'Shou Ya Ashta:' Women Take Center Stage

This Is Beirut 2024-05-26 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Shou Ya Ashta is a 75-minute Lebanese dark comedy that addresses various aspects of gender-based violence against women and girls. The play premieres on May 30 at Le Monnot Theater at 8:30 PM. Written by Wafa'a Halawi and Riad Chirazi, Shou Ya Ashta is produced by Wafa'a Halawi and Michele Fenianos and stars Cynthya Karam, Wafa'a Halawi, Salma ...

ABBA Reunites for Historic Royal Honor Ceremony

Béatrice Moreau 2024-06-01 15:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

After nearly five decades, the iconic Swedish pop group ABBA reunited at the Royal Palace in Stockholm to receive the prestigious Royal Order of Vasa from King Carl XVI Gustaf. On Friday, May 31, 2024, the four members of ABBA—Agnetha Faltskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad—were honored with the Royal Order of Vasa, ...

Coldplay in Lebanon? Dream or Delusions of Grandeur?

Bélinda Ibrahim 2024-05-27 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Ah, Lebanon, that small country wedged between the sea and mountains, where the wildest dreams sometimes seem to come to life. The latest whim? The imminent arrival of Coldplay, no less, for a concert that already promises to be legendary... at least in the collective imagination! For those who have been living under a rock for the past 20 years, ...

From 'Mary Poppins' and Beyond: Richard Sherman's Legacy

Béatrice Moreau 2024-05-27 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The world lost a legendary figure in the entertainment industry with the passing of Richard Sherman at the age of 95. As one half of the renowned Sherman Brothers songwriting duo, Richard, along with his late brother Robert, created some of the most iconic and beloved songs in Disney’s history. Their music left an indelible mark on the world of ...

Spain, Ireland and Norway Recognize Palestine

This Is Beirut 2024-05-28 11:43 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Spain, Ireland and Norway will formally recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday. The three European countries believe that their initiative has strong symbolic impact, which will likely encourage others to follow suit. They also point to Norway and Spain's historic role in advancing Israel-Palestinian peace efforts: in 1991, the two sides sat ...

Lost Caravaggio Masterpiece Resurfaces

Béatrice Moreau 2024-05-28 13:42 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

  A long-lost Caravaggio painting, once mistakenly undervalued, has been rediscovered and authenticated, causing a sensation in the art world and beyond. A painting by the Italian master Caravaggio, previously believed to be the work of an unknown artist, has been unveiled at Madrid’s Prado Museum. The canvas, entitled Ecce Homo, depicts ...

Criteria for Obtaining and Renewing a Biometric Passport

This Is Beirut 2024-05-30 19:43 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The Lebanese General Security announced on Thursday the criteria for accepting identification documents for obtaining or renewing a Lebanese biometric passport. The passport application must be accompanied by an identity card or an individual civil status certificate. If the identity card was issued more than 10 years ago, an individual civil ...

Joy-Spreading Vagabond, Manu Chao Releases 'Viva Tu'

2024-05-31 10:27 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Manu Chao has recently released Viva Tu, a music video that heralds his new album with Because Music, his first in 17 years. The album is expected this autumn and will be accompanied by a tour. After selling millions of albums worldwide and with a career spanning over three decades, Franco-Spanish singer Manu Chao, the "desaparecido" (the ...

The Sistine Chapel Choir Enchants Abu Dhabi

This Is Beirut 2024-05-31 16:36 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

On May 30, 2024, the Abu Dhabi Festival and the Apostolic Nunciature to the United Arab Emirates offered the public a memorable evening with the Arab premiere of the prestigious Sistine Chapel Choir at St. Francis Church in the Abrahamic Family House. On May 30, a musical event of historical significance took place under the benevolent gaze of ...

Renewal for the Nation: Calls to Restore Confidence and Elect a President

This Is Beirut 2024-06-01 22:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

How can we reject fragmentation and adhere to the Constitution and the Taif Agreement? By having the will to elect a president and restore confidence in Lebanon. These were the topics discussed at the forum “Lebanon: from a scene of conflict to a nation in the making,” organized by the group Tajadod Lil Watan (Renewal for the Nation). The ...

