They might be close neighbors geographically but the bitter rivalry between the US and Canada has defined women’s ice hockey for the last three decades.

And another chapter in the rich shared history between the two teams will be written Sunday when they face each other in the final of the women’s ice hockey World Championship for the 21st time in 22nd tournaments.

The US booked its spot in the final by dismantling Czechia 9-1, thanks to braces for captain Hilary Knight, Amanda Kessel and Tessa Janecke and a goal apiece for Abbey Murphy, Abby Roque and Caroline Harvey.

Knight’s goals and her assist increased her Team USA-record world championship tally to 98 points, while Harvey’s score and four assists added to her team-leading tournament total of 12 points.

“We’re on the hunt for a gold medal,” USA’s Cayla Barnes said, according to the tournament’s official website. “It’s been a little bit, so we definitely are hungry for that and we want to get that back so if it [USA vs Canada], it’s the greatest rivalry. It’s going to be a hard back and forth game, you expect that, so we’re really looking forward to the game.”

It will be a chance for the US to avenge a series of defeats by the Canadians in recent years, following five consecutive defeats including in the last two world championship finals and in the final of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

And Canada also coasted into the final, defeating Switzerland 5-1 in its own semifinal following a hattrick from Sarah Fillier and solo markers for Jamie Lee Rattray and Rebecca Johnston.

“It’s not hard to get up for this game, and I’m sure they’re saying the same thing over there,” Fillier said, according to CBC.

“It’s exactly what you dream of as a little kid. We got to do it in Calgary a few years ago just in front of friends and family [due to COVID-19 restrictions] so to play in front of probably 5,000 fans is really exciting,” she added.

The puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET on Sunday.

If you’re exploring the food of Nuevo León, be prepared for vegetables to take a back seat because this is the land of meat.

The signature dish of the state in northeast Mexico is carne asada, meaning “grilled meat.” The Spanish term, however, signifies more than a meal; it’s a beloved social ritual.

The meat-heavy cuisine of Nuevo León reminds actor, producer and TV host Eva Longoria of the kinds of foods she ate during her childhood in Texas, which was once a part of the Spanish Empire and then Mexico.

While shooting in Monterrey, the state capital, Longoria joined Alejandro Gutiérrez, founder of the Sociedad Mexicana de Parrilleros, or Mexican Society of Grill Masters, for a feast of carne asada.

Gutiérrez’s tip for extra-juicy aguja norteña steaks, which are similar to chuck eye steaks, is grilling the fillets at a searingly hot temperature and flipping them frequently.

“The more you flip them, the juicier it gets,” he said.

The steaks must be turned over constantly to ensure the high heat browns both sides and the juices are well distributed, so the meat doesn’t dry out. When you’re finished cooking, Gutiérrez said the next step is the toughest part: having the patience to let the steaks rest before finally devouring them.

The beef is often served with a selection of salsas, like salsa verde, salsa de aguacate and salsa roja. Typical side dishes include grilled vegetables and charro beans, which are pinto beans cooked in a broth flavored with onion, jalapeños, chipotle peppers, and meats such as chorizo and bacon.

Gutiérrez likes to dip his steak in smashed roasted garlic.

“Oh, my God. This is amazing,” Longoria said as she sampled the carne asada. “The marriage of the roasted garlic’s subtle acidity with the succulent steak is divine.”

Carne Asada (Mexican-Style Grilled Steak)

Aguja norteña steak (also called aguja steak) is the traditional cut of beef in Nuevo León. Gutiérrez recommends this cut because of the marbling — which makes it deeply flavorful. Outside of Mexico, chuck eye roll steak is a good substitute. You can find applewood-smoked rock salt online.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 whole garlic bulb

1 tablespoon | 15 milliliters olive oil

Sea salt

1 white onion

3⅓ pounds | 1½ kilograms aguja norteña steak (boneless chuck eye roll steak), cut 1½ inches thick

Coarse applewood-smoked salt

Equipment

Oak charcoal

Meat thermometer

Instructions

1. Prepare a grill for high heat; the time it takes the charcoal to burn will vary depending on your elevation above sea level. While the grill is coming to temperature, start by roasting the garlic. Cut the top of the whole garlic bulb horizontally to expose the cloves and create a lid. Drizzle the cloves with olive oil and season with sea salt to taste, then top with the lid and wrap in aluminum foil.

2. When the grill is at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius), halve the white onion. Stick the onion half on the end of a grilling fork and scrub the grate, cut side down, to clean it. You can test the grill’s temperature by rolling up your sleeve and holding your hand about 6 inches (15 centimeters) above the grate. If you can hold it there for 6 seconds before needing to pull it away, it’s ready.

