New barriers installed in Venice in 2020 have proven capable of keeping high tide waters from flooding the city. The floodgate system, MOSE (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, or Experimental Electromechanical Module), was activated for the first time in July of 2020 after years of delays and setbacks.

The system is made up of 78 barriers which can be raised to cut off the Venetian lagoon from the sea. In October, the MOSE dams were used twice when the high tide rose to 120 cm and then 140 cm.

On both occasions, the barriers saved the city from flooding that would have typically left half of the city underwater. Testing on the system is still ongoing, and the project is not expected to be fully complete until the end of this year.

UK Burger King Urges Customers to Eat McDonald's

　　In November 2020, Burger King UK got on their Twitter account and encouraged customers to order from other fast-food chains, including McDonald's, KFC, Subway, and other “food outlets.” The statement was sent out as a means of support for the entire UK restaurant industry.

The message told customers that “restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment.” The surprising tweet came shortly before the UK lockdown went into effect, which meant that restaurants would only be able to offer takeaway or delivery.

While maintaining that their Whopper was clearly the best choice, Burger King acknowledged that “ordering a Big Mac is not such a bad thing.”