World News: 28 November 2022

China’s Xi Jinping faces threat from public anger over ‘zero COVID’
Most protesters focused their anger on restrictions that can confine families to their homes for months and have been criticized as neither scientific nor effective. Some complained the system is failing to respond to their needs.
The cries for the resignation of Xi and the end of the Communist Party that has ruled China for 73 years could be deemed sedition, which is punishable by prison.
In response, police in Shanghai used pepper spray to drive away demonstrators, and dozens were detained in police sweeps and taken away in police vans and buses. China's vast internal security apparatus is also famed for identifying people it considers troublemakers and picking them up later when few are watching.

Read more...


Over 90% of Italian municipalities at risk of floods, landslides - civil protection
“94% of municipalities are at risk of flooding, landslides, coastal erosion,” Fabrizio Curcio told La Stampa newspaper, adding that “all of Italy is at risk.”
Curcio spoke after a mudslide devastated the southern Italian holiday island of Ischia on Saturday, causing the death of at least seven people.
He said Ischia was at greater risk because many of its houses were built illegally, but stressed that other parts of Italy with fewer land planning violations were also vulnerable.

Read more...


Football World Cup frenzy puts strain on Qatar’s camels
As Qatar welcomes more than a million fans for the monthlong World Cup, even its camels are working overtime. Visitors in numbers the tiny emirate has never before seen are rushing to finish a bucket list of Gulf tourist experiences between games: ride on a camel’s back, take pictures with falcons and wander through the alleyways of traditional markets.

Read more...

Cyber Monday set for record sales of $11.2 billion as shoppers wait for discounts
Cyber Monday sales fell 1.4% last year as retailers spread out promotional deals across weeks from as early as October to better manage inventories amid widespread product shortages.
However, big single day shopping events appear to be back in vogue this year with major retailers including Target CorpTGT.N, Macy's IncM.N and Best Buy Co IncBBY.N expecting a return to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
Target's website on Monday advertised discounts of up to 40% on Hot Wheels toys and holiday decor, while Walmart Inc WMT.N and Best Buy websites showed deals worth hundreds of dollars on high-end laptops and televisions.

Read more...


Burkina Faso's vanishing gold boom puts livelihoods at risk
A gold mining boom in Burkina Faso over the last decade propelled Boukary Diallo from being a vendor on a market stall to running a meat business supplying a mine near Ouahigouya, his home town in the north of the country.
But as the West African country loses territory to Islamist militants and lurches from coup to coup, threatening to turn the boom to bust, Diallo is concerned he will be unable to retain all of his ten employees.

Read more...


Bob Dylan apologises for machine-printed 'signatures'
The issue came to light when fans who bought $600, limited-edition copies of Dylan's book The Philosophy of Modern Song compared photos of his signature.
The publisher, Simon & Schuster, initially refused requests for refunds, assuring buyers that the signatures were legitimate and validated by a "letter of authenticity".
After continued pressure, they admitted the books contained a "penned replica" of the star's autograph, and offered full refunds to everyone who had bought one of the 900 "hand-signed" editions.

Read more...

Comments