## China unnerved by Russia’s growing ties with North Korea, claims US official

Authored by theguardian.com

China is increasingly uncomfortable about North Korea’s engagement with Russia and finds the growing cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow unnerving, Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state has said.

He was leaning into a growing debate among the US’s security partners in Asia on whether China supports the decision of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un to send 10,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine.

There are also doubts in the Japanese foreign ministry that China supports North Korea’s dispatch of troops.

In a rare olive branch China has told Japan it intends to remove a buoy it installed inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

The Europeans are going to be upset and they are not going to be upset at the North Koreans, but with China.

He claimed: “North Korea is fulfilling artillery and missile needs to Russia and Russia in return will probably provide missile and submarine technology for North Korea.”

He has been highlighting how the conflict has to be seen in the context of North Korea’s decision to abandon efforts to reunify the Korean peninsula. »

### 'Disgusting and completely unacceptable' head kick after pickleball tournament loss goes viral

Authored by abc.net.au

A pickleball tournament in Mexico has gone viral after a vicious kick to the head soured the end of a championship game.

A video circulating the internet shows the moment a beaten finalist lands a brutal kick to the head of his victorious, and exuberant opponent.

The incident came following championship point, according to US-based pickleball news source, The Kitchen Pickleball. »

### Texas State Board of Education approves school curriculum with Biblical references

Authored by foxla.com

The Texas State Board of Education has approved a set of lesson plans for elementary students that include stories from the Bible.

The state board chose to add the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum to a list of approved learned materials on Friday afternoon.

While there are references to other faiths, opponents on the board see a Christian bias in the curriculum. »

### Romania election stunner: Unexpected hard-right candidate surges in presidential vote

Authored by politico.eu

He called the result “an amazing awakening” of the Romanian people.

Georgescu, extremely religious and nationalistic, campaigned on reducing Romania’s reliance on imports, supporting farmers and increasing the domestic production of food and energy.

He said at the time that he had no support from Russia but felt close to its culture. »

### Gabe Newell says no-one in the industry thought Steam would work as a distribution platform—'I'm not talking about 1 or 2 people, I mean like 99%'

Authored by pcgamer.com

"Gabe [Newell] in particular, he had a pencil sketch of an idea in his head of what would become Steam," says Erik Johnson.

"I mean, there was a set of business goals that ended up being part of Steam.

But fundamentally it was a bunch of game development goals that it was servicing that was so attractive to us.". »

## In pictures

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