China Covid: Protests widen against strict lockdown measures
Protests in China against government’s strict Covid measures have intensified, with some people publicly venting their anger at the Communist Party leaders.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Shanghai, where the BBC saw people being bundled into police cars.
Students have also demonstrated at universities in Beijing and Nanjing.
The latest unrest follows a protest in the remote north-west city of Urumqi, where lockdown rules were blamed after 10 people died in a tower block fire.
While Chinese authorities deny that Covid restrictions caused the deaths, officials in Urumqi did issue an unusual apology late on Friday, and pledged to “restore order” by phasing out restrictions.
Camilla scraps ladies-in-waiting in modernising move
Camilla, the Queen Consort, is ending the tradition of having ladies-in-waiting, but instead will be helped by “Queen’s companions”.
As well as modernising the title, the six women assistants will be less regularly in attendance than the previous role required.
The honorary positions involve helping the Queen Consort at public events.
Unlike the ladies-in-waiting, this slimmed-down role will not involve correspondence or administration.
Replacing the role of lady-in-waiting will end a feature of court life going back to the middle ages, with such close personal helpers of a Queen often coming from aristocratic families and, over the centuries, sometimes caught up in court intrigue.
The new “companions” will be a more occasional and informal position, supporting the Queen Consort at official engagements and not involved in replying to letters or day-to-day planning.
They don’t receive a salary but their expenses will be covered.
Kim Jong Un says North Korea aims to have the world’s strongest nuclear force
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s intends to have the world’s most powerful nuclear force as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of a new ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday.
The announcement comes after Kim inspected a Nov. 18 test of the Hwasong-17, North Korea’s largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and pledged to counter what he called U.S. nuclear threats
World Cup: Soccer fans stopped by security officials for wearing rainbow-colored items as LGBTQ+ rights issue won’t go away at Qatar 2022
The World Cup is well underway in Qatar, but issues surrounding LGBTQ+ rights for the Gulf state, world soccer governing body FIFA, teams and fans just won’t go away.
On Saturday, two German soccer fans told CNN that they were asked by security officials at Qatar 2022 to remove the rainbow-colored items that they were wearing as they made their way to watch the World Cup match between France and Denmark on Saturday.
