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Iwuji boarded Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after working with James Gunn on HBO Max’s Peacemaker, playing undercover Butterfly Clemson Murn in the series to great effect. The director loved his work so much that he cast him from the series’ set straight away. While the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer was screened at San Diego Comi-Con last weekend, and Gunn himself said the preview won’t be out until the final VFX details are ironed out, it still ended up leaking online, meaning some fans already got to see some snippets of the movie, though no real glance at its one true villain....

The Associated Press reported that Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, 71, the self-proclaimed “son of God,” and eight others have been named in a superseding indictment by a federal grand jury Thursday. Quiboloy is head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, founded in 1985. The church claims to have 6 million members in 200 countries, with the U.S. center of operations in Van Nuys, Los Angeles. Three Los Angeles-based church officials were also named in the indictment....

The international stars include four from Spain, three from Russia, two each from Brazil and Croatia. World No.14 Roberto Agut (Spain), No.27 Albert Ramos-Vinolas (Spain), No.35 Martin Klizan (Slovakia) and No.48 Borna Coric (Croatia) will add to the star power of the annual event to be held at the SDAT Tennis Stadium. Former top 10 players Tommy Robredo (Spain) and Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) will also be returning to India, the former after 12 years and the latter after two years, threatening to give the top seeds a run for their money....

During his midseason discussion with reporters, Clark Hunt said Monday that Mahomes has defied the expectations of the entire draft room that night. That includes then-general manager John Dorsey, current GM Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid, who has been instrumental in his progress. “I think there was a big question mark in all our minds coming into the year with the transition at quarterback,” Hunt said. “We knew that Patrick was very talented, but any time an NFL team goes with a young quarterback it’s a very challenging endeavor....

After throwing out the first pitch at the Cubs-Phillies game Friday, along with fellow gymnast Alicia Sacramone, Johnson was surprised by her boyfriend, Chiefs long snapper Andrew East, who was down on one knee with a big question in mind. MORE: Classic photos of Wrigley Field | Giant alligator hangs out in visitor’s dugout The Cubs lost, but at least Johnson said yes.

Owner Giulia was told her chihuahua Gue had a back hernia two years ago and that surgery was not recommended. In the time since, Gue has been receiving regular acupuncture, massage and laser therapy. Sounds scary, but Gue has had her very own “support dog” through it all, in the form of canine sibling Chew. Gue and Chew’s supportive relationship was shared online in a TikTok video that has since captured over 1....

Charles Aranguiz (7th minute) and Jose Fuenzalida (11th) struck in the early stages on Thursday to take Chile into the final for the second time in a row. The defending champions will battle Argentina for the title in a repeat of last year’s final. Chile pipped Argentina via penalty shootout in the final of the 2015 edition and the ‘Albcieste’ will be hungry for revenge this year. Argentina thrashed hosts US in the other semi-final on Wednesday....

Kurt Campbell, the White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, described his astonishment at China’s assertiveness and determination to reshape the international order in its favor during a virtual Asia Society event on Tuesday. A veteran diplomat who served in the Obama administration, Campbell also issued clarifications of U.S. policy on Taiwan at a time of rising tensions over the democratic island. The U.S. supports a “strong unofficial relationship with Taiwan,” Campbell said, before adding: “We do not support Taiwan independence....

The Biden administration had committed to donating 750,000 doses of COVID vaccines to Taiwan, but in the end tripled the aid, which arrived in Taipei on Sunday from Memphis via Los Angeles. The Taiwanese government, led by President Tsai Ing-wen, thanked the U.S. for what it called a “moving gesture of friendship.” But the timely assistance, which comes as Taiwan’s containment efforts are threatened by a vaccine shortage, was met with fresh protests from Beijing....

The Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry passed through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday, in what the U.S. Pacific Fleet said was a “routine” transit “in accordance with international law.” But the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, responsible for the country’s east coast and the Taiwan Strait, dismissed the American transit as a provocation. The state-backed Global Times newspaper—often used to air more belligerent sentiments from within the country—said Eastern Theater Command “organized naval and air forces and tracked and monitored the USS Barry destroyer for the entire course when the U....

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday that China had the right to conduct coast guard patrols going on for nearly 13 consecutive weeks near the Paracel Islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea and to close off the waters surrounding the Vietnam-claimed Pinnacle Islands for training in the South China Sea from July 1 to July 5 because both are part of the country’s territory....

The Anchorage meetings will run through Friday, and had been touted by both sides as an opportunity for the world’s two largest economies to reset dialogue after four years of combative ties under former President Donald Trump. But the on-camera introduction for the talks descended into verbal jousting, with Chinese officials reacting angrily to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s listing of specific grievances including human rights abuses and territorial expansionism....

“Taiwan is one of the very few issues that might take China and the United States to conflict or even a war,” Jing Quan, minister of the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., told reporters during a virtual press conference Friday. Given the sensitive nature of the issue, he argued that “extra caution and a sense of responsibility is indispensable when it comes to Taiwan.” “The right way for China and the U....

The London-based company’s latest estimate, updated on Wednesday, put daily infections at 2.27 million in the world’s most populous country, and daily deaths at 14,700. China’s first nationwide COVID wave would likely peak on January 13 at 3.7 million cases a day, the group predicts. China abruptly abandoned its stringent zero-COVID policy on December 7, ending lockdowns, reducing quarantine times and winding down its mass testing regimen. Its top public health experts believe the government no longer has the means to accurately track what many suspect is the largest outbreak anywhere since the pandemic began three years ago....

Taiwanese aircraft were dispatched to confront or warn away the large show of military force into Taiwan, which comes as U.S. Navy aircraft carriers including the Japan-based U.S.S. Ronald Reagan entered the disputed South China Sea. Maps released by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday showed 28 warplanes led the incursion as growing tensions have mounted over the island country that Chinese government officials see as part of the mainland....

This was in response to Australia believing that China influenced the labeling of the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger” for political reasons, the Associated Press reported. The committee will be meeting both visually and in the city of Fuzhou for the next two weeks. They will consider the draft decision on Friday. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. The UNESCO committee will consider adding new sites to the World Heritage list, taking some off and adding others to the in-danger category....

The plans were outlined in a government white paper released late last month by China’s State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China. Its authors noted that over the next five years China will “start a new journey towards a space power” [sic] so that it can “pioneer human progress” and “defend national security”. Some view China as a leading competitor to the U.S. in space. Last year, NASA administrator Bill Nelson referred to the country as “a very aggressive competitor”—though he also told Newsweek that he wished China “were a partner with us” in space exploration like Russia has been....

The truth is that high prices in China, and the rest of the world for that matter, are a direct result of low prices in America. When the Chinese government, and their counterparts in the Middle East and Latin America, finally move to snuff out local inflation, a massive realignment of global purchasing power will ensue, with Americans on the losing end. Despite economists’ efforts to obscure the obvious, prices are a function of money supply....

Paulinho had starred as the Selecao won the 2013 Confederations Cup, claiming Bronze Ball honours. A rangy central midfielder with physicality and a silky touch? His £17 million move from Corinthians to Tottenham seemed like a bargain. Aguero flops for awful Argentina But Paulinho, of course, never truly found his footing in the Premier League. The 2014 World Cup on home soil ended in devastation, with Paulinho benched for the 7-1 semi-final setback against Germany....