Analysis-China's new weaponry sends message of deterrence to broad audience

Analysis-China's new weaponry sends message of deterrence to broad audience

By Greg Torode SINGAPORE (Reuters) -From an upgraded, nuclear-armed missile with near-global reach, to air defence lasers, hypersonic weapons, and sea drones that could crowd its near seas, China sent a broad message of deterrence with its largest ever military parade on Wednesday. Military analysts and diplomats say China's leader Xi Jinping was serving multiple constituencies as he oversaw the parade - the U.S. and its allies, China's neighbours, plus regional powers India and Russia, and countries potentially eyeing purchases of Chinese technology. "For all the operational questions that surround some of these new elements, China was sending a message of technological advance and military strength on all fronts - there is a indeed a lot for rival defence planners to get their heads around," said Singapore-based security analyst Alexander Neill. James Char, a China defence scholar at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the comprehensive range of new weapons on show highlighted how the Chinese military was determined to be able to control its near seas in any potential conflict with U.S. "The combination of the (sea) ... drones that they have and also the missiles, it will create an area with that external navies couldn't even enter to intervene in the event of a contingency," Char said. Specifically, the new torpedo-shaped drones and array of hypersonic weapons that can be fired from land, sea and air would be a serious threat for the U.S. and its partners - particularly when combined with its growing number of DF-26 medium-range ballistic missiles that could target ships and bases such as Guam. Beyond the neat demonstration of precision and discipline on display at the parade, question marks remained about the full capabilities of the new weapons, Char said. Analysts have long noted that China would have to effectively secure control of the South and East China seas in any conflict over Taiwan to ensure success - no easy task given the traditional naval dominance of the U.S. across East Asia. (Reporting by Greg Torode in Singapore and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

byAlpha World

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September 02, 2025

Analysis-China's new weaponry sends message of deterrence to broad audience

Analysis-China's new weaponry sends message of deterrence to broad audience By Greg Torode SINGAPORE (Reuters) -From an upgraded, nucle...

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Putin thanks Kim for North Korea's valiant help fighting against Ukraine

Putin thanks Kim for North Korea's valiant help fighting against Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Kim Jong Un on Wednesday for North Korean soldiers' courageous fighting against Ukrainian forces. "At your initiative, as is well known, your special forces participated in the liberation of the Kursk region," Putin told Kim at a meeting in China. "Your soldiers fought courageously and heroically." North Korean troops helped Russia earlier this year eject Ukrainian forces from Russia's western region of Kursk. "I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices that your armed forces and the families of your servicemen have suffered," Putin said. "On behalf of the Russian people, I would like to thank you for your participation in the joint fight," Putin said. "I ask you to convey my warmest words of gratitude to all the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." (Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

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September 02, 2025

Putin thanks Kim for North Korea's valiant help fighting against Ukraine

Putin thanks Kim for North Korea's valiant help fighting against Ukraine MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Kim ...

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Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2

Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Emmanuel Rivera tied his career high with four RBIs on a pair of two-out singles and Tyler Wells won his season debut for the Baltimore Orioles, who beat San Diego 6-2 on Tuesday night to keep the scuffling Padres from gaining on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Jeremiah Johnson homered for the second consecutive night and drove in two runs for the Orioles. Baltimore, last in the AL East, has won two straight against the Padres and will go for a series sweep on Wednesday. San Diego, which has lost three in a row and seven of nine, remained 2 1/2 games behind Los Angeles, which lost 9-7 at Pittsburgh. The Padres are a game ahead of the New York Mets for the second of three National League wild cards. Wells (1-0) pitched five innings in his first start since April 12, 2024. He had right elbow UCL surgery a month later. Wells allowed two runs and five hits, struck out four and walked none. Rivera hit a two-run single off Yu Darvish (3-5) over the head of shortstop Mason McCoy with two outs in the third to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle and Colton Cowser were aboard on consecutive one-out singles. With two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth, Rivera greeted David Morgan with a single to center field that brought in Gunnar Henderson and Mountcastle to make it 5-2. Jackson homered to left with one out in the first, his fourth. Jackson, who made his big league debut on Aug. 1, also homered in a4-3win Monday. Wells' only big mistake was allowing Luis Arraez's two-run homer with two outs in the third, his seventh. Freddy Fermin was aboard on a double. Key moment Baltimore reliever Rico Garcia came on with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and got two outs. Key stat Arraez went 144 plate appearances and 32 games between home runs. Up next Baltimore's Cade Povich (2-7, 5.04 ERA) and San Diego's Nestor Cortes (1-2, 3.75) are scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAlpha World

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September 02, 2025

Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2

Rivera has 4 RBIs and Wells wins in return as the Orioles beat the scuffling Padres 6-2 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Emmanuel Rivera tied his career hig...

