Lebanese singer Abeer Nehme wore a cream trouser suit with a floor-length cape by Lebanese-Armenian designer Krikor Jabotian for her performance for Pope Leo XIV in Beirut on Tuesday. Matching the white robes of the numerous clergy sharing the stage with her, Nehme completed the look with a masculine cummerbund along with a high-necked top and piecrust collar that echoed the neck ruff, or frill, historically worn by the clergy. A dark red brooch on her lapel offered a pop of colour.
The performance was part of the Pope's third and final day in Lebanon, which marked his first overseas trip since being elected in May. It was held at Beirut Waterfront in front of an estimated crowd of 150,000. The Pope also prayed at the site of the Beirut blast of August 4, 2020.
Nehme, famous for her versatility as a singer and composer, sang The Lord's Prayer for the Pope in Aramaic, the language of Christian religious texts and liturgical services. Aramaic was the language of Galilee, which extended from modern-day Palestine to southern Lebanon. While still spoken in some regions of Turkey, Syrian, Iraq and Iran, Aramaic is now regarded as an endangered language.
Jabotian has dressed Nehme many times over the course of her career, often creating unique looks that adhere to her modest, classic style. For the singer's Dubai Opera show in November 2024, for example, he dressed her in a custom-made strapless red gown, with a long, off-the-shoulder bolero jacket in bone-white faille silk.
As the cover star of the October issue of TN magazine, Nehme spoke with The National's Saeed Saeed about the importance of remaining true to herself, whether singing pop or classical. “Each style requires a way of singing,” she said. “I cannot sing a pop song in a tarab style, nor the opposite.
“But whatever I sing, people must know it is me. Each song takes you somewhere … it is like cooking, everything needs the right spices. Less salt, more salt, but it has to taste like you.”
She also spoke about the curative power of music. “Music is a language of healing, humanity and, ultimately, of dialogue. How beautiful that you deliver this just by opening your mouth and singing melodies that can touch people no matter where they are in the world.”
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
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