Upheavals in China’s army

Xi Jinping, China’s chief, got down to clear up the once-corrupt army a decade in the past. But now his crown jewel — the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, which manages typical and nuclear missiles — is underneath a shadow.

Last week, Xi abruptly replaced top generals within the power. One, Gen. Li Yuchao, had been put in by Xi because the power’s prime commander early final 12 months. His deputy, Gen. Liu Guangbin, and the political commissar of the power, Gen. Xu Zhongbo, have additionally vanished from public view. The transfer got here simply days after Xi removed China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, whom he had additionally elevated.

This unexplained shake-up suggests suspicions of graft or different misconduct: Most specialists consider that Li and different senior officers could also be accused of siphoning among the monumental spending going into the fast-expanding power. A scandal might reinforce Xi’s conviction that officers could be stored from straying solely with scrutiny and stress.

Context: Xi created the division in 2015, and an knowledgeable stated that “Xi talks about the P.L.A. Rocket Force as being central to future conflicts.” Virtually all members of China’s army elite owe their rise to Xi, which provides him a agency grip on energy.

Related: The Philippines Coast Guard launched a video that confirmed a Chinese Coast Guard vessel firing a water cannon at one of its ships within the South China Sea.

In 2016, a global tribunal backed the Philippines in its territorial claims over the contested waters. China has stated it will not abide by the ruling.

South Korea’s embattled Jamboree

For the World Scout Jamboree, which attracts scouts from throughout the globe each 4 years, woes proceed. Yesterday, South Korea introduced that all participants would leave the campsite early as a result of Typhoon Khanun was nearing.

Already, not less than 138 people on the occasion had been hospitalized from warmth exhaustion. Three nationwide scouting organizations left the campsite early. And a South Korean contingent withdrew, claiming that organizers had mishandled allegations of a sexual offense on the campgrounds.

“This event will go down in history as a very unlucky event,” the secretary common of the World Organization of the Scout Movement stated.

Details: More than 43,000 youngsters from 158 international locations flew to South Korea to attend the Jamboree. The hurricane is predicted to make landfall on Thursday.

A glance contained in the counteroffensive

In order to understand Ukraine’s slow counteroffensive, The Times spent two weeks with Ukrainian marines skilled and equipped by NATO. The troops stated they had been ready for the lengthy and grinding struggle forward. “It’s not a sprint,” one commander stated. “It’s a marathon.”

Details: Casualties are heavy. Experienced commanders lead undertrained recruits. And some brigades are attempting to struggle with automobiles higher suited to combating a counterinsurgency within the deserts of the Middle East than the Russian Army within the lush forests of Ukraine.

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“Rooftoppers” take images from the tops of skyscrapers, typically for social media. Some have died just lately, elevating criticism of the dangerous stunts.

A government-sponsored flirtation

South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility price — so a few of its cities are hosting blind dating events for singles. They’ve been standard, however few yield {couples}.

In the town of Jinju, the occasions have produced 11 {couples} in 12 years. In Gumi, solely 13 such {couples} have married since 2016. Officials in each cities have no idea what number of kids the event-matched {couples} have had.

That’s as a result of the occasions miss the purpose, younger individuals say. It’s not that they don’t wish to be married, however they level to the excessive prices of kid care, unaffordable properties, slim job prospects and crushing work hours as obstacles. Women additionally concern office discrimination if they’ve kids.

Related: You find out about courting apps. How about “date-me docs”? These on-line profiles learn like the private adverts of yore and intention at a extra significant connection than a swipe may enable.

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