عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Kimchi Threat as Heatwave Drives up South Korea Cabbage Prices 

Kimchi in a jar at the Kimchi Culture Institute in Namyangju, South Korea. (Reuters)
Kimchi in a jar at the Kimchi Culture Institute in Namyangju, South Korea. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Kimchi Threat as Heatwave Drives up South Korea Cabbage Prices 

Kimchi in a jar at the Kimchi Culture Institute in Namyangju, South Korea. (Reuters)
Kimchi in a jar at the Kimchi Culture Institute in Namyangju, South Korea. (Reuters)

An unprecedented heatwave across South Korea has driven up the price of cabbages, data revealed Friday, with the vegetable used in the famed national dish kimchi surging by nearly 70 percent year-on-year.

The price of a single cabbage hit 9,337 won (US$ 7.02) on Thursday -- up 69.1 percent from the same day a year ago, according to data released by the state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation.

Cabbage is a key ingredient of kimchi, the country's famed fiery fermented dish which many Koreans eat every day.

Experts say rising summer temperatures are leading to supply instability -- especially for highland cabbage, which thrives in cooler climates.

"Additionally, climate change has changed the patterns of soil disease outbreaks," said Lee Young-gyu, a virologist at the National Institute of Crop Science.

"For instance, soil-borne fungal diseases like root rot, which causes wilting in cabbage, are spreading," he told AFP.

Lee said there have also been reports of seedlings perishing from the extreme heat, or being scorched by the intense sunlight.

This month, South Korea's Rural Development Administration established a dedicated research institute to address the supply instability of highland cabbage.

The body has warned that if no measures are taken to address climate change, suitable areas for summer cabbage cultivation could vanish by 2090.

This year South Korea experienced its highest average summertime temperature since such records began half a century ago -- nearly two degrees higher than the historic average, the weather agency said earlier this month.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Diriyah Art Futures Announces February Program Alongside ‘of the Earth’ Exhibition

The program opens on Thursday, February 12 - SPA
The program opens on Thursday, February 12 - SPA
TT
TT

Diriyah Art Futures Announces February Program Alongside ‘of the Earth’ Exhibition

The program opens on Thursday, February 12 - SPA
The program opens on Thursday, February 12 - SPA

Diriyah Art Futures (DAF), the MENA region’s first center dedicated to new media arts, announced the launch of its February public program at its headquarters in Diriyah, Riyadh.

The program aims to deepen dialogue on the relationship between art, technology, and the environment, while offering educational and interactive platforms that explore creative approaches to sustainability and contemporary ecological thinking, SPA reported.

The program is presented alongside “Of the Earth: Earthly Technologies to Computational Biologies,” DAF’s fourth major exhibition, featuring works by more than 30 artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world. The exhibition showcases multidisciplinary artistic practices that examine the material and environmental dimensions of digital technologies, their impact on natural resources, and the evolving relationships between humans, machines, and nature.

The February program includes a series of panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and advanced professional courses designed to engage artists, practitioners, and the wider public. These practical learning experiences explore sustainability concepts from multiple creative perspectives, reflecting DAF’s ongoing commitment to expanding discourse around new media arts and fostering critical and creative thinking at the intersection of art, technology, and ecology, contributing to the enrichment of the local and international cultural landscape.

The program opens on Thursday, February 12, with a panel discussion titled “Living Systems, Living Practices.” The session brings together multidisciplinary artist Mohammed Alfaraj, multimedia conceptual artist Moza Almatrooshi, and senior architect Wiam Kafyah for an in-depth discussion on the relationship between humans, land, and food systems through preservation, sustainability, and creative experimentation.

The discussion is moderated by culinary storyteller and writer Marya Kayyal, who presents ancestral, contemporary, and experimental perspectives that highlight the role of art and design in addressing environmental challenges, promoting cultural knowledge, bio-design, and the care of living systems that sustain life.

The program concludes with a two-day professional masterclass titled “Designing with Mycelium,” held on Friday and Saturday, February 27–28, and delivered in English. The masterclass explores the potential of mycelium in sustainable design and bio-innovation.

Led by Saudi architect Kafyah, founder of a bio-design lab and studio specializing in sustainable construction technologies, the masterclass introduces participants to the fundamentals of mycelium production and its role in contemporary design practices.

The course combines theoretical knowledge with hands-on experimentation, allowing participants to design and create their own mycelium-based forms within a framework that connects innovation, sustainability, and responsible engagement with living materials.

Through this program, DAF reaffirms its commitment to advancing contemporary dialogue around new media arts and expanding research and experimentation at the intersection of art, technology, and the environment. It also strengthens the role of culture as a dynamic space for critical thinking, knowledge production, and the development of responsible creative practices that reimagine sustainable visions for a shared human future.

