Culture

Saida Designated 2027 Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue

This is Beirut 18:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Saida Mediterranean Capital 2027 UfM Dialogue Culture

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has congratulated the city of Saida for its designation, alongside Córdoba (Spain), as the “Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue for 2027.” “Saida, the gateway to the South and a regional capital connected to all of Lebanon, reaffirms its historic role in culture, dialogue, and diversity,” the ...

Convicted French Rapist Dominique Pelicot Seeks Publisher For Prison Writings

This is Beirut 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Gisèle Pélicot Women rights Culture Publishing Justice

Frenchman Dominique Pelicot, convicted of organizing the rape of his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, by dozens of strangers, is seeking a publisher for writings he penned behind bars, his lawyer said Friday. Dominique Pelicot, 73, was jailed for 20 years after admitting to drugging her with sedatives and inviting dozens of strangers to rape and abuse ...

Rare Fabergé 'Winter Egg' Expected to Break Records in London

This is Beirut 10:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Auction The Winter Egg Fabergé History Britain Culture

The Winter Egg, one of Faberge's most dazzling creations, is due to be auctioned in London next week and set another sales price record for the legendary jeweler of Imperial Russia. The egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as an Easter gift to his mother, is expected to fetch at least £20 million ($26 million), according to Christie's ...

Johnny Depp Calls Life With Vanessa Paradis “Bliss” in Rare Interview

This is Beirut 27/11 18:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Actor Johnny Depp Vanessa Paradis Japan Culture

Johnny Depp's life with former French partner Vanessa Paradis and their two children was "bliss," the US actor told AFP in an interview on Thursday. "I have nothing but incredible memories from those days. They gave me time to be a tour father," Depp said in Tokyo. "Vanessa was doing her shows, you know, various tours. I got to be just Daddy for ...

ExplainerLove Bombing: Irresistible Pull of Excess

David Sahyoun 26/11 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Psychonalysis Love Bombing Relationships Love Culture

In digital culture as in everyday language, love bombing is quite literally a “bombardment of love.” The term describes a seduction phase in which someone is overwhelmed with attention, declarations, and conspicuous displays of interest (streams of messages, unexpected gifts, sudden plans, sweeping promises). It is less the passion or joyful ...

Maroon 5 to Headline Chambord Live in Only French Date of 2026

This is Beirut 26/11 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Maroon 5 Concert Culture Art Music France

Maroon 5 will perform their one and only French show of 2026 on June 27 at the iconic Château de Chambord, organizers AZ Prod confirmed Tuesday to AFP. Known for their signature blend of pop, funk and R&B, and for global hits like Sugar, Memories and Girls Like You, the American band will take the stage in one of France’s most celebrated ...

Boualem Sansal Calls for Bold Steps Toward Franco-Algerian Peace

This is Beirut 26/11 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Algeria France Boualem Sansal Culture Art

“If there’s the will,” reconciliation between Algiers and Paris “can move very fast,” says French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in an interview with AFP. According to him, Algerians “are eager for peace” with France. Released on November 12 after nearly a year in detention in Algeria, the novelist says it is up to leaders in both ...

SpotlightHanoi to Welcome a Renzo Piano “Opera Island” in 2027

Bélinda Ibrahim 25/11 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hanoi Isola Della Musica Opera Culture Renzo Piano Vietnam

By 2027, a striking new landmark will rise from the calm waters of Hanoi. Built on an artificial island between West Lake and Đầm Trị Lake, the Isola Della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano and his studio, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), will unfold like a bright, sculptural form with fluid, organic lines. Revealed in autumn 2025, the ...

Pianist Behind Paris ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Flash Mob Aims Higher

This is Beirut 25/11 18:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Internet France Culture

The man behind a recent viral video featuring musicians playing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to stunned bystanders in a Paris square has revealed to AFP the meticulous work that went into his latest, even bigger production. The "flash mob" Queen video has been viewed roughly 600 million times since being posted online in early ...

AI Nostalgia Videos Revive a Dreamy Vision of 1980s Life

This is Beirut 25/11 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

AI Film Videos Cinema Culture Art

“The 1980s are calling,” a teenager with a throwback hairstyle tells viewers as “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” the Tears for Fears rock anthem from that decade, plays in the background. The fake montage — entirely generated using artificial intelligence — has racked up more than 600,000 “likes” on Instagram and is part of an ...

German Hollywood Veteran Udo Kier Dead at 81

This is Beirut 24/11 16:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Obituary Udo Kier Actor Germany Culture

German actor Udo Kier, whose offbeat charisma made him a cult figure in both arthouse and Hollywood cinema, has died at 81 in California, US magazine Variety reported. With a career spanning more than half a century, Kier appeared in hundreds of films, often stealing scenes with his unmistakable presence. Kier first rose to fame in the 1970s ...

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican Music Icon, Passes Away

This is Beirut 24/11 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Jimmy Cliff Obituary Reggae Legend Jamaica culture

Jimmy Cliff, the iconic reggae star who helped transform the island's rhythmic music into a global cultural phenomenon, has died, his wife said Monday. He was 81. "It is with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia," his wife Latifa Chambers wrote on his official ...