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Sports

Serena Williams announces retirement from tennis to have second child

Serena Williams announces retirement from tennis to have second child

Serena Williams is retiring from tennis after the US Open because she wants to have more children.

The 40-year-old broke the news in a self-penned article in Vogue Magazine and admitted she “hates” the decision.

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me,” Williams wrote.

“I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people.

“Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

“There is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain,” she added. “It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at these crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”

That includes expanding her family – a topic which is regularly brought up by her five-year-old daughter Olympia, who is desperate to be a big sister.

“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family,” Williams wrote. “I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.”

Williams revealed she has been trying to have another child with husband Alexis Ohanian for the past year.

“We recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” she wrote. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”

Williams, who won her first match in over a year on Monday at the National Open in Toronto, confirmed that she would play at the US Open in Flushing Meadows at the end of the month. That will be her from her last grand slam event from her.

Williams has won 23 grand slam titles — the most in the Open Era and one short of Margaret Court’s all-time record.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t ready to win Wimbledon this year,” wrote Williams, who lost to Harmony Tan in the first round of the All England Club.

“And I don’t know if I will be ready to win New York. But I’m going to try. And the lead-up tournaments will be fun. I know there’s a fan fantasy that I might have tied Margaret that day in London, then maybe beat her de ella record de ella in New York, and then at the trophy ceremony say, ‘See ya!’ I get that. It’s a good fantasy. But I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst.

“But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”

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Categories
US

Albuquerque police are trying to piece together what led up to the killings of 4 Muslim men as anxiety spreads within the community

Albuquerque police are trying to piece together what led up to the killings of 4 Muslim men as anxiety spreads within the community

While police have not provided details on exactly how the killings unfolded, they have said three of the victims — Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, Aftab Hussein, 41, and Mohammad Ahmadi, 62 — were “ambushed with no warning, fired on and killed.”

Then, after community members marked a somber Friday prayer followed by a funeral for two of the victims, a fourth man — 25-year-old Naeem Hussain — was found dead, hours after attending the service. He became the third Muslim man killed in the city within two weeks and the fourth since November.

While police have not definitively said all four attacks are connected, they have said they are looking into whether that is the case. With no one in custody, police have not commented on any possible motive or whether any of the shootings are being investigated as hate crimes.

However, it is “deeply troubling” that the victims were Muslim and of similar descent, Kyle Hartsock, deputy commander of the city police department’s criminal investigations division, has said.

The vehicle of interest in the recent killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Police have not come out with any descriptions of a suspect or suspects in the killings. They have, however, said they are seeking “a vehicle of interest,” which may be connected to the four killings. The vehicle is a dark silver sedan that police say may be a Volkswagen Jetta.

But it remains unclear whom the car belongs to, or where it was in the photos released by the department. Police said the vehicle “is suspected as being used as a conveyance in recent homicides of 4 Muslim men.”

“Everyone believes that that vehicle is very key to what happened in at least two of the shootings,” Maj. Timothy Keller told CNN on Monday. “We also have shell casings that we’re able to tie together through the national database. So that is giving us some confidence. But we may have a long way to go.”

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest or arrests in the killings. Authorities have also set up an online portal for residents to upload videos and images that could help investigators.

The ambush-style killings

The three most recent killings claimed the lives of men from Pakistan, and the spate of shootings directed investigators’ attention to an unsolved killing of an Afghan man reported in 2021.

The latest killing happened just before midnight on August 5 in the area of ​​Truman Street and Grand Avenue. Police responded to reports of a shooting and found Naeem Hussain dead from a gunshot wound.

He had attended the funeral of two other victims that same day and expressed concern about the shootings, according to a spokesman with a mosque in Albuquerque.

On August 1, officers found Muhammad Afzaal Hussain on a sidewalk around 9:19 pm in the area of ​​Cornell Street and Lead Avenue. He had been shot and died as a result of his wounds, police said.

On July 26, officers found Aftab Hussein with apparent gunshot wounds in the 400 block of Rhode Island at 10:30 pm He also died as a result of his wounds, according to police.

The August 1 and July 26 shootings got police looking into whether they may be connected to another killing that happened November 7. That day, officers found an Afghan man, Mohammad Ahmadi, with a gunshot wound in the parking lot behind the business he ran with his brother.

