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North Korea Says It Simulated Nuclear Attacks On South Korea And Rehearsed Occupation Of Its Rival
South Korea’s SEOUL — North Korea said Thursday that its recent missile launches mimicked “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea and that it has also been practicing occupying its rival’s territory in the case of war.
Pyongyang has already tested nuclear-capable missiles and indicated how they would be used in hypothetical conflicts with South Korea and the United States. However, according to observers, the North’s disclosure of specific war plans underlined its aggressive nuclear strategy to terrify its opponents, as it escalated its protest of the continuing South Korean-US military drills, which it sees as a huge security threat.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s military fired two tactical ballistic missiles from the capital on Wednesday night to practice “scorched earth strikes” on major command centers and operational airfields in South Korea.
The North Korean military claimed that the missiles carried out their simulated hits via air bursts, implying that it validated the explosions of dummy warheads at a predetermined altitude.
North Korea claimed its missile tests were in response to the US flying long-range B-1B bombers over South Korea earlier Wednesday as part of the partners’ field drills.
South Korea’s SEOUL — North Korea said Thursday that its recent missile launches mimicked “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea.
“(The aerial drill) poses a serious threat to (North Korea) because it was conducted in accordance with the scenario for a preemptive nuclear strike against” North Korea, according to the Korean People’s Army general staff. “The KPA will never forget the reckless actions of US forces and (South Korean) military gangsters.”
The Wednesday missile launches were the most recent in the North’s onslaught of weapons testing since last year.
According to estimates from South Korea and Japan, the two short-range missiles flew 360-400 kilometers (225-250 miles) at a maximum height of 50 kilometers (30 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff described the launches as “a grave provocation” that endangers international peace and breaches United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korean ballistic missile launches. The US Indo-Pacific Command stated that the US commitment to South Korean and Japanese defense remained “ironclad.”
On Wednesday, South Korean and Japanese authorities reported their jets engaged in joint aerial exercises with US B-1B bombers. According to South Korea’s Defence Ministry, Wednesday’s B-1B deployment is the tenth flypast by US bombers over the Korean Peninsula this year.
North Korea is highly concerned with deploying US B-1B bombers capable of carrying many conventional bombs. The North describes the bombers as “nuclear strategic” even though they were converted to conventional weapons in the 1990s.
South Korea’s SEOUL — North Korea said Thursday that its recent missile launches mimicked “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea.
The United States and South Korea began their summer Ulchi Freedom Shield computer-simulated command post exercise on August 21. This year’s training, which is set to culminate later Thursday, has featured more than 30 field exercises, such as Wednesday’s combined aerial exercise with the B-1B aircraft.
North Korea describes significant US-led military exercises on and around the Korean Peninsula as preparation for an invasion. Officials in both Washington and Seoul argue that their exercises are defensive. The United States has approximately 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea.
According to KCNA, Kim visited an army base on Tuesday where his troops have been undertaking command post maneuvers in reaction to the South Korean-US military training. The drills are intended to practice procedures for “occupying the entire territory of the southern half” of the Korean Peninsula in the event of a conflict, according to the statement.
Kim emphasized the importance of “dealing a heavy blow at the enemy’s war potential and war command centre, as well as blinding their means of command communication at the initial stage of operation.” According to KNCA, Kim also specified requirements for acquiring the ability to launch “simultaneous super-intense strikes” at important enemy military objectives and other places whose destruction can bring social and economic upheaval.
According to researcher Cheong Seong-Chang of South Korea’s private Sejong Institute, the North’s study shows it has operational plans to launch full-fledged attacks on South Korea during armed hostilities between the rivals to achieve Korean unification by force. He claimed North Korea was planning nuclear and EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attacks early in the war.
South Korea’s SEOUL — North Korea said Thursday that its recent missile launches mimicked “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea.
Later Thursday, South Korea’s Unification Ministry harshly condemned North Korea for publicly declaring its intention to invade the South. It warned North Korea that if it maintains its provocations and military threats, it will face “an overwhelming response” from South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
According to the ministry, it was the first report on command post training involving the whole military since Kim took office in late 2011.
Since last year, when it passed new legislation authorizing nuclear weapons in various situations, North Korea has openly threatened to deploy its nuclear weapons first in prospective battles with South Korea and the United States.
