Writers: Russian attacks seek ‘erasure’ of Ukrainian culture
December 2, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops in Ukraine are deliberately attacking the country's museums, libraries and other cultural institutions, according to a report issued Friday by the U.S.
Slovenia beekeeping tradition gets UN world heritage status
December 1, 2022 GMTLJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia is keeping its bee buzz on a roll.
After Slovenia clinched United Nations support for establishing a World Bee Day in 2018, authorities said Thursday the small European nation's beekeeping tradition is being added to the U.N.'s list of cultural heritage that humanity should preserve.
Cheers! Serbia’s plum brandy gets UN world heritage status
December 1, 2022 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — It's time to raise a glass for sljivovica - Serbia's traditional plum brandy that authorities said Thursday is being added to the U.N.’s list of intangible cultural heritage as a cherished tradition to be preserved by humanity.
Crunch time: The baguette gets UN world heritage status
November 30, 2022 GMTPARIS (AP) — The humble baguette — the crunchy ambassador for French baking around the world — is being added to the U.N.’s list of intangible cultural heritage as a cherished tradition to be preserved by humanity.
Mine company’s blasting of rock shelters likened to Taliban
November 24, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian minister likened a mining company blasting ancient rock shelters to the Taliban’s destruction of giant Buddha carvings and vowed Thursday to improve protections of Indigenous cultural heritage.
Falcon tradition inspires passion in World Cup host Qatar
November 19, 2022 GMTDOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar has become a focal point for soccer since winning the right to host the World Cup. But another sport is flying high in the historic center of the capital, Doha, as over a million foreign fans flock to the tiny emirate: Falconry.
Culture clash? Conservative Qatar preps for World Cup party
November 17, 2022 GMTOn the Instagram accounts of fashion models and superstars last month, the sheikhdom of Qatar looked like one glittering party.
High-heeled designers descended on exhibition openings and fashion shows in downtown Doha.
US outlines effects of withdrawing land from oil drilling
November 12, 2022 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Interior Department’s plan to withdraw hundreds of square miles in New Mexico from oil and gas production for the next 20 years is expected to result in only a few dozen wells not being drilled on federal land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park, according to an environmental assessment.
Justices seem to favor most of Native child welfare law
November 9, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court appeared likely Wednesday to leave in place most of a federal law that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children.
Greek museum displays 1st batch of artworks recouped from US
November 8, 2022 GMTATHENS, Greece (AP) — It’s a first symbolic step in a homecoming that will long outlast the 10-year Odyssey of ancient myth.
For decades, an important part of Greece's cultural heritage sparkled only for the very few in a U.S.
Native child welfare law faces major Supreme Court challenge
November 7, 2022 GMTFLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Wednesday on the most significant challenge to a law that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children.
UN steps up satellite tracking of damage to Ukraine culture
October 26, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The United Nations' cultural and satellite agencies have joined forces to more systematically track the impact of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine’s architecture, art, historic buildings and other cultural heritage, and have compiled an initial list of more than 200 sites that have been damaged or destroyed.
Adidas confirms Moroccan art inspired Algerian soccer jersey
October 14, 2022 GMTRABAT, Morocco (AP) — Adidas acknowledged on Friday that the design for its new jersey collection for Algeria's national soccer team was inspired by Morocco’s zellige mosaic pattern, resolving a dispute with the Moroccan government that had accused the sport apparel company of “cultural appropriation” of its heritage.
Racist remarks: Hurt, betrayal among LA’s Indigenous people
October 13, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Bricia Lopez has welcomed people of all walks to dine at her family's popular restaurant on the Indigenous-influenced food of her native Mexican state of Oaxaca — among them Nury Martinez, the first Latina elected president of the Los Angeles City Council.
Hopi curator to lead New Mexico’s Native American art museum
October 12, 2022 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — An expert in the field of Indigenous art has been named as the executive director of New Mexico’s Museum of Indian Arts & Culture.
Pollyanna “Polly” Nordstrand, who is Hopi, will take on her new role next month.
