Nov 23 - Every week, Reuters journalists produce scores of multimedia features and human-interest stories from around the world.
Below are some stories from this week selected by our editors, as well as explanatory context and background to help you understand world headlines. For a full schedule of news and events, please go to our editorial calendar on Reuters Connect.
From Lululemon to Birkenstock, duplicate styles lure holiday shoppers
NEW YORK - As the holiday shopping season gets under way, top sellers from brands such as Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, Birkenstock and Estee Lauder are competing for shoppers and their growing love affair with TikTok-popularized "dupes" - sufficiently similar replicas of higher-priced products. (HOLIDAYSHOPPING-RETAIL/DUPES (FOCUS, PIX), 899 words)
Temu, Shein far lag Amazon as online holiday shopping ramps up
NEW YORK - Upstart online retailers Temu.com and Shein are drawing millions of window shoppers to their websites this holiday season, but they far lag market leader Amazon.com where it counts - turning those visits into actual sales. (HOLIDAYSHOPPING-SHEIN/MARKETPLACE (UPDATE 1, ANALYSIS, PIX), 771 words)
Japanese whisky turns 100 as craft distilleries transform industry
SHIZUOKA CITY - This year marks the 100-year anniversary of whisky making in Japan since the founding of market leader Suntory's first distillery in Yamazaki in 1923. (JAPAN-WHISKY/CENTURY (PIX, TV), 605 words)
Webb space telescope spies precocious 'teenage' galaxies
WASHINGTON - Since becoming operational last year, the James Webb Space Telescope has made groundbreaking observations involving some of the universe's earliest galaxies. But Webb has obtained even better data on galaxies a bit further along in development. (SPACE-EXPLORATION/GALAXIES (PIX), 645 words)
'Wish' commemorates Disney's past and present magic
LOS ANGELES - "Wish," the new animated movie musical marking Walt Disney Co's 100th anniversary, reaches back to the company's modest beginnings to inspire future generations. (FILM-WISH/ (TV, PIX), 368 words)
Baz Luhrmann's Australia epic back as 'Faraway Downs'
LONDON - Fifteen years after his sweeping adventure movie "Australia" drew mixed reviews from critics, director Baz Luhrmann has brought the story back to life in a six-part television series "Faraway Downs." (TELEVISION-FARAWAY DOWNS/ (TV, PIX), 374 words)
Peru archaeologists unearth 1,000-year-old mummies of children in Lima
LIMA - Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed four mummies of children believed to be at least 1,000 years old from what was once a sacred ceremonial space that is now in one of the oldest neighbourhoods of modern-day Lima. (PERU-ARCHAEOLOGY/ (PIX, TV), 223 words)
Shanghai's Jewish refugee history takes centre stage in new oratorio
SHANGHAI - Four years after it was first conceived, the oratorio Emigre made its debut in Shanghai, paying tribute to the Chinese financial hub's war-time role in protecting European Jewish refugees who fled to the city in the late 1930s. (ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/CHINA-ORCHESTRA (TV, PIX), 415 words)
K-Pop supergroup BTS' Jung Kook to begin military service in December
SEOUL - Jung Kook, a member of K-Pop supergroup BTS, said he will begin military service in December, after the group's management agency said that all seven BTS members were on track to carry out their duty. (MUSIC-BTS/JUNGKOOK-MILITARY (PIX), 183 words)
K-Pop band BLACKPINK receive honorary MBEs from Britain's King Charles
LONDON - King Charles presented K-Pop band BLACKPINK with honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire medals in the presence of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during his state visit to the United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace said. (BRITAIN-SOUTHKOREA/BLACKPINK (TV, PIX), 213 words)
Giant batteries drain economics of gas power plants
LONDON - Giant batteries that ensure stable power supply by offsetting intermittent renewable supplies are becoming cheap enough to make developers abandon scores of projects for gas-fired generation worldwide. (EUROPE-GASPLANTS/ (INSIGHT, PIX), 1,179 words)
Mongolia urges Russia, other nations to return cultural artefacts
BEIJING - Mongolia has called for more support from Russia, Britain and other countries to repatriate hundreds of cultural artefacts, some dating back over two millennia. (MONGOLIA-CULTURE/ARTEFACTS (PIX), 277 words)
EXPLANATORY CONTENT
EXPLAINER-What is Black Friday? And will shoppers find bargains this year?
TIMELINE-Major events during seven weeks of war between Israel and Hamas
EXPLAINER-What we know about North Korea's new satellite and claims of Russian aid
EXPLAINER-Argentina presidential election: Key takeaways from Milei's win
(Compiled by Mark Porter and Patrick Enright)