Place the wrapped garlic on the grill away from the direct flame (on top of the grill, but without any embers underneath). Close the grill’s lid to allow the hot air to circulate. When the garlic is halfway done, at about 15 minutes, pat the steak dry and season both sides with applewood-smoked salt. Let the meat rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook garlic until soft, 30 to 45 minutes total. Remove from grill and let cool.

3. When the grill is 650 F to 750 F (343 C to 399 C), place the steaks over direct heat. If you can hold your hand there for just 1 second before needing to pull it back, it is about 750 F (399 C); 3 seconds is about 650 F (343 C).

4. Flip over the steaks as soon as they have taken on a caramel color and continue flipping as they cook. The more flipping, the juicier the meat gets. Cook the steaks until charred and tender for a total of 10 minutes for medium-rare and 12 minutes for medium doneness.

5. Once the meat reaches an internal temperature between 126 F (52 C) and 131 F (55 C), transfer each steak to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. The idea is to let the meat rest for 20% of the time it had been cooking, so the juices do not drain out of the meat.

6. When the garlic has cooled, unwrap the bulb, squeeze out the cloves and smash them. Slice the meat against the grain and transfer it to a platter and serve with the garlic. Dip the meat in the smashed garlic and enjoy.

Two simple words can spark mouth-watering bliss or a series of blistering retorts in Texans: Breakfast tacos.

In the Lone Star State, who gets the credit for these morning tortilla sensations can be a matter of habañero-hot debate.

A highly contested Eater article in 2016 helped start a full-on Breakfast Taco War between Austin and San Antonio. While that particular battle eventually settled down, flare-ups continue.

But to get a true picture of this simple food with a complex history, we must go beyond Texas and first look at another place: Mexico.

Mouthwatering tacos in Monterrey

The breakfast taco is actually part of a long parade of foods (pizza, for instance) whose fuzzy origins and various claims of authenticity spark ferocious debate.

The breakfast taco may be the simplest of street food, but it’s been been hitting the spot for the workers of Monterrey for nearly a century.

Eva Longoria in ‘Searching for Mexico’

There, she enjoyed a breakfast taco with Mexican food bloggers Gerardo Alvarado and Ernesto Esquivel at Tacos Doña Mary La Gritona, which has been serving central Monterrey for nearly 20 years.

“The breakfast taco may be the simplest of street food, but it’s been been hitting the spot for the workers of Monterrey for nearly a century,” narrates Longoria.

‘Not a junkie food’

“When I arrived in Monterrey, I discovered all the different types of tacos that everyone eats in the morning. You can have a taco of eggs. You can have a taco of meat. You can have a taco of potatoes.”

Esquivel describes breakfast tacos as “a really fast food, but not a junkie food.”

Esquivel said you can find breakfast tacos in other states in northern Mexico, but Monterrey and the state of Nuevo León are the culinary epicenter with more places to get them and a larger selection of fillings.

Some of the city’s favorites are the machacado (dried beef) with eggs, the barbacoa (slow-cooked meat, often in a pit) and the deshebrada (shredded beef). In other words, you’re in meat country.

Timeline of the breakfast taco

Esquivel said the breakfast taco goes back to the early 1900s and perhaps even earlier in Monterrey.

Compañia Fundidora, a former iron and steel foundry that dates to 1900 but is now a recreational and educational park, helped the breakfast taco get its start in Monterrey. Employees came “to work really early, and so they had to have a really fast breakfast in the morning, and one fast breakfast in the morning is a breakfast taco.”

And from there, the tacos spread into southern Texas, Esquivel said, which is reflected in the cuisine of today. “I think the flavors here in Monterrey, mostly in the north, are similar to some flavors in Texas.”

Along with Doña Mary’s, he suggests these spots for a breakfast taco if you’re in Monterrey: Tacos Rafa Ahogados, Tacos Piedra and Tony’s Tacos.

North of the Rio Grande

The river may mark a political line between two nations, but it has been no barrier at all to crossings of cuisine and culture. And Texas also shares a passion for the breakfast taco. You can tell that just from all the kerfuffles about them.

“No Texas city can claim the breakfast taco,” says José Ralat, the taco editor of Texas Monthly magazine. He places the ultimate credit south of the Rio Grande.

“It comes from Mexico – where exactly, it’s not really known. Geographically, the most likely source is northern Mexico. There is no literature that I have seen that can point to any particular city in northern Mexico.”

As for today, “they’re popular in [the Mexican states of] Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and Coahuila, which all border Texas,” he said.

Eddie Vega – who grew up in McAllen, across from the Mexican city of Reynosa in Tamaulipas state – is known as “Taco Poet of Texas.” He points out that historically, what’s now south Texas was once part of Mexico.

Before 1836, “the border was further north. All this region was eating a combination of indigenous and Spanish food together.”

