Culture & Society

Seven things to know about the Circassians — and their struggle By Zeynep Şahin Twitter: @zeynebelle91 This week, Circassians are commemorating the ethnic cleansing of their people. 1. Who are the Circassians —  and why are they commemorating...

Century Spice Road, Catch the Moon, Sagrada games review – fiendish fun   Owen Duffy   A mission to track down exotic spices, building increasingly unstable ladders to the moon and designing glorious stained glass windows feature in...

Social media is the cornerstone of the luxury lifestyle industry Dominic O’Reilly   With a new wave of competitors sweeping the leisure industry, focusing on customer satisfaction is the best way to generate loyalty and goodwill. Over the...

Oscars 2018: The Winners Compiled by ANDREW R. CHOW    Jordan Peele wins best original screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards. Credit Patrick T. Fallon for The New York Times The 90th Academy Awards rewarded a...

Elisabeth Moss defends Scientology after fan compares it to Gilead   Actor, who was raised a Scientologist, denies that the movement is similar to the fictional regime in The Handmaid’s Tale. Elisabeth Moss has defended Scientology after...

Before television, there was shadow theatre It was extremely popular during Ottoman times and the plays would draw hundreds of people, who would gather to watch the puppets reflected on a curtain. Before television, there many...

Syria's traditional oud-making on the decline   While the conflict that has ravaged Syria over the past six years devastated many of its historic crafts, the production of the oud, a pear-shaped traditional musical instrument, has...

Landmarks around the world light up for Chinese Lunar New Year   Thousands across the world have celebrated the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year by lighting incense sticks and praying at temples to wish...

Cate Blanchett joins stars urging Russia to drop 'flimsy' charges against director Leading arts figures sign petition calling on Moscow’s public prosecutor to end investigation into Kirill Serebrennikov. High-profile figures in the arts world have called...

Santa Claus's tomb may have been uncovered beneath Turkish church   Archaeologists say they have found almost fully intact temple and burial grounds of Saint Nicholas in Antalya. Turkish archaeologists have dashed the hopes of millions of...