This is Beirut

Music Rights: GEMA Wins Copyright Case Against OpenAI in Germany

This is Beirut, 11/11 18:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music AI Copyright Court Germany US Culture

OpenAI has infringed copyright law in Germany by using song lyrics to train its artificial intelligence models, a court in Munich ruled on Tuesday. "Both the memorization in the language models and the reproduction of the song lyrics in the chatbot's outputs constitute infringements of copyright law," the court ruled in a case brought by the ...

Demon Slayer Surge Powers Sony’s Strong Profit Outlook

This is Beirut, 11/11 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Demon Slayer Tokyo US Culture Cinema Art

Shares in Japanese giant Sony jumped more than five percent Tuesday after it hiked full-year profit forecasts thanks to the latest Demon Slayer anime blockbuster. The company also attributed the improved forecasts to higher expected sales of its PlayStation console and a smaller-than-anticipated impact from US tariffs. For the 2025-26 financial ...

Netflix Unveils First Immersive Theme Parks Across the US

This is Beirut, 11/11 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Netflix US Film Culture Art Park

Pretending to be a pirate in an immersive game inspired by the manga One Piece, or wandering through a carnival hosted by Wednesday Addams, is now part of the experience offered inside Netflix’s first theme parks in the United States. For its first “Netflix House,” opening Wednesday, the American streaming giant chose one of the country’s ...

Unveiling Key Nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards

This is Beirut, 08/11 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Music Nominees Grammys Award US Culture

Here is a list of nominees in the major categories for the 68th annual Grammy Awards, which will be handed out on February 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads all nominees with nine, followed by Lady Gaga with seven, and a trio of artists tied at six, Bad Bunny, pop princess Sabrina Carpenter and R&B singer-songwriter Leon ...

Kendrick Lamar Dominates 2026 Grammy Nominations with Nine Nods

This is Beirut, 07/11 19:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Music Grammy Awards Kendrick Lamar US Culture

Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards, music's highest honors, with nine, the Recording Academy announced Friday, fresh off winning five golden gramophones at the last gala. Lady Gaga ranked second among performers with seven nods for her Mayhem album, followed by a trio of artists tied at six, Bad Bunny, pop ...

Trump Hails Central Asia's 'Unbelievable Potential' at Summit

This is Beirut, 07/11 09:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump US Asia Washington Central Asia

US President Donald Trump hosted all five Central Asian leaders on Thursday for the first time, a few months after they held separate summits with Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping. The West has upped its interest in the resource-rich region, where Moscow's traditional influence has been questioned since the Kremlin's Ukraine ...

Hollywood Welcomes Back Meghan Markle in Upcoming Comedy Film

This is Beirut, 06/11 17:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Meghan Markle Royals US Britain Culture

Prince Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, is to make her return to the big screen, media reported Wednesday, with a small cameo role in a film being shot around Los Angeles. The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly shooting scenes for Close Personal Friends, which features Emily in Paris star Lily Collins alongside Jack Quaid, Brie Larson, and Henry ...

Is the Mamdani Plan the Fastest Way to Ruin New York?

Mario Chartouni, 05/11 17:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

New York Zohran Mamdani Mayor US

The election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s mayor marks a historic moment. It is the first time a member of the Democratic Socialists of America has taken charge of the nation’s largest city. But behind the wave of activist enthusiasm lies an economic agenda that risks backfiring. According to the Cato Institute, Mamdani’s plan is not ...

Box Office Snapshot: 'Regretting You' Edges Out 'Black Phone 2' at North American Box Office

This is Beirut, 03/11 17:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Box Office Entertainment Canada US Culture

Paramount's Regretting You, the latest film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel, finished first place in a lackluster Halloween weekend at the North American box office, industry estimates showed Sunday. Directed by Josh Boone, the romantic drama tells the story of a mother (Allison Williams) and teenage daughter (McKenna Grace) navigating life ...

Iran Banking on Iraq Vote to Retain Regional Influence

This is Beirut, 03/11 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Tehran Iran Iraq US

Iraq will hold parliamentary elections on November 11, with analysts saying Iran will be watching closely as it hopes to retain influence over its neighbor after losing regional leverage during the Gaza war. The past two years have seen Iran-backed groups including Palestinian militants Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Huthis in Yemen suffer ...

Israel and Hezbollah Reject Egypt’s Initiative

Bassam Abou Zeid, 01/11 15:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Army US Egypt Lebanon

Lebanon remains caught in Israel’s escalation zone as disagreements persist with both Israel and the United States, and Hezbollah still resists disarmament. Official Lebanese sources say Israel’s main demand centers on direct negotiations with Lebanon, even suggesting a possible meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister ...

Universal Music and Udio Partner to Launch Licensed AI Music Platform

This is Beirut, 30/10 16:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music Universal AI Copyright US Culture

Recording industry giant Universal Music Group said Thursday it had struck a licensing deal with AI music generation startup Udio, in an industry-first tie-up aiming to launch an AI creation platform next year. Universal and Udio said in a statement that their platform, as yet unnamed, "will be powered by new cutting-edge generative AI technology ...

US