Vega said that growing up, breakfast tacos weren’t some trendy food to him attracting attention from the likes of The New York Times and other coastal media.

“When you get to south Texas, and I’m from the Valley, we had breakfast tacos, but they were in my house. My mom would make them. It’s not something we’d go to a restaurant to get because economically that region is very poor and nobody’s eating out. Or not eating out in the morning especially.”

Enter Austin

Ralat and Vega both said the breakfast taco was staple deep in south Texas and then San Antonio long before Austin got in on the action. So how did Austin become so synonymous with them?

Austin has “a great branding mentality, they have a knack for PR. Every year, Austin is flooded with coastal elites checking out South by Southwest,” Ralat said. “They try some options, and then in their minds, they think it’s an Austin thing. My job is to question the stuff … and let history speak for itself.”

Ralat said San Antonio has “a bit of an inferiority complex that they’re often overlooked to the benefit of Austin when San Antonio is older, has more culture, it’s more diverse, and the food is better.”

“To be clear, they’re both Tex Mex towns, and breakfast tacos are Tex Mex. But they’re also border food. When the Eater article came out” – championing Austin as “home” of the breakfast taco – “San Antonians lost their minds.”

I don’t know that one city – San Antonio, Corpus Christi, McAllen, Brownsville or Laredo – can claim it.

Eddie Vega on the breakfast taco

Vega said the culinary history is too distant for any one place to stamp itself as originator or king purveyor. “I don’t know that one city – San Antonio, Corpus Christi, McAllen, Brownsville or Laredo – can claim it. You have differences with them because of ingredients.”

Movin’ on

Jessica Elizarraras, a Rio Grande Valley native and the executive producer for MySA.com, said many people have put the origins dispute behind them.

She cites a 2016 article by Gustavo Arellano as a detailed settlement of the issue that effectively shows Austin is not the start of the breakfast taco.

She also points out the regional differences within Texas.

“A flour tortilla in San Antonio tends to lean a bit puffier than its Rio Grande Valley/Coast counterparts. Con Huevos Tacos in San Antonio is the best of both worlds: a thin but sturdy tortilla, filled with fun, flavorful combinations.”

They’ve gone nationwide

Ralat said he’s now seeing breakfast tacos coast to coast. He was also recently in Nashville and saw them offered there.

“I hesitate to eat them at a place that calls them Austin-style. … I want the food to be high quality. I don’t want it to be spin.”

Breakfast tacos are ephemeral as they come, which makes them that much more magical.

Jessica Elizarraras

Elizarraras suggests people just enjoy them – with or without huevos (eggs).

“Breakfast tacos are ephemeral as they come, which makes them that much more magical,” she said.

“Bean and cheese is a great example of a breakfast taco that doesn’t have eggs. … Chicharron en salsa (verde or rojo) is another example of a tasty taco that doesn’t require eggs. Barbacoa – made using a whole cow-head, and more generally, beef cheeks – is a classic breakfast taco in San Antonio, often paired with Big Red [soda] for a Sunday morning treat.”

The joy of it all

In the end, why does the origin of a type of food even matter?

“Part of the issue is erasure. Just like with anything else in our Mexican-American culture, to feel left out of a conversation when you know you’ve part of that conversation for a long time.” Vega said.

And back south of the Rio Grande, they are a source of unity, Esquivel said.

“I think the breakfast tacos here in Monterrey … and the northeast of the country is something that unites everyone.”

They’re popular with the poor, the middle class and the rich, he said. “The place can be ugly. The place can be like in the streets. But you will see people in suits there eating breakfast tacos.”

For Ralat, breakfast tacos are much more than a great way to start the morning.

“I think history, especially food history, is important to know because it provides another mirror for our culture.

“It’s interesting to me that tortillas are the foundation of Mexican culture, and to break bread with someone is a sacred act. So let’s take it literally, and say that you share tacos with someone else. That’s so nice. And it’s just so joyful.”

On the grounds of the Al-Aqsa complex, one of the most revered places in Islam and Judaism, a delicate balance that governs this holy site is under strain.

Only Muslims are allowed to pray on the sacred grounds known to them as Al Haram Al Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount under a status quo arrangement originally reached more than a century ago. Non-Muslim visitors are allowed visits at certain times and only to certain areas of the complex.

But many in the Muslim world fear the right to be the sole worshipers at the holy site is slowly being eroded by a growing far-right Jewish movement.

The complex lies in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state and which most of the international community considers to be occupied territory. Israel captured it from Jordan in a 1967 war and considers both East and West Jerusalem as its united, “eternal capital.”

It is the complex where Israeli police conducted violent raids twice in less than 24-hours last week. Videos shared on social media showed Israeli police beating screaming Muslim worshipers with batons. Police said they stormed the mosque itself after “hundreds of rioters and mosque desecrators barricaded themselves” inside, throwing fireworks and stones at them.

