Inside an old watchtower dangling over the crashing waves of the port of Capraia, dwell 6,000 books and their keeper: 33-year-old Viola, a librarian who took the time during the COVID-19 pandemic to ask herself, “What makes you truly happy?”
Tag: culture
One thing’s for sure, whether you have children or not: You are bound to make mistakes, experience frustration and learn things the hard way. The key is to gradually understand how to live with it.
As the Rugby World Cup final approaches, French writer Yves Bourdillon notes that the sport is popular almost exclusively in democratic countries. The reason? Its Anglo-Saxon origins, the complexity of its rules and its values, a miracle of balance between individualism and collective spirit.
There is no doubt that the old museums in Europe and America bear deep imprints of the colonial era; in a mirror image, “protecting treasures” has become a transcendental reference for the new China.
Italian philosopher Umberto Galimberti says it is a tragedy to photograph a life into existence rather than living it.
Although it emphasized the rights of India’s LGBTQ+ to live free of discrimination, India’s top court declined to legally recognize same-sex marriage, leaving the decision to Parliament. What does verdict mean in real terms for the people affected.
The flood of pro-Israel support from right-ring Hindu nationalists reveals more about the nature of their political project, its aspirations and ideological directions through the decades, than it does about Zionism.
Pasta may not be considered controversial today, but it played an important role during Italy’s fascist years, particularly in one family’s celebration of community and liberation.
Followers of the Afro-Brazilian Umbanda religion in four traditional communities in the country’s northeast are resisting pressure to convert to evangelical Christianity.
Sausages, potatoes and sauerkraut … Ja, but not only! Let us take you on a culinary tour of Hamburg, where hip vegan cafes meet sushi and ramen bars, and Bavarian beer flows aplenty.
New York Mayor Eric Adams has for the first time allowed the city’s mosques to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers. A Turkish correspondent living in New York listens in to the sound of the call (“cleaner” than in Turkey), and the voices of local Muslims marking this watershed in their relationship with the city.
August 26-27 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which world leader was conspicuously absent from the first day of the BRICS summit in South Africa, instead sending his commerce minister to deliver a highly-anticipated speech? 2. The plane crash that presumably killed Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny […]
In the hands of the same family since 1870, the world’s largest producer of corks almost disappeared in the early 2000s. Today, this gem of Portuguese industry has not only reconquered its historic market, but has made cork the darling of many other sectors.
Her museum houses relics of a disappearing culture in the frozen taiga. Will cash payments and new language classes be enough to help her save the Dukha way of life?
For the new generation of tarot readers in Brazil, the art of reading the cards aims not to guess the future, but to promote a deep search for self-knowledge.
The fragrances we use are not just a matter of personal taste, but a choice connected to the time in which we live. Perfumes of the 20th century varied between bold and soft, depending on the role that women played in society at the time. What does today smell like?
August 5-6 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. After Turkey, which country is now emerging as a potential peacebroker in the Russia-Ukraine war? 2. Donald Trump has sparked global outrage by comparing his third indictment to what? 3. Which city has UNESCO suggested adding to its […]
Four decades ago, there were 9,000 dance clubs in Italy. Today, there are just 3,000. Where is everyone going instead, and why?
The vigorous liberalism of Argentina’s literary giant, Jorge Luis Borges, and his disdain for the 20th century’s oppressive regimes, may yet make him an icon of today’s youthful, if less learned, libertarians.
July 29-30 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. From what position was China’s Qin Gang officially removed, after weeks of going missing? 2. Which European country is facing tricky coalition talks following inconclusive election results? 3. Which Olympic star saw their long-standing world record broken? 4. […]
July 22-23 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Moscow has seized control of the Russian subsidiaries of Danish beer company Carlsberg and which other food giant 2. The current heatwave across Europe is partly due to an anticyclone named after which Greek mythological figure? 3. An […]
Veteran Italian Maestro Alberto Veronesi protested what he believed was the politicization of the La Bohème production that he was set to conduct. In accordance to the opera’s tradition of backstage melodrama, the situation only escalated from there.
Funk is a music genre that originated in Rio and is inspired by social consciousness. Women have been overlooked in the genre, but a new generation of women funk artists are changing that.
July 15-16 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which two countries have backed Sweden’s NATO membership bid after months of negotiations? 2. New protests in Israel this week against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu were sparked by the reform of what institution? 3. Which world leader […]
July 8-9 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. What extremely dangerous attack have Ukraine and Russia accused each other of plotting? 2. President Macky Sall announced he would not seek reelection. Which African nation is he from? 3. Meta has launched its rival app to Twitter. […]
Rio de Janeiro is a city known for many things, but food is usually not one of them. Nonetheless, Rio’s food scene is not to be ignored. From açaí to steak, Rio has it all.
July 1-2 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. In what country did Yevgeny Prighozin find refuge after his Wagner Group’s short-lived insurrection? 2. What did a protester do outside Stockholm’s Central Mosque that prompted international condemnation? 3. What happened to all South Korean citizens overnight on […]
June 24-25 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which jailed critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin is now facing a new trial? 2. U.S. President Joe Biden used this word to describe Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. 3. Which soccer superstar became the first player […]
Rwandan fishers dive into the silent waters of one of Africa’s largest lakes. The rhythms are relatively calm, but a lifetime of hard work rarely adds up to much where earning even a euro a day is a long shot.
Much has been said about how the children’s local culture helped them survive 40 days stranded. But there are indigenous people in Colombia who believe “natural spirits” watched over them, keeping them safe until it was time for them to be found.
June 17-18 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which country has reportedly started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons? 2. What was the nickname of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died this week at age 86? Il Cavaliere / Casanova / Bunga Bunga […]
The outdoor cafés are joyful, the metro is expanding and the city is becoming more modern. A visit to the Russian capital finds citizens trying to keep the war as far away as possible — even as it creeps closer.
The U.S. is set to rejoin UNESCO, after Donald Trump pulled the country out in 2017, accusing it of being biased against Israel. The reasons for the return include artificial intelligence and pure geopolitics.
June 10-11 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. In which Ukrainian region is the Nova Kakhovka dam, which was destroyed this week? 2. Who was the first British royal in 130 years to give a court testimony? 3. Which country has been struck both by floods […]
June 3-4 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Who has Russia accused of encouraging cross-border “terrorist” attacks? 2. Clashes erupted in Kosovo between NATO troops and what national minority group? 3. Which Latin American leader was welcomed back to Brazil by President Lula after a four-year […]
Tunis and Moscow have been increasingly close — at the cost of relations with the West, which had once looked to Tunisia as a model of democracy. The two countries are brought together by Kremlin’s efforts to woo African countries, but also a natural alliance of its strongman Presidents Putin and Saïed.
May 27-28 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. What is the name of the Russian region that saw a cross-border incursion and ensuing clashes this week? 2. With which small Pacific Island country has the U.S. signed a new defense deal? 3. What outbreak has led […]
The Brazilian singer Nega Jaci has performed a new version of the well-known samba “Mulheres,” by Martinho da Vila, adapted by two Brazilian women to remove the sexist tone of the original lyrics.
May 20-21 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. What major national institution was considered the loser in Thailand’s elections? 2. What has France agreed to do to support Ukraine’s military? 3. Whose speeches were played over a train loudspeaker in Austria that caused outrage? 4. Which […]
Germany is returning looted Benin bronzes back to Nigeria. But there are now concerns that they will now disappear into private ownership or that they will be threatened with damage or loss