Culture

A Symphony of Style: Lebanese Creativity Captivates the Paris Runways

This season, Paris once again moved to the rhythm of fashion. From September 27 to October 7, the city dressed in its finest attire to welcome Fashion Week, dedicated to the Women’s Ready-to-Wear Spring–Summer 2026 collections. On the official calendar, Lebanese designers once more carried high the banner of the Land of the Cedars on the ...

Dolly Parton, Country Singer, Reassures Fans with “I Ain’t Dead Yet” Message

A very much alive Dolly Parton took to Instagram on Wednesday to declare "I ain't dead yet!" after her sister sent fans into a tailspin when she called for prayers for one of America's most beloved celebrities. In a video posted to her official account, the 79-year-old Queen of Country thanked the public for their concern, but insisted she was ...

Hungary’s Laszlo Krasznahorkai Wins Nobel Literature Prize

The Nobel Prize in Literature was on Thursday awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, considered by many as Hungary's most important living author whose works explore themes of postmodern dystopia and melancholy. The Swedish Academy honored him "for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of ...

Countdown to Nobel Literature Prize 2025: Experts Favor Western Contenders

The Nobel literature prize could go to a Western author this Thursday, experts predict, though bookies have several authors from Asia as top picks even after South Korea's Han Kang last year became the first Asian woman to win. Awarding the prize to another woman this year would make history: it has never gone to a woman two years in a row, and ...

Netflix Docuseries: Inside Victoria Beckham’s Journey from Spice Girl to Fashion Mogul

Ex-Spice Girl turned designer Victoria Beckham describes herself as someone who "desperately wanted to be liked" in a new three-part documentary about her life. In the Netflix series due to launch on Thursday, the 51-year-old once known as "Posh Spice" recounts her battle to reinvent herself as a fashion designer after the British girl band ...

The Couple and Life’s Challenges: Grief, Illness, Conflict, and Vulnerability

Life occasionally interrupts the usual flow of events. Illness, bereavement, separation, conflict, exile, and insecurity can erupt, and thought itself may falter. W. Bion describes these moments when the drive runs wild and suffering defends itself by halting thought. Sometimes one partner becomes the caregiver, the other the patient; this ...

Return To Elegance: Highlights from Paris Fashion Week

A historic Paris Fashion Week has wrapped up after 10 days of Spring-Summer 2026 womenswear shows, featuring many new faces and hailed by critics as marking a "return to elegance". AFP looks back on the key moments: Global Makeover After a momentous Milan Fashion Week, marked by the absence of the late Giorgio Armani and new creative directors ...

Saudi Arabia Hosts its First Riyadh Comedy Festival

Jokes about geriatric sex and endless profanity have been embraced by Saudi fans at the Riyadh Comedy Festival even as foreign comedians face a backlash for taking part. The star-studded event, backed by a Saudi government body, has driven a wedge through the stand-up scene, as comics who staunchly defend free speech in the West are accused of ...

Nobel Literature Buzz Tips Swiss Postmodernist, Australians for Prize

Swiss postmodernist novelist Christian Kracht and Australia's Gerald Murnane and Alexis Wright are among the favorites for the Nobel literature prize, experts told AFP ahead of the Swedish Academy's much-anticipated announcement on Thursday. The academy made history last year by choosing South Korea's Han Kang, making her the first Asian woman to ...

Matthieu Blazy Launches Chanel’s New Era With Starry Paris Debut

New Chanel designer Matthieu Blazy unveiled his first sumptuous collection on Monday in front of a crowd of admirers and stars sitting beneath giant glowing planets during Paris Fashion Week. Ahead of the most anticipated show of the season, some had wondered how much the 41-year-old would dare change the classic designs of the French ...

‘Entre Terre et Mer:’ Irène Ghanem at the Edge of the World

In the vibrant arena of contemporary Lebanese painting, few artists carry color as both a sharp wound and an act of faith. Born in Beirut in 1970, Irène Ghanem embodies a generation that has seen light emerge from chaos, enduring war, exile and then rebirth, never losing sight of the need to invent a personal visual language. Just hours before ...

Stage Chemistry and Shared Vision: Yara Zakhour and Adon Khoury’s 'Radio Transistor'

Radio Transistor is a play by Yara Zakhour and Adon Khoury, staged at Le Monnot Theater from October 9 until November 2. Blending comedy with the sharp edges of dark humor, the piece explores human relationships and the fine line between laughter and unsettling truth. Working as a creative duo on stage and in life, Yara and Adon bring a rare ...