Beirut Art Days: An Artistic Wave in Lebanon from July 3 to 6

Béatrice Moreau 2024-06-13 10:37 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

From July 3 to 6, 2024, Lebanon will vibrate to the rhythm of Beirut Art Days, an unprecedented cultural event that will bring together 70 artists and offer more than 130 free events across the entire country. Supported by the Cultural Agenda and the Beirut Art Days Committee, this ambitious initiative aims to celebrate the extraordinary ...

The Breathtaking Concert of Bassam Challita

2024-06-04 14:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Despite the absence of some major festivals this summer, the Lebanese cultural scene remains vibrant and offers exceptional events. The concert "Fantasy of a Pianist" by Bassam Challita and his orchestra of 40 international and national musicians promises to be breathtaking. It will take place on June 15 at 8:30 PM at the Casino du Liban theater. ...

The Flourishing Art of Nadine Fayad Comair in Grasse

Zeina Nader 2024-06-06 14:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

During the event held on June 2 at the Espace Chiris, a key location in the perfume industry of Grasse, Nadine Fayad Comair showcased her paintings inspired by the flowers and scents of the region. Her art, imbued with vibrant colors and original forms, captivated visitors and paid homage to the olfactory heritage of the perfume capital of the ...

Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan Dazzles Fans With Fascinating Masterclass

2024-06-06 18:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

  Renowned actress Nicola Coughlan, famous for her role as Penelope Featherington in the Netflix series Bridgerton since 2020, recently gave a captivating masterclass on how she changes her accent. In a video widely spread on YouTube that has garnered hundreds of thousands of views, Irish actress Nicola Coughlan showcased her ...

‘Skirts over Pants’ : The Return of Feminist Trends?

2024-06-07 11:21 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

In the streets, the Parisian metro, daily life, and all around the world, the early 2000s trend of skirts over pants is making a strong comeback. Fashion trends are resurfacing, and the atmosphere of the 2000s is filling the air, back in style, spotlighted with an upcycling of the dress-over-pants trend. Whether one is a fan of this style or not, ...

‘Chromaticity’: Zeina Nader’s Dazzling Solo Exhibition in Washington

Béatrice Moreau 2024-06-08 14:52 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Award-winning Lebanese painter Zeina Nader presents her new solo exhibition, Chromaticity, at the Ven Embassy Row Gallery in Washington DC, celebrating joy and emotion through color. On Thursday, June 6, 2024, Zeina Nader, a Lebanese painter, inaugurated her new solo exhibition titled “Chromaticity” at the Ven Embassy Row Hotel Gallery, ...

Anti-Government Demonstrations in Tel Aviv After Hostage Release

This Is Beirut 2024-06-08 22:17 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas

Anti-government demonstrators are assembling at Democracy Square in Tel Aviv for their weekly gathering on June 8, 2024. Their demands include early elections, the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a resolution for the release of hostages held by Hamas. [caption id="attachment_262237" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] ...

When ‘Mute’ Echoes at the Beirut Spring Festival

2024-06-09 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The Beirut Spring Festival hosts Mute, a multi-award-winning play by Sulayman Al Bassam that delves into the devastating explosion at the Beirut port. Driven by the masterful performance of Hala Omran and enhanced by the music of Abed Kobeissi and Ali Hout, this poignant work is sold out for two consecutive nights, June 9 and 10 at 9 PM at the ...

Umam’s Exhibition on the Treasures of Studio Baalbeck

2024-06-10 14:03 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

In the presence of the German ambassador and on the occasion of International Archives Day on June 9, Umam Documentation and Research relaunched its online archive catalog, Umam Biblio, accompanied by an exhibition on the visual material of the Baalbeck studios. It will take place in the exhibition and roundtable space of the Slim residence, named ...

How the US Helped Defend Israel From Iran's Attack

2024-04-15 10:59 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

US forces shot down dozens of drones and missiles when Iran launched the attack on Saturday, in retaliation for the strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1, making a significant contribution to the defense of Israeli territory. Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles marked the culmination of a tense two ...

