The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) published a 144-page report entitled “Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World” that forecasted future trends that would transform the international community nearly 20 years down the road. Among the central factors used to weigh how the world would change was that of the relationship between its top two powers: Washington and Beijing. “The United States, along with its longstanding allies, and China will have the greatest influence on global dynamics,” the report stated, “supporting competing visions of the international system and governance that reflect their core interests and ideologies....

China’s “huge market” is irreplaceable, and its manufacturing base could help the U.S. distribute a desperately needed vaccine, Communist Party newspaper Global Times said in an editorial on Sunday. The state-owned tabloid said the Chinese foreign ministry extended an “olive branch” to Washington when it congratulated Biden and his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, following deteriorating U.S.-China relations under President Donald Trump. Seeing an opportunity to finally move away from its damaging trade war with the Trump administration, the Chinese leadership now appears eager to reposition itself as a potentially vital part of an American recovery and return to the world stage led by Democrat Joe Biden....

The fear on campuses is palpable. Last week, Hong Kong Free Press editor-in-chief Tom Grundy withdrew from a classroom Zoom discussion after a University of Leeds instructor asked him to avoid discussing Hong Kong’s protest movement due to “safety concerns” for Chinese students. And just weeks ago, Princeton professor Rory Truex advised students in China against taking his Chinese politics course due to the legal concerns it could raise for them....

Tsai had “face to face” meetings in the past with both Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan—Joe Biden’s top picks for secretary of state and national security adviser. Channels of communication between Washington and Taipei were “smooth,” she told reporters Wednesday. Speaking before a meeting of her Democratic Progressive Party’s Central Standing Committee, President Tsai said the progression of U.S.-Taiwan relations and the American government’s support for Taiwan have been “clear for all to see....

Chinese authorities shut down businesses and nonessential public institutions and required residents to stay at home, according to a notice posted online, the Associated Press reported. Travel in and out of Ruili was banned Monday after the first cases were reported. Ruili is a city in the southwestern province of Yunnan that borders Myanmar, a country struggling to contain the virus. Myanmar reported 3,602 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, state media said Wednesday....

In a pre-print research article, scientists, mostly from China but also from the U.S., Sweden, Germany, and Russia, detailed what they called an “ultrahard, ultrastrong, semiconducting” synthetic carbon. The team say the material, known as an amorphous material (AM) referred to as “glassy,” is the hardest of its type yet discovered. A pre-print of the article was made available online in November 2020, and it was published in the National Science Review journal on Thursday, August 5....

The riches on offer in the Chinese Super League have made plenty of headlines in recent times, with some top talent lured to Asia from Europe and South America. Carlos Tevez, Oscar, Hulk, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Demba Ba are just some of those to have landed lucrative contracts in the Far East. Financial rewards are not solely restricted to those at the top of the football pyramid in China, though, with the cash flow trickling down to the lower tiers....

In most cases, symptoms (while unpleasant) are typically mild, though severe dehydration and other complications from cholera can be fatal if treatment isn’t obtained quickly enough. Frequent Symptoms Cholera can cause physical discomfort in a number of ways, but there are a few symptoms characteristic in nearly all symptomatic cases: diarrhea, nausea, and dehydration. Watery Diarrhea Often the very first sign of cholera is painless diarrhea that occurs within a day or so of becoming infected....

This article takes a closer look at how chordoma is diagnosed, including the types of tests and imaging involved. Self-Checks Chordoma cannot be accurately diagnosed at home without a physician. But it is possible to check for some of the signs that could potentially indicate a chordoma is growing. The exact symptoms of chordoma will be different for everyone, depending on the size and location of the tumor. Some of the tell-tale signs of chordoma include:...

Bosh flew to Canada on the same plane as Heat owner Micky Arison ahead of the team’s second-round opener against the Raptors, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Bosh, who is out indefinitely after experiencing issues with blood clots, reportedly did the same in the team’s first round series vs. the Hornets. MORE: Worst NBA chokes of all time | Bosh has no plans to retire Speculation has surrounded why Bosh and his team are at odds over his return to the court....