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US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25

US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25

NEW YORK — It seems like the old man has spent roughly half of this US Open hunched over at the waist, grabbing at his neck or rubbing his temple. At one point earlier in the tournament, Novak Djokovic even said in an interview with ESPN that he was more concerned about the state of his body than he'd ever been. It's just what happens when you're 38 years old, having accumulated so many miles on the legs, playing one of the most demanding sports on earth against opponents in their physical prime. It hurts. But when Djokovic takes the court, the pain always goes in two directions. And with only two exceptions, it almost defies explanation how often Djokovic still makes his opponents suffer more. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] It is those two exceptions, however, who once again stand between Djokovic and a 25th major title. It has been that way for a couple years, with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz shoving him aside from Grand Slam glory the way generations before them were unable to do. Now, havingoutlasted the highest-ranked American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in Tuesday's quarterfinal, it's time to ask: What does Djokovic need to do to hold the US Open trophy one more time? "I have another chance, another shot," he said after Tuesday's victory earned him a trip to the semis, where he'll face Alcaraz. "Everyone is anticipating a finals between the two of them. I'm going to try to mess up the plans. They are definitely playing the best tennis of any player here and they've been dominant since the beginning of the tournament, but I definitely am not going with a white flag on the court. I don't think anybody does when they play them, but particularly not me." Carlos Alcaraz and possibly Jannik Sinner still stand in the way of Novak Djokovic.pic.twitter.com/BQ8FJobiwG — US Open Tennis (@usopen)September 3, 2025 This US Open has largely followed the same script Djokovic has experienced over the last two years. Having cut his schedule to the bare minimum, both to preserve wear-and-tear and spend more time at home with his young children, he shows up at the Grand Slams out of match shape and lacking a feel for the ball. In the first few rounds, it looks like Djokovic is there for the taking but he's still so darned good and tactically superior that he finds a way through. Then, each day the tournament progresses, his endurance builds and shots become more punishing. By the time he gets to the quarterfinals and faces an opponent like Fritz — ranked No. 4 but 0-fer in the majors — he is a reasonable enough facsimile of Peak Djokovic to put even some of the world's best players in a mental torture chamber. Fritz, poor guy, is now 0-for-11 against Djokovic. At 27, he's smack in the middle of his Slam-winning window. But as much as he tells himself he has a better chance every time they play, he's as lost as he was at the beginning trying to figure out how to penetrate Djokovic's game and win enough of the right points. Even Tuesday, after dropping the first two sets, Fritz dug in and felt like he was gathering momentum the longer it went. Djokovic was visibly wearing down. As the match reached nearly 3 ½ hours, Djokovic went all-in at 5-4 in the fourth set, hoping to break Fritz and end the match. Fritz fought off two match points. Djokovic kept grabbing his shorts and gasping for breath. It felt like a moment that could have turned the entire match around if Fritz had just held serve. He couldn't. On the third match point, Djokovic drew a double fault — a microcosm of how Fritz and his late-20s peers simply failed to crack the code. "That's the frustrating thing is I don't need to play that much better to make it happen," said Fritz, who desperately wanted another shot at the US Open title after losing last year's final. "At end of the day, that's one of the things that makes the great players great is they win the big points. I need to go take those points from him. He's not going to hand them over to me, and that's exactly what happened." Of course, the two players Djokovic will likely have to get through to win the title have not struggled with that dynamic. Though Alcaraz has been more vulnerable to him, losing high-profile matchups to Djokovic at last year's Olympics and at the Australian Open this January, he has been impervious at this US Open. Playing the most consistent tennis of his career, the 22-year-old Alcaraz hasn't even come close to dropping a set. Their match Friday in the semifinals will be the ninth time they've played, with Djokovic holding a 5-3 edge. Meanwhile, Sinner has beaten Djokovic five straight times, two of them en route to major titles. The 24-year-old Italian has become almost a stylistic carbon copy of a younger Djokovic, only with more power on his groundstrokes. For Djokovic at this stage of his career, it's perhaps the most nightmarish matchup out there. Under the right circumstances, Djokovic can beat either of them on a given day. But beating them back-to-back for No. 25, at this stage of the game, would arguably be the greatest achievement of his career. "It's not going to get easier, I'll tell you that," he said. "But look, I'm going to try to take one day at a time and take care of my body. Try to relax and recover. The next couple days is key for me to get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it's needed. I just would really love to be fit enough to play potentially five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I like to play big matches on a big stage." Even though making the semifinals of all four majors in 2025 is remarkable given how little Djokovic plays the regular tour, he is realistic enough to know how each year takes a little more out of him. He knows this might be his last, best chance. But at least he's given himself one, and for arguably the greatest winner we've seen in any sport, that's a muscle memory even the aches and pains of being 38 years old can't erase.

byAlpha World

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September 02, 2025

US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25

US Open: Ageless he isn't, but Novak Djokovic keeps digging deep and is still alive for major No. 25 NEW YORK — It seems like the old ma...

