International
The ‘Supersopa’, created during the great crisis of 2002, returns to the canteens of Argentina
In an Argentina with more than half of its population below the poverty line, the National University of Quilmes (UNQ) resumed the production of ‘Supersopa’, a low-cost and nutrient-rich food that it had created during the country’s last major economic crisis in 2002.
The ‘Supersoup’ is produced by UNQ students on a university floor, it is designed to complement restrictive diets and provide essential nutrients and is delivered in cans of about four liters.
“In a dining room, where people eat once a day, a food that provides vegetables and meat makes a difference compared to a plate of noodles,” Anahí Cuellas, a master in Food Science and Technology, teacher and director of the plant, explains to EFE.
“This prevents the gap between those of us who can eat meat and those of us from widening even more. Children who cannot eat protein have poor cognitive development and learning problems,” he adds.
The ‘Supersoup’ was created by the university in 2002 as a response to the serious economic and social crisis that the country went through, which came to have 57.5% of poor people, according to official data from that time.
Since that moment, about 250,000 cans have been produced, which are estimated to contain about 10 million rations of nutritious food.
“The university takes responsibility for creating a program from the social food processing plant, where a nutritionally balanced low-cost sustenance is manufactured, which is intended for the most vulnerable,” says Cuellas, while meters away a team of more than a dozen students constantly packs liters and liters of soup in cans that will then be distributed to popular canteens in different parts of the country.
Still far from the severity of the crisis at the beginning of the century, according to the latest data released by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (Indec), Argentina closed the first half of 2024 with 52.9% poverty, while poverty climbed to 18.1%.
In parallel, Javier Milei undertook since his arrival to the Presidency at the end of 2023 an unprecedented reduction of the State and an offensive against social organizations and soup kitchens, which the Government considers to be a focus of corruption.
Faced with this situation, the UNQ put its plant, reserved for student internships twice a year, to produce about 300 cans a week.
The production process begins with the selection of semi-cooked vegetables, which are then subjected to a heat treatment that eliminates the need for preservatives and allows the cans to be stored without refrigeration.
Each can of ‘Supersopa’ costs 40,000 pesos (about 40 dollars), contains about 50 servings of a food without additives and subjected to strict microbiological controls.
Individuals, companies, foundations and even state institutions can buy the product or access it through programs sponsored by different donors, which facilitate production costs and their subsequent distribution to canteens.
“From the symbolic, producing soup cans in a public university and reaching the canteens makes visible the commitment of our universities to the territory,” says Cuellas, in a context in which the Government of Milei has also focused on public universities, which say they are drowned by the lack of budget.
The Cuellas team is composed of a group of students from different careers related to food, who also seek to train on a professional and personal level: “It is to put learning into practice and add social content, making a food for a boy or girl who goes to bed daily without eating.”
International
Vatican speeds up Sistine Chapel preparations for upcoming conclave
Work is accelerating inside the Sistine Chapel as the Vatican prepares for the papal conclave set to begin on Wednesday. The preparations include the installation of a wooden floor, the setup of a stove for burning secret ballots, and the iconic chimney that will signal the election results.
A nearly five-minute video released by the Vatican on Saturday shows technicians assembling scaffolding beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes and laying a false wooden floor, where large tables will be placed to accommodate the 133 cardinals expected to vote.
Elsewhere in the chapel, workers are installing the heavy stove that will be used to burn the ballots. The footage, dated Friday, also shows firefighters climbing the tiled roof to prepare the chimney flue, which will emit either white smoke when a new pope is elected, or black smoke if no decision has been reached.
“This is a key stage for the Catholic Church,” said Silvio Screpanti, deputy director of Vatican infrastructure, on the Vatican’s official website. The stove has been discreetly tested, and in case of any issues, a technician will remain in a nearby technical room with a remote control to manage the stove, which now operates electronically.
A team of five electricians, five technicians, and two florists will remain on-site throughout the conclave. After taking an oath, they will stay within Vatican grounds with no outside contact, including with their families.
Some of these workers have participated in previous conclaves, while younger staff will receive guidance from more experienced colleagues, ensuring a smooth transition for future conclaves.
International
Venezuela achieves 22% drop in maternal mortality in first months of 2025
Maternal mortality in Venezuela decreased by 22% during the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Saturday.
The significant reduction is attributed to a combination of public health policies focused on primary care, obstetric surveillance, and the promotion of community health, Rodríguez explained during a broadcast on the state television channel, following a meeting of the Sectoral Vice Presidents Council.
“These are lives saved thanks to the joint efforts of medical teams, community brigades, and the national healthcare system,” she said.
Contributing factors include the strengthening of prenatal care programs, free access to safe childbirth services, and the deployment of mobile medical units in remote areas. Additionally, emergency obstetric protocols were reinforced and specialized staff received further training.
The council meeting also addressed other areas of government action.
In the economic sphere, officials reviewed progress in the “13 Productive Engines” initiative, designed to boost key sectors such as agriculture, energy, tourism, and the pharmaceutical industry. The goal is to stimulate domestic production, generate foreign currency, and reduce external dependency.
In education, over two million students participated in the 19th edition of the National School Sports Games, held between March and April. Authorities highlighted the importance of these events in supporting the comprehensive development of the nation’s youth.
The government also assessed the national rain mitigation plan, which includes structural and preventive measures such as drainage maintenance, reinforcement of vulnerable areas, and the activation of early warning systems.
International
Trump signs order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to halt federal funding for two public media outlets, PBS television and NPR radio, accusing them of being biased.
NPR and PBS are partially funded by American taxpayers but rely heavily on private donations.
Trump has long maintained a hostile relationship with most media outlets, which he has referred to as the “enemy of the people.”
An exception is the conservative Fox News channel, some of whose hosts have played important roles in the administration of the Republican magnate.
“National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) receive taxpayer funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),” Trump said.
“Therefore, I direct the CPB board and all executive departments and agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” he added.
The Republican leader argued that “neither of these entities provides a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events to the taxpayer citizens.”
At the end of March, Donald Trump called on Congress to end public funding for these two “horrible and completely biased networks.”
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