"106 homers, 276 RBIs," Davis told The Baltimore Sun. OK, he wasn't serious. Indeed, Davis said he isn't much interested in his personal numbers: "You can't expect to go out and duplicate it. Once you have shown the ability to do it, obviously, there is the ability to do it again. But my goal is not to go out and hit 50 home runs again. My goal is to do whatever I have to do to get us to the postseason and be productive....

Johnson, who is coming of a season-ending leg injury in 2015, will pair with David Johnson in the Arizona backfield. MORE: 2016 NFL Mock Draft | Broncos match Dolphins’ offer sheet on Anderson “Me and David, we’re two different type of players,” Chris Johnson said, via the team’s website. “David, he can go into the five-receiver sets and do a lot of those plays that [coach Bruce Arians] likes to run....

After winning nine of their previous 10 games, their momentum finally ended as they lost 5-2 to the Flyers. To make matters worse, Chris Kreider suffered a serious injury. The forward went down midway through the first period after blocking a shot by Philadelphia’s Philippe Myers. Kreider headed straight for the bench and the Rangers quickly announced on Twitter that he fractured his foot and wouldn’t return to the game....

Who’s the better pick? Here’s a breakdown of the Buckeyes: DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet Chris Olave fantasy outlook, projection 2022 Olave joins fellow former Ohio State wideout Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry in a deep Saints receiving corps. Behind them, Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, and Deonte Harty are all still in the mix. The Saints picked Olave with the intention of having a more aggressive downfield passing game while committing to quarterback Jameis Winston....

He’ll get into scuffles, like this one with Robin Lopez or this one with Chris Kaman. Don’t forget the time he crashed into Anthony Davis’ knees or everyone’s favorite memory of Paul — when he punched Julius Hodge in the family jewels. MORE: These guys should be All-Stars, but won’t be | Karl-Anthony Towns sinks insane shot It’s nothing new. So when Paul pulled Hawks center Al Horford to the floor on Wednesday to free up his teammate DeAndre Jordan, was anyone really surprised?...

The comedian’s first show since the incident garnered great attention as people speculated how he would address the slap that rocked Hollywood. However, Rock revealed he is “still processing” the incident and did not divulge how he is feeling about it. “How was YOUR weekend?” Rock asked the sold-out crowd at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre but made it clear that the slap would not be on the night’s agenda. “I had written a whole show before this weekend....

The last of Season 12’s couples will tie the knot on the next episode of the show, and it’s not long after Paige says “I do” to Chris—the man MAFS relationship experts Pastor Calvin Robertson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Viviana Coles have matched her with—that drama starts to unfold. Just like every other couple to wed on the series, Paige and Chris are whisked away to a private room where they get their first opportunity to talk....

Trump appeared to be upset that he and fellow Republicans were not given enough credit for helping to pass Criminal Justice Reform, also known as the First Step Act, on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and chose to hit out against the EGOT-winning singer and his wife, a model and TV presenter. In December 2018, Trump signed the First Step Act into law after it was passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate....

It’s who you are and what you’re made of. How are you going to respond? “From the time we could walk, we were competing,” Christian Hackenberg says. “If you think about it, everywhere you look in life, you’re competing in some way, shape and form.” MORE: SN Top 25 QBs for 2015 | Top 25 RBs | Top 50 overall players Want to know why a high school quarterback who could have played anywhere in the country chose to play in college football’s version of Siberia?...

Otherwise, the heavy first-half touches the rookie first-round running back got Wednesday against most of the Texans’ first-string defense — seven carries for 33 yards — left Carolina fans wanting a whole lot more of that when it counts. FANTASY SOURCE: RB rankings | SN’s Top 200 McCaffrey’s highlight was a 12-yard run between the tackles on his team’s second possession in which he squirted past Houston’s linebackers to fight for a first down....