As pilots age, Albuquerque’s ballooning future at crossroads
October 11, 2022 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bryce Risley is putting everything he has into documenting and preserving the world-famous culture of Albuquerque ballooning that captivated him as a child.
Risley holds a double master’s degree in marine science, but since returning to his home state after graduate school, he’s switched his obsession from creatures that live in the water to humans who feel at home in the air.
‘War crime:’ Industrial-scale destruction of Ukraine culture
October 9, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The exquisite golden tiara, inlaid with precious stones by master craftsmen some 1,500 years ago, was one of the world’s most valuable artifacts from the blood-letting rule of Attila the Hun, who rampaged with horseback warriors deep into Europe in the 5th century.
PBS’ ‘Making Black America’ details thriving while excluded
October 4, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — America slammed the door in the face of Black progress time after time, and time after time African Americans responded by thriving in a society of their own making.
When Black doctors were excluded from the American Medical Association, they formed the National Medical Association in 1895.
As Cantonese language wanes, efforts grow to preserve it
September 27, 2022 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Three decades ago, finding opportunities to learn Cantonese in San Francisco wasn't hard. But today in the city that's drawn Cantonese speakers from South China for over 150 years, there's fear that political and social upheaval are diminishing a language that is a cultural touchstone.
Prominent Native Hawaiians named to Mauna Kea authority
September 15, 2022 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — Gov. David Ige on Monday appointed several people, including some prominent Native Hawaiian activists, to a new board charged with managing Mauna Kea summit lands underneath some of the world's most advanced astronomical observatories.
Police: Bag found at Stockholm festival had an explosive
August 22, 2022 GMTSTOCKHOLM (AP) — A bag with an explosive charge was found in a Stockholm park during an annual cultural festival and police have opened a preliminary investigation into attempted public destruction, police in Sweden said Monday.
Hawaii seeks end to strife over astronomy on sacred mountain
August 20, 2022 GMTHONOLULU (AP) — For more than 50 years, telescopes and the needs of astronomers have dominated the summit of Mauna Kea, a mountain sacred to Native Hawaiians that's also one of the finest places in the world to study the night sky.
‘P-Valley’ explores Black strip club culture, gay acceptance
August 9, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — When Katori Hall first pitched the idea to convert her popular play about Black strip club culture into the television series “P-Valley,” the Pulitzer Prize winner was either quickly rejected after meeting with networks or denied before she could fully explain the concept.
Pope visits Nunavut for final apology of his Canadian tour
July 30, 2022 GMTIQALUIT, Nunavut (AP) — Pope Francis traveled to the edge of the Arctic on Friday to deliver an apology to the Inuit people for the “evil” of Canada’s residential schools, wrapping up his week-long “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada with a dramatic visit to the remote territory of Nunavut to meet with school survivors.
Black parade culture museum reopening in New Orleans
July 8, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten months after Hurricane Ida damaged a museum celebrating New Orleans’ African American parading culture, the Backstreet Cultural Museum is reopening.
Essence Fest is back in New Orleans after two-year hiatus
June 29, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Black culture, in all its glory, will be on display over the 4th of July holiday weekend in New Orleans as thousands converge on the city for the in-person return of the Essence Festival of Culture.
Taliban release several British citizens held in Afghanistan
June 20, 2022 GMTISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have released several British citizens who were detained in Afghanistan after an agreement was reached between the two countries, Taliban and U.K. officials said Monday.
Transgender youth treatment under fire in Florida again
June 3, 2022 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida health officials have asked the state medical board to draft new policies that would likely restrict gender dysphoria treatments for transgender youth as the state amps up its ongoing attacks on the treatments amid the country's culture wars.
West Virginia’s Vandalia Festival returns to weekend format
May 23, 2022 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A celebration of West Virginia's mountain culture and ethnic heritage will return to its original, full-weekend format for the first time in three years.
The 45nd annual Vandalia Gathering is set for Friday through Sunday on the state Capitol grounds in Charleston.
Are police consent decrees an asset? Depends on who you ask
May 23, 2022 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — The Minneapolis Police Department will face the intense scrutiny of a federal program after a state investigation spurred by the killing of George Floyd concluded that the city's officers stop and arrest Black people more than white people, use force more often on people of color and maintain a culture in which racist language is tolerated.
