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food / travel

Bowl Of Cool: The Best Summer Soups From Around The World

If you love soups in the winter, you can feel like you're missing out in the summer. But don't fear! Here's a roundup of the best soups from around the world for warm weather.

A bowl of warm soup on cold winter days always seems like food for the soul. So for soup lovers out there, the arrival of summer may feel a little depressing.

But fear not! Cold soups are still a great option when the weather is warm. From light, refreshing soups to rich and creamy ones, here’s a list of cold soups around the world that will fulfill your winter cravings and help you cool off on a summer afternoon.

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Japan-South Korea: Why Rapprochement Is Not Always A Sign Of Peace

The weight of history, and of this geopolitical moment, is propelling the current visit of Japanese Prime Minister in South Korea. Washington is happy that its alliances are aligning, but that's a sign of how high tensions are running in Asia right now.

-Analysis-

South Korea and Japan have taken a major step to end a paradox. Indeed, both countries face the same threat, that of a nuclear-armed North Korea. They have the same ally, the United States — and are also uncomfortable neighbors of the Chinese giant.

And yet, they've been separated by the weight of history.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's official visit to South Korea, which began Sunday, is the first by a Japanese leader in 11 years. The visit began at the cemetery of war victims, including those of the anti-Japanese struggle: Japan brutally colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945, and this page of history has never been completely turned.

Korean public opinion is divided on this reconciliation, believing that Tokyo has never truly apologized.

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This Happened - April 16: The MV Sewol Ferry Capsizes

On this day in 2014, the MV Sewol ferry capsized off the coast of South Korea, killing 295 people, most of whom were high school students.

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This Happened - March 10: Impeachment Of Park Geun-Hye

Former South Korean President, Park Geun-Hye was removed from office on this day in 2017 following her impeachment by the South Korean National Assembly on charges of corruption and abuse of power. She was the first South Korean president to be impeached and removed from office.

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Geopolitics
Pierre Haski

South Korea And Japan: Burying An Ugly Past To Counter China's Rise

South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, made a gesture of reconciliation towards Japan, the country's former colonizer. It gives Washington hope that its two key Asian allies can overcome differences as they face an emboldened China and North Korea.

-Analysis-

South Korea's leader President Yoon took advantage of the commemoration of a key date in the Japanese occupation of South Korea, March 1, 1919, to make an unequivocal statement: "Today, more than a century after the March 1 movement, Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner with whom we share the same universal values."

It was an outstretched hand with no conditions attached.

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Society
Deborah Laker*

What Does Santa Claus Look Like Around The World?

He's making a list, he's checking it twice... But he doesn't always wear a red suit. From Aruba to Finland and Liberia, here's what Christmas looks like around the world.

Across the globe, Santa Claus is recognized as the Christmas gift bearer. But he is not always known as a red-suited jolly man. The tradition of a man bringing gifts to children is traced to stories about the early Greek bishop St. Nicholas of Myra, a small city in modern-day Turkey.

Santa Claus today not only goes by different names, like Father Christmas and Old St. Nick, but is linked to different folktales and cultural practices. Here are lesser known variations of Santa, from the beaches of Aruba to the snow-capped mountains of Finland.

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eyes on the U.S.
Alex Hurst

How Trump’s Legal Troubles Look In Places Where Presidents Get Prosecuted

-Analysis-

What do South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Italy, France, Portugal, and Iceland all have in common? They’re all wealthy democracies that have charged and prosecuted former heads of state or heads of government for criminal acts committed while in office.

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In The News
Lisa Berdet, Chloé Touchard, Lila Paulou and Bertrand Hauger

Nikopol Shelling, Afghan Floods, 4-Year-Old Runaway

👋 안녕하세요!*

Welcome to Monday, where Ukraine warns of renewed shelling in Nikopol near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, at least 20 die in flash floods in Afghanistan, and a four-year-old girl thinks it’s never too early for some Christmas shopping. In the meantime, Spanish-language Pika Magazine looks at how rural Spain is fighting mass exodus by turning small towns into safe spaces for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

✉️ You can receive our LGBTQ+ International roundup every week directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

[*Annyeong haseyo, Korean]

✅  SIGN UP

This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, a rapid tour of the news of the day from the world's best journalism sources, regardless of language or geography.

