Theo Farrant

Culture news

The art of war: Taliban turn blast walls into propaganda art

An outdoor exhibit featuring destroyed US military hardware, vehicles and blast walls is on display in Ghazni, Afghanistan, as a reminder of the Taliban's return to power.

4 January 2022

Food and Drink

Meet the man hoping to make Africa's first Michelin-starred restaurant

Congolese chef Dieuveil Malonga has visited 38 of Africa's 54 countries, bringing back an abundance with techniques and ingredients with him. Now his sights are are set on blending afro-fusion cuisine with fine dining.

4 January 2022

Culture news

Cristiano Ronaldo statue in India's Goa, divides opinions of locals

A statue of Cristiano Ronaldo, commissioned to inspire the youth of India, has received backlash given Portugal's colonial past in the Goa region.

31 December 2021

Art

Italy recovers €10 million worth of stolen art from around the world

Italy’s Culture Minister welcomed the return of more than 200 prized antiquities valued at over 10 million euros that had been located in prestigious US museums and galleries after illegal trafficking.

31 December 2021

Art

Meet the Russian artist creating uniquely Lenin-inspired skull beads

Aleksey Zaslavskiy, a Russian craftsman, creates skull beads of Vladimir Lenin in order to explore different perceptions of the historical figure.

30 December 2021

Food and Drink

Animals at Berlin zoo feast on Christmas tree leftovers

It's the traditional Christmas meal for the animals at Berlin Zoo: unwanted fir Christmas trees served up as treats for elephants, reindeer and creatures to enjoy.

30 December 2021

Culture news

Spanish revellers honour yearly tradition by hurling eggs and flour

Revellers from the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi celebrated a quirky 200-year-old festival known as Els Enfarinats. The traditional get-together requires participants to dress in military outfits and stage a mock takeover using flour, eggs and firecrackers.

30 December 2021

Culture news

The most striking photos of 2021 and the stories behind them

Here are this year's photography highlights - featuring the refugee crisis, sporting triumphs, global disasters and moments of awe-inspiring humanity.

29 December 2021

Culture news

Immersion in the world of fairytales in Hans Christian Andersen museum

Hans Christian Andersen is being celebrated in his hometown of Odense, with a new museum designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, which combines biographical elements with a fantasy world.

29 December 2021

Food and Drink

Visit the birthplace of Sweden's festive peppermint candy canes

In 1859, a new confection emerged on the market in the small town of Gränna, Sweden. It was a hard, minty candy with red and white stripes, created by Amalia Eriksson

23 December 2021

Culture news

Santa Claus or Spiderman? Kids spending Xmas in hospital get a treat

A firefighter dressed as Santa Claus climbed down the wall of a children's hospital in Barcelona to surprise those spending Christmas there.

23 December 2021

Culture news

'Merry Christmas': World's first SMS sells for €107,000 at NFT auction

Vodafone auctions the world's first SMS, sent in December 1992, in the form of a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), a certificate guaranteeing its ownership, for 107,000 euros.

22 December 2021

Design

Ice sculptors transform Russian city into winter wonderland

Working in sub-zero temperatures, ice sculptors have turned the Siberian city of Tomsk into a festive paradise through the city's annual design competition.

21 December 2021

Art

Titanic exhibition in London retells tragic stories and heroic deeds

'Titanic The Exhibition' is taking a fresh look at the tragedy of the ill-fated ocean liner, which sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage

21 December 2021

Art

Hearing colours, sensing time: a day in the life of a cyborg artist

Spain-based artist Neil Harbisson was born completely colour blind, but these days a device attached to his head turns colour into audible frequencies.

20 December 2021

Culture news

Rome's Cinecittà Studios hopes for a new golden age of cinema

Once the stomping ground of Italy's greatest directors and actors, from Federico Fellini to Sophia Loren, Rome's renowned Cinecitta film studios are planning a much-needed makeover for a new era.

20 December 2021

Culture news

The real story behind the Czech Christmas glass beads

The handmade production of blown glass beads into Christmas tree decorations in Poniklá, Czech Republic, earned the craft a place on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage last year. But there's more to this.

17 December 2021

Art

Stunning 1,500 piece home nativity scene in Brazil lights up Christmas

Joao de Castro says this has long been a tradition in his family. "My paternal grandmother's family is an old family from Santa Lúcia and all the women made nativity scenes."

17 December 2021

Culture news

Evacuated Afghan artists paint mural to say 'Thank you, Albania!'

Albania has sheltered some 2,400 Afghan evacuees in hotels or tourist resorts. Some 150 of them have already left for other countries.

17 December 2021

Food and Drink

A small Brazilian town is gaining global recognition for its cheese

57 Brazilian cheeses won medals at the biennial 'Mondial du Fromage' in Tours, France in September, putting unsung Brazil only second to France as the world's best cheese makers

16 December 2021