The violence prompted rocket fire from southern Lebanon and Gaza that Israel blamed on Palestinian militants. Israel retaliated with airstrikes.

As al-Kurdi spoke, a group of mostly Jewish visitors walked past, escorted by heavily armed Israeli police. One officer filmed the group of women as they began reciting the Quran louder and louder. A raised voice in recitation was their only form of protest in this brief but tense moment.

By Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced it would prohibit non-Muslims from entering the holy site for the rest of Ramadan. The decision isn’t unprecedented, but his far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a statement that it was “a serious mistake that will not bring peace, but may only escalate the situation.”

The compound consists of large open courtyards as well as the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

The mosque and dome are built on top of the site where Jews believe their first and second temples stood, and is known as Temple Mount, the holiest place in Judaism. The Western Wall is believed to be part of the second temple complex, and sits below the courtyard. It is the site that Jew face in prayer.

Ben Gvir is a vocal advocate of Jewish prayer at the site. Once considered the fringe of Israeli politics, having been previously convicted of supporting terrorism and inciting anti-Arab racism, his visit to the compound earlier this year drew international condemnation.

Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy is the custodian of the complex, based on an agreement that dates back to 1924, and it manages the site under an Islamic trust called the Waqf. But Jordan’s role is becoming increasingly symbolic, experts say, because it is Israel that controls the security checks at entry points and therefore access to the sacred grounds. Tourists can enter during visiting hours on their own, but religious Jews are often escorted by heavily armed guards.

Sheikh Azzam Khatib, the director general of the Waqf, sees these increasing visits of Jewish groups under Israeli police escort as a provocation to Palestinians and the wider Muslim word.

“I see these visits as a raid on our holy site,” he said. “Israel should keep its hands off the mosque and the compound because this is a violation (of the sanctity of the site) … and can lead to events that cannot be contained.”

The status quo itself is an unwieldly subject, fraught with debate. It is not a traditional treaty signed by the various parties during some ceremony, instead built on historical precedents dating back to the Ottoman Empire, amended and agreed upon by various bodies from the British, to the United Nations and beyond. That status quo is slowly being chipped away, says Sheikh Rani Abusibr, an Imam of nearly twenty-years at Al-Aqsa.

“History is always written by the powerful,” Abusibr said. “Of course, it is expected that if there is no force to stand-up against this encroachment then our rights can easily be lost.”

Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted that he is committed to maintaining the status quo, but under his government, the most far-right in Israeli history, extremist voices are growing louder and stronger.

Some Palestinian worshippers must go to great lengths to reach the mosques at the complex, particularly visitors from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, who generally need to obtain travel documents from Israeli authorities and can undergo lengthy waits at checkpoints and multiple security checks.

Without the status quo arrangement being enforced, there are fears that an already tumultuous region could spiral out of control. Any perceived shift in the norms can – and has – set-off cycles of deadly violence. But these periodic flare-ups have always fallen back on the simple understanding that has maintained some semblance of order in one of the most contentious corners of the world.

“Of course, I don’t feel safe. Everything can change in an instant, so I am always scared,” said Noor, a worshipper inside the Dome of the Rock, the golden-domed shrine that is seen in the holy city’s skyline. “But I am here because I have faith in God.”

The Shiveluch volcano erupted early Tuesday morning in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka region, spewing ash up to 20 kilometers above sea level, according to the local branch of the Russia Academy of Sciences (RAS) Geophysical Survey.

Seismic activity was first reported around 12:54 a.m. local time on Tuesday (8:54 a.m. ET on Monday), the Geophysical Survey said on Telegram, adding that the volcano was still erupting nearly 15 hours later.

Videos posted on social media from the region show a large ash cloud in the sky and ash covering roads and cars in the town of Ust-Kamchatsky, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the volcano.

According to satellite data, the size of the plume cloud measures 400 by 250 kilometers and has spread to the west and south of the volcano, the Geophysical Survey said.

The Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of RAS said a “red” hazard designation, the highest level, has been issued for aviation and that there is a risk of hot lava flows blocking roads, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

“Molten lava flows can travel up to 20 kilometers and block the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-Ust-Kamchatsky highway,” the institute said, according to TASS.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The Italian Coast Guard was on Tuesday escorting two boats carrying 1,200 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, as part of a major operation in a region that has seen migrant arrivals spike in the past year.

“Due to the prohibitive sea conditions, the Peluso ship, the Diciotti ship and the Coast Guard patrol boats are escorting the two units, in difficulty since yesterday, with migrants on board,” the Coast Guard said on Twitter. “The ships, carrying 400 and 800 migrants, got into trouble in rough seas on Monday.”

