Micro-influencer: Trust Over Fame

Sana Richa Choucair 2025-08-03 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

In the ever-evolving landscape of social media, a new type of influencer has emerged: not the celebrity with millions of followers, but the relatable figure with a smaller, more engaged audience: the “micro-influencer.” The rise of this term says a lot about how influence is being redefined in the digital age. What Does “Micro-influencer” ...

Thousands Honor Ozzy Osbourne at UK Hometown Funeral Procession

This is Beirut 2025-07-31 12:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Music Tribute Ozzy Osbourne Fans Britain Culture

Thousands lined the streets of the UK city Birmingham on Wednesday to pay an emotional farewell to hometown hero Ozzy Osbourne as the heavy metal hellraiser was laid to rest. Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne, who earned the nicknamed the "Prince of Darkness" and once bit a bat while on stage, died on July 22 at the age of 76. He had been ...

Iranian Actor Homayoun Ershadi, Star of 'Taste of Cherry', Dies Following Cancer Struggle

This is Beirut 2025-11-11 12:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Film Obituary Homayoun Ershadi Iran Culture

Iranian actor Homayoun Ershadi died at 78 on Tuesday after a battle with cancer, state news agency IRNA reported. Ershadi rose to international fame with his breakout role in the late Abbas Kiarostami's Palme d'Or-winning Taste of Cherry (1997), which tells the story of a hopeless man looking for someone to bury him after his planned ...

How Embracing ‘Ickiness’ Helped Writer Szalay Win Booker Prize

This is Beirut 2025-11-14 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Literature David Szalay Booker Prize Winner Hungary Britain Culture

Writer David Szalay deliberately dared his readers to face up to the "ickiness" of an affair between a 15-year-old boy and his much older married neighbor in the first chapter of his new book, Flesh. And it worked, winning him Britain's top literary award, the Booker Prize, this week with his "extraordinary" story of a Hungarian immigrant who ...

From YouTube to Afrobeats: Theodort’s Rise to the Stage

This is Beirut 2025-07-13 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Music Festival Culture Art France Africa

Once a YouTube kid known for his musical parodies, Theodort has transformed into a rising singer and rapper. His debut album, released in 2024 and infused with afrobeats and amapiano sounds, is now lighting up festival stages across France this summer. “Performing on stage feels a bit like doing theater. Every show is different, even if it’s ...

Where Do Trade Talks Stand in the Rush to Avert Higher US Tariffs?

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump European Union Trade Tariff

US President Donald Trump has said he will send letters to select trade partners facing tariff hikes as early as Monday, piling pressure on countries to strike a deal with Washington before a new August 1 deadline. The White House announced sharp levies on dozens of economies in April, citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trade relations, which were ...

BRICS Summit in Rio: A Leaderless Giant in a Fractured World

Sarah Martin 2025-07-07 18:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Brics Rio de Janeiro Sommet

They were meant to embody an alternative. In Rio de Janeiro, the expanded BRICS+ group of emerging powers showcased impressive numbers: over 50% of the world’s population and around 40% of global GDP. But the summit on July 6 and 7 mostly highlighted their shortcomings — a striking lack of leadership, an absence of cohesion and a political ...

Djokovic, Sinner on Wimbledon Collision Course

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Novak Djokovic Sinner Tennis Wimbledon

Wimbledon title rivals Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner will move closer to a blockbuster semi-final showdown if they win their fourth-round ties on Monday as officals blamed human error for an embarrassing electronic line-calling blunder. Djokovic, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, and world number one Sinner are on course to meet in a ...

Paris Fashion Week Opens With Demna’s Farewell at Balenciaga

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 14:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fashion Luxury Haute-Couture Week Paris Culture

After 10 years at Balenciaga, provocative Georgian showman Demna is to take a final bow during Paris Haute Couture Week, which began on Monday with a star-studded show by Schiaparelli. Demna, known for his daring work as well as controversies during his decade-long stint at Kering-owned Balenciaga, will unveil his final collection on Wednesday in ...

Djokovic Wary Despite Wimbledon Form, Dominant Sinner Faces Dimitrov

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 14:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Wimbledon Novak Djokovic Tennis Dimitrov

Novak Djokovic and world number one Jannik Sinner face their stiffest tests of the tournament on Monday as they aim to take another step towards a blockbuster semi-final face-off at Wimbledon. Djokovic, who has a record 25th Gland Slam singles title in his sights, meets Australia's Alex de Minaur while Sinner faces the talented Grigor ...

