“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)

Winter swimmers dressed in ballet costumes pose for a photo before diving into the icy water, during a snowfall at a park in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China on February 15, 2019. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

Children beg for alms in a street on August 11, 2014 in Manila, Philippines. The Philippines has one of the fastest growing populations in Southeast Asia with around 100 million people. At least 12 million people live in the capital city of Manila alone, making it one of the most densely populated and largest cities in the world. Lack of space and economic opportunities has pushed around four million people to live informally along waterways, bridges and even cemeteries further straining the already weak infrastructure and straining the resources of the city. (Photo by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images)

A woman presents an Afro-Colombian hairstyle during the 9th contest of Afro-hairdressers, in Cali, Valle del Cauca departament, Colombia, on May 12, 2013. The Afro hairstyles have their origins in the time of slavery, when women sat to comb their children hair after work. (Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP Photo)

A woman looks out from her stall selling traditional garments and textiles at a market in Ashgabat February 8, 2012. (Photo by Aman Mehinli/Reuters)

A man with henna-dyed hair rests on a road near the port area in Karachi, Pakistan on July 3, 2019. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

Members of indigenous Gurung community wearing traditional attire takes part with others in a New Year celebration ceremony known as “Tamu Lhosar” in Kathmandu on December 30, 2022. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)

A group of children run into a fountain on the South Bank on August 1, 2011 in London, England. Temperatures in the capital reached around 27 degress today and are expected to hit 30 degrees by Wednesday. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)