Alarm Phone said in a tweet earlier that it had spoken to passengers at 10.56 a.m. local time (4.56 a.m. ET), describing the situation on board as “dramatic,” with the boat starting to leak. “They report several medical emergencies, water filling the vessel and no fuel left. We have informed the authorities,” Alarm phone said.

The coast guard is traveling next to the boat en route to Italy because an escort is “safer” than attempting to rescue those on board in poor weather, said Felix Weiss, a spokesman for Sea-Watch International, a German organization that runs search and rescue operations in the central Mediterranean.

The migrants had been stranded along an immigration route between Italy and Malta that NGOs have warned is perilously dangerous.

The boat with 400 migrants departed from Tobruk, Libya, and had been at risk of capsizing with water in the hull, according to Alarm Phone. The service also said many on board required medical attention, including a child, a pregnant woman and a disabled person.

The Italian Coast Guard also said Monday that more than 1,700 migrants had arrived on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa in the last 48 hours. Lampedusa, the closest Italian island to Africa, is a major destination for migrants seeking to enter European Union countries.

Every year, tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war, persecution and poverty risk the treacherous route in search of safety and better economic prospects. In many cases, their vessels are overcrowded and unfit for the journey, and the need to rescue migrants on board often leads to disputes between countries about who should take them in.

More than 28,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, according to the country’s Interior Ministry – a significant surge compared to recent years. The number of migrants arriving in Italy this year are the highest seen in the country since 2017, according to figures by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Most arrivals have journeyed from the Ivory Coast, Guinea, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Pakistan.

When Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen defied warnings from China to meet with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California earlier this month, Beijing’s aggressive military response reverberated around the world.

In actions that only fueled fears that communist-ruled China may be preparing to invade its democratically ruled neighbor, the People’s Liberation Army simulated a blockade of the island, sending an aircraft carrier and 12 naval ships to encircle it, and flying over a hundred warplanes into its air defense identification zone during a three-day military drill.

China’s ruling Communist Party, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory despite never having controlled it, described the drills as “joint precision strikes” that should serve as a “serious warning against the Taiwan separatist forces.”

That blunt assessment will likely have raised doubts in some quarters over whether the island’s military preparations for such a scenario are sufficient.

Taipei recently – and very publicly – announced an extension to mandatory military service periods from four months to a year and accelerated the development of its indigenous weapons program to boost its combat readiness.

But analysts say a recent announcement – one that has perhaps gone less remarked upon in the global media – could prove a game-changer: talks between Taipei and the United States to establish a “contingency stockpile” of munitions on Taiwan’s soil.

In remarks that were not widely picked up at the time, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told Taiwan’s parliament in March that Taipei was in discussions with the US over a potential plan to set up a war reserve stock on the island – a measure made possible by a provision in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law by US President Joe Biden last December.

And while Taiwan has long been a purchaser of weapons from the US, military experts say the creation of such a stockpile could be vital to the island’s defense because – as China’s recently simulated blockade showed – it could be incredibly difficult to supply the island with additional weapons if war does break out.

Unlike Ukraine, Taiwan has no land borders so any supplies would have to go in by air or sea – delivery methods that would be highly vulnerable to interceptions by the Chinese military.

It is therefore vital for Taiwan to stock up ammunition on the island before any conflict begins, said Admiral Lee Hsi-min, who served as Chief of the General Staff for the Taiwanese military between 2017 and 2019.

“Having a war reserve stockpile is crucial and meaningful for Taiwan,” he said. “Even if the United States does not want to intervene directly with military force, those kinds of stockpiles can still be very effective for our defense.”

Taiwan has also repeatedly raised concerns about delays in US weapon deliveries amid the war in Ukraine. Following his meeting with Tsai, Speaker McCarthy tweeted: “Based on today’s conversations, it’s clear several actions are necessary: We must continue arms sales to Taiwan and make sure such sales reach Taiwan on time.”

Asymmetric warfare

The talks over the possible stockpile beg the question: What exactly does Taiwan need for its defense?

For decades, the Taiwanese military has been purchasing fighter jets and missiles from the United States, which continues to be the single biggest guarantor of the island’s safety despite not having an “official” diplomatic relationship.

Last month, the Biden administration made headlines with its approval of potential arms sales to Taiwan worth an estimated $619 million, including hundreds of missiles for its fleet of F-16 fighter jets.

But Admiral Lee said Taiwan urgently needed to stock up on smaller and more mobile weapons that would have a higher chance of surviving the first wave of a Chinese attack in an all-out conflict – which would likely include long-range joint missile strikes on Taiwanese infrastructure and military targets.

In a high-profile book published last year, titled “Overall Defense Concept,” Lee argued that Taiwan should shift away from investing heavily in fighter jets and destroyers, as its military assets were already vastly outnumbered by China’s and could easily be paralyzed by long-range missiles.