4 Muslim men were killed in Albuquerque. Here's what we know about them

“Our homicide detectives and our investigators currently believe there is a strong possibility that the same individual committed all three of these crimes,” Hartsock said last week, referring to the shootings of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, Aftab Hussein and Mohammad Ahmadi. “While we won’t go into why we think that, there’s one strong commonality in all of our victims — their race and religion.

“We are taking this very serious and we want the public’s help in identifying this cowardly individual who in all three cases ambushed their victims with no warning, fired shots and killed them,” Hartsock added.

Albuquerque’s Muslim community living in fear

The killings have put the city’s Muslim community on edge, with some too afraid to go to the mosque, shop for food or sit outside, according to Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico.

Assed said he too is now among the many Muslims in New Mexico grappling with fear every day.

3 Muslim men in Albuquerque were murdered. Police are investigating possible ties to same killer

“I get in the car, and I’m watching every which way possible. I’m watching my side mirror. I’m looking in the back. I’m looking out for any sign of anything out of the ordinary,” he said.

The city is now increasing police presence at mosques, Muslim-affiliated schools and the University of New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also announced sending additional state police to Albuquerque.

“We’ve got extra police patrols at every mosque during prayer time. We’re delivering meals to folks afraid to come out of their homes. We’re providing trauma services for folks also in their home or at their mosque for what they’ you’re going through,” Keller said. “Right now these are very, very trying times for this community and our city.”

Who the victims were

Naeem Hussain migrated as a refugee from Pakistan in 2016 — fleeing persecution as a Shia Muslim — and had just become a US citizen last month, according to his brother-in-law, Ehsan Shahalami.

The young man, who owned a trucking business, was described as a kind, generous and hardworking person.

Muhammad Afzaal Hussain worked on the planning team for the city of Española. He had studied law and human resource management at the University of Punjab in Pakistan before receiving both master’s and bachelor degrees in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico, according to a news release from the mayor.

“Muhammad was soft-spoken and kind, and quick to laugh,” Spanish Major John Ramon Vigil said. “He was well-respected and well-liked by his coworkers and members of the community.”

Few details have been released about the two other victims.

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Categories
Technology

Valorant patch 5.03 notes: Chamber & Neon changes, Unreal Engine update & more

Valorant patch 5.03 notes: Chamber & Neon changes, Unreal Engine update & more

The Valorant update 5.03 patch notes are live now and there are a few notable changes in this update. Here are all the upcoming changes in the new patch.

Valorant update 5.03’s patch notes feature a host of changes that will affect not only several Agents but also the visual aspects of Riot’s FPS. Needless to say, players can also expect bug fixes to arrive as part of the update, too.

With the upcoming release of Agent 21, Riot appears to be preparing the game’s current meta to welcome the new Agent into the roster. Keep reading for a detailed list of all the changes coming to Riot’s tactical shooter in update 5.03.

content

cover art for valorant patch 5.03 highlights

RiotGames

These are the highlights of Valorant update 5.03.

Valorant 5.03 patch notes

Valorant update 5.03 will see Agents Chamber, Neon, and Jett being tweaked to balance their performance in the game. It will be interesting to see how these’s Agent changes affect the in-game meta.

Apart from that, the patch will also see Valorant being updated to Unreal Engine 4.26. While the developers have confirmed that this update is causing a few glitches in the main menu, they are dedicated to working out the bugs as soon as possible.

Here’s a full rundown of everything that Riot Games has confirmed in Valorant update 5.03’s official patch notes.

General Updates

  • Engine update to Unreal Engine 4.26
    • This update improves the toolset available to our developers in many ways, however, this change will likely go unnoticed by you, as the goal of any Engine update is to happen under the radar.
    • There are some known issues this time around though, mostly the UI is misbehaving. We’re fixing these as quickly as we can, but expect some funkiness in the game and in the Main Menu. If anything interrupts your gameplay, please submit a bug report.
  • Agent Browser visual design refresh
    • Just thought we should leverage some of the cool Agent art and lean more into our VALORANT style.

agent updates

Chamber

Rendezvous (E)

