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Russia

While Chavez Gets Embalmed, Lenin May Be Kicked Out Of Red Square

KOMMERSANT (Russia)

Worldcrunch

MOSCOW - There are fresh grumblings in the Russian government suggesting that Vladimir Lenin has finally overstayed his welcome in Red Square.

Lenin’s body has been displayed in a specially-designed mausoleum in the central Moscow square since his death in 1924 -- the kind of treatment that apparently is destined for Venezuelan's recently departed leader Hugo Chavez.

But Mikhail Fedotov, the head of Russia's Presidential Council on Human Rights, is calling for Lenin's body to be moved to a more appropriate locations for a dead human being - like a graveyard, Kommersant reports.

“You can’t have shows and concerts at graveyards,” explained Fedotov, referring to the special events that take place periodically in Red Square.

[rebelmouse-image 27086390 alt="""" original_size="800x494" expand=1]

Lenin's mausoleum in Red Square (wikimedia)

He said that the body should be moved somewhere that could become a ‘pan-Russian Pantheon,’ of important historical figures. The mausoleum building is included in Red Square’s UNESCO world heritage site designation, so it would remain, but possibly be converted into a historical museum, Kommersant reports.

But not everyone sees an innocent attempt to give Lenin a more decent resting place. According to Vadim Solovev, head of the Communist Party’s legal service, “whenever the ruling party starts to have problems, it tries to make public opinion focus on the past.”

[rebelmouse-image 27086391 alt="""" original_size="160x120" expand=1]

(archive.org)

He says that this idea is purely political, and that the government always talks about moving Lenin when it is feeling threatened. “Now there’s a lot of social unrest, an active opposition movement, people protesting in the street. The issue of Lenin’s body isn’t appropriate now. The next generation of Russians will decide for themselves where they think Lenin’s body should reside,” he told Kommersant.

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Future

Livestream Shopping Is Huge In China — Will It Fly Elsewhere?

Streaming video channels of people shopping has been booming in China, and is beginning to win over customers abroad as a cheap and cheerful way of selling products to millions of consumers glued to the screen.

A A female volunteer promotes spring tea products via on-line live streaming on a pretty mountain surrounded by tea plants.

In Beijing, selling spring tea products via on-line live streaming.

Xinhua / ZUMA
Gwendolyn Ledger

SANTIAGOTikTok, owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance, has spent more than $500 million to break into online retailing. The app, best known for its short, comical videos, launched TikTok Shop in August, aiming to sell Chinese products in the U.S. and compete with other Chinese firms like Shein and Temu.

Tik Tok Shop will have three sections, including a live or livestream shopping channel, allowing users to buy while watching influencers promote a product.

This choice was strategic: in the past year, live shopping has become a significant trend in online retailing both in the U.S. and Latin America. While still an evolving technology, in principle, it promises good returns and lower costs.

Chilean Carlos O'Rian Herrera, co-founder of Fira Onlive, an online sales consultancy, told América Economía that live shopping has a much higher catchment rate than standard website retailing. If traditional e-commerce has a rate of one or two purchases per 100 visits to your site, live shopping can hike the ratio to 19%.

Live shopping has thrived in China and the recent purchases of shopping platforms in some Latin American countries suggests firms are taking an interest. In the United States, live shopping generated some $20 billion in sales revenues in 2022, according to consultants McKinsey. This constituted 2% of all online sales, but the firm believes the ratio may become 20% by 2026.

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