Articles by AFP
Ukraine drone attack hits 'Russia's Amazon' warehouse
Ukrainian drones hit a warehouse for a Russian e-commerce giant near Saint Petersburg early Friday, triggering a fire that sent smoke pouring over the historic city, according to local officials and an AFP reporter. Kyiv has targeted Saint Petersburg as it steps up long-range drone strikes on Russian energy, military and logistics sites in...
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French anti-ultra-fast-fashion law: China threatens retaliation
Beijing - China warned on Wednesday that France could face possible retaliatory measures after adopting a law aimed at countering the rise of disposable fashion, or "ultra-fast fashion". Beijing has denounced the regulation as “discriminatory” and contrary to trade principles. Adopted by the French Parliament at the end of last month, the text...
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Switzerland: watch exports see slight decline in first half
Geneva - Swiss watch exports fell by 0.7 percent in the first half to 12.8 billion Swiss francs (15.76 billion dollars), amid a downturn in the US and Chinese markets, according to statistics published on Tuesday by the Swiss watch federation. In June, Swiss watch exports grew by 11.2 percent to nearly 2.4 billion francs, driven by the US (+12.7...
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Swatch's first-half net profit misses expectations despite sales growth
Swatch Group reported a net profit for the first half that was below expectations on Tuesday. The company hopes for “a significant improvement in profitability in the second half” thanks to an acceleration in sales observed since May. For the period from January to June, the Swiss watchmaker reported a net profit of 16 million Swiss francs. This...
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EU fines AliExpress 550 million euros for selling prohibited products
Brussels - The EU fined the Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress, a subsidiary of the giant Alibaba, 550 million euros (628.7 million dollars) today. The fine was for allowing the sale of illegal products to European consumers, including dangerous toys and counterfeit clothing. AliExpress was sanctioned for failing to meet its obligations...
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Ivory Coast fashion designers storm the international stage
Favoured by the likes of Beyonce and Aya Nakamura, Ivory Coast fashion is wooing the world stage, thanks in part to showcasing on social media. The creators, though, have no intention of leaving Abidjan to move abroad. Beyonce's stylist contacted Abidjan-based Loza Maleombho after noticing her handmade creations on Instagram. Years of...
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Italy investigates Chanel, Bulgari and other luxury brands for exploitation of Chinese workers
Milan - Italian police searched the headquarters of eleven luxury brands on Thursday, including Chanel, Bulgari and Etro, suspected of using subcontractors who exploited Chinese workers in Italy. The other brands under investigation are Brunello Cucinelli, Moncler, Jacob Cohen Company, Owenscorp Italia, Goyard Italia, F.Vl, Stefano Ricci and...
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Six women accuse French ex-model boss of rape, human trafficking
Six foreign women, mostly American, filed legal complaints in France Wednesday accusing ex-modelling agency boss Gerald Marie of rape and human trafficking in the 1980s and 1990s, their lawyer said. They are the latest allegations against the former European head of Elite, a modelling agency known for managing supermodels Naomi Campbell, Claudia...
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Switzerland, Britain conclude 'modernised' free trade deal talks
Switzerland and Britain have concluded negotiations on an upgraded free trade agreement, Bern said Monday, saying the deal would boost legal certainty for businesses in both countries. Following Britain's 2016 decision to leave the European Union, London swiftly concluded a trade agreement with Switzerland in 2019 to stake out their trade...
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Venezuelan fashion house stitches body bags for quake victims
Seamstresses at Venezuelan fashion label By Efrain Mogollon are used to making colorful dresses with ruffled sleeves and elegant draped skirts, but these days they face a grim task: making body bags for thousands of quake victims. They never thought they would be making something so morbid, but like other Venezuelan operations, their workshop...
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