Japan’s luxury ice revered by bars around the world - Taipei Times

Bar Leone, a cocktail spot in Hong Kong, has once again been crowned the best bar in the world, according to 50 Best Bars’s newest ranking. The Italian-themed locale in the city’s Central District was perched in the No. 1 slot on last year’s ranking, too. The 18th edition of the list was unveiled in Milan earlier this week, with some 800 judges submitting their votes. It makes sense why Bar Leone has remained at the top. Cofounded by Lorenzo Antinori, the bar is focused on creating cocktail popolari, or “cocktails for the people”, with the goal of crafting accessible, timeless drinks instead of following trends—all wrapped in one warm, welcoming locale that is inspired by watering holes in Rome’s Trastevere district. All that attention to detail made the spot the first Asian bar to ever top the World’s Best Bar list in 2025.

The 50 Best Bars 2026 (formerly The World's 50 Best Bars) have just been announced for 2026 – this is the global bucket list for discerning drinkers to start ticking off. For those unfamiliar with the list, The 50 Best Bars 2026 is one of the most prestigious bar awards on the planet: a definitive ranking of the world's most outstanding places to drink. The list is updated each year at an awards ceremony, which took place in Milan this year – the 2025 ceremony took place in Hong Kong. Condé Nast Traveller's Olivia Morelli films behind the scenes at Bangkok's Bar Us, which came in fourth place in 2026 Olivia MorelliIt's run by the same company that produces The World's 50 Best Restaurants, widely regarded as the ultimate global restaurant ranking. The awards are compiled by The 50 Best Bars Academy, which comprises hundreds of anonymous industry experts. Bar Leone has won the best bar in the world award for the second year running

The first thing The World takes from me is my passport. At check-in, a crew member files it with those of every other passenger on board for this leg. My identity is not gone, exactly. It’s safely organized behind reception, presumably alphabetically.

Israeli settlers have attacked European diplomats, including a French mayor, near the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank. The delegation was visiting Palestinian olive harvesters on Saturday when the Israeli attackers confronted the group. The attack comes a day after settlers assaulted a US journalist north of Ramallah. In Saturday’s incident, the settlers targeted Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said. “A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged,” Prevot said, linking the attack to what he called Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and pledging to push for further European Union sanctions. French mayor Bernard Baudoux, who was assaulted, told the AFP news agency that the violence suggests that “there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government” towards settler violence. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, said the settlers surrounded the diplomats’ vehicles, pelted them with stones and smashed their windows.