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Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas both ran full speed to first base in the fifth inning of Thursday’s game between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

He followed up five shutout innings in Miami with five more solid innings against the Marlins at Citi Field in his most recent outing.

Beijing Bans Four New Zealand MPs For "Crossing Red Line" With Taiwan Visit

In a first, China has banned four New Zealand Members of Parliament for a year over their visit to Taiwan, New Zealand's foreign ministry says. The MPs learned of the ban - which the Chinese Embassy said could be reduced or waived with an apology - when they returned from the trip in May, local media reported on Thursday.

On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “Recently, certain New Zealand members of parliament, disregarding China’s serious concerns and firm opposition, wilfully paid a visit to China’s Taiwan region, violating the one-China principle and interfering in China’s internal affairs.

“In accordance with relevant laws of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese side has decided to adopt measures against the individuals concerned, including denial of entry into China.”

This was the first time China has imposed travel bans on New Zealand MPs for visiting Taiwan - a move that "surprised" foreign minister Winston Peters, a ministry spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC. China claims the self-governed island of Taiwan as its territory, and has tried to restrict the island's foreign engagements.

"New Zealand MPs have visited Taiwan for decades and such visits are not inconsistent with New Zealand's One China policy," the spokesperson said, quoted by the BBC.

In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said the ban was a result of the MPs "disregarding China's serious concerns" and insisting on visiting Taiwan as parliamentarians. The visit had sent "wrong signals" to Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party and "Taiwan independence' forces", the statement said, adding that it constituted "interference in China's internal affairs".

The visit in May comprised lawmakers from the ruling coalition - Maureen Pugh, David Wilson and Laura McClure - as well as Duncan Webb from the opposition Labour Party.

Photos from the visit by the New Zealand MPs were posted on social media by Taiwan's foreign minister Lin Chia-lung

McClure, from the ACT party, said the travel ban was "a type of foreign interference" and that she was "not going to apologize for visiting Taiwan", the New Zealand Herald reported. She told Radio New Zealand that she was "quite surprised and shocked" by the ban as similar visits had happened for years previously. She added that New Zealand MPs "have the right to travel freely around the globe".

"That is part of living in a free democracy," she said.

New Zealand foreign minister Peters has instructed foreign ministry officials in Beijing and Wellington to discuss the matter with Chinese authorities to "better understand" the "departure from past practice", the spokesperson said.

New Zealand established formal diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1972 and has since maintained a One China policy - the diplomatic acknowledgement of China's position that there is only one Chinese government. New Zealand has formal ties only with Beijing, and not with Taipei. 

But like many countries, New Zealand has also maintained regular exchanges with Taiwan.

Last year, a group of New Zealand MPs met Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te during a trip to Taiwan. The Chinese embassy in New Zealand criticised the trip, describing the MPs as "colluding with 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces".

Beijing also previously condemned a group of New Zealand lawmakers for attending a reception hosted by Taiwan's de facto embassy in Wellington last October. 

Taiwan has previously accused China of trying to intervene in its diplomatic ties with other countries. Last month, Lai visited Eswatini - Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa - days after his government said a trip had been cancelled due to China pressuring African countries to bar him from flying over their territories.

That Eswatini visit was later brought up by Taiwan's foreign minister Lin Chia-lung in a post about the New Zealand delegation's visit.

"President Lai's recent visit to Eswatini has once again made the world feel the challenges facing Taiwan's diplomacy," he wrote on Facebook.

Lin further noted that the visit by the New Zealand MPs "not only showed the support of the New Zealand Parliament for Taiwan, but also made the friendship between Taiwan and New Zealand stronger".

China has sanctioned US lawmakers in the past for visiting Taiwan, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022. The following year, China sanctioned US Representative Michael McCaul, claiming that his visit to Taiwan sent a "serious wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces".

Tyler Durden Thu, 06/04/2026 - 23:00

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Satellite Images Expose China’s Massive New 120-Meter Sail-Free Mystery Submarine

Authored by Aamir Khollam via Interesting Engineering,

China has quietly launched another advanced submarine, signaling the rapid expansion of a naval force that already outpaces Western production rates.

ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho class submarine and satellite imagery of China's sailless submarine. Wikimedia Commons and @Mack8miltech on X

Fresh satellite imagery shows a large new submarine at Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard. The vessel features an unusual "sailless" profile and a highly streamlined hull. Analysts say the design could reflect China's push toward faster, quieter, and harder-to-detect underwater platforms.

The launch comes as the U.S. and its allies struggle to increase submarine output. China, meanwhile, has launched roughly 15 to 20 submarines during the past five years. Several belong to entirely new classes.

Streamlined Underwater Design

The newly spotted submarine measures around 120 meters long. Its beam appears narrower than other recent Chinese attack submarines, while satellite imagery also shows X-shaped stern control surfaces and what may be a shrouded propulsion system.

Defense analysts believe the submarine could use a pumpjet propulsor. That setup reduces underwater noise at higher speeds compared to traditional propellers. The vessel's most striking feature, however, remains the absence of a traditional sail.

Conventional submarines rely on sails to house periscopes, communication masts, and snorkel systems. Removing that structure cuts drag and improves hydrodynamic efficiency. A cleaner hull shape can improve submerged speed and maneuverability while also reducing acoustic signatures, making the submarine harder to track.

China previously tested similar concepts. About eight years ago, the same shipyard launched a smaller experimental submarine with a reduced sail design. More recently, Chinese shipbuilders revealed unmanned underwater vehicle concepts with similar hull forms.

Questions Over Propulsion

The submarine's propulsion system remains unclear, though analysts believe a standard nuclear reactor remains the most likely option due to the vessel's size.

Another possibility involves China's emerging "nuclear-AIP" technology. That concept combines a low-power nuclear reactor with air-independent propulsion principles. Such systems promise longer endurance without the complexity of full-sized nuclear attack submarines.

China already launched one submarine using that concept. The Type-041 Zhou-class submarine appeared at Wuhan's Wuchang Shipyard in 2024. Experts, however, consider a traditional nuclear-powered attack submarine more likely for this latest design.

At nearly 400 feet long, the submarine appears too narrow to serve as a ballistic missile submarine. China's newest JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missiles require significantly larger launch compartments.

Expanding Production Capacity

The emergence of the new submarine also raises questions about China's industrial strategy. Around the same time, another submarine reportedly launched from Huludao Shipyard, China's primary nuclear submarine construction facility. Analysts suspect both submarines could belong to the same new class.

If confirmed, that would mark a major shift in Chinese naval manufacturing. Western shipyards often struggle to build more than one nuclear submarine at a time. China may now operate parallel production lines for advanced submarine programs.

Beijing has released no official information about the submarine. Chinese authorities rarely announce first-in-class submarine launches, especially for sensitive naval projects. That secrecy leaves outside analysts relying on satellite imagery and defense assessments to piece together the submarine's mission and capabilities.

Even with limited information, the message appears clear. China continues to accelerate submarine development while experimenting with increasingly unconventional underwater designs.

Tyler Durden Thu, 06/04/2026 - 22:35

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