Canadian athletes, parents call for culture change in sports
May 21, 2022 GMTScales should be banned from children’s gyms. Parents should be permitted to watch. Rules of acceptable behavior should be posted on gym walls with a toll-free line to report violations.
They may sound like basic safety precautions for children in sport, but they don’t exist on a blanket scale in Canada.
GOP directs culture war fury toward green investing trend
May 19, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republicans are coming out swinging against Wall Street's growing efforts to consider factors like long-term environmental risk in investment decisions, the latest indication that the GOP is willing to damage its relationship with big business to score culture war points.
US report details church-state collusion on Native schools
May 14, 2022 GMTA new Interior Department report on the legacy of boarding schools for Native Americans underscores how closely the U.S.
US grappling with Native American boarding school history
May 13, 2022 GMTFLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Deb Haaland is pushing the U.S. government to reckon with its role in Native American boarding schools like no other Cabinet secretary could — backed by personal experience, a struggle with losing her own Native language and a broader community that has felt the devastating impacts.
US reckoning with role in Native American boarding schools
May 12, 2022 GMTFLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Deb Haaland is pushing the U.S. government to reckon with its role in Native American boarding schools like no other Cabinet secretary could — backed by personal experience, a struggle with losing her own Native language and a broader community that has felt the devastating impacts.
Culture war and COVID-19 dominate superintendent races
May 11, 2022 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's Republican primary for state superintendent of schools is filled with sharp clashes over which of the two candidates performed worse at the job, while the four Democrats seeking the post say they want to steer the state's school system away from the Republican-driven culture-war clashes that dominated much of this year's legislative session.
Newsom: Democrats need ‘counter-offensive’ in culture wars
May 4, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom faulted his own political party Wednesday for setbacks in the nation's culture wars and urged Democrats to launch a vocal “counter-offensive” to protect rights from abortion to same-sex marriage.
Report: About 6M adults identify as Afro Latino in the US
May 3, 2022 GMTAbout 6 million adults in the United States identify as Afro Latino, a distinction with deep roots in colonial Latin America, according to a new report by Pew Research Center. That's about 2% of the adult U.S.
Ukrainian artist makes cultural stand at Venice Biennale
April 20, 2022 GMTVENICE, Italy (AP) — Artist Pavlo Makov’s role representing Ukraine at the Venice Biennale has become an act of defiance against the Russian invaders, whose attacks on his adopted hometown of Kharkiv have grown more intense in recent days.
Songs by Wu-Tang, Alicia Keys added to Recording Registry
April 13, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Critically acclaimed debut albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin's Latin pop megahit “Livin' La Vida Loca,” and Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody” are among the recordings being inducted this year into the National Recording Registry.
John Legend honored at Grammys’ Black Music Collective event
April 3, 2022 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — As John Legend was honored for his musical achievements Saturday — the night before the Grammy Awards — the singer used the Recording Academy stage to pay homage to a Black music culture that has shaped him and the wider world of music.
Pope makes historic Indigenous apology for Canada abuses
April 1, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday made a historic apology to Indigenous peoples for the “deplorable” abuses they suffered in Canada’s Catholic-run residential schools and said he hoped to visit Canada in late July to deliver the apology in person to survivors of the church's misguided missionary zeal.
Pence unveils ‘Freedom Agenda’ as he weighs 2024 run
March 31, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence is offering a “Freedom Agenda” platform for Republicans ahead of this year's midterm elections, presenting a framework for GOP candidates — and possibly himself for a 2024 presidential run.
EXPLAINER: Alopecia ‘strips people of their identity’
March 30, 2022 GMTAlopecia is an autoimmune disorder that affects millions of people around the world. But to many women — and to Black women, in particular — it is much more. It’s about beauty and race, about culture and about the uncertainty that the disorder creates around people’s perception of themselves.
Canadian gymnasts ask for investigation into ‘toxic’ culture
March 28, 2022 GMTA group of Canadian gymnasts is asking Sport Canada to launch an independent investigation into what they describe as a “toxic culture” within the sport's national governing body.