Kim has been working hard to grow and modernize his arsenal of weaponry. Its second effort to launch a spy satellite failed last week, but a third attempt is planned for October.
Foreign experts believe Kim will eventually utilize his expanded military arsenals to push the US to make concessions when negotiation restarts.
SOURCE – (AP)
On Thursday, Patrick Bertoletti a 39-yearold Chicago native chocked down 58 hotdogs in 10-minutes to win his men’s title at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. While reigning champion Miki Sudo set a new world record of 51 hotdogs to win her tenth victory in the women’s tournament.
The current men’s champion, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, who has won 16 of the last 17 events, opted not to attend this years Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July event due to a disagreement with his sponsor. Instead he competed later in the day against four soldiers at a U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas, where he wolfed down 57 hot dogs in five minutes, AP reported.
The 39-year-old Chicagoan Bertoletti beat out thirteen international rivals in a close 10-minute race in which the lead changed hands multiple times. He claimed to have trained for the event for three months with “an urgency” and shed pounds in the belief that he could win.
According to Bertoletti, “I knew I had a shot” when Joey was not present. “I found a way to open something, but I have no idea what it was.”
At the annual Independence Day festival on New York’s Coney Island, a beachside attraction featuring amusement parks and summer atmosphere, Bertoletti shattered his previous record of 55 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Miki Sudo – Getty Images
New World Record Set
Earlier, in the women’s division, 38-year-old Florida dental hygiene student Sudo maintained her dominant performance and set a new record, following her successful consumption of 39 1/2 hot dogs in 2023.
“I’m just happy to call this mine for another year,” Sudo remarked after winning the pink belt.
Mayoi Ebihara of Japan, a 28-year-old participant, finished second after devouring 37 hot dogs, but Sudo still managed to overcome 13 of her rivals. She finished in second place in 2023 as well.
In the men’s division, Sudo consumed more hot dogs than her competitor, Nicholas Wehry, a former Florida bodybuilder. Wehry ate 46 hot dogs. This is the first time since 2015 that the prestigious mustard belt has not gone to Chestnut; Bertoletti does it.
Every year, thousands of people gather outside the original Nathan’s on Coney Island for the event, with some donning foam hot dog hats. Even without Chestnut, the event drew a large crowd, according to Rich Shea, CEO of Major League Eating, who organized the gathering.
According to him, the well-known eating champion is “just a great competitor, a great guy, a grown man, and a man who’s made a choice not to be here today” (ESPN). Tens of thousands of people are swarming around Nathan’s Famous, which is quite lucky for us. It’s an annual journey. You won’t find a paid Hollywood crew here.
Contestants from around the world
With hopefuls from Brazil, Japan, the UK, South Korea, Australia, and the Czech Republic among the more than a dozen states and five continents competing for the prestigious title and $10,000 reward money, the event was truly global in scope.
Chewing his way to victory last year, Chestnut of Indiana devoured 62 dogs and buns in under 10 minutes. He set the record in 2021 with 76.
An earlier decision to not invite Chestnut stemmed from his sponsorship arrangement with plant-based meat alternative company Impossible Foods, which ran ads on ESPN during Thursday’s event.
Chestnut chose to celebrate the holiday with the military despite Major League Eating’s subsequent statement that it rescinded the prohibition. If the Coney Island contest did not accept his apologies, Chestnut threatened to withdraw from it.
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut – Getty Images
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut downs 57 hotdogs
An Army base, which is not easily accessible by the public, was the site of the El Paso incident. Despite this, a few hundred Chestnut supporters turned out, with some donning hotdogs costumes and one sporting a “Let Joey eat” T-shirt. Out of the four men from Fort Bliss, who consumed a total of 49, Chestnut managed to consume 57 hotdogs.
Chestnut had voiced his concern before the show that he would struggle to perform without the enthusiastic backing of the Coney Island audience. However, he later claimed to have achieved a “record-setting pace.”
Speaking to the Fort Bliss crowd, Chestnut expressed his admiration for them after paying tribute to his family’s military service: his father, grandfather, and brother. “You all gave me a tremendous push, and I’m really grateful.”
