Adrien Brody’s “The Brutalist”: A Monumental Revision of the American Dream

This Is Beirut 2024-09-02 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Adrien Brody made a highly notable return at the Venice Film Festival with The Brutalist, a monumental 3.5-hour film that revisits the American dream of integration and its flaws through the journey of a Holocaust-surviving architect. Competing for the Golden Lion, The Brutalist explores the psychological trauma on Holocaust survivors and those ...

Lebanese Film Festival Debuts in Mexico

2024-09-03 17:17 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Beirut Film Society expanded its reach as the inaugural Lebanese Film Festival kick-started in Mexico on August 30-31. The Lebanese Film Festival recently kick-started its first edition in Mexico. This marks the fourth international expansion of the Lebanese Film Festival, with previous editions established in Canada, Australia and France. ...

Paris Celebrates 100 Years of Surrealism with Monumental Exhibition

Béatrice Moreau 2024-09-04 14:22 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

  This Wednesday, the Centre Pompidou in Paris unveils a groundbreaking exhibition celebrating the centenary of Surrealism, the artistic movement that has captivated the world since its inception in 1924. The monumental show, spanning over 2,200 square meters, features an astounding collection of approximately 500 paintings, sculptures, ...

Bank Loans Are Back…

Liliane Mokbel 2024-09-04 18:51 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Central Bank of Lebanon

Bank loans are back, but the criteria for accessing them are stricter in terms of candidate eligibility, loan purpose, amount, and repayment period. Contrary to popular belief, these loans are not available due to fresh deposits in foreign currencies. Such deposits are tightly protected and regulated by a series of circulars issued by the ...

Fuel Imports: Diverging Dynamics Between the Private and Public Sectors

2024-08-24 11:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

How is the private sector able to import fuel while the Ministry of Energy struggles to pay for diesel to run the country's power plants? Here’s why. The private sector is able to import fuel under the watchful eye of the Ministry of Energy, which sets and monitors prices, while the ministry struggles to afford diesel to keep the country's ...

China’s Xi Promises $50 Billion for Africa Over Next Three Years

This Is Beirut 2024-09-05 11:24 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday pledged over $50 billion in financing for Africa over the next three years, promising to deepen cooperation in infrastructure and trade with the continent as he addressed Beijing's biggest summit since the pandemic. More than 50 African leaders and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres are attending this ...

Venice Film Festival: Thrillers, Mafia, and Gothic Revival

2024-09-07 15:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

  On this final day of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, we look back at an edition marked by the diversity of its cinematic offerings. Films about surveillance, the mafia, and a revisited classic have captivated the audience. The 2024 Venice Film Festival shined with its diversity of offerings, ranging from a Singaporean thriller to an ...

September 8: Nativity of Mary, Wonder of God

Fady Noun 2024-09-07 16:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

The birth of Virgin Mary, commemorated on September 8, is, alongside the births of Jesus and John the Baptist, one of only three holy births celebrated by both Eastern and Western Churches. This highlights the central importance of this feast, despite its relative modesty compared to more prominent celebrations like Christmas and Easter, which are ...

Fashion Phenomenon Lady Gaga Shines at Venice Film Festival

2024-09-08 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

  Lady Gaga astonishes the crowd at Venice Film Festival with Dior couture and a dazzling engagement ring. Lady Gaga, widely recognized as a global fashion phenomenon, made a spectacular appearance at the Venice Film Festival, dazzling the crowd with her couture ensemble and her new engagement ring. Accompanied by her fiancé, Michael ...

James Earl Jones, Voice of Darth Vader, Dies at 93

This Is Beirut 2024-09-10 13:38 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

James Earl Jones, the voice behind iconic characters like Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King, passed away on Monday, September 9, at 93. His six-decade career left an indelible mark on cinema and theater, with roles that spanned genres and generations. On Monday, Hollywood mourned the passing of James Earl Jones, whose ...

Tory Burch Merges Sport with Elegance at NY Fashion Week

2024-09-11 11:04 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

New York Fashion Week features Tory Burch’s sport-inspired fashion on September 9, 2024, in Brooklyn. On September 9, 2024, at the historic former Domino sugar factory in Brooklyn, Tory Burch celebrated the 20th anniversary of her eponymous fashion house by unveiling a collection at New York Fashion Week that masterfully wove the spirit of ...

'Emily in Paris:' A Glamorous Showcase?

Béatrice Moreau 2024-09-11 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

The Netflix series Emily in Paris pushes the boundaries of product placement, making it a central character in the storyline. Luxury brands, mainstream retailers and tech giants compete creatively to grab viewers’ attention, turning fiction into a massive catalog. It’s hard to escape the flood of logos that bombard viewers of Emily in Paris. ...

MTV Awards: Taylor Swift and Katy Perry Steal the Show

2024-09-12 17:03 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Taylor Swift and Katy Perry triumph at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. The happening took place at Elmont, NYC, on September 11, 2024.  At this year's MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift secured the Video of the Year award for her hit Fortnight, in addition to winning the fan-voted prize for the third consecutive year, celebrating the ...

Israel to Revoke Al Jazeera Journalists' Press Credentials

2024-09-12 19:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Palestine

Israel announced on Thursday that it is revoking the press credentials of Al Jazeera journalists working in the country, four months after shutting down the Qatari television network. "The Government Press Office (GPO) is revoking the (press) cards of Al Jazeera journalists working in Israel," it said in a statement. "This is a media outlet that ...

Russia Expels Six British Diplomats Suspected as Spies

This Is Beirut 2024-09-13 10:46 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Russia's FSB security service announced on Friday that the accreditation of six British diplomats had been withdrawn for suspected espionage and for "threatening Russia's security." "As a measure of reprisals to the multiple unfriendly acts of London, the Russian foreign ministry ... has withdrawn the accreditation of six employees from the ...

