Articles by AFP
After success abroad, Saudi designers hit the runway at home
loading... - Fashion
Couturier Adnan Akbar's past clients included Princess Diana and two French first ladies, but until recently he had never staged a major fashion show in his native Saudi Arabia. The 74-year-old, dubbed the "Saint Laurent of the Middle East", was among the most decorated designers at this year's inaugural Riyadh Fashion Week, a milestone in a...
Tech giants on board to bust online scams
loading... - Business
Eleven global tech giants have pledged to do more to tackle the scourge of online scammers, the UK government said on Thursday, billing the promise as a world first. Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Match Group, Microsoft, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube have signed up to the Online Fraud Charter, which ministers say will...
Amazon releases AI chatbot called 'Q'
loading... - Business
Amazon on Tuesday released its own AI chatbot intended for businesses, about one year after ChatGPT took the world by storm. "Q" will be available only to Amazon's AWS cloud computing customers and will be in direct competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT as well as Google's Bard and Microsoft's copilots that also run on OpenAI's technology. Chatbots...
Pioneer designer Iris Van Herpen on fashion that goes 'beyond beauty'
loading... - Fashion
For Iris van Herpen, whose radical couture dresses have attracted top musicians like Bjork, Beyonce and Lady Gaga, fashion is a way to "transform a human being". The Dutch designer, 39, spoke to AFP Tuesday as she launched an exhibition of her work, "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses", at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. The opening...
Gucci design studio strikes move to Milan
loading... - Fashion
Some 40 artisans from Gucci's design studio downed tools Monday in the creatives' first ever strike, held over plans to move much of the team from Rome to Milan. The Italian luxury brand, owned by French group Kering, said in October it was transferring 153 of its 219 design employees from the capital to Milan, a move the strikers claim is "a...
'Black Friday' kicks off US shopping season amid economic unease
loading... - Retail
US retailers' efforts to attract holiday gift buyers build to a crescendo this weekend as the "Black Friday" shopping day kicked off with big discounts. The major sales day after Thanksgiving, a custom increasingly adopted in Europe and other markets, comes amid lingering unease over the economy this year. As a result, markdowns are expected to...
Amazon hit by 'Black Friday' strikes in Europe
loading... - Retail
Amazon was hit by strikes at various locations in Britain, Germany and Italy during the annual "Black Friday" shopping extravaganza as workers demand higher wages and better working conditions. UNI Global Union said Amazon would face strikes and protests in more than 30 countries around the world, including the United States, as part of a "Make...
German union calls on Amazon workers to strike on 'Black Friday'
loading... - Business
Union Verdi called on workers at online retail giant Amazon in Germany to go on strike on the annual "Black Friday" shopping extravaganza, in their battle for better working conditions. The industrial action began in the night to Friday, and affects five out of Amazon's 20 logistic sites in Germany including Leipzig, Rheinberg, and Dortmund....
Activists slam conditions at Europe's fur farms
loading... - Business
Helsinki (AFP) - Animal rights group on Friday decried conditions at 31 fur farms in Europe, following the emergence of videos showing dead mutilated foxes lying in cages and minks with severe eye infections. The videos, released by animal rights group Humane Society International (HSI), were filmed clandestinely at 20 fur farms in Lithuania,...
Tanking Alibaba drags Hong Kong as markets rally fades
loading... - Business
Hong Kong - Asian stocks fell Friday as a rally fuelled by the likely end of US interest rate hikes ran out of puff, while Alibaba dragged Hong Kong down after saying it would cancel the planned spinoff of its cloud computing arm. After an exciting few days on trading floors, the week headed for a tepid finish, with Wall Street drifting even as...