Comment on China pushes fringe theories on COVID-19 pandemic origins, vaccines

Wimbledon tennis tournament is a big ticket item on the U. K. social calendar, but beyond that it has earned global cachet for offering attendees a quintessentially British experience. Think Pimm’s Cup cocktails, strawberries and cream, and the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the British royal family, dressed to the nines, besides celebrity guests in the Royal Box. But as the two-week sporting event—which debuted in 1877—returns to its namesake London suburb between July 1-14, there could be one glaring absence from courtside.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto said Wednesday he won’t sign into law a finance bill proposing new taxes, a day after protesters stormed parliament and several people were shot dead. It was the biggest assault on Kenya’s government in decades. The government wanted to raise funds to pay off debt, but Kenyans said the bill caused more economic pain as millions struggle to get by.

A little girl had something “crazy” to announce to the world at the start of Glastonbury Festival 2024 on Wednesday: she has a boyfriend. When BBC reporter Colin Patterson asked 5-year-old Elske to elaborate on her new boyfriend, the little girl proceeded to share his name, proudly sharing it is “Toby Ogden.” Patterson then turned to her parents, who amusingly had differing opinions on the boy. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “It’s a no from me,” the girl’s father told Patterson, teasing, while her mother adopted a more positive attitude.

King Charles III welcomed the Emperor and Empress of Japan, Naruhito and his wife Masako Owada, to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday for a three-day visit to celebrate the cultural, economic, and diplomatic ties between the two nations. “Your Majesties, my wife and I are so delighted to be able to welcome you to Buckingham Palace this evening,” the King told the Japanese royals at a state banquet on Tuesday.

As China’s youth women’s basketball team takes the court this week for the Under-18 Asia Cup, held on home ground in Shenzhen, it’s impossible to miss one powerful weapon in their arsenal: 17-year-old Zhang Ziyu, who at 7-foot-3 towers over everyone on the court. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Standing taller than any WNBA player ever, she’s been called a “cheat code” and “unguardable” by social media users and compared to Yao Ming, China’s retired 7-foot-6 basketball legend, and Victor Wembanyama, last year’s 7-foot-4 NBA first draft pick from France. It’s not hard to see why Zhang is attracting attention: in her international tournament debut, she’s already chalking up impressive stats, shooting 9 for 9 to score 19 points during 13 minutes off the bench as China cruised to a 109-50 victory against Indonesia on Monday and helping China beat New Zealand 90-68 on Tuesday. Zhang Ziyu keeps 𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 the court 😱The Chinese young sensation puts up 36 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK and 44 EFF against New Zealand 🔥#U18AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/AEkPYv4L5l— FIBA (@FIBA) June 25, 2024 She scored a combined 55 points across her two games so far this week—and has barely had to even jump at all. Zhang Ziyu is 𝐇𝐄𝐑 😤17-year-old center (2,20cm/7'3'') registered 19 points and 7 rebounds on a perfect shooting (9/9) in her FIBA debut 🇨🇳#U18AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/10XKaDESYL— FIBA (@FIBA) June 24, 2024 Women’s basketball has been enjoying a global surge in attention, helped in large part by Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard and WNBA sensation hot off a record-breaking college career.

Elections in the Philippines may be a year away, but the politicking has already begun, with one particular family keen to take up as many posts as possible. When Rodrigo Duterte handed over the presidency to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in 2022, he embraced the son of the country’s former dictator as a vehicle for extending his own legacy.