Russia Warns Turkey About Turning Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque
Russian officials and the Orthodox church on Monday urged caution over calls in Turkey to alter the status of the Hagia Sophia, the historic former cathedral in Istanbul.
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culture
Researchers Discover Earliest Bow and Arrow Use in Sri Lanka
Archaeologists announced Friday they have discovered the oldest known evidence of bow and arrow use, as well as ancient clothing material just outside of Africa in the tropical regions of Sri Lanka, challenging the traditional methods of investigating early human cultural development.
Read moreAudit: University of California Failing to Promptly Return Native American Artifacts
The University of California failed to comply with state and federal rules on returning Native American human remains and cultural objects, resulting in inconsistent dealings with tribes that delay repatriation of their artifacts, according to a California State Auditor report released Thursday.
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Mining Firm Granted Approval to Destroy Australian Aboriginal Sites
Mining giant BHP has been given government approval to destroy up to 40 indigenous heritage sites, Australia’s Aboriginal Affairs Minister said Thursday, just days after Rio Tinto sparked outrage by damaging ancient rock shelters nearby.
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Carved Stone Turtle Unearthed From Angkor Reservoir Site
Cambodian archaeologists have unearthed a large centuries-old statue of a turtle at the Angkor temple complex.
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Halloumi Makers Score Win in Fight to Protect Cheese Name
When you hear BBQLOUMI, don’t you think of halloumi, the white salty cheese from Cyprus?
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Yemen Cafes Shut, Women Harassed as Houthis Impose Morals Campaign
The Houthi rebels arrived without warning, heavily armed and in a furious mood, as they barged into Ophelia, the only cafe for women in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and demanded it be shut down immediately.
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Talking About a Menstrual Revolution: Asia’s Period Problems
Olivia Cotes-James wants us to talk about menstrual health. Properly. No more euphemisms, no more opaque marketing, no more superstitions, and no glossing over cramps, bleeding, or pain.
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French Lax on Routine Hygiene, Study Suggests
As France braces for a surge in cases of the new coronavirus, which is spread mainly by poor hygiene, a new survey suggests that some of the population may need to clean up their act when it comes to routine cleanliness.
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Booming Business of the Booty-ful Nut of the Seychelles
It is the world’s largest seed, and with a shape suggestive of a woman’s hips and myths of love-making powers, the coco de mer is an icon of the Seychelles.
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‘Tiger Widows’ Shunned as Bad Luck in Rural Bangladesh
Abandoned by her sons, shunned by her neighbors and branded a witch. Mosammat Rashida’s crime? Her husband was killed by a Bengal tiger.
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Online Dating Changes Lives — and the Economy
Online dating is not only transforming the way people hook up, it is changing the way single people spend their money and shaping the nature of household spending, according to one investor taking an interest in the emerging sector.
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Hatidze, the Macedonian Beekeeper Charming Hollywood
Watch out at the Oscars on Sunday for Hatidze Muratova. You can’t miss her. She will be the only Turkish-Macedonian peasant in the starry audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
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Leather or Latex? Delving Into Underground Paris Scene
There are those who claim that Paris has lost its edge; the taste for boundary-breaking excess that inspired bohemians and intellectuals in the 1960s and beyond.
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Venetian Islands Revamp Traditions to Counter Depopulation
The Venetian island of Burano’s charms are rooted in its fishing legacy: the colorful fishermen’s cottages, the traditional butter cookies that kept fishermen going at sea and the delicate lace hand-stitched by their women.
Read moreHarry, Meghan to Quit Royal Jobs, Give Up ‘Highness’ Titles
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are quitting as working royals and will no longer use the titles “royal highness” or receive public funds for their work under a deal announced Saturday by Buckingham Palace.
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Number of Suicides in Japan Hits Record Low
The number of suicides in Japan fell to a record low in 2019, the government said Friday, as the country tackles one of the world’s highest suicide rates.
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Six Tourists Arrested After Feces Found in Sacred Machu Picchu Area
Six tourists, including a French woman, have been arrested over accusations that they damaged Peru’s cultural heritage by defecating in a sacred temple at the iconic Machu Picchu sanctuary.
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Spirit World: Voodoo Makes a Comeback in Its Benin Home
In his long life, voodoo priest Kpohinto Medji has seen his religion flourish and then go into decline, banned for years by the authorities and pressured by other faiths.
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Big Fat Indian Wedding Goes on a Diet as Slowdown Bites
India’s weddings are famously lavish — lasting days and with hundreds if not thousands of guests — but this season many families are cutting costs even if it risks their social standing.
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