  • Base cooldown increased 20s >>> 30s
  • Recall Cooldown increased 20s >>> 30s
  • Cooldown set to 45s whenever a Rendezvous anchor is destroyed
  • The diameter size of the “ring” Chamber can stand that allows him to activate Rendezvous decreased 21m >>> 15m

Trademark (C)

  • Slow Duration decreased 9.5 >>> 6s

Tour De Force (X)

  • Ultimate Points Required increased 7 >>> 8
  • Slow Duration decreased 9.5 >>> 6s
  • Leg shot multiplier reduced 1.0 >>> 0.85

Headhunter (Q)

  • Bullet Cost increased 100 >>> 150

Neon

Overdrive

  • Damage per shot reduced 22 >>> 18
  • Killzone increased 15m >>> 20m
  • Leg shot multiplier reduced 1.0 >>> 0.85
  • Headshot multiplier increased 1 >>> 3

Jett

Bladestorm (X)

  • Leg shot multiplier reduced 1.0 >>> 0.85

Gameplay Systems Updates

  • Added ability to change the “Ghost” keybind outside of Custom Games
    • This option is listed under Settings >> Controls >> Actions

Bug fixes and Known Issues

Agents

  • Fixed an issue with Jett’s Tailwind where switching weapons in the middle of the dash would cause the weapon pull-out animation to take longer than desired.

Gameplay Systems

  • Fixed a bug where some Reyna/Killjoy HUD elements were still visible after enabling Hide User Interface.
  • Fixed a bug where defuse animation wouldn’t consistently play if the orb is tapped in rapid succession.

Known Issues

  • Changing crosshair opacity settings in-game causes the crosshair preview visual to flicker
  • Spike Announcements UI displaying incorrectly

So there you have it, that’s everything included in Valorant update 5.03 patch notes. For more about the game, make sure to check some of our other Valorant content:

Best Valorant Agents | Best Sentinels | What is the Night Market? | How to get Gun Buddies | Best Initiators | What is Econ Rating? | How to get free loot drops | Is Valorant on Mac? | When is Valorant on Mobile coming out? | Best Duelists | All Valorant skin bundles | Best Controllers

Categories
Sports

NRL rising star ‘ended’ wild brawl with alleged stabbing

NRL rising star 'ended' wild brawl with alleged stabbing

NRL rising star Manase Fainu did not start a bloody brawl in a church parking lot but he “ended it” when he plunged a steak knife into the back of a youth leader, a court has been told.

Mr Fainu, 24, is fighting allegations that he stabbed Faamanu Levi in ​​the back during a brawl outside a Mormon church dance nearly three years ago.

The Manly Sea Eagles hooker has pleaded not guilty to wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after Mr Levi was stabbed in the back near his shoulder blade and cut above his right eye.

Mr Fainu’s trial has entered its final stages, with Crown prosecutor Emma Curran using closing submissions on Tuesday to point to the evidence of one eyewitness who told the court that he had seen Mr Fainu stab Mr Levi.

Mr Fainu during his evidence said he played no part in the brawl, which took place between two parked cars in a parking lot at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Wattle Grove in Sydney’s southwest.

NRL player Manase Fainu says he played no part in a wild brawl in a church parking lot. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian GillesSource: News Corp Australia

During his evidence on Monday, Mr Fainu said he was approximately 10 to 12m from the fight between his friends and another group of men when he heard someone yell “knife, knife”.

He had undergone shoulder surgery a month earlier and on October 25, 2019, he had his left arm in a sling.

Tony Quach said he saw Mr Fainu stab his friend Mr Levi and was able to identify him by his sling.

During his evidence, Mr Quach said Mr Fainu had not started the fight but “he ended it” by stabbing Mr Levi.

“Manase Fainu jumped over a fence into the grounds of the church, he was with four of his friends and the group of them approached Mr Levi and his friends,” Ms Curran said.

“A brawl broke out and when things looked like they were getting out of hand, Mr Fainu pulled out a knife and plunged it into the back of Mr Levi, causing a wound that punctured his lung and caused internal bleeding.”

CCTV footage shows Manase Fainu jumping a fence into a Mormon church dance shortly before a wild brawl. Picture: SuppliedSource: Supplied

Mr Quach said he saw Mr Fainu with an angry look on his face and a knife in his right hand and his arm bent at a 90-degree angle.

