This is Beirut

AMD and Retinitis Pigmentosa: A Forgotten Molecule Could Restore Sight

Bélinda Ibrahim, 24/09 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

AMD Vision Retinal Degeneration Researchers US Science

Losing sight to a degenerative retinal disease, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or retinitis pigmentosa (RP), has long been seen as irreversible. For patients, existing therapies can only slow the disease’s progress but never restore vision. Yet, a 2022 study published in Science Advances challenged this assumption: disulfiram ...

Aoun Calls on US to Enforce Ceasefire, Boost Military Aid

This is Beirut, 23/09 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Ceasefire Lebanese Army United Nations Lebanon US Marco Rubio

On the sidelines of his visit to the United Nations in New York, President Joseph Aoun met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday evening, an encounter focused on Lebanon’s security and post-conflict recovery. President Aoun called on the United States to pressure Israel into fully implementing its obligations under the November ...

Russian FM Lavrov to Meet Rubio at UN Next Week

This is Beirut, 19/09 14:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Nations Marco Rubio Lavrov US Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet US counterpart Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week, Russian state media cited Moscow's UN envoy as saying Friday. US President Donald Trump has expressed mounting frustration at Moscow, and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in particular, for not having struck ...

The Controversy and Potential Behind Jaden Smith’s Rise at Christian Louboutin

This is Beirut, 18/09 18:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fashion Luxury Louboutin Celebrity France US Culture

French fashion icon Christian Louboutin's decision to name Will Smith's son Jaden as his chief menswear designer is a bold choice that took the industry by surprise, and stirred up fresh allegations of "nepo-baby" favoritism. When not following in the footsteps of his famous father into acting and rap music, 27-year-old Smith ...

Robert Redford on Screen: Classic Roles That Shaped Hollywood

This is Beirut, 17/09 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film Robert Redford Icon US Culture Cinema

US screen legend Robert Redford, who died on Tuesday, aged 89, was one of the most successful stars of his generation as well as an Oscar-winning director. Here are some of his most famous films: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Redford formed one of Hollywood's greatest double acts with Paul Newman in his breakthrough film, a hippy ...

The Creator of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ Returns With Ambitious New Thriller

This is Beirut, 09/09 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Literature Books Dan Brown US Culture

Best-selling American author Dan Brown, creator of the publishing phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, released his latest thriller Tuesday in 16 languages simultaneously. The Secret of Secrets, which runs to nearly 700 pages in English, marks Brown's return eight years after his last novel, Origin. Brown called it "by far the most intricately plotted ...

Channing Tatum Earns Acting Credibility in 'Roofman' Role

This is Beirut, 08/09 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Channing Tatum Actor US Cinema Culture Art

Channing Tatum says his performance in Roofman, which tells the true story of a man who robbed dozens of McDonald's and hid out in a toy store, helped the stripper-turned-actor overcome "imposter syndrome." "I was getting (acting) jobs before I knew anything about what I was doing," Tatum told reporters Sunday, a day after the film's world ...

'The Testament of Ann Lee': Seyfried Embodies a Feminist Prophet in Fastvold’s Poetic Tribute

This is Beirut, 03/09 21:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Film Festival Venice Italy US Culture

With The Testament of Ann Lee, a movie about the founder of the 18th-century Shaker religious movement screening at the Venice Film Festival, director Mona Fastvold sought to honor a figure "on the verge of being erased from memory". Lee, played by Amanda Seyfried in the film that premiered at Venice this week, was "one of the very first American ...

Diplomatic Maneuvering and Political Uncertainty: Lebanon Under International Pressure

This is Beirut, 02/09 16:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Disarmament Jean-Yves Le Drian Morgan Ortagus US France

Lebanon is preparing to host two senior envoys in the coming days as its government readies a crucial Cabinet session on September 5. French special envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and US diplomat Morgan Ortagus return to Beirut to revive talks on security, disarmament and reconstruction. Appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Le Drian is ...

Perhaps What Is Meant Is the Collapse of Deadlines…

Johnny Kortbawi, 30/08 14:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu US Tom Barrack Lebanon Syria

Tom Barrack has made more than one misstep – mistakes that some might even consider political sins. The issue is not simply what he told journalists at Baabda Palace, but the deeper political and strategic implications of his words. At a time when the government is moving toward the point of no return on Barrack’s proposal, and after failing ...

Julia Roberts Shakes Up Venice with Campus Drama After the Hunt

This is Beirut, 29/08 17:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Film Festival Venice Julia Roberts US Italy Culture

Julia Roberts hopes to "stir it all up" for viewers of her new film about a university professor grappling with fraught US campus politics, as the Hollywood star made her debut at the Venice Film Festival on Friday. The Pretty Woman star was attending the city's festival for the first time in her career for After the Hunt, a cancel-culture ...

Jon Batiste’s "Big Money": A Musical Call to Climate Action

This is Beirut, 28/08 16:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Music Jon Batiste Climat Environment US Culture

Celebrated US musician Jon Batiste wants to use his music to fire up listeners to act against climate change, naming his new album after what he sees as the root of the problem, Big Money. The track Petrichor in particular is a call to arms for a younger generation who may have turned their backs on mainstream news and analysis about global ...

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