Last year, China’s defense budget was $230 billion, more than 13 times the size of Taiwan’s spending of $16.89 billion.

So instead of matching ship for ship or plane for plane, Lee argued, Taiwan should embrace an asymmetric warfare model focused on the procurement of smaller weapons – such as portable missiles and mines – that are hard to detect but effective in halting enemy advances.

“In Ukraine, their military has used Neptune anti-ship missiles to sink Moscow’s battleships,” he said. “Asymmetric weapon systems will allow us to maintain our combat capabilities. That is because if our enemies want to destroy them, they will need to get closer to us, which makes them vulnerable to our attack.”

“If we can establish good enough asymmetrical capability, I believe China won’t be able to take over Taiwan by force, even without United States’ intervention,” he added.

Though the US maintains close unofficial ties with Taiwan, and is bound by law to sell arms to the island for its self-defense, it remains deliberately vague on whether it would intervene in the event of a Chinese invasion, a policy known as “strategic ambiguity.”

Portable weapons

Under this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, passed by the US Congress and signed by US President Joe Biden, Taiwan will be eligible to receive up to $1 billion in weapons and munitions from the United States to counter China’s growing military threat.

The act also allows for the creation of a regional contingency stockpile, which would enable the Pentagon to store weapons in Taiwan for use if a military conflict with China arises.

The ministry added that the move is aimed only at meeting Taiwan’s defensive needs, as opposed to “pre-stocking” munitions on the island.

The US Indo-Pacific Command declined to provide details about the progress of talks on creating the stockpile but said it would continue to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.

Lin Ying-yu, an assistant professor from Tamkang University who specializes in military affairs, said that if a contingency stockpile were to be created, it should focus on amassing munitions already in use by Taiwan’s military to ensure operational effectiveness.

“I think some of the weapons that the US might be willing to provide include the Stinger and the Patriot missiles,” he said. The Stinger is a surface-to-air missile that can be fired by a single soldier, while the Patriot missile defense system is capable of intercepting enemy missiles and aircraft.

Admiral Lee said another weapon that could be stockpiled was the Javelin, a US-made portable anti-tank weapon system that has been widely used by the Ukrainian military to target Russian tanks.

The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, could also be useful for targeting Chinese warplanes, he said, as it was capable of firing the medium-range AIM-120 missile from ground level.

Other weapons that should be considered included the loitering munition drone – a so-called “suicide drone” that can be carried by a single soldier and is capable of destroying high-value targets – as well as other anti-armor and anti-ship weaponry, he added.

“If you have a high enough number of these kinds of asymmetrical weapon systems that survive the initial attack, you can keep most of your fighting capabilities intact and stop the enemy from conducting a landing operation,” Lee said.

How many is enough?

Another question that arises is how many weapons or missiles Taiwan would need to defend itself against China.

Experts said providing a concrete number was difficult because the possible combat scenarios were so varied.

In his book, Admiral Lee wrote that the Chinese military could resort to different options in attempting to bring Taiwan under its control.

In an all-out war, China could fire long-range missiles to destroy Taiwanese infrastructure and military targets before attempting to send its ground troops across the Taiwan Strait.

Other scenarios with limited military action could include an aerial and naval blockade around Taiwan, or the seizure of Taiwan’s small outlying islands that are close to the Chinese coast.

However, Lin suggested the number of missiles that Taiwan likely needs would be in the “tens of thousands.”

He said one relatively simple way of calculating the number of missiles required involves estimating the total number of offensive military assets owned by the enemy, and the effectiveness of Taiwan’s defensive weapons. “For example, if our enemy has 1,000 missiles and we have a success rate of 25%, then we will need about 4,000 anti-ballistic missiles.”

In addition to weapons, Taiwan’s military could benefit from mobile radar systems that would enable it to receive military signals from the US, Lin added. These would be useful in conducting electronic warfare, as the US military would be able to help identify potential enemy targets even if ground radar systems had been destroyed.

“Even though the United States does not have troops on the ground in Ukraine, it has been able to tell the Ukrainian military where to fire their weapons by sending signals from its electronic warfare aircraft,” Lin said. “We need to make sure we have the necessary equipment to link with US military systems at times of war.”

There were other reasons the discussions with the US over the possible stockpile were important, Admiral Lee said, and they went beyond issues of storing up ammunition and spare parts.

“(Having a contingency stockpile) is very crucial, because it sends a signal to China that the United States is determined to assist in our defense,” he said.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ownership of Welsh soccer club Wrexham has already produced a Disney+ documentary and earned the pair the city’s top civic honor – the Freedom of Wrexham.

