- Leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia meet amid regional tensions
- Klopp's Red Bull decision 'ruined life's work' say Dortmund fans
- Han Kang wins South Korea's first literature Nobel
- S. Korea's Nobel winner Han Kang a modest, thought-provoking writer
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- The almost impossible job: Beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open
- New French government faces key test with budget plan
- Rescuers say Israeli strike on Gaza school kills 28
- Italy's ex-world champion gymnast Ferrari announces retirement
- Zelensky talks 'victory plan' in meeting with Starmer, Rutte
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Federer lauds retiring Nadal's 'incredible achievements'
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Australia beat China 3-1 to resurrect World Cup campaign
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- Nadal defied injury woes in record-breaking career
- Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in epic rivalry
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- Pakistan at 23-1 after Brook triple hundred takes England to 823-7
- Zelensky meets Starmer, Rutte on whirlwind tour of Europe
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Rafael Nadal calls time on epic tennis career
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines confronts China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Kim Sei-young shoots 62 to take two-stroke lead at LPGA Shanghai
- The haircuts that help traumatised Ukrainian soldiers heal
- Sinner crushes Medvedev to set up potential Alcaraz Shanghai semi
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- England's Harry Brook blasts triple century against Pakistan
- Chinese electric car companies cope with European tariffs
- Zelensky in London for whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Record-breaking Root, Brook both pass 200 as England pile up 658-3
- Football mourns Greek defender George Baldock's shock death at 31
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Home is far away for Madagascar in AFCON qualifying
- Two months on, Donbas soldiers begin to question Kursk offensive
- Rugby Australia to counter-sue in dispute with Melbourne Rebels
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- Philippines challenges China over South China Sea at ASEAN meet
- Mets advance on Lindor blast, Dodgers stay alive in MLB playoffs
- Injury-ravaged Krygios aiming to return at Australian Open
- Greek international Baldock, dead at 31: family
- EU talks deportation hubs to stem migration
- Deaths and repression sideline Suu Kyi's party ahead of Myanmar vote
- S. Africa offers a lesson on how not to shut down a coal plant
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
Balmain recovers in shiny, flowery style from Paris robbery
French label Balmain managed to pull together a very shiny and exuberant show at Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday despite the dramatic robbery that saw dozens of its outfits stolen just 10 days earlier.
The fashion world loves drama but normally it doesn't involve violent heists, so there was outsized attention as Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing rushed to prepare his spring-summer 2024 collection.
Rousteing announced on September 17 that a driver had been "hijacked" on the way from a Paris airport to the brand's headquarters by a gang of thieves who stole 50 outfits.
But there was little sign of the panic behind the scenes as the models took to the runway late Wednesday for a show full of unabashed primary colours, shiny vinyl-style materials and elaborate flower arrangements.
Even by fashion standards, the models were extremely thin, tottering on razor-sharp heels.
There were lots of roses -- a woman seemingly lost in an entire red bush of them, another with a swoosh of golden feathers with roses on the tips, and a range of rose-print tops, dresses and mini-skirts.
There were more demure smoking jackets and little black dresses, and a selection of polka-dot outfits, before returning to ultra-bling glittering flower concoctions that verged on haute couture extravagance.
"Florals for spring? Groundbreaking..." Rousteing wrote with apparent irony on Instagram.
- Dior, Saint Laurent -
Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Monday and runs to October 3, with 107 brands in the official lineup.
Highlights so far have included two big names offering contrasting versions of feminism -- always a good selling-point at fashion week -- with Christian Dior mocking sexist stereotypes while Saint Laurent was inspired by female pioneers.
Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, who recently dressed Queen Camilla for her state dinner at Versailles, offered a largely monochrome affair with comfortable, breezy items alongside straight masculine jackets, pleated skirts and plenty of knitwear.
But the walls were bright pink and yellow, and plastered in mock sexist slogans from old adverts, such as "Save your marriage -- iron properly".
Saint Laurent held a typically opulent nighttime show under the Eiffel Tower with safari-style jumpsuits and cargo trousers, inspired, according to creative director Anthony Vaccarello, by aviation pioneers Amelia Earhart and Adrienne Bolland.
In a palette of burnished gold, ochre and maroon, there was plenty of 1980s glamour with big shoulders, tightly belted waists and aviator shades -- even adding the Top Gun theme song "Take My Breath Away" to the soundtrack.
Pierre Cardin, which returned this year for the first time in a quarter-century, had a show full of retro space-age outfits that harked back to its glory days.
But the relatives of Cardin, who died in 2020, are tearing each other apart in court over the inheritance.
"If the brand is sold, it will be the end of the house. I am confident the court decisions will ensure continuity," current boss Rodrigo Basilicati-Cardin said backstage.
An even more exuberantly surreal display came courtesy of Germanier, with spectacularly colourful, feathered creations.
Coming later this week are final shows for two big-name designers.
Gabriela Hearst is leaving Chloe after fewer than three years. Her focus on sustainable fashion was critically acclaimed but did not bring a major boost to sales.
It will also be the last show for Sarah Burton, who took over at Alexander McQueen following the founder's suicide in 2010.
F.Dubois--AMWN