Crazy Molecular Biology.

All hail Nvidia!

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1. Earlier today, China announced immediate military drills around Taiwan, just days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as president in Taipei. The Chinese People's Liberation Army said it started the drills at 7:45 a.m. It said the maneuvers would surround all of Taiwan -- to the north, east and south, in the Taiwan Strait and near the islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Dongyin. The PLA said the drills would run through Thursday and Friday. After the announcement, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense "expressed regret for such irrational provocations and actions that undermine regional peace and stability." (Source: asia.nikkei.com)

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2. U.S. and Ukrainian officials, as well as medics, soldiers and international researchers say Russian use of toxic gases on the battlefield is increasing as Moscow ramps up an offensive designed to seize more of Ukraine’s territory than the roughly 20% it already occupies. “This weapon cripples and kills, it’s indiscriminate,” said Bozhko. After Ukraine repelled initial Russian attacks in 2022, the war has morphed into a grind where each side is looking for an advantage against hardened defensive lines. Seeing an opportunity in Ukraine’s shortage of weapons and reserve forces, Russia has been pressing forward on several fronts, using guided aerial bombs to smash up Ukrainian positions. Toxic gases can impair Ukrainian troops’ ability to defend entrenched positions, even forcing them to withdraw. (Source: wsj.com)

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3. Robin Wright:

The theocracy in Tehran is in deep trouble on every front. “The divide between the population and leadership has only increased—as evidenced by public apathy” at parliamentary elections held in March, Sanam Vakil, an Iran expert at Chatham House, told me. Only forty-one per cent of eligible voters cast ballots—the lowest percentage since the revolution. The reason for public disillusionment is partly economic. Inflation hovered at thirty-five per cent in February; the Iranian rial plummeted to an all-time low last year. Under Raisi, the government cut back on food and fuel subsidies and did little to sustain support for health, education, and welfare. The average Iranian feels trapped in economic purgatory. And, in April, the regime, which has the largest missile arsenal in the region, was humiliated militarily. It fired more than three hundred ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria, which killed three top generals. Iran’s weaponry either failed, was shot down, or was intercepted by Israeli, U.S., and Jordanian forces, among unnamed others. The U.S. called Iran’s brazen operation “embarrassing” and a “spectacular” failure. (Source: newyorker.com)

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