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Trump admin live updates: Pritzker pushes back on Trump's 'unhinged' Chicago comments

Trump admin live updates: Pritzker pushes back on Trump's 'unhinged' Chicago comments

President Donald Trump on Tuesday made an announcement regarding U.S. Space Command from the Oval Office, saying the headquarters will move to Alabama. A federal appeals court ruled last week that most of the president's sweeping global tariffs are unlawful, potentially dealing a significant blow to the president's effort to reshape the country's trade policy unilaterally. Sep 3, 12:21 AMAppeals court says Trump cannot invoke Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration cannot use acenturies-old wartime authorityto speed up the removals of noncitizens alleged to be members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.In a 2-1 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that President Donald Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act did not meet the legal requirement of a war or an invasion. The Louisiana-based appeals court -- one of the most conservative in the country -- rejected the Trump administration's argument that members of Tren De Aragua comprised a hybrid criminal state intent on invading the U.S."A Country's encouraging its residents and citizens to enter this country illegally is not the modern-day equivalent of sending an armed, organized force to occupy, to disrupt, or to otherwise harm the United States. There is no finding that this mass immigration was an armed, organized force or forces," Judge Leslie H. Southwick wrote.In a dissenting opinion, Judge Andrew Oldham rebuked his colleagues for second-guessing Trump's determination about the alleged invasion."That contravenes over 200 years of legal precedent. And it transmogrifies the least-dangerous branch into robed crusaders who get to playact as multitudinous Commanders in Chief," he wrote.-ABC News' Laura Romero and Peter Charalambous Sep 2, 10:35 PMDOD asks military judges to backfill immigration judges The Defense Department says it's looking to tap military judge advocates and civilian attorneys to begin working on the growing backlog of immigration cases that's topped3.6 million casesin recent years.The move is part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on migration to the U.S., and in particular, asylum seekers. Under U.S. law, a person who enters the country illegally is still allowed to seek asylum through an immigration court. The Justice Department, which oversees the court system, says it has tried to hire more judges in recent years but remains overwhelmed by the number of new cases being filed, with some 1.8 million new cases added last year, according to the Congressional Research Service.In a statement, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Defense Department is in the process of identifying people who can work as temporary judges at the request of the Justice Department."These DOD attorneys will augment existing resources to help further combat a backlog of cases by presiding over immigration hearings," Parnell wrote in a statement.According to an email sent by the Navy Judge Advocate General obtained by ABC News, the military is interested in 100 volunteers -- active duty, reserve and civilian -- who could begin work this November for a roughly six-month stint.But that number is expected to grow. The Associated Pressfirst reported on Tuesdaythat Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to work as temporary immigration judges."Preferred volunteers will have experience in administrative law, immigration law, as a military judge or in related fields," the Navy JAG wrote in its email calling for the initial group of volunteers."Furthermore, selected officers must demonstrate a record of sound judgment, legal expertise and analytical ability, coupled with exceptional discernment and impartiality, a professional demeanor, suitable temperament for the role of immigration judge and strong written and oral communication skills are also essential," the email added. "Judge advocates must be active members in good standing of a state bar or The DC bar."-ABC News' Will Steakin and Anne Flaherty Sep 2, 7:29 PMCassidy stands behind Kennedy after CDC shakeup Sen. Bill Cassidy told reporters he's not walking back his support for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. despite Kennedy's changes to vaccine policy and the termination of CDC Director Susan Monarez."People are going to try to make this something more than it is. I'm not presupposing anyone is right or wrong. I am saying we've got to get to the truth because there are serious allegations and so that will take radical transparency -- to quote the president, to quote the secretary," Cassidy said."So I am not presupposing someone is right or wrong. I just know we've got to figure it out," he said.Cassidy, a physician who cast a key vote for Kennedy's confirmation and chairs the committee that focuses on health, has been embroiled in the CDC showdown -- both during the termination, when Monarez called Cassidy to alert him that Kennedy was pushing her out, and afterward, as Cassidy called for oversight investigations into the major staff shakeups at CDC.But on Tuesday, he maintained that Kennedy and Trump are still in fact-finding mode, and he wouldn't make a final judgement until all of the data was out there.