CULTURAL POLICY

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is about to close for two years starting this summer, and the public is getting its first real look at why. Officials claim the renovations are long overdue, pointing to crumbling infrastructure like broken cooling systems and rusted support beams.

Japan's farm minister, Taku Eto, found himself in hot water after a joke about rice went awry. At a local event, he casually mentioned that he never had to buy rice because his supporters gifted him plenty. This comment sparked outrage, especially in a country grappling with a cost-of-living crisis.