'Bring Ya Ya home': How a panda in the US turbocharged Chinese nationalist sentiment

When Ya Ya, a giant panda from China, landed in the United States in 2003, several hundred spectators at the Memphis International Airport broke into cheers to welcome the fluffy goodwill ambassador from Beijing.
http://dlvr.it/Sn8PlX

'This is a surreal day for me': Aaron Rodgers introduced as New York Jets quarterback

Four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV champion Aaron Rodgers was introduced Wednesday as the New York Jets' newest signal-caller.
http://dlvr.it/Sn8Phn

Russia's war in Ukraine

Moscow is concentrating its forces on the assault in the battered eastern city of Bakhmut — and consequently reducing offensive operations in some other areas, the Ukraine military said. Follow here for live updates. Follow here for live updates.
http://dlvr.it/Sn5LX6

WHO warns of 'biological risk' after Sudan fighters seize lab, as violence mars US-brokered ceasefire

The World Health Organization warned Tuesday of a "huge biological risk" after Sudanese fighters seized the National Public Health Laboratory in the capital Khartoum, as foreign nations raced to mount rapid evacuation efforts from the country and violence punctured a fragile US-brokered ceasefire.
http://dlvr.it/Sn5LKl

Singapore executes man for trafficking two pounds of cannabis

A Singaporean man convicted of trying to traffic around 2.2 pounds of cannabis was executed on Wednesday, a sentence lambasted by rights groups and campaigners for its severity at a time when many other nations, including neighboring countries, have adopted a more lenient approach towards drugs and capital punishment.
http://dlvr.it/Sn5L6F

Conservative Thai party looks to woo voters with promise to legalize sex toys

Thailand's conservative Democrat Party has come up with a novel strategy to try and win votes ahead of next month's national elections -- a campaign pledge to make sex toys legal should they win power.
http://dlvr.it/Sn5KyF

New Zealand pilot captured by Papuan fighters says he is 'alive and well' in new hostage video

Philip Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot held hostage by separatist fighters in Indonesia's restive Papua region, has appeared in a video saying he is "alive and well," as concerns grow for his safety as fighting with Indonesian security forces intensifies.
http://dlvr.it/Sn5Kq2