And now Reynolds has released a catchy song to celebrate his co-chairman’s birthday, enlisting all his “mates in Wrexham” to teach the world how to pronounce McElhenney’s last name correctly.

In case you were wondering, “it’s Mack-le like a tackle when we take ‘em to the ground, then Henny, like the penny that he’s in for with the pound.”

Written by the Tony, Oscar and Grammy award-winning songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the song features appearances from Wrexham players, McElhenney’s wife and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” co-star Kaitlin Olson and Welsh singer Charlotte Church.

“Would be a real shame if this became a Wrexham Racecourse chant,” Reynolds added.

McElhenney simply tweeted: “This is…I mean… I don’t…Wow.”

The two actors have made a habit of celebrating each other’s birthdays in style since Reynolds unveiled a memorial plaque next to a urinal in the Wrexham stadium last year for McElhenney’s birthday.

Then, McElhenney retaliated by launching “The Ryan Reynolds Memorial Blimp,” complete with an unflattering picture of the Canadian actor.

However, Wrexham couldn’t quite give McElhenney a win on his birthday weekend as it drew 0-0 against Barnet after defender Callum McFadzean was red carded early in the second half.

The Dragons sit on the brink of promotion to League Two, requiring six points from its final three games to guarantee promotion, with its closest rivals, Notts County, set to take on Woking later on Saturday.

After 82 regular season games each, and a play-in game for the Atlanta Hawks, it all comes down to this.

The NBA playoffs begin this weekend, with 16 teams vying for the title, and four mouthwatering first-round matchups will tip-off on Saturday.

Brooklyn Nets (6) v Philadelphia 76ers (3)

These two teams played each other just last week when the Nets succumbed to a 134-105 defeat against the 76ers, although Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges was the only starter to play for either team on that occasion so it will be a whole different line-up on Saturday.

But Philadelphia will still begin its first-round series as the overwhelming favorites after finishing the regular season 54-28, its best record for more than 20 years.

It will also welcome back stars James Harden and Joel Embiid, on this season’s MVP shortlist, after they were rested for the end of the regular season.

Embiid’s form has been electric towards the end of the season, averaging an NBA-best 33.3 points per game over the last 18 games, a rate only matched by Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000.

The Nets, meanwhile, have a 14-18 record since February, a month in which they also traded Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks and Kevin Durant to the Suns in February.

Despite completely redesigning their roster, they rallied at the last moment, winning six of their last eight games to clinch the No.6 spot and make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

The Nets will be determined to banish the ghosts of last season’s first round sweep in the playoffs but will face an uphill battle.

Tip-off is at 1p ET.

Atlanta Hawks (7) v Boston Celtics (2)

Fresh from a surprise victory against the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament, the Atlanta Hawks will face the defending Eastern Conference champions, the formidable Boston Celtics.

The Celtics are a complete team, ranking second in both offensive and defensive efficiency in the regular season, just the third team in 27 seasons to reach the top three on both ends of the floor. The 2014-2015 and 2016-17 Warriors are the only other teams to achieve this, and both won the NBA championship.

With Jaylen Brown returning to the Celtics after a finger laceration alongside star forward Jayson Tatum, the Celtics will be favored to win the series but there are cracks in the team – they rank 9th in offense since December – and the young Hawks provide a difficult obstacle.

“They’re a tough team,” Brown said, according to NBA.com. “I think they have a lot of athleticism that can bother us. We have to come out and handle our business and be really detailed. They got a lot of energy. They’re hungry. They’re young. I’ve been in that position, being an underdog, being a young team in this league, and looking to make a name for yourself. So we have to be ready to go.”

Atlanta’s offense has been particularly potent towards the back end of the season – since Quin Snyder became head coach on February 6, his team have had the fourth most effective offense in the NBA, marshalled by Trae Young who leads the league in total assists.

The game begins at 3:30p ET.

New York Knicks (5) v Cleveland Cavaliers (4)

The Knicks will head to Cleveland on Saturday for Game 1 of one of the first round’s most fascinating matchups.

At its center is Donovan Mitchell who Cleveland acquired in a blockbuster trade this summer after he had previously been linked to the Knicks, his hometown team, until “they temporarily walked away” from trade talks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

But the Knicks have been dealt a blow to their hopes of proving that was the right decision as they might be without star forward and leading scorer Julius Randle who suffered a sprained ankle against Miami Heat on March 29.

Already this season, Randle has become the first player to average 25 points per game for the Knicks since Carmelo Anthony in 2013- 2014 but his team said on Friday that the two-time All Star is “questionable” for Game 1 at Cleveland.

Randle’s fitness will be central to New York’s chances against the Cavs, who are one of only three teams, alongside the Celtics and 76ers, to have a top-10 offense and defense this season.

