Business, Finance & Economics

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.

Balneário Camboriú is known as Brazil’s Dubai for the rows of skyscrapers that line the beachfront. It’s home to the three tallest buildings in Brazil. But there’s another city that Balneário Camboriú seems to be increasingly emulating: Orlando, Florida, for its theme parks.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the biggest performing arts festival in the world, and it has catapulted the work of some artists to the West End, Broadway and television. But the road to the festival is also littered with stories of career-ending performances, mental health distress and financial ruin.

Winning gold at the Olympic Games is a huge accomplishment. But athletes are received in various different ways upon returning to their home countries, with some even being showered with gifts and cash. But others question if financial rewards are appropriate.

A one-year-old law in Spain meant to control soaring home rental prices has had the opposite effect: Prices have continued to climb. It’s part of a trend going back a couple of decades now. But this year alone, in some cities, rents have jumped by more than 20%. Experts – and renters – say finding an affordable place to live is now next to impossible. The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona on why Spain’s rent control law has backfired.