The East · Cinema · Observations · Society
Ottawa is witnessing something Canada has not seen for two decades: Prime Minister Mark Carney is holding a large-scale meeting with provincial premiers and the leaders of Indigenous peoples or, as they say in Canada, the First Nations. The authorities speak of a reset in relations with Indigenous peoples
In the Press · Faith · Observations · Society
Church advised to cull its bishops to avoid ruin So ran the ironic headline in a recent issue of The Times, which summarised the report "Wasted Money in a Shrinking Church", written by the theologian Canon Robin Gill, a former adviser to the Archbishops of Canterbury Robert Runcie
The East · Architecture · Faith · Heritage · Society
A visit to the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has turned into a rather melancholy affair. In 1934, by decree of Atatürk, the cathedral became a museum open to all, and in July 2020 the Turkish government restored the building's status as a working mosque, yet for
Heritage · Society · Reportage · Rome
On 24 October, at about 17:40, a crowd of demonstrators forced its way into the Colosseum in Rome. According to the Italian Ministry of Culture, the monument was not damaged and nobody was injured. That day Rome saw an authorised march, "Fuori l'Italia dalla guerra"
Coming Up · Moscow · Science · Society
The Union of Theatre Workers of Russia marked its 150th anniversary with a gala concert on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. The event was timed to coincide with the organisation's Tenth Congress, at which, on the same day, it received a new name: the Russian Theatre
Art · Society · Paris · Reportage
The Art Basel Paris fair managed to sell works worth almost 130 million euros before closing early because of the protests in France. This year the fair is held at the Grand Palais for the third time, and in Paris for the fifth time in all. The first two days
Art · Museums · Society · Paris
On 24 October the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée de l'Orangerie and the National Picasso Museum in Paris will close. The museums took this decision because of demonstrations planned for that day. The Art Basel Paris contemporary art fair also announced that it would close
Geography · Heritage · Society
The staff of US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have broken a globe that Dwight Eisenhower used during the Second World War. Hegseth was taken with the story of the globe, and his staff asked for it to be moved to the Secretary's office. Historic objects in the
NB! · Moscow · Observations · Society · Humour
The Mausoleum is carried as a fixed asset, as are the sarcophagus and the equipment, while the clothing and the reagents count as materials. And Lenin himself, who takes no part in the production cycle and is not subject to depreciation, presumably sits in an off-balance-sheet account?
Observations · Society · Paris
Thanks to the striking appearance of the lady behind Sébastien Lecornu during his address on the introduction of a curfew in response to the protests, I learnt of the existence of such an interesting department as the Ministry of Regional Planning and Decentralisation, which is headed by none other than
Coming Up · Museums · Society
The heads of museums, theatres, libraries and other cultural institutions can receive 1 million roubles for their work. Such a financial reward is provided by the National Prize for Cultural Managers, for which applications opened today. The prize is being held for the second time, with the support of the
NB! · Society · Paris · Humour
But there is good news too