World News: 22 March 2023

‘Winnie the Pooh’ film pulled from Hong Kong cinemas
For many residents, the Winnie the Pooh character is a playful taunt of China's President Xi Jinping and Chinese censors in the past had briefly banned social media searches for the bear in the country. In 2018, the film “Christopher Robin,” also featuring Winnie the Pooh, was reportedly denied a release in China.
The film being pulled in Hong Kong has prompted concern on social media over the territory’s shrinking freedoms.

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Boris Johnson faces high-stakes grilling over ‘partygate’
Britain's former prime minister faces a grilling Wednesday by a committee of lawmakers over whether he misled Parliament about rule-breaking parties in government buildings during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, a bullish Johnson said "the evidence conclusively shows that I did not knowingly or recklessly mislead Parliament.”

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Macron defends French pension plan on national television
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the "end of the year.”
Macron, who made the comments in an interview broadcast on national television, said the bill that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 will “continue its democratic path.”

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Lebanon to sell unlimited US dollars to prop up collapsing pound
The Lebanese pound's parallel market rate weakened from roughly 121,000 to the U.S. dollar on Tuesday morning to 140,000 by the afternoon, prompting residents to briefly seal off roads in anger over their declining purchasing power.
The pound has lost more than 98% of its value since the economy began unravelling in 2019. The central bank revalued the pound officially from 1,507.5 to 15,000 per U.S. dollar in February but it has traded at a much lower and varying rate on Sayrafa.

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Cubans vote this week for 470 lawmakers; voters ask, 'why bother?'
In Cuba, government-organized selection committees choose the candidates, who must then receive more than 50% of validly-cast votes in their district to earn a seat in the National Assembly, the country's highest lawmaking body. Political campaigning is illegal.
Cuba says the system promotes unity and action, reducing the sway of money in politics. Critics say it lacks transparency and amounts to a rubber stamp for one-party rule.

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Ohtani, Japan beat US 3-2 to win World Baseball Classic championship
Ohtani, the two-way star who has captivated fans across two continents, was voted MVP of the WBC and clutched the trophy against his chest.
Ohtani beat out an infield single in the seventh inning as a designated hitter before walking down the left-field line to Japan’s bullpen to warm up for his third mound appearance of the tournament.

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