Hamiye: Beirut Airport to Resume Normal Operations by End of the Day

This Is Beirut 2024-04-14 13:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamiye declared on Sunday morning that Lebanon "has reopened its airspace at 7 AM, and the airport will gradually resume normal operations today." "Operations should return to normal by the end of the day," he announced during a tour of the airport. Following the Iranian attack on Israel on ...

‘The Mastery of Visual Fusion’ by Toni Nassif

Zeina Nader 2024-07-07 18:08 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

At The Gallerist in Sodeco, as part of Beirut Art Days, the special exhibition by Toni Nassif runs until July 11. Born in Lebanon, Toni Nassif grew up in Beirut before being forced to leave his country during the civil war to settle in Paris, where he completed his architectural studies. As an accomplished architect, he has undertaken projects in ...

Bernadette Houdeib’s Theatrical Force Erupts From ‘Magma’

2024-02-07 14:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Bernadette Houdeib emerges as a theatrical powerhouse in Magma, a play penned and directed by Issam Bou Khaled, featuring her as its sole performer. This dynamic duo captivates an eager audience, already fond of the artists, through a meticulously crafted narrative, text, scenography and performance. Following its acclaimed debut on January 25, ...

Elissa's 'It's Ok' or the Fruition of Rage

2024-02-01 21:22 - Reading : 9 minute(s)

On January 25, Elissa launched on Netflix a documentary about her professional and personal journey titled It’s OK, consisting of three episodes and produced by ‘Different Production.’ The series could have been called ‘The Confessions of Elissa,’ but the title It’s OK immediately immerses us in the life of the singer with a ...

Women Alive: Women for a New Social Order

Karine Ziadé 2024-02-03 09:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

In Tripoli, a city ravaged by sectarian divisions and crisis, the NGO Women Alive is leading a vigorous fight for women's rights and empowerment. The goal: to cultivate a cadre of women who would be involved in the peace process and ultimately become the cornerstone of a new social order. Between a television commercial aired repeatedly on local ...

‘Tnein Bel Lel:’ An Evening of Unbridled Laughter

Bélinda Ibrahim 2024-02-04 13:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Attending a theater performance on a Saturday night in Beirut can hold its share of (good) surprises, as the Le Monnot theater provides so well. Such is the case with Tnein Bel Lel, an eccentric and bold musical comedy, distinguished by its originality and element of surprise. A true laughter therapy is guaranteed. [video width="960" height="960" ...

Lebanon’s Biodiversity: A Mediterranean Gem in Peril

Dima Karam 2024-02-04 18:27 - Reading : 10 minute(s)

More than a dozen of them are reported every week, strewn inert across Lebanon's coastal highways. Stockier than foxes, slimmer than wolves, so many golden jackals cross fast ways, eking their way down from the hills, hunting for food close to towns. Spotting them lifeless on roadsides, north and south of Beirut, has become a regular sight. For ...

‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Reviving Mary Shelley’s Legendary Novel

2024-02-05 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lisa Frankenstein, a movie that is soon to be out in theaters on February 9, is a horror-comedy film. Directed by Zelda Williams and written by Diablo Cody, the movie features Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, Joe Chrest and Carla Gugino. Inspired from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern ...

Hiba Tawaji’s Prestigious European Tour

Fabienne Touma 2024-02-06 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

  For the first time in her career, and after having performed on the most prestigious stages in the world, the Lebanese artist Hiba Tawaji will headline on February 12 at Cadogan Hall in London and on May 29 at the Olympia in Paris, not to mention the European tour of the musical Notre Dame de Paris. A look back at the remarkable career of ...

Retired Military Personnel Vow Confrontation With Cabinet

This Is Beirut 2024-02-07 13:48 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

The retired military personnel reaffirmed on Wednesday its previous decision "to gather and protest outside the grand serail to block ministers from participating in a cabinet meeting scheduled on Thursday." The protesters vowed to maintain their protests "until achieving justice and equality." They called on "retired military personnel, ...