Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
1. McDonald's to open retro-style restaurant specializing in drinks
McDonald's has announced its latest idea – a retro-style restaurant specializing in hot and cold drinks. Branded "CosMc's," the concept will be trialled in Chicago before several more locations are selected by the end of next year.
McDonald's is launching a Starbucks competitor called CosMc's
• Drive thru only
• New throwback branding
• Minimal food offerings, mostly iced drinks
Trying to chip away at Starbucks' cold sugary drink dominance pic.twitter.com/AbxmytH6UO
— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) December 7, 2023
2. Tourists end up in cold water due to selfie-taking
A boatload of Chinese tourists fell into a cold canal in Venice after their gondola collapsed due to relentless selfie-taking. The gondolier, who had been telling the tourists to sit down, also fell into the water.
Group of tourists dumped into Venice canal after they 'refused to stop taking selfies' causing gondola to capsize https://t.co/JGaqU3iomw
— LBC (@LBC) December 7, 2023
3. Barbados demands trillions in 'damages' for slave trade
The prime minister of Barbados has claimed the country is owed US$4.9 trillion by the states that succeeded the empires involved in the transatlantic slave trade. Mia Mottley said she doesn't expect the "reparatory damages" to be paid in a single year, but over time.
Barbados PM Mottley calls for slavery reparation conversations https://t.co/bk9DYGufLW pic.twitter.com/FidGuUObCt
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 7, 2023
4. Explosion causes devastation in Seychelles
A state of emergency has been declared in the Seychelles after a huge explosion on the country's main island. The blast has caused devastation along the eastern coast of Mahé.
Watch: Video shows moment of huge explosion in Seychelles https://t.co/84xgacF0j8
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 7, 2023
5. Canadian professor abandons possibility of children due to 'climate grief'
A Canadian professor has been attracting attention online after he wrote an essay explaining that he has had a vasectomy as a way of expressing his "climate grief." Darryl Whetter writes in his article, which appeared on CBC's website: "For birth-strikers like me and the women I have loved, not having children is a way to love the world and the life already on it."
I got a vasectomy due to climate grief. Now, I'm compelled to let go of my backup plan https://t.co/WKq0kqZRyp
— CBC Nova Scotia (@CBCNS) December 6, 2023
