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The news represents a small breakthrough for CBD product owners, which have long been blocked by some technology companies from advertising online. “The opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers, where they are, is long overdue.”The pilot comes in response to the prevalence and widespread availability of CBD products, a Google spokesman said. Many large digital advertising companies, including Amazon.com Inc. and Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta Platforms Inc., still prohibit ads promoting CBD and cannabis products. Google will consider user and advertiser feedback before considering expanding CBD advertising to locations outside of the three test markets, the spokesman said. Ore.-based compliance company, to certify merchants before they can advertise CBD products on Google.

☆ Taliban minister defends closing universities to women as global backlash grows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Female university students were turned away from campuses on Wednesday and the higher education ministry said their access would be suspended "until further notice". "They didn't observe Hijab (Islamic female dress code), they were coming with the clothes that mostly women wear to go to a wedding," he said. Dozens of women gathered outside Kabul University on Thursday to protest in the first major public demonstration in the capital since the decision. [1/4] Afghan women chant slogans in protest against the closure of universities to women by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 22, 2022. The backlash towards restrictions on female education is complicating the Taliban-led administration's efforts to gain formal recognition and the lifting of sanctions that are hampering the economy, diplomats say.

☆ Argentina’s World Cup heroes airlifted in helicopters as street party overflows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“It’s crazy, it’s incredible, it’s the best thing that can happen to you in life,” said 25-year-old metalworker Matias Gomez. People held up banners of Messi and late icon Diego Maradona, played instruments or climbed lamp-posts or bus stops. Roads started to clear after the players took to the sky in helicopters, with some people left disappointed not to see the team. The penalty shootout victory made the country world champions for the first time since Maradona hoisted the trophy in 1986 and the third in total. “I celebrate how the people took to the streets to pay homage to our national team,” President Alberto Fernandez said in a post on Twitter.

☆ Mitch McConnell says the 'entire nation knows' who is responsible for the Capitol riot after the January 6 panel asked the DOJ to prosecute Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mitch McConnell hit out at Donald Trump after the latter was referred to the DOJ for prosecution. In a statement, McConnell said that "entire nation knows who is responsible" for the Capitol riot, without directly naming Trump. The January 6 panel on Monday asked the DOJ to prosecute Trump on four charges linked to the riot. McConnell's statement came after the House panel investigating the Capitol riot on Monday asked the Justice Department to prosecute Trump on four charges. "There is no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day," McConnell said of Trump at the time.

☆ Vote for me! Cyprus clerics scramble to get public vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus is one of the few Orthodox Churches worldwide to recognise the independence of the fellow-Orthodox Church of Ukraine, in a move which triggered a rift within the Cypriot church in 2020. Chrysostomos had recognised the independence of the Ukrainian church away from Moscow's influence, butting heads with clerics considered pro-Russian. Today it has business interests as diverse as real estate to Cyprus's award-winning KEO beer. "In Cyprus the flock has the privilege of choosing who will be its shepherd," said theologian Theodoros Kyriakou. Reporting by Michele Kambas, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Huaman is one of Peru's "forgotten" people, marginalized, rural groups Castillo tried to represent - often falling short - whose anger has been fired up by his arrest, threatening to derail a fragile new government and a reviled Congress. Many of the protesters - some Castillo supporters and others simply angry - said they felt ignored by political leaders. The military says protesters, most in Peru's Andean south, have used homemade weapons and explosives. A political rookie, he had won support with pledges to reform the constitution, redistribute huge copper riches and empower marginalized indigenous groups. Outside the Lima jail, Katherine Asto had come to support Castillo wearing a white hat with a slogan making her feelings clear: "Shut down Congress, it's a nest of rats".