It's easy (and free!) to sign up to receive it each day in your inbox: 👉 Sign up here

🌎  7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Shellings in Nikopol near nuclear plant: Ukrainian officials report that the southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol has once again been struck by Russian shellings. The area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was shelled three times overnight, causing five fires and building destruction. No casualties have been reported yet.

• U.S.-South Korea hold biggest drills in years: Seoul announced that the United States and South Korea have begun the largest joint military drills since 2018 — a move that North Korea may see as a threat and rehearsal for invasion. Both countries ensure the exercises are “purely defensive.”

• Imran Khan charged under terrorism act: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister is under investigation by the police on grounds of violating an anti-terror Law, and faces arrest. This comes after Khan, who was ousted in April, reportedly made threats to “take action” against the police during a speech in Islamabad on Saturday.

• At least 20 dead in Afghanistan floods: Afghan officials say that at least 20 people died and 3,000 homes had to be evacuated in the eastern Afghan province of Logar. Several areas have been experiencing heavy rains that triggered flash floods over the last 48 hours.

• Catholic nuns kidnapped in Nigeria: Four Catholic nuns from a local convent have been kidnapped on a highway in the southeast of Nigeria. The region is known for the presence of armed gangs used to kidnapping people in villages or on the roads and demanding ransoms.

• Portugal wildfires: Portugal declared a state of alert from Sunday to Tuesday for the ongoing extreme risk of wildfire. The country is facing its third heatwave this summer, with scorching temperatures and strong winds expected in the coming days. Some 92,000 hectares of land have already burned this year.

• Early Christmas shopping: A four-year-old girl who had escaped her parents' supervision at their home in eastern France was found shortly afterwards in a nearby supermarket — where she was browsing the toy section with a shopping cart.

🗞️  FRONT PAGE

Argentine daily Página 12 pays tribute to the 19 victims of the Trelew massacre, 50 years on. On August 22, 1972, 16 militants from leftist organizations were executed after trying to help prisoners escape from the Rawson Prison. Relatives, former political prisoners and militants gather on this day to unveil a commemorative plaque and honor their memory. Last month, a former Argentine Naval officer was found responsible for the massacre by a jury in Miami, as families of the victims still seek justice.

#️⃣  BY THE NUMBERS

$5,000

Italian entrepreneur Tullio Masoni has developed the “world’s smallest vineyard” on the rooftop of a 16th-century palazzo in Reggio Emilia. With a production of just 29 bottles of red wine per year, Masoni intends to sell his precious bottles as art — starting at $5,000 a piece. The winemaker also encourages potential buyers not to drink the wine but rather to “to keep [it] in your living room so you can chat about it with your friends and tell them about the lunatic who put a vineyard on his rooftop."

📰  STORY OF THE DAY

Spain's small town transition! Fighting depopulation by becoming an LGBTQ+ haven

Small Spanish towns are struggling with a mass exodus to cities. But some are trying to turn things around by making them safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people who could return from urban areas, Laura Alvaro Andaluz writes in Pika Magazine.

🇪🇸 Arenas de San Pedro is exactly what you picture when you imagine a small Spanish town: small tables on terraces, a castle, and mountains in the distance. But this town in the province of Ávila with 6,500 inhabitants also has a feature of many similar Spanish ones: depopulation. And it is conservative, which seems unlikely to change in the short-term future.

🏳️🌈 It's not a place where you'd expect to find an organization for LGBTQ+ people. But the Arenas Arcoíris collective emerged at the beginning of 2020 (pre-pandemic) to bring together LGBTQ+ people from Arenas and the neighboring Sierra de Gredos area. This group has tried to shine a light on the LGBTQ+ reality in rural areas: lack of previous similar experiences when coming out, no mutual support, loss of anonymity… All of this can lead to sexual and gender diverse people leaving the rural for the urban.

