Putin Declares Victory In Luhansk, July 4 Shooting, Dry Italy

🌎  7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Putin declares victory in Luhansk: Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared victory in Ukraine’s eastern province of Luhansk, following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the area. Russian forces are now expected to try to capture Donetsk province, also part of the Donbas region.

• Suspect arrested over July 4th parade shooting: A 22-year-old suspect was taken into custody by the police nine hours after the shooting that occurred at a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Illinois. The gunman killed six people and injured 26.

• France repatriates children and mothers from Syria camps: The French government has repatriated 35 children and 16 mothers held in camps in Syria for the family members of suspected Islamic State jihadists. The mothers will face possible criminal trials, while the children will be taken care of by child welfare services.

• Sydney residents told to evacuate flooded areas: Persistent rain has been causing floods all over New South Wales in Australia for the past three days, with the Sydney region particularly hit. The State Emergency Service performed 252 flood rescues on Monday night. Residents of the southwest of the city were told to evacuate before midnight.

• Italy declares state of emergency over drought: Italy has declared a state of emergency for areas surrounding the river Po in the north of the country. The river is suffering its worst drought in 70 years, which is causing water shortages and impacting farmers’ production.

• Unrest in Uzbekistan kills 18: Eighteen people died and 243 suffered injuries from unrest caused by the Uzbekistan’s government's plans to curtail the autonomous province of Karakalpakstan’s sovereignty. More than 500 protesters were also detained by the Uzbek authorities.

• Equal pay for New Zealand cricket male and female players: New Zealand cricket players have reached a five-year agreement to grant the same match fees to players from the men’s and women’s teams. The deal will also ensure that travel and accommodation are equally provided to all players.

🗞️  FRONT PAGE

The Chicago Tribune expresses its horror at the July Fourth Parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, that killed six and wounded at least 26. A 22-year-old suspect was taken into custody by police late Monday.

💬  LEXICON

갑질

As South Korean workers are returning to the office, so is 갑질 (gapjil) — a Korean term that describes employers, managers or supervisors who abuse their power over their subordinates in the workplace. According to a survey commissioned by Workplace Gapjil 119, an organization assisting victims of office abuse, nearly 30% of Korean office employees have suffered from workplace harassment in the past year — a 23.5% increase compared with last March. The report also shows that women and part-time and gig workers are more likely to be victims of such abuse.

#️⃣  BY THE NUMBERS

13.6 trillion

The world’s largest particle collider will now begin running at a record energy level of 13.6 trillion electron-volts for the next four years. The data collected from the CERN’s new round of experiments at the French-Swiss border will be analyzed to further understand the universal mysteries of dark matter, dark energy, and more.

📰  STORY OF THE DAY

Food shortages around the world, product by product

The war in Ukraine and the climate crisis have been devastating for food production. Here's a look at some of the traditional foods from around the world that might be hard to find on supermarket shelves.

🇫🇷 Each region of France is packed with local specialities that make up the country’s rich culinary heritage. But recently, many regional dishes have become harder to find in stores. Take the example of classic Dijon mustard. Severe droughts in Canada in 2021 and 2022 have affected the production of mustard grains. In the north west, Brittany is holding its breath due to the possibly catastrophic impact of the war in Ukraine on its famous “galette de blé noir” (buckwheat crepe), as Russia and Ukraine account for a third of global buckwheat exports.

🍝 Students, brace yourselves: Italian pasta manufacturers are increasing their prices due a combination of issues with the stalling importation of grain from Ukraine and Russia and the repercussions of rising energy costs on transportation fees. In March, The News Glory reported that on average, a kilo of pasta cost 30 percent more than at the same period in 2021. Manufacturers warn that depending on how long the war goes on, stocks of pasta might run low.

🥔 The blockage of Russian and Ukrainian fertilizers is delaying potato production in certain areas of the world, as highlighted by the fish and chips shortage in the UK. This has also been true in Colombia, where the prices for potatoes have soared by three-quarters in 2022. In Serbia, a combination of reasons has resulted in an ongoing potato shortage. As a drought severely damaged 2021’s production, the country relied massively on imports (mostly from France). This in turn discouraged local farmers from harvesting spuds, which consequently ended in skyrocketing prices.

➡️ Read more on Worldcrunch.com