Culture

Swift Rules North America Box Office with 'Showgirl' Event

This is Beirut 06/10 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Taylor Swift Album Concert Box Office Culture Art

Taylor Swift is having a very good weekend: after the blockbuster release of her new album The Life of a Showgirl, she triumphed at the North American box office with her special movie theater event. The Official Release Party of a Showgirl raked in an estimated $33 million in the Friday to Sunday period in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor ...

SpotlightPoorly Stored Wine, Lost Pleasure: The Sommeliers’ Golden Rules

Bélinda Ibrahim 05/10 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Sommeliers Wine Storage Rules

Behind every great bottle lies a fragile balance. For sommeliers, the secret of a great wine doesn’t start in the vineyard or at the table, but in how it is preserved over time. One wrong move, and the aroma fades, the fruit disappears, the magic vanishes. The first rule comes down to a single word: consistency. Wine cannot tolerate excessive ...

Word of the weekTeacher: A Profession That Shapes Lives

Sana Richa Choucair 05/10 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Unesco World Teachers’ Day AI Schools University

Who among us does not remember that one teacher who left a lasting mark, whether at school or university? Did you know that the word teacher goes back to Old English tæcan, meaning “to show, point out, mark”? This Sunday, October 5, we celebrate World Teachers’ Day, established by UNESCO. It is an occasion to reflect on a word tied to an ...

Paris Fans Turn Fashion Shows Into Sports-Style Events

This is Beirut 05/10 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Paris Fashion Week Fashion Luxury Culture Show

A giant screen, lots of cheering and applause: the scene inside La Caserne venue in trendy northeast Paris might feel like a sports bar. But the crowd there was watching live fashion, not football. With Paris Fashion Week in full swing, a well-heeled group of mostly 20-somethings has been gathering every day near the Gare du Nord train station ...

Chronicle'Sar Wa’et el-Haki' by Philippe Aractingi: Lost Languages, Found Words

Bélinda Ibrahim 04/10 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Philippe Aractingi Theater Lebanon Culture Catharsis

Attending “Sar wa’et el-haki” (It’s Time to Talk), Philippe Aractingi’s solo performance, is to dive headfirst into a whirlwind of memories, languages and emotions. The show, staged at the Monnot Theatre from September 30 to October 12, 2025, in Beirut, after a notable tour in France, Germany and Tunisia, was directed by Lina ...

Duran Lantink, the Bold Designer Taking Over Gaultier

This is Beirut 04/10 18:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Paris Fashion Week Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Luxury Culture

Could Duran Lantink become fashion’s next great provocateur? The 37-year-old Dutch designer, celebrated for his fearless creativity, unveils his first Jean Paul Gaultier collection this Sunday in Paris. Appointed creative director of the couture house last April, he is the first permanent successor to Jean Paul Gaultier, who retired from ...

Taylor Swift’s New Album Shatters Streaming Record In Hours

This is Beirut 04/10 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Taylor Swift Music Culture Art Album Concert

Taylor Swift on Friday quickly set a streaming record with The Life of a Showgirl, her new album of bouncy pop songs about love, sex, success — and score-settling — that had fans analyzing every word. Critical opinion of Showgirl ranged from glowing to unimpressed, but fans flocked to Spotify to hear the 12 tracks, making it the most-streamed ...

Sean 'Diddy' Combs gets 50-month prison sentence

This is Beirut 04/10 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Sean Diddy Combs U.S. Justice Music Singer Culture

Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Friday for his conviction on prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors had sought 11 years behind bars for Combs, but Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a 50-month sentence after an emotional daylong court hearing. Combs's lawyers had urged the judge to sentence the ...

SpotlightMeryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, Milan’s Ultimate Icon

Bélinda Ibrahim 03/10 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Meryl Streep Anna Wintour Cinema Milan Fashion

On September 27, 2025, Milan Fashion Week tipped into fiction. That evening, the Dolce & Gabbana runway revealed—under full lights and in the front row—a duo no one expected: Meryl Streep, transformed into Miranda Priestly, and Stanley Tucci, once again in the role of Nigel, the unwavering assistant. Wearing dark sunglasses, a cream vinyl ...

Skipping Class, Winning Prizes: The Untold Stories of Nobel Laureates

This is Beirut 03/10 16:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nobel Prize Education Science Culture

Some Nobel laureates were straight-A students from the get-go. But others AFP spoke to recounted how they cut class, got expelled, and had doubts about their future. Perhaps the most illustrious Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein, was once a mediocre student at Zurich Polytechnic School, now ETH Zurich. The young Einstein skipped classes, ...

Taylor Swift Strides into 'Showgirl' Era with Sparkly New Album

This is Beirut 03/10 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Taylor Swift Music Album Culture Concert Art

Taylor Swift is in a sparkling new era. On Friday, she dropped her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, a collection of bouncy pop songs about love, marriage, success — and score-settling. For the hotly anticipated album, the 35-year-old artist reunited with Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback, and their influence is clear in the ...

Irish Singer CMAT Postpones UK Tour Due to Health Issues

This is Beirut 03/10 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Music Touring Cancellation CMAT Britain Culture

Breakout Irish singer CMAT cancelled her upcoming UK tour dates to treat an infected wisdom tooth, days after British pop singer Lola Young halted gigs having collapsed on stage. "I am devastated to say that due to an infected wisdom tooth I need to reschedule all of my upcoming dates of the October UK tour," CMAT, whose real name is Ciara ...