culture

Luc Besson’s Dracula: A Timeless Tale of Love

Luc Besson’s latest film, Dracula, is generating buzz among audiences and critics alike. Inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic novel, the French director elevates the literary and historical roots of the story into a sweeping, gothic cinematic ode to love. With Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, and Zoë Bleu in the leading roles, this ...

Disney Lifts Forecast as It Readies ESPN Streaming Launch

Disney on Wednesday lifted its full-year earnings forecast after reporting higher quarterly profits, as the company readies the launch of a new ESPN sports service. Profits for Disney's fiscal third quarter were $5.3 billion, about double the year-ago level as the entertainment giant added 1.8 million subscribers to its Disney+ streaming ...

Egypt to Open Grand Museum Near Pyramids of Giza on November 1

Egypt said on Wednesday that its much-anticipated new $1-billion archaeological museum near the Pyramids of Giza will officially open on November 1 after several delays. Authorities hope that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which boasts the treasures of Tutankhamun among its collection of more than 100,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, will ...

Forgotten First Edition of ‘The Hobbit’ Sparks Bidding Frenzy

A rare first edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit was expected to sell for thousands of pounds on Wednesday after it was found during a house clearance in southwest England. The book is one of 1,500 original copies of the British author's seminal fantasy novel that were published in 1937. Of those, only "a few hundred are believed to still ...

Gabon Forest Cave Unlocks Secrets of Human Origins

In Gabon's sprawling forest, archaeologists dig for ancient clues that could unlock the secrets of how prehistoric humans lived and interacted within the changing landscape of Central Africa. Two billion years ago, the eastern Gabonese region of Lastourville was covered by a vast ocean. But that has long given way to dense forest and dolomite ...

Gen Z and Inflation Shake Up the Uk’s Once-Thriving Club Scene

Is the party over? UK nightclubs are famed around the world, but Covid and inflation have hit the sector hard, forcing businesses to reinvent themselves to attract new generations to the dance floor. Pryzm Kingston is a well-known club in southwest London popular with students, where artists like Billie Eilish, Rod Stewart, and Stormzy ...

Chopin’s Spirit Fills Polish Mountain Town at Festival

A few hundred people gather in front of a large white tent in the peaceful spa town of Duszniki-Zdroj, nestled on the Polish-Czech border. Inside, the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra is preparing to open the 80th edition of the International Chopin Piano Festival. "I've loved Chopin for so many years!" said Erin Gao, a 33-year-old from ...

Rodin’s "Thinker" Submerged in Plastic as UN Talks on Pollution Open

A replica of Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture The Thinker outside the United Nations headquarters was slowly submerged in plastic rubbish Monday as countries gathered in a bid to finalize a global treaty on plastic pollution. The sculpture will slowly disappear under layer upon layer of bottles, toys, fishing nets and other garbage during the 10 ...

From Beirut’s August 4 Tragedy to 'Blooming Joy' by Rana Hatem Slim

Gemspace Art Gallery, tucked in the heart of Beirut, is hosting the solo exhibition of artist Rana Hatem Slim. Titled Blooming Joy, the collection invites visitors into a luminous, sensory world where color and emotion intertwine to celebrate joy in all its forms. Rana Hatem Slim spoke to This is Beirut about her work. In the gentle chaos of ...

Italy’s Fast Fashion Hub Turns Into Chinese Mafia Crime Battleground

When Zhang Dayong lay in a pool of blood on a sidewalk in Rome after being shot six times, few suspected a link to Italy's storied textile hub of Prato. But a "hanger war" is raging in the city near Florence — turning Europe's largest apparel manufacturing center and a pillar of Made in Italy production into a battleground for warring Chinese ...

'Fantastic Four' Holds Box Office Lead for Second Weekend

The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Disney’s debut of the rebooted Marvel Comics franchise, continued to outperform the competition for a second straight weekend at the North American box office, industry estimates showed Sunday. Actor-of-the-moment Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Emmy-winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn star as the titular ...

Indian Filmmakers Rush to Cash In on Cross-Border Conflict

Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone, and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The ...