Culture & Religion

As Viktor Yanukovich was sworn in as president today there was one notable absence. Yulia Tymoshenko, who was defeated in a recent run-off, boycotted the inauguration.

Afghani Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Kabir has been “seized in Pakistan” according to American media reports which say he was picked up in the city of Nowshera.

The National Enquirer has another piece of scandalous news for its clamouring public – it hopes to win a Pulitzer Prize for its revelations about the private life of John Edwards.

In his piece in this week’s New Yorker on depression, and depression-related research, Louis Menand asks, “Is psychopharmacology evil, or is it useless?” Increasingly, skeptics say it’s the latter, and […]

Did an early mistake in Edward Hirsch’s life lead him to forge a career in poetry? “When I was eight years old my grandfather died…After he died I went down […]

The discovery of an ancient hobbit-like species is rewriting the history of the human race, with scientists believing it was the little apemen, not Homo erectus, who first left Africa.

The search among urbanites for that ideal “authentic” neighborhood, rife with rustic brownstones, a diverse, culturally robust population, artisans, galleries, vendors, mom-and-pop shops, and familiar pubs pulsating with local music, […]

A new study contradicts the popular wisdom that people hide their true selves online suggesting that Facebook profiles are usually an accurate portrait of a person’s personality.

The Independent interviews quirky American film director Wes Anderson and finds his quirk and charm to be put on as by an actor in one of his films.

Twelve French wine sellers have been convicted of passing off wine produced near Toulouse as a higher quality Pinot Noir before selling it on to an American wine distributor.

After giving its students laptops to take home, a Pennsylvania high school is accused of remotely activating the computers’ webcams to monitor students’ behavior.

Quoth the voters, Nevermore! A recent Art Fund poll asking “Which of these people has captured your idea of romance in art?” came up with the answer of Paul Gauguin’s […]

Tiger’s statement recalled the words of Saint Augustine, who said, “Make me chaste—but not yet.” There is something about society’s axiomatic forgiveness in the face of apology (especially when religion […]

British singer and gay icon Elton John has courted controversy this week by claiming in an interview that “Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man.”

“For me, a picture, since it is easel paintings that we have to paint, should be something lovable, joyful, and pretty: yes, pretty!,” Pierre-August Renoir once said in self-defense. “I […]

N+1 editor Charles Petersen’s piece in the new New York Review of Books compares Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to legendary city planner Robert Moses. Do we agree? Can we concede […]

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed he wants to shake off his all-American image and wishes to play Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in a movie biopic.

While it’s not quite Norman Mailer on Liston v. Patterson, Gawker’s analysis of New Republic editor Leon Wieseltier’s recent exchange with Andrew Sullivan makes for brilliant reading, a smart companion to the […]

President Obama has suggested in not so many words the need for a “New Deal” for America today to, we hope, match the success of FDR’s “New Deal” of the […]

Fashion’s biggest model, Crystal Renn, talks to The Independent about why size matters and how being beautiful and big could change the face of the industry.

Robert De Niro plans to revisit the iconic role of Travis Bickle from the film Taxi Driver more than 30 years after the seminal film was shot, in a new collaboration with Martin Scorsese.

Pope Benedict XVI will oversee the second day of an “extraordinary meeting” with 24 Irish bishops in the Vatican to discuss a child sex abuse scandal in Ireland.

The New Statesman’s Salma Yaqoob talks to Muslim women about the Western perception that they are powerless victims in need of rescuing. “Give us a break”, they say.

As Chinese New Year revellers welcomed in the year of the Tiger yesterday, Singapore’s first casino, a key part of a drive to boost tourism revenue, opened its doors.

Seven-year-old Julia Lira, the youngest drum corps queen in memory at Rio de Janiero’s Carnival, broke down in tears and needed a time-out after finding herself center stage.

One of my first subversive art experiences was watching Terry Gilliam’s animated collage title sequences for Monty Python. The Pythons loved to poke fun at the vestiges of stuffy Victorian […]

Out of work sugar cane farmers from the small county of Xalisco, Mexico have opened big black tar heroin operations accross the Midwest targeting white, middle class buyers.

Despite the lack of snowfall in Vancouver, the half-Canadian mogulist Hannah Kearney has given the U.S. its first gold medal of the games.

The rest simply cannot be controlled. Yet apropos of Valentine’s Day, it’s worth considering something The Daily Beast reported recently, a remark made by philanthropist (and Edwards supporter) Bunny Mellon regarding John […]

MTV, which now hosts mainly reality television series, has dropped ‘Music Television’ from its official logo giving the brand more flexibility.