Culture & Society

Friends, Romans, naked wolf-men ... why an ancient festival is still controversial Krešimir Vuković   The annual Lupercalia festival turned society upside down – and the location of its starting point is still hotly debated. ...

Oscar nominations 2018: a cautious, comfort-food list in Trumpian times Peter Bradshaw   The Shape of Water leads a nominations list that offers up exotic fantasy and imagined past, but is missing something truly ferocious and polarising. The...

Here's How The Romanovs Spent Their Final Days Before Their Tragic Execution By Natalie Zamora   The slaughter of the Russian Royal family, the Romanovs, was a shock all over the world. It still is today, even...

Missing artefacts back on display in Beirut after decades   Ancient sculptures, after being stolen during Lebanon’s civil war, are on display again thanks to a global effort to stop antiquities smuggling during the war in...

Cuzco comes alive with ancient Incas festival A source of Andean pride, the Inti Raymi festival festival had to be held in secret, but since 1944 has been revived and growing in popularity. At the highest...

Hit film about Istanbul’s cats finally comes home to Turkey Melis Alemdar   Turkish filmmaker Ceyda Torun lived in Istanbul before moving overseas with her family. She never lost her fondness for the city or the...

Israel's relentless war on EU humanitarian aid to Palestine Ylenia Gostoli   Women from the Palestinian village of Jubbet adh Dhib are fighting for basic amenities like electricity. Their struggle is part of a bigger tug-of-war, between...

Industrial meat production is killing our seas. It's time to change our diets Callum Roberts   Every spring, as the snows thaw, water rushes down the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, spreading life, then death into the...

International appetite for Turkish baklava grows Melis Alemdar   Baklava, the other Turkish delight, has enjoyed steadily increasing sales over the past decade. Experts say demand outweighs supply, and baklava masters are hard to come by. They...

Becoming a master sommelier might be the hardest thing in the world Earning the accolade of Master Sommelier and winning the right to wear the coveted red pin is no easy task. Aaran Fronda looks...