Culture

InvestigationCosmetic Counterfeits: Lebanon Grapples with the Surge of Fake Beauty Products (2/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim 21:16 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Cosmetic Counterfeits Beauty Products Skin Care Health

On Instagram, just a few clicks on reseller accounts or sponsored stories plunge you into a sleek, alluring world where top brands — Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Guerlain, Dior, La Roche-Posay — are sold at slashed prices. Descriptions sound convincing: “imported from the US,” “end-of-line stock before ...

SpotlightLuxury Bag Counterfeiting Takes on Major Fashion Houses

Bélinda Ibrahim 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Luxury Bags China TikTok Viral Counterfeits

At first glance, the video looks like just another promo for cut-price products. A young woman praises a handbag “identical to an Hermès model” for a fraction of the cost. The brand is blurred, but the resemblance is unmistakable. The caption reads: “Luxury brands are all made in China.” In other words: why pay €10,000 for a Hermès bag ...

Another Delay for Egypt’s Grand Museum Shakes Tourism Hopes

This is Beirut 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Museum Egypt Heritage Culture Art Exhibition

In the shadow of the Grand Egyptian Museum, souvenir shop owner Mona has been readying for the tourist boom she hoped the long-awaited opening would bring, now once again out of reach. "I had bet everything on this opening," she told AFP from her shop, just steps from the iconic pyramids of Giza, which the much-anticipated museum ...

Beyoncé’s Unreleased Music Stolen From Car in Atlanta

This is Beirut 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Beyoncé Culture Art Beyoncé Singer

Computer drives containing unreleased music by US superstar Beyoncé and plans related to her concerts were stolen last week in Atlanta, police said Monday, with a suspect still at large. The items were stolen from a rental car used by Beyoncé's choreographer and a dancer on July 8, two days before the pop icon kicked off the Atlanta leg of her ...

Harry Potter TV Series Set to Debut in 2027

This is Beirut 10:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Series TV Harry Potter Culture Art J.K. Rowling

Filming has begun on a Harry Potter TV series that will debut in 2027, bringing the Hollywood hit to the small screen for the first time. Adapted from the wildly popular books, which have also yielded blockbuster films and stage shows, the latest outing for the boy who lived is being filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Britain, the ...

Mexican Voice Actors Demand Regulation on AI Voice Cloning

This is Beirut 14/07 13:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film AI Actors Entertainment Mexico Culture

Mexican actors protested the growing threat artificial intelligence poses to their industry, calling on Sunday for better regulations to prevent voice cloning without consent. The rise of AI was a key issue in Hollywood's 2023 actors and writers' strikes, as creatives feared studios would use the technology to replace paid content. Last year, ...

'Severance' Battles 'The Pitt' as Emmy Race Heats

This is Beirut 14/07 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Emmys Nominations US Cinema Culture Art

Dark sci-fi office drama Severance, gritty hospital series The Pitt and buzzy teen murder saga Adolescence are expected to pile up nominations for this year's Emmys when the contenders for television's Oscars are revealed Tuesday. Nominees will be announced in a live-streamed ceremony starting at 8:30 am (1530 GMT), after which final-round voting ...

'Superman' Flies High: Smashes Box Office with $122 Million

This is Beirut 14/07 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

US Cinema Superman Film Culture Art

Superman, the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic DC superhero, soared to the top of the North American box office in its debut weekend with $122 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday. The Warner Bros. and DC Studios film — directed by James Gunn — stars up-and-comer David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, and ...

InvestigationAnti-Counterfeit Guide: How to Spot Fake Skincare and Shop Safely (3/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim 13/07 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Counterfeit Cosmetics Skin care Lebanon Beauty Health Awereness

Today’s counterfeit cosmetics are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye: they have the same bottle, same typography and nearly the same texture as genuine ones. Moisturizers, serums, sunscreens, micellar waters, foundations, luxury sets — no category is spared. And no country, either. From the US to Lebanon, France to South Korea, ...

Word of the week'Peace:' A Word of War?

Sana Richa Choucair 13/07 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Middle East Peace

Since returning to power in January 2025, President Donald Trump has multiplied his promises of peace: an end to the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” a global deal in the Middle East, including Gaza. But when Trump speaks of peace, he taps into a long rhetorical tradition where peace often rhymes with order, or even submission. Behind this ...

Q&ARewriting 'Ben-Hur:' 'Aletheia' by Luigi A. Kohli on Faith, Empire and Fiction

Marie-Christine Tayah 13/07 12:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Writing UK Beirut Author Culture Art

Luigi A. Kohli, author of Aletheia, a Ben-Hur saga, followed a dream that never left him. After years in the corporate world, he found the courage to step away and embrace the calling he had carried since youth: to write. What began as a long-held fascination with epic films and ancient history transformed into a powerful, imaginative ...

From YouTube to Afrobeats: Theodort’s Rise to the Stage

This is Beirut 13/07 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Music Festival Culture Art France Africa

Once a YouTube kid known for his musical parodies, Theodort has transformed into a rising singer and rapper. His debut album, released in 2024 and infused with afrobeats and amapiano sounds, is now lighting up festival stages across France this summer. “Performing on stage feels a bit like doing theater. Every show is different, even if it’s ...