-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett and Allison Pecorin Sep 2, 4:17 PMPritzker lays out what he expects to unfold in Chicago in coming days Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said he expects to see what played out inLos AngelesandWashingtonto happen in Chicago in the coming days."First, Donald Trump is positioning armed federal agents and staging military vehicles on federal property, such as the Great Lakes Naval base. It is likely those agents will be with ICE, Customs and Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and other similarly situated federal agencies. Many of these individuals are being relocated from Los Angeles for deployment in Chicago," the governor said. Pritzker said he expects agents are planning to "raid Latino communities and say they're targeting violent criminals" and that Trump "will be looking for any excuse to put active duty military on our streets, supposedly to protect ICE.""We have reason to believe that the Trump administration has already begun staging the Texas National Guard for deployment in Illinois," Pritzker said. Sep 2, 4:08 PMPritzker pushes back on Trump's comments on Chicago: 'Unhinged' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, quickly pushed back on President Trump's comments about sending National Guard troops to Chicago."First, I want to address the president's unhinged remarks a few minutes ago begging me to call him. No, I will not call the president, asking him to send troops to Chicago. I've made that clear already," Pritzker said at a press conference. The governor then addressed residents directly, saying he would share as much as his team knew about the administration's potential action."Rumors have been swirling about what the White House has planned, and sifting fact from fiction is increasingly difficult because Donald Trump's administration is not working in coordination with the city of Chicago, Cook County or the state of Illinois," Pritzker said. "I want to take a moment at the top of my remarks to note how truly extraordinary it is for the federal government to refuse to coordinate with local law enforcement and government." Sep 2, 3:27 PMTrump says he will appeal tariff ruling to Supreme Court Trump slammed a federal appeals court'sdecisionruling his tariffs were unlawful.The president claimed the court was liberal and would cost the country billions of dollars.Trump said he plans to bring the case to the Supreme Court to appeal and ask for an expedited ruling. Sep 2, 3:23 PM'We're going in,' Trump says about Chicago President Trump on Tuesday was asked if he's decided whether he is going tosend National Guardsmen to Chicago."Well, we're going in," Trump said as he took questions from reporters in the Oval Office. But he didn't say when such an operation would take place."I didn't say when we're going in," Trump continued. "When you lose -- look, I have an obligation. This isn't a political thing. I have an obligation." Trump pointed togun violence over the weekend in Chicagoand said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker should be requesting federal assistance."If the governor of Illinois would call up, call me up. I would love to do it. Now, we're going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country," Trump said. Sep 2, 3:13 PMTrump responds to internet rumors about his health Fox News' Peter Doocy brought up a social media trend from over the weekend following Trump's lack of public appearances."How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead? You see that the people didn't see you for a couple days. 1.3 million user engagements as of Saturday morning about your demise," Doocy asked. Trump said he did not hear about those rumors, but maintained that he is "very active.""I didn't I knew they were saying, like, 'Is he OK? How is he feeling? What's wrong?' I said I just left and it's also sort of a longer weekend. You know, it's Labor Day weekend. So I would say a lot of people know I was very active this Labor Day," he said. Sep 2, 3:11 PMTrump says US 'shot out' boat carrying drugs from Venezuela President Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, said the U.S. military "shot out" a boat carrying drugs from Venezuela."You'll be seeing that and you'll be reading about that," Trump said. "It just happened moments ago. And our great General, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been so incredible ... But he gave us a little bit of a briefing, and you'll see. And there's more where that came from.""We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country, coming in for a long time, and we just -- these came out of Venezuela and coming out very heavily from Venezuela. A lot of things are coming out of Venezuela," the president added. "So, we took it out, and you'll get to see that after this -- after this meeting is over." Sep 2, 2:54 PMTrump announces Space Command officially moving to Alabama Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced U.S. Space Command is moving from Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama."Forever to be known from this point forward as Rocket City," Trump said.The president was flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Alabama Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt and other officials as he gave remarks. The decision, confirmed to ABC News earlier Tuesday by person familiar with the matter, reverses a move by President Joe Biden in 2023 tobuild a new headquarters in Colorado Springs. Trump took aim at Biden in his remarks, and expressed his hope that Space Command will remain in Alabama for "hundreds of years." Click here to read the rest of the blog.

byAlpha World

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September 02, 2025

Trump admin live updates: Pritzker pushes back on Trump's 'unhinged' Chicago comments

Trump admin live updates: Pritzker pushes back on Trump's 'unhinged' Chicago comments President Donald Trump on Tuesday made an ...

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