“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)

A woman searches for nails and other metal scraps from remains of burned houses that were gutted during a fire at a poor bayside village in the district of Tondo, Manila, Philippines on Friday, May 20, 2022. Investigators said about 300 families became homeless after the fire that happened Thursday night. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

Muay Thai boxer Nong Rose Baan Charoensuk, who is transgender, trains at a gym in Buriram province, Thailand, July 3, 2017. Born Somros Polchareon, Rose said she identified as a woman at an early age and began wearing makeup and a sports bra in the ring.(Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny (C), reacts as the court delivers the verdict in his trial, in the city of Kirov, Russia, 18 July 2013. Alexei Navalny was sentenced to five years in jail for theft on Thursday, an unexpectedly tough punishment which supporters said proved President Vladimir Putin was a dictator ruling by repression. (Photo by Valentina Svistunova/EPA)

Russian Police detain opposition supporters during a “March of Millions” protest rally against Vladimir Putin's return in Moscow, Russia on May 6, 2012. Over 650 people were arrested including opposition leaders. (Photo by Dmitry Schedrin, Rustem Adagamov, Andrey Stenin)

A cow rests in a pen during the 93rd Hyogo Prefecture Livestock Industry Promoting Event on October 23, 2011 in Kobe, Japan. Hyogo is the center of producing fine beef such as Kobe beef and Tajima beef, and the highest hammer price of the auction was 5,001,000 Japanese yen (65,578.28 U.S. Dollars). Livestock Industry Promoting Event organizing official said, Fukushima nuclear accident and economy crises affected become les the price of Kobe and Tajima beef in this year. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

A series of Japanese good luck charms, called “Daruma”, are lined up ahead of the major national elections November 9, 2003 in Takasaki, Japan. The Daruma is said to bring exceptional good luck in all walks of life, but is used especially during election time by all candidates. People think that if they face a difficult situation, as symbolized by the doll that returns to its original position when knocked over, they will always bounce back. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)

Passengers from a passing train watch as rescue workers search a train which crashed in Karachi, Pakistan, November 3, 2016. At least 17 people have been killed and dozens more injured after two trains carrying hundreds of passengers collided in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, officials said. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)