This is Beirut - Britain

Farewell to Martin Parr, Britain’s Relentless Chronicler in Colour

This is Beirut, 08/12 15:40 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Martin Parr Photographer Death Culture Britain

Celebrated British documentary photographer Martin Parr has died at his home in the western English city Bristol, his foundation announced on Sunday. He was 73. Famous for his kitschy colour-saturated images capturing all aspects of life in Britain and beyond, Parr had a sharp eye for mundane oddities, whether it was the rich at play or ...

From Tea to Tango: Liverpool Seniors Dance Away Loneliness

This is Beirut, 04/12 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Retirement Dance Frienship Community Britain Culture

All gloom was left outside as pensioners bustled into a room in Liverpool's centuries-old town hall for a tea dance, a lively antidote to getting older in Britain. "Come to tea dances and avoid the NHS!" joked Davina Woods, 71, referring to the country's creaking health system and the awareness the retirees have that as they age, they will likely ...

Kate Winslet Directs First Film, 'Goodbye June', Written by Her Son

This is Beirut, 04/12 14:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Kate Winslet Britain Culture

Oscar-winning British actress Kate Winslet said she was "so proud" of herself for directing her first film, Goodbye June, and would "love to do more." Speaking at the Christmas drama's world premiere in London on Wednesday, the 50-year-old Winslet, who also acts in the film, said she found the experience of directing "incredibly rewarding." “I ...

Fabergé’s Winter Egg Sets New Auction Record at £22.9 Million at Christie’s

This is Beirut, 03/12 16:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Art Auction Record Faberge Winter Egg Russian Treasures Britain Culture

Fabergé's The Winter Egg, considered one of his most beautiful creations, sold for nearly £23 million ($30 million) at auction Tuesday in London, smashing the sales record for the legendary jeweler of Imperial Russia. It is the third time the delicate bejeweled egg, which went under the hammer at Christie's auction house, has ...

Rare Fabergé 'Winter Egg' Expected to Break Records in London

This is Beirut, 28/11 10:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Auction The Winter Egg Fabergé History Britain Culture

The Winter Egg, one of Faberge's most dazzling creations, is due to be auctioned in London next week and set another sales price record for the legendary jeweler of Imperial Russia. The egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as an Easter gift to his mother, is expected to fetch at least £20 million ($26 million), according to Christie's ...

‘Beggars Belief’: Londoners Baffled by Bizarre Christmas Mural

This is Beirut, 20/11 17:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Christmas AI Mural Britain Culture

People in London were left baffled Wednesday by what appeared to be a botched AI-generated Christmas mural showing a Santa-like figure with a half-orange beard and revelers with disfigured faces. The display in posh Kingston upon Thames in southwest London at first glance seems to depict a jolly crowd enjoying the festive season. But closer ...

Princess Diana enters Paris waxwork museum

This is Beirut, 20/11 12:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Royals Princess Diana Museum Grevin Britain France Culture

The Grevin waxwork museum in Paris unveiled a new star attraction on Thursday: Princess Diana in the "revenge dress" she wore after public revelations about her then-husband, Prince Charles's, infidelity. The Grevin Museum in central Paris, similar to Madame Tussauds in London, already has models of Charles, who is now King Charles III, and his ...

'Parasocial' Crowned Cambridge Dictionary Word of 2025

This is Beirut, 18/11 09:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Dictionary AI Britain Language

Do you feel a deep bond with pop stars like Taylor Swift or Lily Allen -- even though you've never met them? If you do, then your behavior is "parasocial" and bang on trend, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, which on Tuesday unveiled the adjective as its word of the year for 2025. Lexicographers picked it in a year they said was marked by ...

How Embracing ‘Ickiness’ Helped Writer Szalay Win Booker Prize

This is Beirut, 14/11 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Literature David Szalay Booker Prize Winner Hungary Britain Culture

Writer David Szalay deliberately dared his readers to face up to the "ickiness" of an affair between a 15-year-old boy and his much older married neighbor in the first chapter of his new book, Flesh. And it worked, winning him Britain's top literary award, the Booker Prize, this week with his "extraordinary" story of a Hungarian immigrant who ...

Behind the Charts: The Real Cost of Brexit and AI for UK Artists

This is Beirut, 12/11 19:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music AI Growth Britain Culture

Britain's music industry contributed £8 billion ($10.5 billion) to the UK economy in 2024, but the effects of Brexit and AI have clouded the sector's outlook, an industry report showed Wednesday. UK tours by Taylor Swift and Take That helped lift the industry's contribution to the UK economy last year, according to the annual report from UK ...

Booker Prize 2025: Six Authors Compete for One of Literature’s Top Honors

This is Beirut, 10/11 14:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Literature Booker Prize Award Front Runners Britain Culture

The winner of the Booker Prize will be announced on Monday, with six novels competing for the prestigious English-language literary award and two veterans favored by bookmakers. British author Andrew Miller, who has previously been shortlisted, and Indian author Kiran Desai, the 2006 Booker winner, were predicted to scoop the award at the London ...

Hollywood Welcomes Back Meghan Markle in Upcoming Comedy Film

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

Nawaf Salam Film Meghan Markle Royals 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 ...

Britain