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Geopolitics

Oh No They Didn't: First Day Of Olympic Events, First Major Diplomatic Gaffe

AFP ( France), THE TELEGRAPH (UK), YONHAP (South Korea)

Worldcrunch

LONDON - Day one of Olympic events started with a major diplomatic gaffe on Wednesday.

As the North Korean women's soccer team was entering Glaskgow's Hampden Park stadium for the opening match with Colombia, a giant screen showed images of the South Korean flag, French news agency AFP reports.

The match was delayed for over an hour, as the North Korean players refused to return to the field. Despite the incident, the team managed to win 2-0 over Colombia.

North Korean coach Sin Ui-gun said the team would have forfeited the game if the problem had not been resolved, and added he was wondering if the wrong flag had not been used on purpose.

According to the The Telegraph, announcers at the stadium apologized for the delay, saying there was "an issue behind the scenes." Olympic officials assured it would not happen again.
There were reports that some Hampden Park spectators had booed while others walked out after being kept waiting.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reports the flag flap comes amid heightened tension on the divided Korean Peninsula. North Korean officials have blocked South Korean media from covering their athletes' training sessions and are refusing to answer any inquiries from South Korean journalists.

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food / travel

Legalizing Moonshine, A Winning Political Stand In Poland

Moonshine, typically known as “bimber” in Poland, may soon be legalized by the incoming government. There is a mix of tradition, politics and economics that makes homemade booze a popular issue to campaign on.

Photo of an empty vodka bottle on the ground in Poland

Bottle of vodka laying on the ground in Poland

Leszek Kostrzewski

WARSAWIt's a question of freedom — and quality. Poland's incoming coalition government is busy negotiating a platform for the coming years. Though there is much that still divides the Left, the liberal-centrist Civic Koalition, and the centrist Third Way partners, there is one area where Poland’s new ruling coalition is nearly unanimous: moonshine.

The slogan for the legalization of moonshine (known in Poland as "bimber") was initially presented by Michał Kołodziejczak, the leader of Agrounia, a left-wing socialist political movement in Poland that has qualified to be part of the incoming Parliament.

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”Formerly so-called moonshine was an important element of our cultural landscape, associated with mystery, breaking norms, and freedom from the state," Kołodziejczak said. "It was a reason to be proud, just like the liqueurs that Poles were famous for in the past.”

The president of Agrounia considered the right to make moonshine as a symbol of "subjectivity" that farmers could enjoy, and admitted with regret that in recent years it had been taken away from citizens. “It's also about a certain kind of freedom, to do whatever you want on your farm," Kołodziejczak adds. "This is subjectivity for the farmer. Therefore, I am in favor of providing farmers with the freedom to consume this alcohol for their own use.”

A similar viewpoint was aired by another Parliament member. “We will stop pretending that Polish farmers do not produce moonshine for their own use, such as for weddings,” the representative said, pointing out the benefits of controlling the quality. “Just like they produce slivovitz, which Poland is famous for. It's high time they did it legally.”

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