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The Openist.

I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday, we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Japan is undergoing a rice crisis.

Prices have shot up and officials have had to tap into the National Strategic Rice Reserve.

One of the problems is simply about labor.

It's a hard job with bad pay and farmers are taking to the streets to shout about labor. It's a hard job with bad pay, and farmers are taking to the streets to shout about it.

And a little exploration of I, and you, and we, and he, she, it, and they.

Pronouns have taken on an outsized role in the culture wars. A new book, and our correspondent, take a more dispassionate, linguistic look at them.

But first...

The United Arab Emirates has for years framed itself as a global power broker and all-around good guy,

a calm intermediary in an increasingly tempestuous world.

115 Ukrainian prisoners swapped for an equal number of Russians.

Behind the scenes, Ukrainian officials work with Russian authorities, along with negotiators from

the UAE to finalize the prisoner swap.

The UAE plays host to tricky talks, most recently between representatives of Russia and Ukraine,

trying to put a stop to that war.

And just this week, it was all smiles between Ursula von der Leyen, the European

...