Culture

Historic 1931 Gandhi Oil Painting Fetches £152,800 at London Auction

This is Beirut 18/07 10:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Painting Mahatma Gandhi India Auction London Culture

A rare painting of Mahatma Gandhi, believed to be the only oil portrait that the Indian independence leader ever sat for, has sold at auction in the UK for £152,800 ($205,000). The 1931 painting by British-American artist Clare Leighton fetched more than twice the estimated price when the auction closed on Tuesday in London, Bonhams auction ...

Connie Francis, First Woman to Top Billboard Hot 100, Dies at 87

This is Beirut 17/07 14:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Connie Francis RIP Legend Music Icon Culture

Connie Francis, the beloved pop star of the 1950s and 1960s and the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist, has died at the age of 87. Her passing comes just two weeks after it was revealed that she had been hospitalized due to “extreme pain.” The news was confirmed early Thursday, July 17, by Ron Roberts, ...

$Nintendo Announces Lead Cast for Epic \$

Nintendo Announces Lead Cast for Epic "Legend of Zelda" Movie

This is Beirut 17/07 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Games Legend of Zelda Film Britain Japan Culture

Two British actors will play the lead roles in the hotly anticipated live-action film adaptation of the Legend of Zelda video game franchise, Japan's Nintendo announced. The film's release is set for May 2027, joining a stream of game adaptations from Super Mario to Sonic the Hedgehog that have stormed the box office in recent years. Bo Bragason ...

SpotlightIn 'Materialists,' Dakota Johnson Explores Love in the Age of Algorithms

Marie-Christine Tayah 17/07 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Dakota Johnson Cinema Culture Materialists Art Actress

In Materialists, Céline Song reinvents the romantic comedy with Lucy, a New York matchmaker specializing in high-end unions, who suddenly finds herself torn between two very different men: Harry, a wealthy, reassuring heir, and John, a struggling but genuine actor. Beneath its glamorous surface, the film dissects the bold machinery of an era ...

SpotlightWhen the Body Speaks: The Truth Behind Self-Harm

David Sahyoun 16/07 18:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Self-Harm Psychoanalysis Body Scars Sufferings

Once treated as a fringe concern in psychiatry, self-harm has become far more visible in recent decades. Clinical and epidemiological studies agree that it primarily affects adolescents and young adults, with a marked prevalence among girls and young women. It appears in hospitals, schools and prisons, but also across digital spaces. On platforms ...

Harry Potter Stars Learn Driving Law Is No Magic

This is Beirut 16/07 16:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Harry Potter Emma Watson Zoe Wanamaker Stars Cinema Culture

Two stars of the Harry Potter films, including actress Emma Watson, were each banned from driving for six months Wednesday after being caught speeding in separate incidents. Watson, 35, who played Hermione Granger, the friend of boy wizard Potter in the hugely popular movie franchise, was banned for driving at 38 miles (61 km) an hour in a 30-mile ...

Marina Abramovic and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, winners of the 'Nobel Prize of the Arts' 2025

This is Beirut 16/07 13:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Art Culture Nobel Prize of the Arts Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker Marina Abramovic

The Serbian artist Marina Abramovic and the Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker are among the winners of the Praemium Imperiale 2025, considered the Nobel Prize of the Arts, according to a press release issued Tuesday. This prize, created in 1988 by the Japan Art Association, is awarded in five categories (painting, sculpture, ...

'Severance' Leads Emmy Nominations Ahead of The White Lotus

This is Beirut 16/07 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hollywood L.A. Emmy Awards Emmys Culture Art

Here is a list of the nominees in key categories for the 77th Emmy Awards, which will be handed out in Los Angeles on September 14. Apple TV’s Severance topped the nominations list with 27, followed by The Penguin with 24, and The Studio and The White Lotus tied at 23. Outstanding Drama Series Andor The Diplomat The Last of Us Paradise The ...

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

Bélinda Ibrahim 15/07 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 15/07 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 15/07 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 15/07 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 ...