Rice shortage shines spotlight on Japan’s agricultural policy

Japan in Focus

A recent shortage of rice on supermarket shelves in Japan has been pinned on the large number of tourists visiting the country as well as hot weather exacerbated by climate change. But farmers and agricultural analysts say there’s something else at play — a decades-old government program that pays farmers not to plant rice.

Amid a war in Lebanon, a photographer and her subject reconnect almost 20 years later

Israel-Hamas war

Germany’s culture war over animal welfare 

Arts, Culture & Media

1 year since the start of Israel’s attacks in Gaza, life is dire 

Israel-Hamas war

Out of Eden Walk: An untold history of the US presence in Korea

Out of Eden Walk

Why a megacity in India is reviving the humble water well

Environment

In the Indian tech hub of Bengaluru, water has become a precious commodity. One initiative leverages an age-old, well-digging technique to help residents tap into a forgotten source. 

‘Guaraní is identity’: How an Indigenous Paraguayan language has endured through the ages

Language

In Paraguay, the Indigenous Guaraní language is spoken as an official language alongside Spanish. Most Paraguayans speak Guaraní or a mixture of Spanish and Guaraní as their first language, whether they are of Indigenous descent or not. 

The Itaipu dam: A massive binational collaboration between Paraguay and Brazil

Infrastructure

Itaipu is one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the world. It provides electricity to 80 million people in Brazil and Paraguay. Not only is it huge, but it represents a unique model of cross-border energy cooperation.

Paraguay’s soy bonanza leaves small farmers in the cold

The tiny landlocked South American country of Paraguay is one of the top soy producers on the planet. Soy is the country’s top export and it accounts for a major chunk of the country’s gross domestic product. But the soy explosion has wreaked havoc on Paraguay’s ecosystem and been a disaster for many small farmers whose farms have been inundated with pesticides from neighboring soy plantations.

‘A whole bunch of goodness’: Chef Alexander Smalls talks about new cookbook of African home cooking

Food

Alexander Smalls helped curate the book. The James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur joined The World’s host Marco Werman to talk about the cookbook’s highlights.

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