Culture

Boualem Sansal’s Speech for Freedom Published in Bookstores

This is Beirut 04/04 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Literature Edition Freedom Algeria France Boualem Sansal culture

This speech, given for “the German Publishers and Booksellers Peace Prize” and published in Gallimard’s Tracts collection, was originally delivered in Frankfurt, Germany, in October 2011. "The absence of freedom is a pain that drives one mad over time. It reduces a man to his shadow and his dreams to nightmares," Boualem Sansal declares in ...

First 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Movie Footage Revealed

This is Beirut 04/04 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Culture Cinema Movie Art Avatar

Evil Na'vi. Giant volcanoes. Airborne boats. The first-ever footage from Avatar: Fire and Ash, the sequel to two of the highest-grossing movies of all time, was debuted at the CinemaCon event Thursday. Out this December, the film "expands the beautiful world of Pandora and introduces two new clans," explained star Zoe Saldana, from the stage of ...

From Theft to Restoration: Shakespeare’s First Folio’s Journey Back to Durham

This is Beirut 04/04 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Britain Literature Crime Shakespeare Exhibition Culture

The Shakespeare First Folio edition stolen from Durham University's Cosin's Library in 1998 is one of only 235 known to survive, and is valued at more than £1 million ($1.3 million). The First Folio, published in 1623, was the first collection of Shakespeare's plays and each version is unique. It is considered to be one of the most important ...

'Who Believes in Angels?': Elton John Launches Boldest Album Since the 1970s

This is Beirut 04/04 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Album Elton John Singer Culture Art

The British artist Elton John is releasing his new album Who Believes in Angels? this Friday, co-written with American singer Brandi Carlile, and which he describes as his "most innovative" record since the 1970s. "This album marks a new beginning for me," said the 78-year-old singer in an interview with British radio Smooth Radio. "It’s very ...

Iconic Paris hotel Lutetia Taken over by Mandarin Oriental

This is Beirut 04/04 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

France Hotel History Heritage Culture Art

Situated in the center of the Left Bank area of the French capital, the Art Deco institution was opened in 1910 and owes its existence to its neighbor Bon Marche, one of the first department stores in the world. Real estate group Alrov, controlled by Alfred Akirov and his family, will retain ownership of the building. Originally baptized with the ...

Tom Cruise Bids Emotional Farewell to Val Kilmer

This is Beirut 04/04 09:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Movie Cinema Heritage Culture Tom Cruise Val Kilmer

During the annual CinemaCon industry summit held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Tom Cruise paid heartfelt tribute to his late Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer, who passed away earlier this week. Before unveiling exclusive footage from his forthcoming film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise led theater owners in a solemn moment of ...

Avignon 2025 Celebrates Arabic through Theater, Dance and Music

This is Beirut 03/04 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Theater Festival France Avignon Culture Art

Cape Verdean choreographer Marlene Monteiro Freitas will open the 79th edition of the Festival d’Avignon next July in southeastern France, in a program that gives prominence to Arabic, described as a "language of light" and "knowledge" — one that organizers intend to celebrate in response to the "merchants of hate." This major international ...

Spielberg & Nolan Tease New Blockbusters at CinemaCon!

This is Beirut 03/04 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Film CinemaCon Entertainment

Spielberg "is currently shooting a film that promises to be a return to form, in the spirit of his monumental classics," said Universal executive Jim Orr, at the movie theater industry summit in Las Vegas. The untitled film, out June 2026, is widely rumored to be a blockbuster sci-fi. Orr promised it would contain "a propulsive, modern, ...

AI Grows in Anime, but Miyazaki Stays Untouchable

This is Beirut 03/04 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Art AI Culture Animation Miyazaki

Artificial intelligence might take over some of the work done by Japanese animation artists, but it will never match the brilliance of Hayao Miyazaki — the creative soul of Studio Ghibli — according to his son Goro, speaking to AFP. After the release of the latest ChatGPT version (GPT-4o), the internet was flooded with AI-generated images and ...

SpotlightEducation in Lebanon: The Struggle of Anxious Parents

David Sahyoun 02/04 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Psychoanalysis Trauma Parents Teachers Culture

Lebanon has been entrenched in a protracted, multifaceted structural crisis, compounded by prolonged security instability, regional conflicts, political tensions and sporadic outbreaks of violence. These factors have fostered an environment of uncertainty and anxiety. The war that erupted in 2023 has layered additional trauma and disruption, ...

Val Kilmer, Charismatic Star of 'Top Gun' and 'Batman,' Passed Away

Marie-Christine Tayah 02/04 14:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Cinema Val Kilmer Culture Art Actor

American actor Val Kilmer has died at the age of 65 from complications of pneumonia, as confirmed by his daughter Mercedes Kilmer to The New York Times. The actor, whose career saw soaring highs and difficult lows, had been battling the long-term effects of throat cancer since 2014, which left him without his voice but never without his artistic ...

'Image Whisperers' bring Vision to the Blind at Red Cross Museum

This is Beirut 02/04 10:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Red Cross Red Crescent Museum Blind

"They are our eyes," said Karin happily after releasing the arm of one of the specialised "image whisperers" guiding her and other blind people around Geneva's Red Cross museum. The museum has been offering its new image prompter service to the visually impaired since late last year. Karin, who did not want to give her ...