Led by Mitchell, whose postseason 28.3 career points per game rivals the NBA’s biggest names ever, the Cavs have an otherwise inexperienced team with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley making their postseason debuts, while Jarret Allen and Caris LeVert have both only reached the first-round of the playoffs.

Tip-off is at 6p ET.

Golden State Warriors (6) v Sacramento Kings (3)

Sacramento will play its first ever postseason game for 17 years on Saturday, snapping the league’s longest ever playoff drought.

With Mike Brown – the former associate head coach of the Golden State Warriors – at the helm this season, the Kings have redefined themselves as one of the NBA’s most exciting offenses, averaging an astonishing 120.7 points per game, currently the best record in the league.

Domantas Sabonis’ playmaking and De’Aaron Fox’s speed has proved to be a particularly lethal combination for the Kings, and will be central to any hopes of defeating Golden State.

But Brown and his side will face a tough test against his former team, the defending champions who boast the league’s second-highest scoring offense.

On the Warriors’ last outing, they were on sparkling form, setting a new NBA record with 55 points in the opening quarter as they dismantled the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Splash Bros – Klay Thompson and Steph Curry – led that effort, with Thompson sinking five three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game, and their playoff nous is unparalleled following four title wins.

“I don’t see a team who can beat us in a seven-game series when we’re healthy,” Thompson said last week according to ESPN, despite the team’s mixed fortunes this season.

Tip-off is at 8:30p ET.

More than 50 million people are under the threat of severe storms Saturday from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. Some of these same areas are still cleaning up from severe storms over the previous few weeks.

“Severe thunderstorms capable of large to very large hail and damaging gusts are possible from the lower to mid Mississippi Valley westward into parts of the Ozarks, Ark-La-Tex and Sabine River Valley,” the Storm Prediction Center said.

A level 3 out of 5 “enhanced” risk for storms has been issued across parts of Missouri, Louisiana and Arkansas, including Little Rock, Arkansas, and St Louis. There’s a level 2 of 5 “slight” risk for locations surrounding that enhanced risk zone, including Memphis, Tennessee; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi.

“Models are trending a little slower with the evolution of this storm system increasing the possibility of strong to possibly severe storms in advance of the associated cold front,” the National Weather Service office in Little Rock said.

The Little Rock weather service also emphasized that while the tornado threat is low, it cannot be discounted entirely, especially if any super cells develop.

Arkansas and Mississippi were each hit by an EF-4 tornado just weeks ago. Many still have tarps covering their roofs, and have yet to finish clearing up debris and damage to businesses. Now, new storms are set to arrive in many of these hard-hit areas this weekend.

Hail the size of tennis balls

Hailstones larger than golf balls, and possibly even the size of tennis balls may fall in this region Saturday afternoon and evening. The large hail threat will be focused across portions of Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana and east Texas.

While not as deadly as tornadoes, hail can still cause significant damage to vehicles, homes, crops and livestock. Even small hailstones can have an impact when there’s enough volume.

“When hail builds up, it can cause a loss of power, bring down trees and cause flash floods and mudslides in steep areas,” the International Federation of the Red Cross states on its disasters and preparation website.

In 2022, there were over 4,400 major hailstorms reported in NOAA’s severe storms database. According to the Insurance Information Institute, hail-related insured losses between averaged between $8 billion to $14 billion a year in the last two decades.

Texas was the state with the most hail claims paid for auto and home insurance followed by Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri – three of the states that are expected to see potential hail storms this weekend.

These storms are associated with a low pressure system that will track eastward, from the central Plains, slowly toward the Mid-Mississippi River Valley and Great Lakes by Sunday.

These strong thunderstorms are forecast to develop quickly ahead of the cold front during the early to mid-afternoon. They are expected to move out of Arkansas and Missouri by midnight and continue to race eastward through the overnight hours.

Flash flooding is also possible across this region on Saturday, as 1 to 3 inches of rain is forecast on top of already saturated soils.

“Some of this region has had recent rains, and are 150 to 600 percent of normal,” the Weather Prediction Center said. “These sensitive soils could quickly become over saturated and lead to isolated/scattered areas of flooding.”

Threat pushes east Sunday

This system will push eastward on Sunday bringing rain to the Ohio Valley and the potential for severe storms across the Southeast.

“Isolated severe thunderstorms, associated with wind-damage and hail, will be possible on Sunday in parts of the Southeast,” the Storm Prediction Center said. “Marginally severe storms will be possible further north into parts of the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes.”

Another concern: more rainfall across South Florida, which is cleaning up from record flooding Wednesday.

“Some of the area is still susceptible/vulnerable due to recent rainfall so this additional threat of heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding over the urbanized corridor of southeast Florida,” the Weather Prediction Center said Saturday morning.

Rain showers are expected for Miami and Fort Lauderdale from Sunday night through Monday.