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“It is China’s consistent belief that every country’s right to independently choose their social system and development path should be respected,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters Monday. “China firmly supports Cuba’s exploration for a development path consistent with its national realities, opposes external interference in Cuba’s internal affairs, supports Cuba in fighting COVID-19, improving people’s livelihood and maintaining stability, and remains committed to deepening China-Cuba friendship,” he said....

In March 2021, the Philippines called attention to a fleet of Chinese vessels occupying the Whitsun Reef, to which both China and the Philippines lay claim. The National Taskforce for the West Philippine Sea revealed more than 200 Chinese maritime militia vessels anchored in the reef. Filipino fishermen, as they have done for generations, rely heavily on the rich waters around the Whitsun Reef for their livelihoods. They are now on the frontlines of what could become a critical moment for international conflict....

Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, said Chinese forces took part in “live-fire assault” drills, among other training activities, in the seas and skies off southwest and southeast Taiwan. Warships, anti-submarine aircraft and fighter jets were deployed together, according to Shi, who said the exercise evaluated the command’s ability to conduct joint operations. “Recently, frequent collusion and provocation by the U.S. and Taiwan have … seriously violated China’s sovereignty and undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Shi said....

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the WHO’s March 30 team report on a Wuhan field visit to investigate the source of COVID-19 raised questions that “need to be addressed by further studies.” He said the team encountered difficulties in accessing raw data and added that the report concluded a lab leak was the “least likely hypothesis.” “Tedros’ remarks were extremely irresponsible,” Chinese state media Hubei Media Group reported, quoting the anonymous Chinese scientist on the WHO’s international team investigating the origins of COVID-19, according to the Morning Post....

Why are these eight rocks in the East China Sea of any concern? They could trigger history’s next great conflict, perhaps as early as this month. China is determined to take the Senkakus. On August 2, Sankei News, the conservative-leaning Japanese newspaper, reported that Beijing had informed Tokyo that a large number of Chinese fishing vessels and government ships might, at the end of a fishing-suspension period on the 16th of this month, enter territorial waters around those islands....

Wydad’s early pressure paid off when El Karti opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Casablanca would take the slender lead to the interval. After the break, the impressive Bencharki made it 2-0 to Wydad with his 54th-minute strike. Waydad suffered a blow when defender Amine Atouchi was sent off for a second yellow card. The sending off saw Alger attempt to make the most of their numerical advantage and their pressure paid off when Ayoub Abdellaoui struck to make it 2-1 the 68th minute....

On Monday, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) said it had installed the cages with “fake children inside” to remind caucus-goers of the impact President Donald Trump’s “anti-immigrant crackdown” had on migrants and asylum seekers as they meet to vote on their preferred candidates for each party. Erika Andiola, the chief advocacy officer for RAICES told Newsweek she knew that seeing children locked in cages, covered only by a Mylar blanket, would be a “disturbing” experience for caucus-goers, but it was important that they “don’t look away....

The 38-year-old is the third oldest player at the World Cup and is his country’s leading scorer with 50 goals in 106 games for the Socceroos over his 14-year international career. However, he may have his last chance of appearing for his national team as Australia prepare to face Peru. Australia need to win and they need Denmark to lose against France to progress through Group C into the last round....

However, when calcium builds up in soft tissues, where it isn’t supposed to be, it leads to calcification or calcium deposits. This causes the affected soft tissues to harden, which can interfere with their function. This article discusses calcification, including its causes, which areas of the body are affected, and how it’s diagnosed and treated. What Are Calcifications? Calcifications, or calcium deposits, are hard nodules that grow as calcium builds up in soft tissue....

Daniels grew up in New Orleans and played basketball at the famed St. Augustine High, which gifted Jon Batiste to the music world, Tyrann Mathieu to football and Carl Weathers to the motion picture Rocky, where he delivered one of the underrated performances in the history of film. Daniels did not leave town as he began his college basketball career. Tulane’s challenging academic curriculum and challenged basketball program seemed an ideal fit for a valedictorian who was unranked nationally as a prep prospect....

