Latest news with #Beirut-based
Nahar Net
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Palestinian official says Lebanon camps to keep light weapons
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 May 2025, 16:40 The issue of Palestinian arms in Lebanon might be the 'last' topic on the agenda of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Lebanon this week, a Beirut-based Palestinian official said on Tuesday. 'This topic is new and is not the priority for the Lebanese and Palestinians,' Haitham Zuaiter, a member of the Palestinian central and national councils, told Al-Jadeed television. 'There is no proposal for removing Palestinian arms in Lebanon,' Zuaiter said, reminding that the national dialogue sessions chaired by Speaker Nabih Berri had called for 'removing Palestinian arms outside the camps and controlling them inside the camps' and that 'President Joseph Aoun has called for the removal of heavy-caliber arms.' 'We support bringing Palestinian arms under control inside the Palestinian camps within the framework of serious discussions and a drastic solution,' Zuaiter went on to say. He added: 'Honestly we cannot talk about the issue of Palestinian arms without resolving the Palestinian issue in the Lebanese arena in a comprehensive way.' Warning that Israel might target Palestinian camps in Lebanon the same it has targeted refugee camps in the Palestinian territories, Zuaiter said Abbas will tell Lebanese officials that 'the Lebanese Army should not enter the Palestinian camps by force.' 'Palestinian security forces are in charge of security inside the camps and would coordinate with Lebanese authorities,' the Palestinian officials added, noting that 'arms must be under the authority of the Lebanese state.' 'What's needed is to prevent a repetition of the (1982) Sabra and Shatila massacre and had there been light weapons (in the hands of the Palestinians at the time), this massacre would not have happened,' Zuaiter added.
CairoScene
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
AFAC to Hold Gathering at Ahmed Mater Studio in Riyadh on May 10th
Beirut-based arts organisation AFAC will host a special event in Riyadh as part of its ongoing efforts to connect with regional creative communities. The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) will host an event in Riyadh on May 10th at Ahmed Mater Studio, bringing together artists and cultural practitioners for a focused gathering on contemporary creativity in the Arab world. Headquartered in Beirut, AFAC was founded in 2007 and remains one of the region's leading organisations dedicated to supporting independent voices in film, visual arts, music, literature, performing arts, and cultural research. Through a combination of grants and regional partnerships, AFAC works to strengthen the infrastructure for artistic production across the Arab region. While AFAC regularly holds events in cultural hubs such as Beirut, Amman, and Tunis, the upcoming gathering marks a valuable opportunity to connect directly with Saudi Arabia's growing creative scene. Ahmed Mater Studio is a key cultural venue led by artist and curator Ahmed Mater, whose work and initiatives have helped shape contemporary art discourse within the Kingdom. The studio has become a central space for exchange and artistic dialogue as Saudi Arabia continues to expand its cultural offerings.
Saba Yemen
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Palestine Prisoners' Studies Center: 550 Arrests in April, including 14 women & 52 children
Beirut - Saba: The Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies (an independent Beirut-based organization) reported on Sunday that the Israeli occupation authorities continued their arrest campaigns in April, recording 550 arrests in the occupied West Bank and Al-Quds. Among those detained were 14 women and 52 children, while two prisoners died due to deliberate medical neglect in Israeli jails. According to Quds Press Agency, the center noted that Israeli forces carried out mass arrests targeting dozens of Palestinians in multiple areas, including the villages of Kobar and Al-Tabaqa, the refugee camps of Al-Dheisheh and Al-Fawwar, and the cities of Al-Zahiriyya, Qalqilya, and Jaba'. Detainees were held in citizens' houses, which were turned into makeshift interrogation centers. The report also highlighted the ongoing targeting of women and children, with arrests including female university students, a journalist, and a lawyer along with her two daughters. The youngest detainee was a seven-year-old child. Regarding prisoners' health conditions, the center documented the deaths of two detainees: Nasser Redaida (49) from Bethlehem and Musab Adili (20) from Nablus, both due to medical negligence in Israeli prisons. This raises the number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in detention to 302. April also saw an escalation in administrative detention policies, with 910 new or renewed administrative detention orders issued—including against women and children. Among them was the youngest administrative detainee, a 14-year-old from Ramallah. Additionally, the center revealed shocking testimonies from released Gaza detainees, who reported enduring severe physical torture and systematic starvation in Israeli prisons, leading some to lose half their body weight. The center accused Israeli authorities of attempting to assassinate prominent prisoner figures through torture and starvation, including Abdullah Barghouti, Hassan Salameh, Abbas Al-Sayed, Muhammad Al-Natsheh, and Ma'mar Shahrour, all of whom are in critical health conditions due to abuse and neglect. The report noted that 73 detainees from Gaza were released during April via the Kerem Shalom and Karm Abu Salem crossings, including two women who had been subjected to enforced disappearance and were freed in deteriorating health conditions. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
CairoScene
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Cynthia Merhej is the Lebanese Designer Giving Rise to a Renaissance
