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During the celebration of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force’s 72nd anniversary last Thursday, state-run news channel China Central Television (CCTV) reportedly aired footage of H-6K bombers flying near the Himalayas. While typically based closer to Beijing, the jets were moved to Xinjiang province sometime last year, close to a region contested by China and India, the South China Morning Post reported. These particular bombers are usually outfitted with CJ-20 long-range missiles for land and sea encounters....

The People’s Daily opinion piece—written in the days after Ma stepped down as chairman of Alibaba Group on September 10, 2019—dismissed the 56-year-old’s idol status, which turned him into something of a rock star among the country’s budding entrepreneurs. Resurfacing on China’s Twitter-like social media service Weibo, the article is titled “There is no so-called Jack Ma era, only an era in which there is Jack Ma.” “There is no doubt that Alibaba is a successful enterprise, nor is there any doubt about Jack Ma’s effect on Alibaba, but to credit an enterprise’s success solely with its leader is totally unrealistic,” the text read....

Flynn was widely criticized for saying a Myanmar-style coup “should happen” in the United States, although he claims his words were taken out of context. Global Times, a state-run newspaper, called the pushback an American “double standard” and pointed to the amount of applause Flynn’s comment received as evidence of the idea’s support. “This shows that the dark side of American society is spreading, and more Americans are becoming dissatisfied with their current situation,” Mu Lu, a reporter and commentator with Global Times, wrote....

A report published Tuesday by the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission accused the Chinese government of having “undermined global health” by exerting influence and pressure to ensure the exclusion of Taiwan from the World Health Organization (WHO). Taiwan says it sounded the alarm early on about the dangers of the virus as it spread through China’s central city of Wuhan late last year, only to be sidelined because of its disputed political status....

China Telecom has claimed that the new Apple smartphone will be equipped with a multitude of radios and is scheduled to be compatible with wireless networks including TDD-LTE, FDD-LTE, WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM and CDMA1X. China Telecom has also posted that it will market an unlocked iPhone 6 that will be compatible with multiple Chinese carriers. Apple is likely to release its flagship smartphone in two variants – a 4.7-inch and a 5....

Wednesday’s session in New York took place as the war in Ukraine entered its 29th day. The motion demanded the protection of civilians as well as humanitarian corridors, but members of the council saw it as an attempt by Moscow to absolve itself of responsibility for greatly escalating the conflict. Russia required a minimum of nine “yes” votes and no vetoes for the draft to be adopted. Permanent members France, the United Kingdom and the United States abstained, along with remaining non-permanent council members Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway and the United Arab Emirates....

The Global Times, a Chinese-based tabloid, published an editorial Saturday calling the policy “abusive” and “dangerous,” as it warned against its impact on U.S.-China ties. The bill was sponsored by Democrat Senator Bob Menendez, who is also chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who both said in a statement that it would be the most comprehensive restructuring of U.S. policy toward the island nation since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979....

In a Sunday editorial in the state-owned Global Times, Beijing warned that allowing the country into the alliance—as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested—would lead to an inevitable escalation in the conflict, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to use nuclear arms against the West. While unlikely—U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated in a White House press briefing last week that NATO should delay talks on allowing the country into the alliance—the newspaper warned “all European countries will tremble under the shadow of a possible nuclear war” should it take place, and called for the Western alliance to withdraw from its longstanding involvement in Eastern Europe....

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she was in discussions with China over “modalities for a visit, including meaningful access,” which she hopes will happen this year. Bachelet told the 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday that she intended to visit Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China’s northwest, “particularly as reports of serious human rights violations continue to emerge.” The Chinese government responded with mixed signals....

The ambassador was speaking on French television channel BFM TV on Wednesday night, when he said a majority of the Taiwanese population actually wanted to be “re-unified” to China ten or twenty years ago, but that “anti-Chinese” propaganda from the local Democratic Progressive Party has indoctrinated the people of the island. “After the re-unification, we’ll do re-education,” Lu told the French TV channel, saying that this will make sure Taiwanese people will recover their sense of patriotism....

Prosecutors in Nanjing, capital of China’s coastal province of Jiangu, announced charges against Qiu Ziming, 38, on Monday, the same day Chinese authorities were able to officially prosecute individuals under the country’s 2018 heroes and martyrs protection act. Qiu was detained by police on February 20 after he made two posts the day before suggesting it was likely that more soldiers had died during the Galwan Valley clash last June than the government was publicly admitting....

A piece published on Thursday night on the Global Times website took aim at G7 foreign ministers. It stated that China and Russia could work together to oppose the United States’ attempts at strengthening its relationships with allies, in what it branded attempts “to confront” the two nations. The outlet added that the countries were “moving closer to each other militarily” and had “huge” economic potential as a pairing....

So Christie did something unusual: he sent a classified letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s office urging the military to be very cautious about where in Iraq it deployed the Stryker. The response? “I was slapped down,” says the straight-talking Christie. “It was: ‘What are we supposed to do with this [letter]?… Are you trying to embarrass somebody?’ " There may be embarrassment to come. Six months after that exchange, the fighting in Iraq has called into question not only the Stryker’s effectiveness but the Army’s shift toward a lighter, faster infantry....

In Chivalry 2’s announcement trailer, viewers get a great look at how combat is escalating. Players will be sieging both villages and castles, attacking villagers on horseback, and taking the limbs off of enemies with the flick of the wrist. Tripwire described the rising brutality of Chivalry 2 as reliving “iconic moments of the era” which may be much, but likely captures the nature of the game very well....

“Each and every allegation against me that I have cheated at cricket or attempted to induce others to cheat at cricket is false,” he told reporters at Auckland airport. Cairns arrived at the airport after attending the interview with the ICC’s anti-corruption authorities at London. It is no hidden fact that Lou Vincent, former New Zealand cricketer and Cairns’ teammate and Brendon McCullum, the current New Zealand captain have given their testimonies to the ICC accusing a former player (quoted as player X) for making repeated attempts to lure them into match-fixing....

But the former governor also said he wanted people to be kept “in the mode” of wearing face masks and gloves to create some protection against the spread of COVID-19. “Of course, everybody wants to save every life they can. But the question is, towards what end ultimately?” Christie said. “Are there ways that we can thread the middle here to allow that there are going to be deaths? And there are going to be deaths no matter what....

Behind the bravado, though, is a curious catchweight limit that will see both fighters take to the ring at unfamiliar weights. With Eubank Jr cutting down and Benn stepping up in weight, there are concerns that the contest is a potentially dangerous mismatch. The Sporting News explains what the catchweight is and how much each fighter needs to shift in weight to satisfy the scales. MORE: WATCH: Chris Eubank Jr....

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame concluded with Steve Rogers passing the Captain America mantle to Sam Wilson, a decision he made after traveling to the past on a mission to return the Infinity Stones to the point in time when they were taken and opting to remain in the ’40s with Peggy Carter. Of course, Rogers’ decision to return to the present as an old man and relinquish the Captain America moniker effectively concluded the First Avengers’ story arc, seemingly ending Evans’ tenure with Marvel Studios....

Evert says she was diagnosed in December and completed the first of six rounds of chemotherapy this week. MORE: Will Novak Djokovic play in Australian Open? Latest news on tennis star’s visa decision “As someone who has always had control over my life, I have no idea how I’ll respond to chemotherapy,” Evert, 67, told ESPN colleague Chris McKendry. “I have to give in to something higher.” Evert’s family history played a major role in early detection....