It is not an issue that Mr Fainu was in the car park, his left arm was in a sling, and there was a brawl during which Mr Levi was stabbed before Mr Fainu scaled the wall once again and ran to his car.

However, the identity of Mr Levi’s attacker is in dispute.

Ms Curran said another man, Kupi Toilalo, said he saw a man approach him and his friends with his left arm in a sling holding a knife.

“When Kupi saw this, he was at arm’s length away from the person holding the knife, nothing obstructing his view,” Ms Curran said

Faamanu Levi was stabbed in the back following a brawl at a Mormon church dance. Picture: Shannon TonkinSource: Supplied
Tony Quach said he saw Mr Fainu stab a man in the back. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian Gilles.Source: News Corp Australia

Mr Fainu told the jury on Monday that he was “scared” because he knew he could not defend himself if he became involved in the fight.

He denied brandishing a 10cm steak knife that was used to stab Mr Levi, saying he did not see any of his friends with a weapon on the night.

Mr Levi underwent surgery after the stab wound punctured his lung and caused internal bleeding.

Mr Fainu is fighting allegations he stabbed a church youth leader in the back. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles.Source: News Corp Australia

Mr Fainu said he went to the church because his friend Uona “Big Buck” Faingaa was seeking to recover money owed to him by a man.

The court was told that before the brawl, two of Mr Fainu’s friends were involved in an altercation on the dance floor and were asked to leave.

Mr Fainu said he left the church grounds as his mates were being escorted out, apologizing to a security guard on the way out.

CCTV footage showed Mr Fainu and four of his friends shortly afterwards jumping a fence from a Coles carpark back onto the church grounds.

Mr Fainu testified that he had told his friends that he would go inside to collect Mr Faingaa’s money by himself; however, they followed him over.

Defense barrister Margaret Cunneen SC said Mr Fainu had been identified as being present during the brawl because of the distinguishing nature of his sling, but all of the eyewitnesses were mistaken about him being the stabber.

“Mr Manase Fainu is a man who was never before in trouble for any violence whatsoever,” Ms Cunneen said.

“He did not stab Mr Levi. No one condom what happened to Mr Levi, it’s appalling.”

The jury will withdraw to consider its verdict after Ms Cunneen’s closing submissions.

The trial before Judge Nanette Williams continues.

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Categories
US

Atlanta park: Shooting during ball game leaves 2 dead and 4 wounded, including 6-year-old

Atlanta park: Shooting during ball game leaves 2 dead and 4 wounded, including 6-year-old

The violence began during a baseball or softball game at Dunbar Recreational Center inside Rosa L. Burney Park in southwest Atlanta around 7 pm Sunday, Deputy Chief Charles Hampton said. The game was interrupted by an argument that escalated to an exchange of gunfire, and six people were shot, he said.

A man in his 30s and an adult woman were shot and killed, while a 6-year-old was struck and transported to Children’s Egleston Hospital in critical condition, Hampton said. The other four victims were in stable condition, he said.

Police released images of the suspect and are asking the public to help identify them by contacting the Atlanta Police Department’s homicide unit or submitting a tip to Crime Stoppers for a potential reward of up to $2,000.
The Atlanta police department released these photos of the suspect.

Police are still investigating what happened and what relationship, if any, the six victims had to each other, Hampton said.

“As we’ve said countless times, we’re just asking the citizens just to find a way to resolve conflict without weapons. We’re just asking people to step away, we’re asking people just to let bygones be bygones,” Hampton said.

“Any time that we have any tragedy like this — any death is a tragedy — then as we have kids that are also involved… This is not a place for gunplay. So, we’re just asking everyone to leave the guns at home.”

The shooting represents the 18th mass shooting in Georgia this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as any incident in which four or more people are shot, excluding the gunman.
As of July 30, there have been 88 homicides in Atlanta this year, a 9% increase from the same point last year, according to Atlanta Police data. Aggravated assaults, a category that includes non-fatal shootings, are also up 4% this year compared to this point last year, the data shows.

CNN’s Eric Levenson, Jarrod Wardwell and Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.

