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Please Update your browser Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below. … [Read more...] about ASEAN leaders adopt Indonesia-led Indo-Pacific outlook

French President Emmanuel Macron presented rock legend Elton John with France's highest civilian honour on Friday, and urged international mobilization for one of the showman's dearest causes: combating AIDS. "AIDS still exists, still strikes, and continues to advance," Macron told about 2,000 people assembled for the ceremony at the presidential palace. "We still have a lot to do to convince (people) that they must protect themselves, that it is not a story of the previous generation but of young people today," the president said with the rock star by his side. Macron called for a mass mobilisation so that the next meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Lyon, France, in October, will be able to raise $13 billion for its next three years of work to tackle the three diseases that still fell millions. "It is simple, we are at a critical moment because we do not know if we will have the money for the next three years," the French leader said, adding the … [Read more...] about Hand-in-hand, Macron and Elton John join forces on AIDS

The life and works of fashion legend Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel will be celebrated in a new ballet premiering at Moscow's Bolshoi on Saturday that highlights the designer's love of Russia and starring prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova. The one act performance by choreographer Yuri Possokhov pays homage to the celebrated founder of the fashion house that bears her name and features a stunning display of Chanel costumes specially created for the ballet. Created specifically for Zakharova, the ballet "Gabrielle Chanel" recounts the most memorable moments of the work and life of the French fashion designer, who died in 1971 aged 87. "She loved Russian ballet, Russians and Russia," Zakharova said. "She helped Russian aristocrats who were forced to flee Russia. She loved Russian models."  The Bolshoi created eighty five costumes for the performance using Chanel designs, making sure they would not hamper the dancers' movements. "It will be a celebration of friendship between ballet and … [Read more...] about Bolshoi ballet star pays tribute to Coco Chanel in new show

The women embroiderers of the remote Mexican mountain village of Tenango de Doria made worldwide headlines this week when their government went to war with an American designer for "plagiarising" their patterns. Wes Gordon, the artistic director of the New York label founded by Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera, found himself accused of cultural appropriation. The women of the indigenous community in the east of the country told AFP how they felt cheated of their traditional motifs where "each element has a personal, family or community meaning". It is the latest in a long line of controversies where multinational brands stand accused of ransacking the cultural heritage of poor villagers. Four years ago another indigenous Mexican community complained that the French designer Isabel Marant had lifted a 600-year-old Tlahuitoltepec blouse design that symbolises the Mixe people for one of her collections. Mexico has previously protested about Zara, Mango and Michael Kors designs. … [Read more...] about Fashion world shaken by cultural appropriation claims

The sea isn't visible even from the roof of Milan's towering cathedral, but enthusiasts can now ride waves near the Italian city at one of the world's biggest surf parks. Wakeparadise, which opens to the public on Saturday, is the first such park in Italy and joins a growing list of artificial lagoons in Australia, Dubai, Malaysia, Spain and the United States. The Snowdonia Surf Park in Wales boasts the world's longest artificial wave on its 300-metre (980-feet) lagoon, using a plough and pulley system to create its waves. But Milan boasts "the largest floating surf pool in the world," says park president, Ludovico Vanoli. Set in Peschiera Borromeo, in a picturesque artificial lake surrounded by trees, it offers 10-metre wide wave, with a maximum height of 1.6 metres. The project, which cost 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million), is also environmentally conscious -- the wave machine uses renewable energy, while the park bans plastic. Purists have criticised the creation of lagoons that … [Read more...] about Wave hello to Italy’s surf park, one of the world’s biggest