This is not the story of romanticism but how romanticism enables fashion to thrive under art's helm. From her great grandmother Laurice Srouji's atelier in Yafa, Palestine, to her mother's Beirut-based atelier, Lebanese designer Cynthia Merhej has given her life to one purpose; to bridge between the past and the present, the classic and the contemporary, which is to say, for Cynthia Merhej, the mission is quite simple; to give rise to a renaissance, twice over. Embracing dualities as alluded to in the brand's naming, Merhej seeks to pay tribute to both the similarities and differences between generations and eras. Growing up entrenched within the realm of fabrics, Merhej knew from her earliest days where life would lead her. Studying visual communications at London's Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, Merhej returned to Beirut, rolled up her sleeves, and made sure the craft kept running in her family. Founded in 2016, Renaissance Renaissance is a real-life embodiment of dollhouse-chic, crafting garments with one foot in eras long gone, and another in a future hitherto uncharted. Growing up in your mother's atelier in Beirut must have been a unique experience. Can you share a specific memory or moment from your childhood that significantly influenced your decision to pursue a career in fashion and design? One memory that really lives within me is the time when my mother would receive all her fabric swatches. It was truly exciting to go through them all and start imagining what they would end up becoming. How did your education in London shape your approach to fashion, and in what ways did it influence the identity of Renaissance Renaissance? For many Lebanese creatives, studying art at school was considered quite the privilege. My mother was self-taught, and so I had no idea that a school specialised in art even existed. For a kid like me, one that was obsessed with the arts from a young age - to be in an environment where every single day what I was doing was creating, being challenged to create, and doing what I loved, was a dream come true. Being in London gave me unparalleled access to magazines, books, music and so on, that I would only dream about in Lebanon. It allowed me to really bloom in many ways and to learn very important skills in creative and critical thinking that influenced me as a creative practitioner, and of course that went into how I approach my brand until this very day. Your Middle Eastern heritage serves as inspiration for your designs. Can you pinpoint a specific element or aspect of your heritage that consistently finds its way into your collections? My heritage influences me very strongly in many ways, even beyond the aesthetic, I think that people in this region, especially women, have very likely had to live through very challenging circumstances, especially in Lebanon which has generally been a very uncertain environment for as long as I could remember. And yet, even in the worst of times, they dress up, they live, and they have a sense of style that we rarely see these days anymore, and it's incredibly inspiring. Your designs are described as a conversation between past and present, traditional couture and contemporary perspectives. How do you navigate this delicate balance in your creative process, and what challenges or joys does it bring to your work? I think it's a very delicate process. My eyes were trained to identify what makes a 'perfect' garment, and then there is the side of me that obviously wants to rebel against that. As I got older I realised that actually trying to find the harmony between both, is what makes it unique and challenging for me. I think that's a bit difficult for people to understand sometimes, because my designs tend to evoke a young spirit utilising old techniques. Where do you find inspiration, and how do you translate that into the unique pieces seen in each Renaissance Renaissance collection? I draw inspiration from everywhere, but it really starts with maybe a feeling and a certain intuition. Sometimes there is a narrative element to the story, sometimes not, but I do feel it does often come back to the narrative. There is always a lot of sketching and absorbing imagery, but I think it only really starts when I start making things. I'd love to hear all about the inspiration behind your FW23 collection. Do you perhaps have any favourite pieces from the collection? I envisioned a more classical woman for that collection, aiming for a touch of old-school elegance. My favourite aspect was sourcing a second-hand fur coat, deconstructing it, and integrating its textures into the garments, creating a unique interplay with other fabrics. It was a challenging period in my life when I worked on that collection. Creating those pieces provided a welcome respite, allowing me to embrace playfulness and experimentation, reminding myself of the love I have for my craft. My dear friend, Zeid Hijazi, played a crucial role during that time by discovering those beautiful coats, which served as a lifeline in the midst of a particularly dark period. Looking back since the founding of Renaissance Renaissance, are there specific moments that hold a special place in your heart? I think every day with Renaissance Renaissance feels special and has its own accomplishments, no matter how small. Frankly, trying to develop a brand in Lebanon with all the events that have happened in the last few years is quite difficult - every day you're still standing feels like a miracle. Your great grandmother, Laurice Srouji's atelier in Palestine, must hold a special place in your family's history. Can you share a personal anecdote or story passed down through generations that resonates with the spirit of that atelier and continues to influence your creative journey? There are many, but one of them was how women from all over Palestine would not get married until they could ensure that Laurice would be able to make their bekjeh or trousseau. They would even base their wedding dates on that!