☆ Liberians protest over economic hardship and president's absence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Alphonso Toweh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] President of Liberia George Weah arrives to address the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Mike SegarPAYNESVILLE, Liberia, Dec 17 (Reuters) - More than a thousand people joined a demonstration in a suburb of Liberia's capital on Saturday, protesting over economic hardships and President George Weah's prolonged absence from the country. Lewis Brown, a prominent Liberian politician who served in the cabinets of former presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Charles Taylor, was the event's main organiser. "Too many people in this country are suffering, cannot pay rent, cannot pay school fees," Brown said as she addressed the crowd. Reporting by Alphonso Toweh; Additional reporting by Carielle Doe; Writing by Cooper Inveen;Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Since the early days of the invasion, Mr. Putin has conceded, privately, that the war has not gone as planned. “I think he is sincerely willing” to compromise with Russia, Mr. Putin said of Mr. Zelensky in 2019. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. To join in Mr. Putin’s war, he has recruited prisoners, trashed the Russian military and competed with it for weapons. “I think this war is Putin’s grave.” Yevgeny Nuzhin, 55, a Russian prisoner of war held by Ukraine, in October.

London CNN —China has removed its consul-general and five other British-based diplomats wanted by police for questioning in connection to the alleged beating of a Hong Kong protester in the English city of Manchester. The Chinese Embassy said the consul-general returned to China under a “normal rotation of Chinese consular officials” and had completed his term of office. Hong Kong protester Bob Chan shows a photograph of his injuries at a news conference in London on October 19. According to protest organizers, around 60 demonstrators had gathered outside the Manchester consulate to protest Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power. Under the law, protesters and activists have been jailed, newsrooms shut, civic society dismantled and formal political opposition effectively wiped out.

☆ Tumblr Shoots for a Comeback With Users and Advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Wireless company Verizon Communications Inc., which bought Yahoo in 2017, saw Tumblr users nosedive when it banned adult content, including nudity, in 2018. Tumblr users in the past month have depicted anthropomorphized versions of the Tumblr and Twitter logos, for example, having a quasiromantic relationship. And in April, it introduced Tumblr Blaze, which offers users, including brand accounts, wider exposure for their posts. Advertisers that create custom campaigns using the parlance popular among Tumblr users to appeal to particular communities usually see the best engagement, according to Tumblr’s chief marketing officer, Matthew Ryan. Some of the most active advertisers on Tumblr are movie and television studios that create Tumblr campaigns for die-hard fans of genres or series, Mr. Ryan said.

☆ Mongolians brave bitter cold to protest 'coal theft' corruption
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

people shouted at the government building on Sukhbaatar square on Thursday. The government promised on Wednesday to investigate and punish "coal thieves" and named 10 officials under investigation. "People who steal public funds should be held accountable just as someone who commits a crime is held responsible. Authorities first began investigating coal theft nine years ago, said Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, a former member of parliament and founder of the Civic Unity Party. Another public hearing on the coal theft will be held on Dec. 21.

CNN —Several players of Morocco’s national team unfurled a Palestinian flag on the pitch while celebrating their historic World Cup win over Spain in Qatar on Tuesday. This is the second time Moroccan players have raised the Palestinian flag after winning a match. Morocco’s player Jawad El Yamiq raised the Palestinian flag while celebrating his country’s 2-1 victory over Canada last week. Football authorities have occasionally issued fines for displays of the Palestinian flag inside grounds. Videos on social media also show Palestinians celebrating Morocco’s win in the streets of several cities in the West Bank and in Gaza.

☆ Hospital reports Pelé responding well to treatment for respiratory infection
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO — Brazilian soccer great Pelé is responding well to treatment for a respiratory infection and his health condition has not worsened over the latest 24 hours, the Albert Einstein hospital said Saturday. The 82-year-old Pelé has been at the hospital since Tuesday. Get well messages have poured in from around the world for the three-time World Cup winner, who is also undergoing cancer treatment. Kely Nascimento, Pelé’s daughter, posted several pictures on Instagram from Brazil fans in Qatar wishing her father well with flags and banners. Nelson Almeida / AFP via Getty ImagesThe Albert Einstein hospital said Friday that Pelé is getting antibiotics to treat an infection at the same time he undergoes chemotherapy against cancer.

