When death metal becomes one of 84,000 ways to practise Buddhism | Music
Taipei, Taiwan – In the past few years, many of Taiwan’s largest music festivals have seen the unlikely ensemble of a shaven Buddhist nun introducing…
Shakira’s Colombian birth city unveils towering statue in singer’s honour | Music News
‘Hips that do not lie, a unique talent, a voice that moves masses,’ reads the inscription on the 6.5-metre statue. Colombian superstar Shakira’s Caribbean home…
South Korean actor and Parasite star Lee Sun-kyun dies at 48 | Arts and Culture News
The actor had been under investigation for alleged illegal drug use. Seoul police point to apparent suicide. South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, best known for…
Who’s in charge of Tunisia’s streets? Writing’s on the wall | Arts and Culture
Tunis, Tunisia — Where control of the public space lies is one of the most fundamental questions at the heart of any society. Under repressive…
Ukraine picks new Christmas date in break with Russian tradition | Religion News
For the first time in a century, Ukraine will celebrate the holiday on December 25 rather than January 7. Ukraine will formally mark Christmas Day…
UK police arrest man after Banksy artwork snatched from London street | Arts and Culture News
Man in his 20s arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after removal of installation in south London. UK police have arrested a man…
Israel-Gaza war: Why are culture and society targets? | Israel-Palestine conflict
Fatima Bhutto talks with Marc Lamont Hill about support for Gaza in the Muslim world and attacks on Palestinian culture. Since the beginning of Israel’s…
Young Kenyan ballet dancers stage early Christmas performance | Arts and Culture
As the sun sets on the narrow streets of Africa’s largest informal settlement, children hurry to change from daily clothes into pointe shoes and other…
Russia designates author Boris Akunin ‘terrorist and extremist’ | Russia-Ukraine war News
The popular novelist has criticised Russia’s war on Ukraine and previously called Vladimir Putin a ‘deranged dictator’. The Russian government has added the popular author…
A tale of two Rumis – of the East and of the West | Arts and Culture
Jalaluddin Mohammad Rumi’s spiritual poems and perpetual wisdom have transcended time and cultures. Seven hundred and fifty years after his death, the celebrated Persian thinker…
In Mexico, a community gathers to celebrate a quinceañera — for the elderly | Arts and Culture
Mexico City, Mexico – It was the eve of Lupita Rivera’s 84th birthday, but she had chosen instead to go back in time and celebrate…
Blinky, the Kenyan bandleader whose crew shaped ‘cool’ Nairobi music scene | Arts and Culture
Nairobi, Kenya – In April 2022, Kenyan alternative music collective Just A Band released a comeback single after a six-year hiatus and 12 years after…
US sales of Palestinian keffiyehs soar, even as wearers targeted | Israel-Palestine conflict News
A growing number of Americans are donning the keffiyeh, the distinctive patterned scarf that’s closely linked with Palestinians, to demand a ceasefire to Israel’s attacks…
The South Korean woman who adopted her best friend | Arts and Culture
Seoul, South Korea – Most mornings, Eun Seo-Ran begins her day at around 7am by brewing tea for herself and her adopted daughter Lee Eo-Rie*.…
Parthenon marbles row derails talks between UK’s Sunak, Greece’s Mitsotakis | Politics News
The Greek PM expressed ‘displeasure’ that Sunak axed their meeting, saying he avoided talks on the disputed marbles. Diplomatic sparks are flying after Britain’s prime…
How Palestinians are using art as a form of resistance against Israel | Israel-Palestine conflict
With Israel’s war on Gaza, many artists are using their work to demand justice, freedom and an end to the bloodshed. Throughout history, art has…
The keffiyeh, olive branch, watermelon and other Palestinian symbols | Israel-Palestine conflict News
In hundreds of cities worldwide, demonstrators have rallied in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, donning the emblematic black-and-white Palestinian headdress known as the keffiyeh. Among…
Alexander, Alexandria, and a tribute to a great Egyptian city | Arts and Culture
Alexander the Great never saw the city he envisioned and had named after himself almost two and a half millennia ago. He was there to…
Through K-pop and Quechua, singer Lenin Tamayo celebrates his Andean roots | Music
Lima, Peru – Strolling up the neoclassical steps of Peru’s Supreme Court with a technicolour Indigenous shawl draped over one shoulder, Lenin Tamayo is keenly…
‘A metaphor for life’: Bollywood’s stormy love affair with Indian cricket | ICC Cricket World Cup
New Delhi, India – For years, Pravin Tambe, a leg-spinner from a middle-class family in Mumbai, toiled away in company and club teams with the…