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Azza Fahmy Arrives in London With a Flash of Gold, and Colored Stones
LONDON — Egyptian jeweler Azza Fahmy is adding even more sparkle to London's Burlington Arcade with a flagship that showcases the brand's latest culturally rich, interiors concept. The flagship replaces a smaller, temporary store that Azza Fahmy had occupied in the Mayfair arcade, and neighbors include a string of vintage watch and jewelry shops as well as Manolo Blahnik, Johnstons of Elgin and Ladurée. More from WWD Luxury, Streetwear Retailer End. Names Sebastian Suhl CEO Unilever Shuts Sustainable Skin Care Brand Ren Bicester Village Marks 30 Years With a New Campaign, and a Britpop Beat The brand, founded by the jewelry designer Azza Fahmy in 1969, has transformed the space with an interiors concept that debuted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September. Elements include a lotus-inspired chandelier on the first floor and a colorful, handcrafted tapestry that nods to Ancient Egypt's temple columns, flowers and birds. The brand worked with Universal Studio, and tapped Middle Eastern designers for some of the pieces. Randa Fahmy contributed a brass curtain adorned with Fatimid, diamond-shaped geometric patterns and the chandelier with its lotus shapes, a symbol of rebirth in Ancient Egypt. Bokja, a Beirut-based design studio, created the tapestry for the VIP area, while the marble flooring is by Marmonil and draws on patterns from Nefersekheru's tomb in Luxor. There are also pieces from the Fahmy family, including books, images and art. The store carries the main line collections, and the high jewelry — necklaces and bracelets that twinkle with tanzanite, rubellite and emerald. The designs also showcase myriad varieties of gold filigree, and many are inscribed with lines from Egyptian love poetry. While the jewels may be utterly glamorous and romantic, they are also very practical. Fahmy's youngest daughter, Amina Ghali, designs the jewelry so that women can put it on, and take it off, themselves. She also tests every design on herself and the women in her studio and office. Collar necklaces are hinged so they can open and close easily, and without fussy clasps. Chain lengths can be adjusted and pendants are detachable. All of the earrings — even the elaborate ones — have been designed so that it's possible to wear them and talk on the phone at the same time. A large horizontal ring shaped like an eye, and inspired by one that King Tutankhamun wore, has ergonomic grooves for the fingers and smooth, curved edges to prevent it from catching on hair or clothing. Ghali said she wants clients to be comfortable and to wear the jewelry rather than keep it locked up. She also wants her customers to come home at the end of the day — or after a big night out — and be able to remove their jewelry themselves, 'rather than having to wake up someone at home and ask for help,' she said. Azza Fahmy has 14 further boutiques — mostly in Egypt — and selected wholesale distribution, including Bloomingdale's and That Concept Store in Dubai, 51 East in Qatar, Beymen Department Store at the Four Seasons Cairo and the Four Seasons in Amman. Best of WWD Macy's Is Closing 66 Stores in 2025 — Here's the List, Live Updates Inside the Demise of Lord & Taylor COVID-19 Spikes Elevate Retail Concerns
