Comments by the Chinese foreign ministry and a Communist Party newspaper came amid a Reuters report of an unannounced visit to Taipei on Sunday by Rear Admiral Michael Studeman, an intelligence director with Indo-Pacific Command. The trip, which was confirmed by President Tsai Ing-wen’s government in a vague statement, is the third known visit to democratic Taiwan by a high-ranking U.S. official since August. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing Monday that China “will, according to how the situation develops, make a legitimate and necessary response....

The bellicose retort by Hu Xijin—chief editor of the Communist Party newspaper the Global Times—was later also used by China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. In a popular post on Weibo, China’s main social media service, Hu called Taro Aso a “big mouth,” referring to striking recent comments by Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister. Aso, who is also finance minister, hinted at defending Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion of the island, a situation the official felt could threaten Japan’s own survival and trigger security clauses in the country’s otherwise pacifist post-war constitution....

People with Chinese surnames donated nearly $85,000 to the group’s recent online fundraising campaign, USA Today reported. The campaign sought to pay the medical bills of members stabbed during clashes in Washington during December 2020. The donors’ information was hacked from a crowdfunding site called GiveSendGo. The information was then published on the whistleblower site Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS). In June 2020, DDoS published 270 gigabytes of internal U....

California Representative Kevin McCarthy has failed to become Speaker of the House after six separate votes conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, with hope that he can squeak out a victory as voting continues on Thursday. Without a speaker, the House cannot function due to members not being sworn in. There has also been no approval of a rules package, which has been advised to occur by January 13. Some committees are also still lacking Republican chairs....

Chinese authorities have repressed all online discussions of the sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, a former vice-premier and member of the party’s Politburo Standing Committee, who Peng said forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals three years ago. Peng wrote the allegations in a social media post Tuesday night on her verified Weibo account, a leading Chinese social media platform. Peng, 35, wrote that Zhang, now 75, and his wife played tennis in Beijing about three years ago and that he later brought Peng into a room at his home where the assault occurred....

The final was a showcase of Mexican soccer, and while there rarely passes a moment without controversy in Liga MX (Tigres will feel a late penalty shout should’ve been given when Luis Enrique Santander declined to call an apparent foul in the box), the Guadalajara side escaped from a tough final as the victor. Osorio: Chicharito among world’s best finishers Chivas coach Matias Almeyda deserves much of the credit for the historic Copa MX-Liga MX double....

Without making you wait any longer, here are five thoughts after Liga MX Round 8: Chivas show good signs but not ‘back’ yet Chivas got their first win of the season in emphatic fashion, heading into the Estadio Hidalgo and coming out with a 3-1 triumph over Pachuca. From the first minute, Chivas were able to find chances - something you can’t say about their attack in most of this tournament’s previous matches....

In a slum near Peru’s capital, Lima, Julio Mendoza helps his elderly parents hobble out of the only hospital serving a million people. Two days earlier Mendoza watched his wife collapse and die of cholera. Now a doctor tells him that there is no room for his infected parents; the hospital is reserving its 45 available beds for the critically ill, because health workers are on strike. Back in the Mendozas’ shack, another child has fallen ill with cholera and lies curled up on a bed behind the old man....

Choline has many functions in the human body, including: Forming acetylcholine, one of seven major neurotransmitters responsible for many nervous system functionsSupporting the integrity of cell membranesRemoving fat and cholesterol from the liverMaking compounds needed for cell signaling Your body does not make all the choline necessary, so you must consume the rest from your diet. Choline can also be found as a nutritional supplement. This article reviews choline, how to get it in your diet, and who is at risk for not getting enough of this nutrient....

Bosh is dealing with complications from another blood clot in his leg, which cost him the entire second half of last season. But this news is more encouraging, even if details remain vague. MORE: How to ensure every dunk contest is this great | Watch all of Aaron Gordon’s and Zach LaVine’s dunks Bosh, 31, was unable to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game in Toronto because of pain in his calf....

The rendition was pretty good, right up until it wasn't. MORE: Ultimate March Madness moments | Final Four live blog | Binoculars needed That's right. He said "Land of the fray." It's ironic that a singer at the Final Four mentioned The Fray. Why? Well, before the 2012 national championship game in New Orleans, La. between Kansas and Kentucky, The Fray we're given the honor of performing the national anthem, and it was terrible....

Davis, upset about taking a 93-mph fastball in the lower back in the eighth, slammed his bat on the ground, instantly shattering it before staring down Morales, who appeared to apologize for the plunking. MORE: Epic baseball umpire arguments Showalter quickly ran out to first base to calm down the 6-3, 230-pound designated hitter, but it was Showalter who needed to decompress. After learning that the umpires were not going to eject Morales for hitting Davis, Showalter lost his cool, screaming at home plate umpire Mark Carlson....

He decided to retire after 20 UFC fights because he no longer desired to be away from his wife and four children. Simply put, Lytle didn’t want to be that absentee father who would only see their kids in passing due to the rigors of being an MMA fighter. MORE: Can Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships become a force in combat sports? With his kids all grown up (his daughter was recently married with his son also tying the knot next week) the full-time firefighter at the Indianapolis Fire Dept....

“Dirty” and “Chris Paul” are not mutually exclusive — not even close. That’s nothing new. What is new? Players are done dealing with it. Exhibit A: Kings center DeMarcus Cousins firing the ball at the All-Star point guard Friday night. MORE: Clippers hate rankings: It’s crowded at the top That was a little bit more than saving a possession. That was sending a message. “I’m sick of this crap, so here’s a missile to your head....

Rolfe hadn’t played since suffering a concussion in April 2016, and now the 34-year-old has been forced to call it quits due to lingering issues from the head injury. “Chris is a true competitor and professional; someone you could always count on both on and off the field,” DCU general manager Dave Kasper said in a club release. “He was a dynamic attacker who enjoyed a long, successful career in MLS, and was a big factor for us for several seasons....

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters Wednesday the winger would miss Game 4 against the Hurricanes. This comes after he was notably concerned about Wagner’s condition following Game 3. “He’s not good right now, when he came off obviously in a lot of pain," Cassidy said after the Bruins’ 2-1 Game 3 win over Carolina on Tuesday. Wagner suffered the injury while blocking a shot off his right forearm in Game 3....

Laettner's alma mater was upset by the Mercer Bears, 78-71. MORE: Mercer is 17th No. 14 seed to upset a No. 3 | Biggest first round upsets | Live NCAA Tournament upsets | Who is Mercer?

“It’s something that I’ve taken a lot of pride in since I’ve had the opportunity to give back,” McCaffrey told Sporting News in January. “The military is something I definitely wanted to target when I put together my team after I got drafted. That was the first thing that came up. ‘What can I do for that?’” McCaffrey found another perfect way to do that on Father’s Day weekend. McCaffrey and his father Ed, who played 13 years as a receiver in the NFL, partnered with USAA and the USO of North Carolina to surprise an active-duty father and daughter....

Those were important, pleasant developments for the USMNT. But by the end of a warm Florida night at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field, it was Christian Pulisic who had dominated the American attack, led the United States to a 4-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago, and assured advancement to the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. And it will be Pulisic who’ll have U.S. fans giddy about his future with the national team....

Serratos, known for her work in Twilight and The Walking Dead, is the second actress to portray the singer in a major project, the first being Jennifer Lopez in the 1996 hit biopic Selena. “I know there’s going to be comparisons, and we’re just going to have to come to terms with that.” But the new series digs deeper. “We’re going to get to spend so much more time with Selena....