A timeline of Australia's Mushroom Murder Trial

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 09:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Australia Crime Court Mushrooms

Australian Erin Patterson was found guilty Monday of murdering three members of her husband's family by serving them a beef Wellington lunch laced with death cap mushrooms. Here is a timeline of key dates from a case that has enthralled Australia and spawned headlines around the world. Lunch invitation  Keen home cook Erin Patterson hosted an ...

Desperate Search for Missing Girls as Nearly 80 Dead in Texas Floods

This is Beirut 2025-07-07 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

USA Texas Flood

Rescuers in Texas raced against time Sunday to find dozens of missing people, including children, swept away by flash floods that killed at least 78 people, with forecasters warning of new deluges. US President Donald Trump said he would "probably" visit the southern state on Friday. The president brushed off concerns his administration's ...

The Peace Riddles Between Lebanon and Syria

Charles Chartouni 2025-07-07 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Syria Iran Hezbollah

The destruction of the operational platforms of Iranian subversion politics in the Near East is not yet complete, as none of the concerned countries has been able to oversee a path to stabilization. Syria, with its overwhelming reconstruction and national reconciliation assignments, has a long way to go before steadying its course. Lebanon is ...

Lebanon–Syria: Borderlines and Broken Promises

Natasha Metni Torbey 2025-07-07 20:50 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon France Syria Beirut

When Greater Lebanon was proclaimed on September 1, 1920, by General Henri Gouraud, a new geopolitical reality emerged. The newly formed Lebanese State extended beyond historic Mount Lebanon to include parts of the Sanjaks of Tripoli and Saida, the city of Beirut and 4 districts annexed to Lebanese territory: Baalbeck, the Beqaa, Rashaya and ...

When AI Develops an Attitude of Its Own

Lyne Sammouri 2025-07-06 16:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

AI Artificial Intelligence Technology

You ask your AI assistant or chatbot to do something, and instead of just doing what you told it to do, it dodges your request, deceives you or backtalks like a stubborn taxi driver who refuses to put the meter on. It might find an exception, or even lie to get what it's trying to do. Frustrating, isn't it?  This might have surprised you. But in ...

At the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, an Immersive Work of Sound and Silence

Marie-Christine Tayah 2025-07-06 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Paris France Art Architecture Culture Exhibition

Clinamen is a dreamlike, immersive and multisensory experience by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, presented in the Rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection. Originally built in the 18th century as a grain exchange, the building – now a contemporary art museum – becomes a living vessel for this ever-evolving installation. This ...

Shining Verstappen Shades Piastri for Pole at Silverstone

This is Beirut 2025-07-05 20:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Formula One Max Verstappen Ferrari Lando Norris

Max Verstappen produced one of the finest and fastest qualifying laps of his career on Saturday to seize pole position for Sunday's British Grand Prix and demonstrate why he is the hottest property in Formula One. The four-time world champion was struggling with a strong wind and cool and damp conditions after choosing a low downforce set-up that ...

The “Quiet Proposal”: No Ring. No Kneeling. Just Heart

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-07-05 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Quiet Proposal Wedding Engagement Love Couples

There was a time when proposing meant staging the perfect scene — sunset views, fine dining, hidden cameras, getting down on one knee, a sparkling ring, and background music to cue the tears. But that era is fading fast, making place for a new generation that’s rewriting the rules of rom-com romance. Enter the quiet proposal: discreet, ...

Rio to Host BRICS Summit Wary of Trump

This is Beirut 2025-07-04 20:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump BRICS Xi Jinping Vladimir Putin Rio

The BRICS nations will convene for a summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and Monday, with members hoping to weigh in on global crises while tiptoeing around US President Donald Trump's policies. The city, with beefed-up security, will play host to leaders and diplomats from 11 emerging economies, including China, India, Russia, South Africa, and ...

Yasmina Sabbah Fuses the Unexpected in Symphonic Electro-Dance

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-07-04 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon Yasmina Sabbah USJ Choir Concert

Picture the scene: a full symphony orchestra, a fifty-voice choir, a live DJ, a vocalist with oriental inflections – and a set list that spans Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, Calvin Harris, Amr Diab and Najwa Karam. This isn’t a dreamscape – it’s Symphonic Electro-Dance, the latest installment of the Symphonic Fusion series launched by Saint-Joseph ...