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Categories
Technology

Intel Arc Pro A-series graphics announced to compete with NVIDIA Quadro GPUs

Intel Arc Pro A-Series Graphics

What you need to know

  • Intel just introduced its Arc Pro A-series range of graphics.
  • The series is aimed at professionals with demanding graphical workloads, such as those in architecture, engineering, and construction.
  • The Intel Arc Pro A30M, A40, and A50 are the first products from the range.
  • All of the new GPUs support ray tracing, machine learning, and AV1 hardware coding and acceleration.

Intel just showed off its new range of professional GPUs from the Intel Arc Pro lineup. The Intel Arc Pro A30M, A40, and A50 are the first GPUs from the lineup, and they are designed for professionals with graphically demanding workloads. The A30M is for laptops, while the A40 and A50 are for desktops.

Despite unveiling the new graphics components, Intel was shy on a release date, only stating that the GPUs will be available “starting later this year from leading mobile and desktop ecosystem partners.”

Categories
Sports

‘I can’t do this forever’: Serena Williams drops retirement hint at Canadian Open | Serena Williams

Serena Williams hinted that retirement might not be far away after winning her first singles match for more than a year.

The 40-year-old defeated world No 57 Nuria Párrizas Díaz 6-3, 6-4 at the Canadian Open in Toronto for her first taste of success in singles since the French Open in the spring of 2021.

Williams had been very vague about her future plans after returning from a year out at Wimbledon but, asked in Canada about her motivation to keep playing, she told reporters: “I guess there’s just a light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t know, I’m getting closer to the light. Lately that’s been it for me. I can’t wait to get to that light.”

Asked what the light represented, she replied: “Freedom. I love playing though, so it’s amazing. But I can’t do this forever. So sometimes you just want to try your best to enjoy the moments and do the best that you can.”

Williams lost to Harmony Tan at Wimbledon in her first singles match for a year and will be hoping to find something like her old form before the US Open later this month. “I was happy to have a win,” she said. “It’s been a very long time. I forgot what it felt like. I felt like I competed well and I think that’s what I needed to do is just to compete. Mentally I feel I’m getting there. I’m not where I normally am and I’m not where I want to be. But I think any match that I play, whether I win or lose, it helps me get there.

“Physically I feel much better in practice, it’s just getting that to the court. But literally I’m the kind of person who just takes one or two things and then it clicks. So I’m just waiting on that to click.”

Venus Williams, who turned 42 in June, was unable to win her first singles match since last year’s Wimbledon, though, losing 6-2, 6-3 to Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann.

The Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina won her first match as a grand-slam winner, battling past Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-1, while last year’s US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez made a winning return from a foot injury suffered at the French Open, beating Storm Sanders 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3.

Ninth seed Emma Raducanu makes her debut at the tournament on Tuesday against big-hitting Italian Camila Giorgi.

Categories
Australia

NSW building commissioner’s resignation letter set to be made public

NSW building commissioner's resignation letter set to be made public

The confidential resignation letter of the NSW building commissioner is likely to be released to state parliament amid scrutiny over the conduct of the recently dumped fair trading minister Eleni Petinos.

David Chandler, tasked in 2019 with cleaning up NSW’s construction industry as the state’s first building commissioner, tendered his resignation last month despite having recently signed a contract extension.

David Chandler tendered his resignation last month despite having recently signed a contract extension.

David Chandler tendered his resignation last month despite having recently signed a contract extension.Credit:Kate Geraghty

The NSW opposition on Tuesday said it would use Legislative Council powers to compel the government to release the letter after it was revealed that Petinos met representatives from a property development company that employed former deputy premier John Barilaro.

The opposition queried the meetings between Petinos and Coronation Property, given a stop work order had been placed on one of its major projects, and also called on the premier to provide Chandler’s resignation letter.

Chandler, who reported to Petinos, had oversight of stop-work orders and whether to revoke them. Perrottet told question time that Chandler’s resignation was not a factor in his decision to sack Petinos as minister, but added that he had not read the letter in question.

Opposition fair trading spokeswoman Courtney Houssos said the government needed to provide more clarity over Chandler’s snap departure.

Former fair trading minister Eleni Petinos.