🤝 The Arenas Arcoíris collective considers it necessary to highlight individual experiences of coming out of the closet in a small town. That is why, since its creation, it has been working on building a network, in order to create a safe space in which access to personal testimonies serves as a support for other people. They believe that this is the best way to compensate for the lack of role models that people have in rural areas. Ultimately, they want to create a safe space without judgment — whether that's in a metropolis or a small town.

➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com

📣 VERBATIM

I fought for the whole country and half of the world.

— Ukrainian boxer Oleksander Usyk retains his world heavyweight title after beating British boxer Anthony Joshua Saturday night in Saudi Arabia. Usyk, who served as a soldier in the Ukrainian army, reacted by saying, “I devote this victory to my country, to my family, to my team, to all the military defending this country,” while displaying a blue-and-yellow flag of Ukraine signed by his country’s soldiers.

✍️ Newsletter by Lisa Berdet, Chloé Touchard, Lila Paulou and Bertrand Hauger


Let us know what’s happening in your corner of the world!

info@worldcrunch.com

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In The News
Lila Paulou, Lisa Berdet and Anne-Sophie Goninet

Putin’s “Invincible” Missile, Pelosi’s Asian Plans, K-pop Special Treatment

👋 Kumusta!*

Welcome to Monday, where the first Ukrainian grain ship leaves Odessa since the start of Russia’s invasion, while Putin previews a new “hypersonic” missile. Also, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi starts her high-profile Asian tour in Singapore as the K-pop band BTS gets special attention from South Korea’s defense minister. Meanwhile, even as much of the world loosens its pandemic-related restrictions, we have a warning about the growing risks of long COVID.

[*Cebuano, Philippines]

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Future
Rozena Crossman

K-Pop To Catalonia: How The Metaverse Can Turn Local Culture Global

Glitchy online museum tours are a thing of the past. From Barcelona to Bollywood, the metaverse is bringing immersive cultural experiences right into our homes.

Between environmental costs, COVID and criticisms of digital nomads hurting local economies, the world is questioning the magic of travel — and increasing the time spent in front of screens. Although the meager form the metaverse has taken today can’t replace the smells, tastes, or exact luminescence that make discovering new corners of the world so thrilling, it may soon be dropping local adventures from far away lands into our living rooms.

While the guided tours of museums and online concerts that we all tested out during lockdowns were often glitchy and underwhelming, the beginning of 2022 has seen regional cultural initiatives from around the world flocking to the metaverse, a virtual reality world where people can interact and have experiences as they do in the real world.

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In The News
Lorraine Olaya, Laure Gautherin, Bertrand Hauger and Anne-Sophie Goninet

Ukraine Mass Evacuation, Russia Oil Ban, Shackleton’s Ship Found

👋 Salamalekum!*

Welcome to Wednesday, where Ukraine sees its first successful mass evacuation, Biden announces ban on Russian energy imports and Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship is found after 107 years. We also feature our English edition of an article published by Ukrainian analyst Taras Kuzio on Vladimir Putin’s ultimate plans to turn Ukraine into “Little Russia” and install a familiar face as leader.

[*Wolof, West Africa]

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Geopolitics

Send In The Tanks — 28 Newspaper Front Pages As Putin Moves On Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin's move to order troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after recognizing them as independent states, is front-page news all around the world.

After weeks of escalating rhetoric, diplomatic roller coasters and wondering “what will Putin do,” Russian President Vladimir Putin took a decisive first step toward what some fear may be the worst military conflict in Europe since World War II.

During a televised speech late Monday night from the Kremlin — and just hours after rising hopes of a potential Biden-Putin summit — the Russian president formally recognized the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered Russian troops to move in, officially for "peacekeeping" purposes.

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