Culture

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

Bélinda Ibrahim 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 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 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 ...

'Wicked' Sequel Dominates Box Office With Record-Breaking Debut

This is Beirut 24/11 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Cinema Box office US Culture Art Wicked

Universal's musical sequel Wicked: For Good stole the box office spotlight in its North America debut this weekend, with a record-setting haul to the tune of $150 million, industry estimates showed Sunday. Variety said the film's debut was the highest ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, while analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment ...

Boualem Sansal Breaks His Silence After Release From Algerian Custody

This is Beirut 24/11 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Boualem Sansal Algeria France Culture Censorship

In his first public remarks since being freed by Algeria and returning to France, French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal said on Sunday that he had always sought “reconciliation” between the two countries, while acknowledging that diplomatic sensitivities still constrain what he can say. Imprisoned in Algeria for a year over comments he made ...

The Gucci Jackie: Italian Elegance in Jackie Kennedy’s Hand

Bélinda Ibrahim 23/11 18:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Jackie Kennedy Gucci Bags Fashion Culture Iconic

Named after an icon and defined by its unmistakable silhouette, the Jackie exemplifies the subtle interplay between Italian refinement and global elegance. As one of the Florentine house’s signature pieces, it rose to fame through Jackie Kennedy Onassis, who lent it an enduring aura of sophistication. This is the remarkable journey of an ...

Word of the week“Embargo”: When Economics Becomes a Weapon

Sana Richa Choucair 23/11 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hamas United States Houthis Sanction Russia Iran OFAC

On January 1, 2025, the United States tightened its technological embargo on China, doubling tariffs on a wide range of strategic goods, from semiconductors to industrial equipment. Beijing retaliated ten days later with countermeasures targeting American agricultural products, adding a new chapter to the escalating economic confrontation between ...

PortraitOrnella Vanoni, a Timeless Voice who Shaped Six Decades of Italian Music

This is Beirut 23/11 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ornella Vanoni Heritage Culture Art Singer Italy

Before becoming a singer, Vanoni was an actress. Trained at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro, she made her debut in 1960 under the direction of Giorgio Strehler, her mentor and companion, performing in Brecht’s plays. It was there she developed her mastery of text, nuance and emotional presence, foundations of her future musical identity. Her early ...

SpotlightZeitz MOCAA: Africa Tells Its Story in a Silo Cathedral

Bélinda Ibrahim 22/11 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Zeitz MOCAA Africa Museum Culture Cape Town

The offshore winds of Cape Town still carry the memory of the port, the muted echoes of colonial trade, and the vertical dream of a continent gazing toward the horizon. At the far end of the Waterfront in the Silo District, a silent concrete giant, abandoned for decades, has come to life as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Entering ...

Rome Exposes Sexist Paradigms with a 'Patriarchy' Exhibition

This is Beirut 22/11 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Rome Exhibition Art Women rights Culture History

A temporary exhibition on patriarchy in Rome showcases sexist paradigms in Italy’s male-dominated and macho society, where gender equality “is a distant prospect.” It is the year 2148 and women and men are equal: Rome’s temporary “Museum of the Patriarchy” looks back from the future to highlight the gender gap. Pink and blue payslips ...