Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the defence ministry said Monday, as the island boosts its military capabilities against a potential Chinese attack.Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and biggest arms supplier — angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory.The M1A2 tanks — the first batch of 108 ordered in 2019 — arrived in Taiwan late Sunday and were transferred to an army training base in Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei, the defence ministry said.The M1A2s are the first new tanks to be delivered to Taiwan in 30 years, the semi-official Central News Agency said. n18oc_world n18oc_crux

A former prisoner leading a private effort to help find captive US journalist Austin Tice is concerned that deposed Syrian leader Assad may be hiding him. Nizar Zakka, who was detained in Iran on spying charges, now runs Hostage Aid Worldwide, a group working to free kidnapped civilians. Both Zakka’s group and the US government believe Assad or his former officials are holding Tice.He believes that members of the ousted Assad clan or former officials may still be holding him. n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION4:28 WHO IS AUSTIN TICE?5:12 TICE ESCAPED BRIEFLY IN 2013: REPORT6:10 US IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HTS TO FIND TICE

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