The group of 71 current and former Canadian gymnastics national team members sent an open letter to Vicki Walker, the director-general of Sport Canada, on Monday saying it can “no longer sit in silence" as cries for change have gone unheeded.
Utah bans transgender athletes in girls sports despite veto
March 25, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — GOP lawmakers in Utah pushed through a ban on transgender youth athletes playing on girls teams Friday, overriding a veto and joining 11 other states with similar laws amid a nationwide culture war.
Arizona Republicans fight culture war in battleground state
March 25, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Arizona has long been fertile ground for a social conservative agenda, with some of the nation's toughest laws against abortion and a history of restricting LGBTQ rights.
Vetoes show lack of GOP lockstep on transgender sports bans
March 24, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republican governors in two states this week rejected legislation to ban transgender players from girls sports — signs that there are some remaining fractures among GOP leaders over how to navigate gender’s reemergence as a culture war issue.
Vetoes show lack of GOP lockstep on transgender sports bans
March 24, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Republican governors in two states this week rejected legislation to ban transgender players from girls sports — signs that there are some remaining fractures among GOP leaders over how to navigate gender’s reemergence as a culture war issue.
Florida ends legislative session marked by culture wars
March 14, 2022 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Legislature had 60 days to accomplish two things: pass a budget and approve new political maps. Lawmakers didn't finish the budget on time and it looks like they'll come back in a special session to keep working on a congressional map.
At Legislature: Budget, culture wars, redistricting rehash
March 12, 2022 GMTLouisiana's Legislature opens its 2022 regular session Monday with a welcome dilemma: how best to spend an influx of money the likes of which the state hasn't seen in years, while again debating familiar “culture war” issues involving transgender athletes, race, vaccine mandates and abortion.
Florida GOP lawmakers pass bill to limit discussion of race
March 10, 2022 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature gave Gov. Ron DeSantis another victory in what some call his political culture war by sending him a bill Thursday that will limit discussions teachers and businesses can have about race.
Review: Laugh-out-loud essays in book ‘Girls Can Kiss Now’
March 7, 2022 GMT“Girls Can Kiss Now,” by Jill Gutowitz (Atria)
In “Girls Can Kiss Now,” Jill Gutowitz, the “self-proclaimed overlord of lesbian Twitter,” takes readers on a thrilling excavation of lesbian pop culture and examines the way lesbian representation in media has directly impacted the way she views her own sexuality.
UNESCO fears Ukraine harm as Russian culture backlash grows
March 3, 2022 GMTAMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam museum said Thursday it has cut its close links to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and UNESCO warned of damage to Ukraine's cultural heritage, as international cultural institutions stepped up their condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Supreme Court to review Native American child adoption law
February 28, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has agreed to review a case involving a federal law that gives Native Americans preference in adoptions of Native children.
The high court said Monday it would take the case that presents the most significant legal challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act since it was passed in 1978.
Review: ‘Mad Max’ oral history revisits a furious road trip
February 22, 2022 GMT“Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’” by Kyle Buchanan (William Morrow):
Leo Tolstoy’s adage that “each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” is inverted in the making-of film book genre: They are all unhappy in the same way.
As Kuwait cracks down, a battle erupts over women’s rights
February 21, 2022 GMTKUWAIT CITY (AP) — It all started over yoga.
When an instructor in Kuwait this month advertised a desert wellness yoga retreat, conservatives declared it an assault on Islam. Lawmakers and clerics thundered about the “danger” and depravity of women doing the lotus position and downward dog in public, ultimately persuading authorities to ban the trip.
US land managers to host meetings on Chaco protection plan
February 18, 2022 GMTFARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials have scheduled a series of public meetings to gather comments on the U.S. Interior Department’s proposal to limit oil and gas development on federal land surrounding Chaco Culture National Historic Park.
GOP pushes US schools to post all class materials online
February 12, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican state lawmakers across the U.S. are trying to require schools to post all course materials online so parents can review them, part of a broader national push by the GOP for a sweeping parents bill of rights ahead of the midterm congressional elections.