Bollywood uses comedy to break fertility taboos A romantic comedy that opens at Indian cinemas this week tackles taboos about sperm donation and infertility, in the latest Bollywood film to experiment with traditionally off-limits content.
18 April 2012 13:55
Cockfighting in Iraq: a different kind of battleIraq is no stranger to battles, but this is not one fought with rifles and rockets: when the bell sounds, trainers release cocks Daqduqa and Sammam into the ring.
12 April 2012 12:51
The arduous art of the chocolate tasterFirst study the colour, then the nose, the structure and taste: as for any good wine, tasting chocolate is both a treat and a serious art, requiring regular practice to fine-tune the senses.
29 March 2012 10:48
Man vs. Shark: Australia's battle for the deep Rolling from his surfboard, blood gushing from the wound where a shark had just ripped a big chunk of flesh from his thigh, Australian Glen Folkard had just one thought: "I'm alive."
27 March 2012 13:07
Communist mega-monuments put Bulgaria in quandary The crumbling oval skeleton of the House of the Bulgarian Communist Party perches like a deserted flying saucer atop Mount Buzludzha in central Bulgaria, visible from miles around.
19 March 2012 14:11
Floating bookshop sails on amid electronic storm Despite fierce storms, a deadly bomb attack and growing competition from electronic media, a Christian charity still sails the seas on a mission to offer cheap books while promoting family values.
15 March 2012 11:20
Seychelles' idyllic habitat at risk from climate change Bursts of torrential rain lash the idyllic white beaches of the Seychelles, where conservationists fear that rare species such as the giant tortoise are at severe risk from climate change.
12 March 2012 11:24
Polish seniors help peers to stay forever young A dozen seniors in the western Polish city of Poznan do gymnastics every Monday, guided by a sexagenarian in a class run by an international group focused on helping the elderly stay young.
11 March 2012 11:12
Indian college turns rural women into engineers It gives no degrees and the teachers and pupils often do not share a common language, but India's Barefoot College has been transforming the lives of rural women for four decades.
07 March 2012 11:55
Nepal shamans spread message to Westerners Her body begins shaking as she mumbles an ancient shaman mantra to the beat of a double-sided drum, coaxing snake spirits out of a young Nepali man who has "lost his soul".
28 February 2012 12:06
Iraq town seeks shift from 'terrorism' to tourismSuspected of being a biological weapons site under Saddam Hussein and later an Al-Qaeda stronghold, an Iraqi town wants to return to its previous status as a centre for archaeology and tourism.
24 February 2012 13:23
Italian engineer invents floating solar panels Rays of the winter sun bounce off gleaming mirrors on the tiny lake of Colignola in Italy, where engineers have built a cost-effective prototype for floating, rotating solar panels.
China drapes Rio Carnival with its synthetic fabricChina is making its formidable presence felt at Rio's famed Carnival, supplying much of the synthetic fabric used to make the lavish costumes and accessories worn by samba dancers, musicians and revelers during the five-day extravaganza.
18 February 2012 10:07
Valentine's Day finds a niche in Islamic Iran Iran may reject Western influences, but Valentine's Day has become a growing phenomenon thanks to the romantically minded youth of the Islamic state's affluent classes.
14 February 2012 12:30
Fame beckons for new 'world's shortest man' Pilloried by neighbours, laughed at in freakshows and spurned by the women he admired from afar, Chandra Bahadur Dangi has always seen his tiny stature as a curse.