Growing up in Osseo, Minn., Truax played baseball and football. He attended Virginia State University on a football scholarship and played one season before suffering a knee injury, ending his gridiron aspirations. Realizing that chapter of his life was over, the 19-year-old Truax returned home and attended the University of Minnesota. One day, Traux saw an ad in the local newspaper for something that would change his life. MORE: Boxing pound-for-pound rankings...

In many cases, calf muscle pain while walking or a sudden calf pain at night may be as simple as a common “Charley horse” cramp. Other causes of calf pain are serious, and may be life-threatening if they aren’t diagnosed and treated appropriately. This article discusses calf pain causes, and when to be concerned about calf pain that needs to be seen by a healthcare provider. It also explains calf pain treatment, and strategies you can try to manage symptoms and prevent muscle-related calf pain in the future....

California Governor Gavin Newsom, Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee, all Democrats, announced the plan in a joint press release on Monday. “COVID-19 has preyed upon our interconnectedness,” read the statement provided to Newsweek by Governor Inslee’s office. “In the coming weeks, the West Coast will flip the script on COVID-19—with our states acting in close coordination and collaboration to ensure the virus can never spread wildly in our communities....

Rob McCoy, the pastor at Ventura County’s Godspeak Cavalry Chapel, told Los Angeles-based news station KABC the church has not identified cases of the novel coronavirus among members of its congregation. “We haven’t had one case reported to me by a congregant of any COVID-19…It doesn’t affect all of the city,” McCoy said, following the church’s initial 9 a.m. service. Two more services were scheduled for later in the day....

An investigation has been launched after images and videos believed to be of Officer Rick Fitzgerald taking part in a Proud Boys counterprotest were shared online. Fitzgerald is accused of being with the Proud Boys, listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, during Sunday’s protest against the selling of Fresno’s historic Tower Theatre. The officer was identified after allegedly being spotted in a video of the protest posted onto YouTube by former Proud Boys Eddie Block....

“In the past 33 years we have not seen a single year go over two million acres until this year,” a Cal Fire spokesperson noted. As of Monday, over 14,100 firefighters were reported to be battling 24 large wildfires, several of which have been caused by lightning, with 3,300 structures destroyed and eight deaths reported, according to Cal Fire’s latest report Monday. At least two fires were reported to be zero percent contained on Monday, including the Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles County and the Creek Fire in Fresno County....

The child was rushed to the Community Regional Medical Center (CRMC) after being wounded on Tyler Avenue and Clark Street shortly before 6:30 p.m. Police said officers responded to the scene after a notification that 19 rounds were fired in the area, KGPE reported. Fresno Police Department Lt. Bill Dooley confirmed the victim is a Hispanic female child who suffered a “minor wound to her shoulder.” Investigators are hunting for those responsible for firing the bullets outside the residential building....

Funds from the California GOP are expected to be spent on hiring workers to gather more signatures for the petition, Associated Press reported, noting that the campaign had largely relied on volunteers. The newswire also reported that the money was provided to the Rescue California political action committee, after the Republican National Committee’s decision to pass $250,000 to the state GOP to boost recall efforts. Speaking to the Associated Press, Rescue California campaign manager Anne Dunsmore said the recall campaign expected to gather another 400,000 signatures in light of the funding boost from the California GOP....

“In this phase where we see a light at the end of the tunnel … that this too shall pass, it is also perhaps the most difficult and challenging phase of all,” Newsom said. California, the first state to see community transmission of the new coronavirus, has had 22,348 cases in the past three months, according to the state health department. Now that the curve is starting to bend, officials are looking at easing up restrictions on people’s lives, although it will still be some time before life returns to normal....

The man, whose name is unknown, was released from Theo Lacy Facility, a maximum security jail complex, around two weeks ago. He was tested for the virus two days before his release date but did not receive his test results before then, CBS Los Angeles reported. After his release, he visited his sister Stefani Espinosa and his 65-year-old mother Belinda Rodriguez at the apartment where the two women live. The following day, he was informed he had tested positive for COVID-19 when he called the jail to inquire about his belongings....