Despite the non-inclusion of Impossible Foods’ vegan products in the competition, the company served as event sponsor. Along with Chestnut and officials from the charity Operation Homefront, who assist military families, company CEO Peter McGuinness made an appearance on stage. He gave the group a check for $106,000, or $1,000 for every hot dog consumed.
Source: The Associated Press
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A woman from Oakville Ontario say she totally freaked out after she found a black widow spider in a bag of grapes that her husband bought from Walmart a day earlier.
Ginette Guidi told CTV News that she suspected something was wrong with her grapes when she noticed webs all over them, and eventually traced them back to the venomous spider that was crawling across the bag.
While finding a black widow spider in Canada is uncommon, there is one species that migrated into British Columbia and another into southern Ontario according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The CFIA reports that pests — including black widow spiders, scorpions, and iron cross blister beetles — have been found in imported grapes, berries, and leafy green vegetables.
Black widow spiders are distinctive due to their shiny round body, brown or black colour, and two reddish or yellowish triangles forming an hourglass on the underside of their abdomen.
Black Widow Spiders Rare in Ontario
The venomous spiders live in most warm regions of the eastern and central U.S., North American deserts, and southern Canada. While they are rarely found in imported grapes, the presence of the arachnids does not damage or poison the grapes.
“When grapes are harvested, they are carefully examined before being placed into their packaging; however, some spiders may camouflage with the grape vines and escape being found,” the agency says.
“Refrigeration of the product prior to being transported reduces the spiders’ activity, making them harder to detect.”
The black widow spider is not normally aggressive but may bite in self-defence. In most cases, the symptoms following a bite are a sharp pain followed by localized swelling and redness. Thankfully, in Guidi’s case, no one was injured or bitten by the spider.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a shopper in Ontario has found a black widow spider in their produce.
Other pesky incidences
Back in October 2023, a customer discovered the hair-raising creature in a pack of green grapes from President’s Choice, although the original poster did not clarify which supermarket chain the grapes were purchased from.
In another case the month prior, a shopper found a dead scorpion in a pack of raspberries from Metro. The creepy critter appeared to be a striped bark scorpion, which is common throughout the U.S. and Mexico where the raspberries came from.
If you find any of these pests in your food, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recommends reporting it to confirm the species. After reporting it, the agency says black widow spiders, scorpions, or blister beetles should be “promptly” killed and carefully disposed of, ensuring that a barrier (such as a glove or a fly swatter) is used between the insect and your skin.
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NBC is bringing a version of legendary sportscaster Al Michaels back to the Olympics this summer, but with an unexpected twist: his voice will be powered by artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, NBC said that it will utilize AI software to reproduce Michaels’ voice to offer daily Summer Games summaries to users of its Peacock streaming platform. This marks a significant milestone in the application of AI by a major media firm.
NBC | CTV Image
NBC To Use AI Version Of Announcer Al Michaels’ Voice For Olympics Recaps
The employment of an artificial intelligence voice for the Olympics comes at a time when technology has advanced dramatically, particularly in its ability to generate images, sounds, and text. This has sparked concerns in creative industries, such as journalism, regarding how artificial intelligence may—or should—be utilized.
A new tool, “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock,” will allow subscribers to create 10-minute highlights packages incorporating event updates, athlete back stories, and other related content based on their preferences.
The company stated that the highlights could be packaged in approximately 7 million distinct ways, based on 5,000 hours of live coverage in Paris, thereby making AI (artificial intelligence, not the guy) a far more efficient way to give individualized summaries.
“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” Michaels stated in a press statement. “Then I saw a demonstration of what they had in mind. I replied, ‘I’m in.'”
An NBC representative told CNN that Michaels is being rewarded for his participation.
A veteran broadcaster, Michaels is now the play-by-play sportscaster for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. He is well noted for his work on earlier Olympic Games broadcasts for NBC and ABC and for announcing the Miracle on Ice Game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
NBC | Fox Image
NBC To Use AI Version Of Announcer Al Michaels’ Voice For Olympics Recaps
NBC stated that the AI system was trained using previous NBC broadcast audio from Michaels.
The business stated that a team of NBC Sports editors will evaluate all of the content, including audio and footage, to ensure that it is factually correct and that names are pronounced correctly.
Beginning July 27, the highlights tool will be available on Peacock in web browsers and iOS and iPad apps.
SOURCE – CNN
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