“The popularity of the Internet in China has driven the explosive growth of profitable Web companies and made fortunes for some Chinese entrepreneurs despite government controls on what the public can see online. The number of mainland Internet users rose to 513 million in December, up 12 percent from a year earlier, the government-sanctioned China Internet Network Information Center said”. – AP Business Writer

Photo: Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Shaolin Temple, works on the computer April 8, 2005 in Dengfeng, Henan Province, China. (Photo by Cancan Chu/Getty Images)

This photo taken on January 28, 2018 shows participants taking part in games on stage during the “&Proud” LGBT festival in Yangon. Races, games, music and fun were just some of the highlights of the “&Proud” LGBT festival, which took place in a Yangon public park for the first time at the weekend in a country where same-s*x relations are still officially illegal. (Photo by Ye Aung Thu/AFP Photo)

Anissa Barbato from New York looks out over the city from the Edge, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere on September 2, 2020 as it reopened to the public in New York. Rising 1,131 feet in the air from the heart of Hudson Yards it offers 360-degree views of New York Citys iconic skyline from the 100th floor outdoor viewing. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP Photo)

Kindergartner Cameron McManus, 5, watches as a fellow student has his portrait made during “picture day” at Rogers International School on September 23, 2020 in Stamford, Connecticut. Students lined up outside to be photographed while socially distanced due to COVID-19 precautions. Most students at Stamford Public Schools are taking part in a hybrid education model, attending in-school classes every other day and distance learning the rest. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A woman wearing a mask to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, tries to communicate with Efe, a cat living in Kugulu public garden, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, November 30, 2020.Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced Monday the most widespread lockdown so far amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, extending curfews to weeknights and full lockdowns over weekends. (Photo by Burhan Ozbilici/AP Photo)

Tibetan monks in ghoulish costumes perform during a ceremony to chase away the “demon king” to bring peace and happiness for the Tibetan New Year at the Yonghegong Lama Temple in Beijing, Sunday, February 19, 2023. The annual event has returned after China lifted all bans on public gatherings from the outbreak of COVID-19. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

A child prays next to a woman during Eid al-Fitr prayers in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, May 2, 2022. Members of the Romanian Muslim community gathered for Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the Dinamo stadium in the Romanian capital, in the largest Muslim public gathering of the year in Romania. (Photo by Andreea Alexandru/AP Photo)

(L-R) Ruby Zinner, 21, Caroline Reinstadler, 22, Marie Kallis, 22, and Julia Bogdanoff, 21, wearing graduation caps and gowns drink champagne while taking graduation photos in Washington Square Park amid the Coronavirus pandemic on May 09, 2021 in New York City. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic NYU's commencement ceremony will be held virtually on May 19th. Students from the 2021 will be invited back for an in person graduation when public health guidelines allow. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)