This is Beirut

Tenenti: No Discussions Have Taken Place Regarding UNIFIL’s Funding

This is Beirut, 09/06 16:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

UN Security Council Lebanese Army UNIFIL Israel US

UNIFIL spokesperson in Lebanon Andrea Tenenti said on Monday that no discussions have taken place regarding a reduction in international funding for UNIFIL’s mission in Lebanon, two months before the annual renewal of its mandate. “We are committed to ensuring security and stability in southern Lebanon, and we aim to hand over all our duties ...

Hitchcock’s Heroine Honored: Kim Novak Receives Lifetime Award in Venice

This is Beirut, 09/06 15:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Kim Novak Award Venice Festival US Culture

Hollywood actress Kim Novak, 92, best known for portraying the double life of Alfred Hitchcock's heroine in Vertigo, has been awarded Venice's lifetime achievement award, the film festival said on Monday. Despite a short-lived career, Novak became "a living legend, earning her rightful place in history, with the respect and esteem of the film ...

Khamenei Says US Nuclear Proposal Against National Interest

This is Beirut, 04/06 12:33 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran US Nuclear Diplomacy

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Wednesday a US proposal for a nuclear agreement was against the national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium. The longtime foes have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new accord to replace the deal with major powers that US ...

On the Brink of Nuclear Capability, Iran Challenges Red Lines

Mario Chartouni, 04/06 09:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe Israel Iran Nuclear IAEA US

Under growing international scrutiny, Iran is enriching uranium at levels unseen since the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal. While Washington publicly hardens its rhetoric, more flexible proposals are reportedly being floated behind closed doors. Amid firm statements, covert negotiations and ongoing inspections, Iran’s nuclear program has ...

NATO Wrestles Over How to Handle Ukraine at Trump Summit

This is Beirut, 04/06 09:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

NATO Ukraine Russia US

How to have Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky at NATO's Hague summit and avoid a bust-up with US President Donald Trump? What to say on Kyiv's desire to join their alliance? With NATO appearing on track to seal a deal on ramping up defense spending, another thorny issue now threatens to overshadow the gathering in three weeks: what to do about ...

Austrian Daily Under Fire After Clint Eastwood Slams 'Phony' Interview

This is Beirut, 03/06 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Austria Clint Eastwood Film Media US Culture

An Austrian newspaper came under fire Tuesday after Hollywood star Clint Eastwood said an alleged interview with him published by the paper to mark his 95th birthday was "entirely phony". The row was sparked by a purported interview with the Oscar-winning actor and director carried by the German-language Kurier newspaper Friday. In the ...

Integration of 3,500 Uyghur Jihadists into Syrian Army Raises Questions

Natasha Metni Torbey, 03/06 14:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria US Uyghurs China Jihadists Syrian army

A major strategic shift is underway in Ahmad al-Chareh’s Syria. In a controversial move, the United States has approved the integration of approximately 3,500 former foreign jihadist fighters – mostly Uyghurs – into the 84th Division of the Syrian Army. While the decision is reportedly conditional on full transparency during the integration ...

Immersive Matrix Experience Aims To Bring Audiences Back

This is Beirut, 01/06 13:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cinema Culture US Matrix Movie Art

Quasi-hypnotic lighting, surround sound, a dome-shaped screen: a new immersive experience in the United States is trying to lure audiences out of their living rooms and back into movie theaters, which have been struggling against the rise of streaming platforms. Cosm Theater in Los Angeles is one of the driving forces behind this trend and is ...

Taylor Swift Buys Back Rights to Her Old Music

This is Beirut, 30/05 19:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Music Taylor Swift US Entertainment

Pop icon Taylor Swift, who has been publicly feuding with record executives since 2019 over the rights to her early music, now owns her entire catalogue, she said on her website Friday. "All of the music I've ever made ... now belongs ... to me," she wrote, after years of dispute over her first six albums, a number of which she has rerecorded to ...

Salman Rushdie Says 'Pleased' With Attacker's Jail Sentence

This is Beirut, 27/05 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Literature Salman Rushdie Justice US London Culture

Salman Rushdie said Monday he was "pleased" with the maximum 25-year jail sentence handed to a man who tried to kill him with a knife at a New York cultural center in 2022. "I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and hopefully he uses it to reflect upon his deeds," Rushdie told BBC radio in an interview. Hadi Matar was sentenced to 25 ...

Nuclear Negotiations in Rome End Without Final Agreement Between Iran and the US

This is Beirut, 23/05 18:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Nuclear Politics us

The fifth round of nuclear negotiations between Iranian and US delegations held in Rome on Friday has ended, the Omani foreign minister who mediated the talks said. "The fifth round of Iran US talks have concluded today in Rome with some but not conclusive progress," Badr Albusaidi said on X, adding that he hoped "the remaining issues" will be ...

Cannes 2025: ‘The Six Billion Dollar Man’ Revisits the Julian Assange Story

This is Beirut, 21/05 16:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cannes 2025 Julien Assange Eugene Jarecki Documentary France US Culture

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has recovered well after his release from jail last year, his wife told AFP ahead of the premiere of a documentary Wednesday that includes never-seen-before footage of the whistleblower. Assange is at the Cannes Festival to promote the documentary by American filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, who said he was trying to ...

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