How Adolescents Today Access and React to the News

Marilyne Jallad 2025-07-07 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Tik Tok USA Youth Instagram Facebook

At a time when global headlines are shaped by uncertainty, conflict, climate disruption, and political unrest, how are younger generations getting their news? And how do they make sense of the events shaking both their countries and the wider world? The voices of Generation Alpha and Gen Z—aged 11 to 16, living in Lebanon and abroad—offer a ...

More Than 160 People Still Missing Days Ater Deadly Texas Floods

This is Beirut 2025-07-09 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Texas USA Floods

More than 160 people remain unaccounted for after devastating floods in Texas, the state governor said Tuesday, marking a dramatic increase in the number of missing from a tragedy that has so far claimed 109 lives. Four days after flash floods roared through several Texas counties, some in the middle of the night, hopes of finding survivors were ...

What If Whales Could Speak? AI Is Listening In

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-07-02 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

AI Whales Humpback Whale Humans Science Conversation

For decades, scientists believed whales sang only to navigate, attract mates or maintain social bond. But recent research by the SETI Institute and the University of California, Davis is challenging this view. Using AI, researchers have identified remarkably structured acoustic patterns and behaviors suggesting some cetaceans may be attempting to ...

EU Says Israel Has Agreed to 'Expand' Gaza Aid Access

This is Beirut 2025-07-10 18:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam European Union United Nations Hamas Humanitarian aids Gaza

The EU on Thursday struck a deal with Israel to increase aid access to Gaza that should see more food trucks entering and the opening of additional crossing points, the bloc's top diplomat said. "Today, we reached an agreement with Israel to expand humanitarian access to Gaza," European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X. "This ...

KANZ Whispers: Ziad Nakad’s Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2025–2026

This is Beirut 2025-07-12 15:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Fashion Paris Paris Fashion Week Ziad Nakad Culture

In his Autumn–Winter 2025–2026 haute couture collection at Paris Fashion Week, Ziad Nakad unveiled a glittering homage to what lies beneath KANZ — meaning “treasure” in Arabic — a celebration of hidden opulence and enduring elegance. With every gown, Nakad excavates beauty from detail: sweeping silhouettes encrusted with embroidery, ...

New 'Superman' Film Soars, Aims to Save DC Universe

This is Beirut 2025-07-12 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Cinema Film Superman DC Culture

Superman is often called upon to save the world from evildoers, but in his latest big-screen incarnation, he's also being asked to swoop in and save a franchise. James Gunn's Superman, which opened in theaters worldwide this week, is a reboot aimed at relaunching the so-called DC Universe of comic book-based superhero movies, which also features ...

Fake Beauty, Real Risks: Investigating Cosmetic Counterfeits (1/3)

Bélinda Ibrahim 2025-07-11 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Beauty Care Black Market Health Sunscreens Cosmetic Counterfeits

Same logo, same packaging, same “high protection” claim… but sometimes, the contents are just water and thickeners. In a recent investigation led by journalist Hugo Clément and pharmacist Laurence Coiffard (for “Sur le Front,” France 5, June 2025), several counterfeit sunscreens were lab tested. Findings were alarming: some products ...

Request to Lift Bouchikian’s Parliamentary Immunity: What Does the Process Involve?

This is Beirut 2025-07-11 13:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon parliament immunity Georges Bouchikian corruption

Former Minister of Industry and current MP Georges Bouchikian is facing corruption allegations and is the subject of a request to lift his parliamentary immunity. In response, a joint meeting of the Bureau of Parliament and the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and Justice was held on Friday morning at Ain el-Tineh. The request, submitted ...

Trump Says Canada To Face 35% Tariff Rate Starting August

This is Beirut 2025-07-11 05:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Canada Donald Trump

Canada will face a 35 percent tariff on exports to the United States starting August 1, President Donald Trump said Thursday in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney. It was the latest of more than 20 such letters issued by Trump since Monday, as he continues to pursue his trade war threats against dozens of economies. Canada and the US are ...

Jane Birkin’s First Hermès Birkin Bag Breaks Auction Record

This is Beirut 2025-07-10 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Fashion Hermès Jane Birkin Luxury Heritage Culture

The first-ever Hermès Birkin bag, custom-made for Jane Birkin in 1984, was sold at auction in Paris on Thursday for €8.582 million, including fees, according to Sotheby’s. This oversized black leather tote was the original prototype of what would become one of the most iconic and expensive handbags in the world. Until now, the most ...