Culture
Latest stories
Japan's Lower House Passes Bill Banning 'Revenge Porn'

Japan's lower house on Tuesday passed a bill criminalizing "revenge porn", as it seeks a legal remedy to a growing problem of the Internet age.

The bill, which cleared the house unanimously, will be sent to the upper house and likely enacted on Wednesday, in what could be one of the last duties of this parliament before an expected election next month.

W140 Full Story
Kenyans March in Pro-Miniskirt Protest

Hundreds of Kenyans marched through the streets of Nairobi on Monday to protest at the stripping of a woman wearing a miniskirt, saying they had the right to wear what they want.

Protesters turned out to show their outrage following the widespread circulation on social media of a video showing a woman being attacked and stripped by a mob last week in central Nairobi after they said her skirt was too tight and short.

W140 Full Story
Report: Modern Slavery Affects 35.8 Million People

Forced to pick cotton, grow cannabis, prostitute themselves, fight wars or clean up after the wealthy -- some 35.8 million people are currently trapped in modern-day slavery, a new report said Monday.

The 2014 Global Slavery Index (GSI), in its second annual report, said new methods showed some 20 percent more people were enslaved across the world than originally thought.

W140 Full Story
Napoleon's Two-Pointed Hat Auctioned off for 1.9 mln Euros

One of Napoleon's famous two-pointed hats was sold on Sunday to a South Korean collector for nearly 1.9 million euros ($2.2 million) at an auction outside Paris.

The black felted beaver fur "bicorne" hat is one of only 19 examples left of the unusual headwear sported by the French emperor, one of the country's best known historical figures.

W140 Full Story
Archaeologists Dig at Ancient Site Near Syrian War

Archaeology and war don't usually mix, yet that's been the case for years at Karkemish, an ancient city along the Turkey-Syria border where an excavation team announced its newest finds over the weekend just meters (yards) from Islamic State-controlled territory.

Karkemish, dating back more than 5,000 years, is close to the Syrian city of Jarablous, which now flies the black banner of the Islamic extremist group.

W140 Full Story
U.S. Oral History Project Wins $1 mn TED Prize

The founder of a project devoted to capturing stories of people's lives spoken in their own words has won a million-dollar TED Prize that comes with an unfettered wish.

Brooklyn-based nonprofit StoryCorps has recorded conversation-style chats with nearly 100,000 people in the United States.

W140 Full Story
Archaeologists Dig at Ancient Site near Syrian War

Archaeology and war don't usually mix, yet that's been the case for years at Karkemish, an ancient city along the Turkey-Syria border where an excavation team announced its newest finds Saturday just meters (yards) from Islamic State-controlled territory.

Karkemish, dating back more than 5,000 years, is close to the Syrian city of Jarablous, which now flies the black banner of the Islamic extremist group.

W140 Full Story
Indian Civil Service Schools Told to Ditch German

India's right-wing Hindu nationalist government has ordered the country's civil service schools to replace the teaching of German with an Indian language such as Sanskrit in the "national interest", reports said Saturday.

The order has been given to the state-run Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (Central School Organization), which comprises 1,092 schools across India serving children of army officials and other government personnel, according to the Indian Express newspaper.

W140 Full Story
One World Trade Center Fills Hole in Manhattan Skyline

The jewel of the New York skyline, the pride of a whole nation, is back.

The opening of One World Trade Center, on the site of the Twin Towers that were destroyed on September 11, 2001, signals a long-awaited return to normal in the Big Apple.

W140 Full Story
Napoleon's two-pointed hat goes under hammer

One of Napoleon's famous two-pointed bicorne hats is due to go under the hammer on Sunday at an auction near Paris.

The black beaver felt hat is valued at between 300,000 and 400,000 euros ($375,000-$500,000), but could go for up to two million euros, according to Napoleon memorabilia watchers.

W140 Full Story