Varieties

Singapore to Launch Space Agency in Response to Global Investment Surge

A general view of the Space Summit at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore February 2, 2026. REUTERS
A general view of the Space Summit at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore February 2, 2026. REUTERS/Caroline Chia
TT
TT

Singapore to Launch Space Agency in Response to Global Investment Surge

A general view of the Space Summit at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore February 2, 2026. REUTERS
A general view of the Space Summit at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore February 2, 2026. REUTERS/Caroline Chia

Singapore will launch its own space agency on April 1 as it bids to "fully harness the value and opportunities of the growing global space economy", the country's trade ministry announced on Monday.

"Singapore's strengths in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, micro-electronics, precision engineering and artificial intelligence position us well to capture new opportunities in the space technology sector," said the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which will run the new agency, Reuters reported.

Global investment in space technology is expected to climb further after hitting record levels in 2025, according to data from investment firm Seraphim Space.

The announcement was made at an inaugural space summit by Tan See Leng, a minister in charge of energy technology at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

The National Space Agency of Singapore will develop and operate the nation's space capabilities and develop legislation and regulations which support innovation and businesses, among other functions, the ministry said.

Singapore currently hosts 70 space companies, employing around 2,000 professionals in diverse roles and activities across the value chain, the ministry said.

 

 

 

Varieties

Japan Retrieves Rare Earth-rich Mud from Seabed to Lower Reliance on China

Japan's drilling-equipped research vessel Chikyu before its departure from Shimizu port to conduct a test recovery of rare-earth–rich mud near Minamitori Island, marking the world's first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth seabed sludge from a depth of about 6 km onto a ship, in Shimizu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan - Reuters
Japan's drilling-equipped research vessel Chikyu before its departure from Shimizu port to conduct a test recovery of rare-earth–rich mud near Minamitori Island, marking the world's first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth seabed sludge from a depth of about 6 km onto a ship, in Shimizu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan - Reuters
TT
TT

Japan Retrieves Rare Earth-rich Mud from Seabed to Lower Reliance on China

Japan's drilling-equipped research vessel Chikyu before its departure from Shimizu port to conduct a test recovery of rare-earth–rich mud near Minamitori Island, marking the world's first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth seabed sludge from a depth of about 6 km onto a ship, in Shimizu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan - Reuters
Japan's drilling-equipped research vessel Chikyu before its departure from Shimizu port to conduct a test recovery of rare-earth–rich mud near Minamitori Island, marking the world's first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth seabed sludge from a depth of about 6 km onto a ship, in Shimizu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan - Reuters

Japan said Monday it has successfully drilled and retrieved deep-sea sediment containing rare earth minerals from the seabed near a remote island, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on China.

The deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu's successful gathered the sediment at a depth of nearly 6,000 kilometers near the island of Minamitorishima, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a statement on X.

The test retrieval of the rare earths from that depth is a world first, she added.

“It is a first step toward industrialization of domestically produced rare earth in Japan,” Takaichi said. “We will make effort toward achieving resilient supply chains for rare earths and other critical minerals to avoid overdependence on a particular country."

China controls most of the global production of heavy rare earths, which are used for making powerful, heat-resistant magnets in industries such as defense and electric vehicles, Reuters reported.

Japan has faced growing tensions with China since Takaichi's comment in November about a possible Japanese involvement in the case of Chinese military action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own.

China recently suspended exports to Japan of dual-use goods with potential military use, raising concern in Japan that rare earths may be included.

While 17 elements are classified as rare earth, the U.S. government has identified 50 minerals overall that are labeled critical minerals, which also include a number of other minerals that are seen as essential to the economic and military strength of the nation.

Japanese researchers discovered deposits rich with critical minerals around Minamitorishima in the 2010s, including those containing high-concentration rare earths that could last hundreds of years.

Under the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program, Japan has been working on research, development and feasibility studies of rare earths deposits around the island.

“The successful retrieval of the sediment containing rare earth elements is a meaningful achievement from the perspectives of economic security and comprehensive ocean development,” Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said Monday.

He said that moving toward industrialization of rare earths mud mining will require demonstrating the full process from mining through separation and refining, as well as verifying its economic viability, based on the results of the ongoing tests.

Details, including the amount of rare earth contained, still need to be analyzed, officials said.

The Chikyu, which means Earth, departed last month for Minamitorishima, about 1,950 kilometers (1,210 miles) southeast of Tokyo, and arrived at the mining site on Jan. 17. The first batch of rare earth sediment was retrieved on Feb. 1, according to Japan's Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, which is conducting the survey.

Japan’s Self Defense Forces last year said Chinese naval vessels had been spotted near Minamitorishima.