London Fashion Week Starts Under the Spotlight

2024-09-13 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

  London Fashion Week ignites with a spectacular opening by H&M featuring the summer star, Charli XCX. The event shakes up the schedule for the Spring-Summer 2025 fashion week, which includes forty-eight shows running until Tuesday. Often overshadowed by its prestigious counterparts in Paris and Milan, London Fashion Week steps into the ...

Alcaraz Tames Tu to Reach US Open Second Round

2024-08-28 14:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Carlos Alcaraz roared home for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over 186th-ranked Australian Li Tu on Tuesday to launch his bid to add the US Open to the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles he claimed this year. The 21-year-old Spaniard pushed his Grand Slam winning streak to 15 matches as he tries to join Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal as the only men in ...

Iran Will Fight Until the Last Arab

Marc Saikali 2024-08-24 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran’s brief statement reads: “Israel may be waiting a long time for Iran’s counteraction.” The regime’s staunch supporters see this as a shrewd strategic move to fray Israeli nerves, which they believe are consumed with worry. Yet, the more skeptical consider that Iran might delegate response to its proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and ...

'Shogun' Shatters Emmy Records With 18 Awards

2024-09-16 14:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Shogun triumphed at the Emmy Awards, breaking records with 18 trophies and becoming the first non-English series to win. The 76th Emmy Awards ceremony saw a groundbreaking win for Shogun, which took home 18 trophies, making it the first non-English language series to claim the Best Drama award. This adaptation of James Clavell’s novel, set in ...

Cabinet Meeting: LBP 150 Billion to the High Relief Commission

2024-08-14 15:53 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The caretaker government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Wednesday the allocation of LBP 150 billion for the urgent needs of the High Relief Commission, amidst growing risks of an open conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The announcement was made at the end of a cabinet meeting that focused on a national emergency plan, according ...

Nobel Winner Muhammad Yunus to Lead Bangladesh Government

This Is Beirut 2024-08-07 11:52 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Bangladesh's Nobel-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus will lead an interim government after mass protests forced longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee, the presidency announced Wednesday. The appointment came quickly after student leaders called on the 84-year-old Yunus — credited with lifting millions out of poverty in the ...

Incarceration and Collaboration Duo Tale: Bestselling Novel from Prison

2024-08-07 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtaş and Turkish writer Yiğit Bener pen a crime novel in a unique literary collaboration across prison bars, igniting conversations on reconciliation in polarized Turkey. In an extraordinary literary collaboration, a jailed Kurdish leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, and a Turkish writer, Yiğit Bener, have turned their ...

Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poorest of the Poor

This Is Beirut 2024-08-08 11:18 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nobel-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus will helm Bangladesh's interim government after the ouster of premier Sheikh Hasina, who had hounded him in speeches and through the courts. The 84-year-old, known as the "banker to the poorest of the poor," was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work loaning small cash sums to rural ...

Redefining Style: Hats in Summer Fashion

2024-08-10 10:09 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

This summer, hats are making a strong comeback. Whatever the occasion, they come in a variety of shapes and colors. Hats are redefining style and silhouette this summer. Whether at the beach or in the mountains, they assert themselves, adding a personal and chic touch with a coquettish, even bold attitude. Whether made of straw, felt, as a ...

Spain Beat France in Classic Final to Win Olympic Men's Football Gold

2024-08-10 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Substitute Sergio Camello struck twice in extra time to settle a remarkable Olympic men's football final on Friday, as Spain beat France 5-3 to take gold after Thierry Henry's hosts had earlier staged a dramatic comeback. It had looked as though Spain were going to run away with victory at the Parc des Princes when they recovered from conceding ...

Star Wars 'Training Day' Parade: A Mexican Cultural Celebration

2024-08-11 18:54 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The Training Day parade in Guanajuato, Mexico, on August 10, showcases the enduring influence of the Star Wars saga, uniting fans across generations and cultures. In a vibrant display of fandom and cultural celebration, devotees of the iconic Star Wars saga gathered on Los Héroes Avenue in León, Guanajuato State, Mexico. This event, known as ...

In Times of War, Lebanese Youth Battle for Their Mental Health

Vanessa Kallas 2024-08-12 12:44 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Ten months into the war, Lebanese youths are fighting a new battle — one for their mental and emotional well-being. Their sentiments are varied, ranging from fear, to hope, to dissociation. On International Youth Day, This is Beirut explores how four young Lebanese from diverse backgrounds navigate their emotions amid rising tensions. Fear ...

EDL: Strike Suspended

This Is Beirut 2024-08-12 18:03 - Reading : less than a minute

The Electricité du Liban (EDL) employees' union officially announced on Monday the suspension of the strike, the resumption of activities, and the commitment of workers and employees to respect the institution's official working hours starting tomorrow, Tuesday, August 13. The Ministry of Finance has agreed, following discussions and meetings, ...

Samir Chamas: One of Cinema's Last Golden Age Icons

2024-08-13 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

A few days after being transferred to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital, the great actor, journalist, and author Samir Chamas passed away due to health complications. Hailing from Baalbek (Hermel) and belonging to the Chamas family, this versatile artist, born in 1942 and who passed away on August 11, 2024, was one of the last icons of the golden age of ...

Israel's Credit Rating Downgraded Over Gaza War

This Is Beirut 2024-08-13 16:54 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

US credit rating agency Fitch has downgraded Israel a notch, warning that its ongoing conflict against Hamas in Gaza could last "well into 2025" and weigh on economic activity. Fitch lowered Israel's rating from "A+" to "A." "The conflict in Gaza could last well into 2025 and there are risks of it broadening to other fronts," Fitch said in a ...