environment.
“Trust and accountability are critical to our safety as correctional officers, and Superintendent Lydon’s segregation order broke this trust,” Sullivan said in a statement released by his attorneys to the media. “Each of us is on our own journey toward healing from this damaging discrimination and the aftermath, and these settlements will help us open a next chapter.”
FLOYD FEDERAL CASE:Former Minneapolis officers sentenced for violating George Floyd’s rights
