culture

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 ...

UK Author Jilly Cooper, Bestselling Queen of Romantic Fiction, Dies Aged 88

Jilly Cooper, who has died aged 88, was the best-selling British writer whose racy novels were famously filled with sex, snobbery and fun. With suggestive titles such as Tackle!, Mount! and Score!, Cooper's books were publishing sensations, selling 11 million copies in the UK alone. Her agent Felicity Blunt said Monday that "she will ...

A New Generation at Chanel: Blazy’s Debut Headlines Paris Fashion Week

Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy is set to make his debut in one of the most coveted jobs in the fashion industry on Monday when he sends out models for Chanel for the first time. The 41-year-old, who was appointed last December, will unveil his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week in the clear highlight of the season, if not ...

Swift Rules North America Box Office with 'Showgirl' Event

Taylor Swift is having a very good weekend: after the blockbuster release of her new album The Life of a Showgirl, she triumphed at the North American box office with her special movie theater event. The Official Release Party of a Showgirl raked in an estimated $33 million in the Friday to Sunday period in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor ...

Paris Fans Turn Fashion Shows Into Sports-Style Events

A giant screen, lots of cheering and applause: the scene inside La Caserne venue in trendy northeast Paris might feel like a sports bar. But the crowd there was watching live fashion, not football. With Paris Fashion Week in full swing, a well-heeled group of mostly 20-somethings has been gathering every day near the Gare du Nord train station ...

'Sar Wa’et el-Haki' by Philippe Aractingi: Lost Languages, Found Words

Attending “Sar wa’et el-haki” (It’s Time to Talk), Philippe Aractingi’s solo performance, is to dive headfirst into a whirlwind of memories, languages and emotions. The show, staged at the Monnot Theatre from September 30 to October 12, 2025, in Beirut, after a notable tour in France, Germany and Tunisia, was directed by Lina ...

Duran Lantink, the Bold Designer Taking Over Gaultier

Could Duran Lantink become fashion’s next great provocateur? The 37-year-old Dutch designer, celebrated for his fearless creativity, unveils his first Jean Paul Gaultier collection this Sunday in Paris. Appointed creative director of the couture house last April, he is the first permanent successor to Jean Paul Gaultier, who retired from ...

Taylor Swift’s New Album Shatters Streaming Record In Hours

Taylor Swift on Friday quickly set a streaming record with The Life of a Showgirl, her new album of bouncy pop songs about love, sex, success — and score-settling — that had fans analyzing every word. Critical opinion of Showgirl ranged from glowing to unimpressed, but fans flocked to Spotify to hear the 12 tracks, making it the most-streamed ...

Sean 'Diddy' Combs gets 50-month prison sentence

Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Friday for his conviction on prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors had sought 11 years behind bars for Combs, but Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a 50-month sentence after an emotional daylong court hearing. Combs's lawyers had urged the judge to sentence the ...

Skipping Class, Winning Prizes: The Untold Stories of Nobel Laureates

Some Nobel laureates were straight-A students from the get-go. But others AFP spoke to recounted how they cut class, got expelled, and had doubts about their future. Perhaps the most illustrious Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein, was once a mediocre student at Zurich Polytechnic School, now ETH Zurich. The young Einstein skipped classes, ...

Taylor Swift Strides into 'Showgirl' Era with Sparkly New Album

Taylor Swift is in a sparkling new era. On Friday, she dropped her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, a collection of bouncy pop songs about love, marriage, success — and score-settling. For the hotly anticipated album, the 35-year-old artist reunited with Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback, and their influence is clear in the ...

Irish Singer CMAT Postpones UK Tour Due to Health Issues

Breakout Irish singer CMAT cancelled her upcoming UK tour dates to treat an infected wisdom tooth, days after British pop singer Lola Young halted gigs having collapsed on stage. "I am devastated to say that due to an infected wisdom tooth I need to reschedule all of my upcoming dates of the October UK tour," CMAT, whose real name is Ciara ...