Former fair trade minister Eleni Petinos.Credit:Wolter-Peeters

“We think it’s important that the public has the opportunity to see why the building commissioner resigned so suddenly from his post. It’s not good enough for us to keep trying to piece together this picture,” she said.

“I’m really concerned that the premier has not taken the time to read this letter after we’ve been asking about it for several weeks. It’s either extreme negligence, or maybe there is something in there that he doesn’t want to know.”

Categories
US

Taiwanese foreign minister says China drills game-plan for invasion

Taiwanese foreign minister says China drills game-plan for invasion

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.

Sam Yeh | AFP | Getty Images

Taiwan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that China was using the military drills it launched in protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit as a game-plan to prepare for an invasion of the
self-ruled island.

Joseph Wu, speaking at a press conference in Taipei, offered no timetable for a possible invasion of Taiwan, which is claimed by China as its own.

He said Taiwan would not be intimidated even as the drills continued with China often breaching the unofficial median line down the Taiwan Strait.

“China has used the drills in its military play-book to prepare for the invasion of Taiwan,” Wu said.

“It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation, and economic coercion, in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan.

“After the drills conclude, China may try to routinize its action in an attempt to wreck the long-term status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” Wu said.

Such moves threatened regional security and provided “a clear image of China’s geostrategic ambitions beyond Taiwan”, Wu said, urging greater international support to stop China effectively controlling the strait.

A Pentagon official said on Monday that Washington was sticking to its assessment that China would not try to invade Taiwan for the next two years.

Wu spoke as military tensions simmer after the scheduled end on Sunday of four days of the largest-ever Chinese exercises surrounding the island – drills that included ballistic missile launches and simulated sea and air attacks in the skies and seas surrounding Taiwan.

China’s Eastern Theater Command announced on Monday that it would conduct fresh joint drills focusing on anti-submarine and sea assault operations – confirming the fears of some security analysts and diplomats that Beijing would keep up the pressure on Taiwan’s defences.

On Tuesday, the command said it continued to hold military drills and exercises in the seas and airspace around Taiwan, with a focus on blockades and resupply logistics.

A person familiar with security planning in the areas around Taiwan described to Reuters on Tuesday a continuing “standoff” around the median line involving about 10 warships each from China and Taiwan.

“China continued to try to press in to the median line,” the person said.

“Taiwan forces there have been trying to keep the international waterways open.”

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that China’s continued military exercises “highlight that its threat of force has not decreased.”

As Pelosi left the region last Friday, China also ditched some lines of communication with the United States, including theater level military talks and discussions on climate change.

Taiwan started its own long-scheduled drills on Tuesday, firing howitzer artillery out to sea in the southern county of Pingtung, attracting a small crowd of curious onlookers to a nearby beach.

US President Joe Biden, in his first public comments on the issue since Pelosi’s visit, said on Monday he was concerned about China’s actions in the region but he was not worried about Taiwan.

“I’m concerned they are moving as much as they are,” Biden told reporters in Delaware, referring to China. “But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more than they are.”

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl also said the US military would continue to carry out voyages through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks.

China has never ruled out taking Taiwan by force and on Monday Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China was conducting normal military exercises “in our waters” in an open, transparent and professional way, adding Taiwan was part of China.

Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the Taiwanese people can decide the island’s future.

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Categories
Technology

Get updated and educated with Episode 514 of the top-rated Tech Guide podcast

Get updated and educated with Episode 514 of the top-rated Tech Guide podcast



Get updated and educated with Episode 514 of the top rated Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews.

On this week’s show: rumors are swirling about the new iPad after some leaked renders, why does Gen Z love subtitles when watching TV shows and movies and Uniden has released a higher resolution wireless security camera.

In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new Google Pixel Buds Pro earphones, we take a look at the Lenovo Slim 7 X Pro laptop and we’ll tell you about Oppo’s affordable new smartphone.

In the Tech Guide Help Desk we talk about how to solve the buffering issues when streaming content in your home.

You can listen to the Tech Guide podcast right here using the podcast player below.

Tech Guide’s podcast is also available through Apple Podcasts here.

And we’d love to hear your feedback – you can tweet me @StephenFenech









Stephen is the Tech Guide editor and one of Australia’s most respected tech journalists. He is a regular on radio and TV talking about the latest tech news, products and trends.