🇨🇳⚓️ On July 31st, the Shuiqiao class Landing Platform Utility (LPU) barges continued their verification exercises at Beach One, located north of Hepu Dasha Beach, Nantian Island.

The Donggong402 and Donggong403 had their bridges stowed away with their jack-up legs lowered onto the seafloor. The Donggong401 was located some distance from the Donggong403 and was likely in the same configuration as the other two barges.

The barges will likely be delivered to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and deployed with the East Sea Fleet (ESF) under the Eastern Theater Command (ETC).

The exercises' completion marks an important milestone for the LPUs because it shows they are capable of operating in similar environments that are found along the coast of western Taiwan.

Furthermore, the exercises gave the PLAN important information about how to deploy the barges in an operational environment.

The PLAN sent the LPUs to the two beaches in Zhejiang province because they had similar weather and environmental conditions to those that the barges would operate in during a Taiwan invasion.

The LPUs did not encounter any significant issues during the month-long exercises, which saw them being deployed between the two beaches on Nantian Island.

However, the PLAN would likely conduct additional exercises to validate the LPUs' capabilities, such as the Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) vessels' ability to dock with the barges.

The exercises would also validate the LPUs' ability to efficiently offload vehicles from the RoRos and onto a beachhead.

The PLAN would gather information from the exercise, including how to operate the LPUs and how to protect them from attacks. The ESF would gain knowledge of how to deploy the LPUs alongside other ships and RoRos.

The ETC would use the exercise to determine which air defense systems and radars can provide the most effective protection for the LPUs.

🔗 Sino Talk

🇷🇺🇺🇦 In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces continued their offensive on Kupyansk and have reached the city centre.

Russian forces advanced in two areas. In the east, they pushed south down the highway, clearing houses on Lenina Street, while significantly advancing in the area of Michurina Street.

In the west, Russian forces cleared the rest of the western industrial zone, and crossed the Kupyanka River into central Moskovka, establishing a bridgehead on its western bank in two different residential streets.

Russian forces have rapidly reached the city centre from the north, and are now just 1.5km from the main bridge over the Oskil River connecting the Ukrainian bridgehead on its eastern bank - including in eastern Kupyansk - to the rest of Kharkiv Oblast.

Once this highway is cut, all supplies into the pocket will have to go via a bridge to the south in Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi, or over pontoon bridges (although this brings its own separate issues). This creates a bottle neck that can easily be targeted, which will naturally result in the collapse of the bridgehead, the alignment of the front along the river, and a refocusing of efforts to complete the capture of the city and the surrounding areas.

Supply is already difficult for the AFU in the bridgehead, and the only thing preventing the current Russian assault operations there from achieving breakthroughs is the natural obstacles and significant fortification that lie in Russia's way.

While the fall of Kupyansk may not be imminent, there is a real threat of this northern bridge being cut, which will undoubtably create massive problems for Ukrainian forces in the area.

🔗 AMK Mapping

🇰🇷 How Excessive Use of C-Sections is Hurting Fertility in Korea and Around the World

In Korea, an incredible 59% of deliveries are by C-section. This is one cause of South Korea's low birthrates since C-sections significantly lower the number of births a woman will have.

These rates in Korea and other countries are far above international guidelines for best maternal and neonatal outcomes (around 10-15 C-sections per 100 births).

Where rates of C-section are high, fertility tends to be much lower, by ~ 1/3 birth/woman in advanced countries.

The same relationship holds for US states. Although the variation in the rate of C-sections is just 23% to 38%, we still see that a higher rate of C-sections is linked to fewer births.

Numerous studies have confirmed this relationship. But why?

Demographer Lyman Stone explains how C-sections reduce future fertility

First, studies find the ability to conceive is reduced after a C-section, likely because of scar tissue in the uterus.

Second, doctors advise women to avoid becoming pregnant again after 2-3 C-sections

But what is going on with Korea? Why are doctors performing so many C-sections in South Korea when they are so damaging to a woman's future fertility?

Is this medically necessary? Mostly no. The prevalence of C-sections in South Korea looks random.

The reason for excessive C-sections is money.

In Korea, doctors are compensated very little for vaginal delivery (one fifth to one third of similar countries). Combined with lawsuit risk, profitability for obstetricians was low.

Many OBs went out of business. Many others increased profitability through C-sections.

🔗 More Births