☆ Students rally in Budapest protesting against teachers' dismissals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Marton MonusBUDAPEST, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Thousands of teachers, students and parents protested in the Hungarian capital on Saturday in solidarity with teachers fired from top Budapest secondary schools for taking strike action that the government deemed unlawful. After a nationwide teachers' strike in January 2022, the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban restricted strike action. Several teachers from three leading Budapest secondary schools were dismissed by an order from the Interior Ministry on Wednesday for joining demonstrations and not holding classes. Students held up banners "Hands off our teachers," and "Shame on Orban" at the rally in Budapest while some students organised a week-long 24-hour vigil at the Interior Ministry, which has responsibility for education. The government has said it would raise teachers' wages once the European Commission disburses EU recovery funding, with pay hikes coming over a period of 3 years.

CNN —Brazilian football legend Pelé is being treated for a “respiratory infection,” according to a statement by the Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital in São Paulo on Friday. The 82-year-old is in “stable condition” and responding well to the treatment with antibiotics, but will remain in hospital to continue treatment in the coming days, the statement added. Pelé was admitted to the hospital for a “re-evaluation of the chemotherapy treatment over the colon cancer identified in September 2021,” the hospital said in an earlier statement on Wednesday. When news broke that the three-time World Cup winner was in the hospital, his daughter Kely Nascimento took to Instagram to reassure the public. Thanks to Qatar for this tribute, and to everyone who sends me good vibes!” he said in his post.

For years, Argentine fans said that no matter how many Ballons d'Or and trophies Messi won with Barcelona, he could never match Maradona until he too lifted a World Cup. EMOTIONAL MESSIMany of the banners show Messi and Maradona together, some depicting the late No. And Messi himself has opened up emotionally to rally the team and nation after their shock defeat to Saudi Arabia. "For me, Messi has always felt and done his all for the national team, from his first game until now. "Messi has suffered from being a venerated star in Barcelona but often under attack here in Argentina."

☆ Soccer World Cup fans see double standard in stadium politics ban
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The first World Cup in the Middle East has been anything but insulated from the troubles of the volatile region, set against a backdrop of anti-government protests in Iran and an upsurge in Israeli-Palestinian violence. On Thursday, security ushered through hundreds of fans draped in flags, hats and scarves showing support for Palestine ahead of the Morocco v Canada match. Qatar's World Cup organisers said that "security authorities stepped in to deescalate tension and restore calm." A FIFA Qatar World Cup stadium code of conduct prohibits banners, flags, fliers, apparel and other paraphernalia of a "political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature". "I felt welcomed by the Qatari people and by all present here ... people greet us with ‘Palestine Palestine'," said Palestinian fan Saeed Khalil.

☆ 'Don't yell that': fears compete with calls for 'freedom' at China protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Don't get people too riled up ... we didn't say anybody should step down," one lead protester told the crowd through a megaphone. Many people in the Sunday night crowd in Beijing shouted: "Return freedom to the people, end the lockdowns." But that worried some in the crowd, according to a Reuters witness. 'BRIDGE MAN'Public criticism of Xi or the Communist Party is exceedingly rare. "The average Chinese person knows it's extremely dangerous to question the rule of the Communist Party or Xi Jinping by name in any public context," said Delury.

☆ Israeli journalists experience chilly reception at Qatar World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Former Israeli football star, and now a commentator Eil Ohana posted a video showing a Qatari police officer driving him in a golf cart. Videos have gone viral in Israel and the Arab world showing football fans yelling at Israeli reporters, refusing to speak to them because of where they are from. Canadian pop star Justin Bieber launched clean water company Generosity at Qatar’s World Cup, to provide premium alkaline water in refillable fountains across the globe. The pitch invader who waved a rainbow flag on the field during Portugal’s World Cup match with Uruguay on Monday said FIFA president Gianni Infantino came to the Qatari police station to free him in order to “avoid more controversy.”Thursday’s Group E FIFA World Cup match between Costa Rica and Germany saw an all-women refereeing team for the first time in men’s World Cup history. Stephanie Frappart, from France, led the refereeing team, making her the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match.

