Articles by AFP
Amnesty says migrant workers exploited at Carrefour Saudi stores
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Rights group Amnesty International published Monday a report that accused the Saudi Arabian franchise of French supermarket giant Carrefour of exploiting migrant workers. Carrefour told AFP that an internal probe had not confirmed most allegations but was planning on conducting an external review. Amnesty said it found migrant workers for...
France's richest family, Red Bull in exclusive talks for Paris FC takeover
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Paris - The Arnault family, owners of the LVMH luxury goods conglomerate, are in "exclusive negotiations" to buy a controlling stake in French football club Paris FC in a deal that will see energy drinks giant Red Bull secure a minority shareholding. The Agache group, which is controlled by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, said in a statement that it...
US retail sales pick up pace in September
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Washington - Retail sales in the United States accelerated in September, according to government data released Thursday, a positive sign for consumption as the election approaches. Overall sales rose 0.4 percent to 714.4 billion dollars (549.8 billion pounds) between August and September, according to Commerce Department data, beating analysts'...
Swiss watch exports to China plunge 50 percent in September
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Zurich - Swiss watch exports suffered their steepest fall this year in September, pulled down by a 50-percent plunge in sales to China, the industry's federation said Thursday. It marks the latest sign of weakening demand in the world's second-largest economy, which has hit Europe's luxury sector. Sales to Hong Kong also fell 34.6 percent during...
Harris stars on Vogue cover as 'candidate for our times'
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Washington - US Vice President and Democratic White House hopeful Kamala Harris appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine Friday, with the style bible calling her a "candidate for our times." A cover shot by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz captured the 59-year-old in a chocolate-colored suit and a silk blouse, seated in an armchair. A long...
European luxury, spirits shares sink on China worries
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Shares in European luxury and spirits companies sank on China concerns Tuesday, as Beijing announced anti-dumping measures on brandy imported from the EU and held off on announcing more economy-boosting measures. The stock prices of French spirits companies Remy Cointreau and Pernod Ricard dropped after China announced the latest salvo in an...
Carpe diem: the Costa Rican women turning fish into fashion
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Costa de Pájaros, Costa Rica - On a beach in Costa Rica, as fishermen land the day's catch, two women are hard at work on a slimy sea bass skin, rubbing, scraping, washing, and tanning the hide to turn it into leather. Two years ago, both Mauren Castro, 41, and Marta Sosa, 70, were stay-at-home mums dependent on their fishermen husbands to...
Russia's Wildberries completes controversial merger: CEO
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Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries has completed a controversial merger deal, its CEO said Tuesday, following a bitter takeover dispute that led to a deadly shootout at its Moscow office. Founder Tatyana Kim, Russia's richest woman, and her estranged husband Vladislav Bakalchuk have been embroiled in a public spat for months over...
Feathers fly at Chanel's Paris fashion return
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Chanel returned to the Grand Palais -- scene of the late Karl Lagerfeld's most legendary triumphs -- for the first time in four years Tuesday with a birdcage-themed Paris Fashion Week show that recalled the label's past glories. The famed French house turned the newly refurbished Belle Epoque edifice into a giant aviary, with a white birdcage at...
'Billions of birds' killed for fashion says designer McCartney
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British designer Stella McCartney lamented the "billions of birds" that have been killed to make people look good after her Paris show on Monday in which she appealed for the fashion world to change its ways. The campaigning creator who has blazed a trail for sustainable style, provocatively called her show "It's about... time" -- a reference to...