☆ Chinese protesters are reacting to a broken social contract
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Diana Fu | Diana Fu Is Associate Professor Of Chinese Politics At The University Of Toronto | Non-Resident Fellow At The Brookings Institution. She Is Author Of The Book | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

However, a deeper cause for this unrest is that the protesters are responding to a broken social contract between the Chinese Communist Party and the people. Despite swift censorship, a Chinese social media post referencing the incident had been viewed 180,000 times before it was deleted. With 20% youth unemployment, businesses closing, migrant workers left homeless and preventable deaths mounting, some Chinese citizens are withdrawing their consent to be ruled. Chinese protesters normally avoid such rhetoric, preferring to stick to bread-and-butter economic or local issues, which are more likely to yield concessions. It is significant that this time, Chinese protesters are borrowing a tactic from Hong Kong protesters in 2020 — holding up pieces of blank paper.

☆ Factbox: A chronology of dissent in China in recent decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( James Pomfret | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The following is a timeline of some other notable protests, and public dissent against China's ruling Communist Party. 2009 - Xinjiang - In the region's worst ethnic unrest in decades, ethnic Uighurs attacked majority Han Chinese in the capital Urumqi, after an incident involving Uighur workers in a factory in southern China. China later builds massive "facilities" to turn Xinjiang into what a United Nations panel described as a "massive internment camp shrouded in secrecy". China later imposes a powerful national security law, arresting scores of democrats and shutting down civil society groups and liberal media outlets, including the Apple Daily newspaper. 2022 - Henan bank protests - Public protests simmer as thousands lose access to their savings in a banking fraud scandal centred on rural lenders in Henan and Anhui provinces.

☆ Apple limited a crucial AirDrop function in China just weeks before protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Protests in China have attracted international attention as the greatest challenge of President Xi Jinping's premiership and a major knock to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) longstanding authority. But their spread within China was partially hobbled by a key change in Apple 's AirDrop feature, launched just weeks before the unrest. AirDrop, which allows users to share content between Apple devices, has become an important tool in protestors' efforts to circumvent authoritarian censorship regimes over recent years. That is because it relies on wireless connections between phones, rather than internet connectivity, placing it beyond the scope of internet content moderators. More recently, in mid-October, AirDrop was reportedly used to disseminate messages based on banners produced by a Beijing demonstrator known as "Bridge man."

☆ What China’s Protesters Are Calling For
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Agnes Chang | Chang Che | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The protesters’ calls for an end to lockdowns have morphed into demands for official accountability and even for China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to step down. In Shanghai on Sunday, protesters had gathered at Urumqi Road, named after the city, when the man stepped onto the road. The crowd responded: “No!”“Chinese people, we have to be braver!” ReutersThe crowd applauded. PLAINCLOTHES OFFICER PLAINCLOTHES OFFICER The New York Times; video via ReutersThe man continued: “How did the people in Urumqi die? “The foreign forces you are talking about — are they Marx and Engels?”“We are all patriots,” one replies.

☆ Canada's Trudeau says people in China should be allowed to protest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Chris HelgrenOTTAWA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that everyone in China should be allowed to protest and express themselves, and that Canadians were closely watching the protests against the country's zero-COVID policy. "Everyone in China should be allowed to express themselves, should be allowed to share their perspectives and indeed protest." Free China! and "Xi Jinping! Hugh Yu, who said he participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and now lives in Canada, helped organize the Toronto protest.

☆ Black Friday was better than feared for retail stocks — Two potential big winners
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Black Friday was better than expected for retailers this year, with discount names Walmart and Costco poised to be among the season's winners, according to Bank of America. The big-box retailer made significant price investments to offer deeper discounts and traffic appeared very strong in stores, Ohmes noted. "Specialty retailers appeared to be relative winners while we observed decent trends across the discounters and department stores," said analyst Krisztina Katai. Morgan Stanley also called out strong traffic results for Lululemon and American Eagle, as well as Abercrombie & Fitch and Victoria's Secret. "These strong traffic results were achieved despite 1) similar or lower y/y discounting levels, & /or 2) discounting activity below total sector averages.

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