Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab returned to the Paris catwalk after nearly two years, turning the page on a troubled period marked by the Beirut port blast and COVID-19, with a collection of vibrant, red carpet-ready looks. Saab sensed a need for release, he told Reuters in an interview aheadContinue Reading
Germany’s new coalition government wants to attract 400,000 qualified workers from abroad each year to tackle both a demographic imbalance and labour shortages in key sectors that risk undermining the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. “The shortage of skilled workers has become so serious by now that it is dramaticallyContinue Reading
Strong demand for its jewellery and watches in the Americas and Europe in a post-pandemic rebound helped quarterly sales at Cartier owner Richemont rise by nearly a third, the world’s second-largest luxury group said on Wednesday. Sales at Richemont rose to 5.658 billion euros ($6.41 billion) in the company’s thirdContinue Reading
Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli (LISN.S), said on Tuesday it expects demand for its upmarket chocolates to grow this year after the pandemic saw consumers increasingly splurge on sweet treats, boosting 2021 sales by 13.3%. Global chocolate markets recovered last year and the maker of Lindor chocolate balls, which keptContinue Reading
Starbucks (SBUX.O), which has seen sales slow in China due to COVID-19’s fallout, is attempting to widen its reach in its second-biggest market globally by distributing its coffees through the country’s dominant food delivery firm, Meituan. The U.S. coffee chain said on Tuesday it has entered into a partnership with Meituan (3690.HK) thatContinue Reading
Prada called on Hollywood heavyweights Jeff Goldblum and Kyle MacLachlan to bookend its catwalk on Sunday afternoon, bringing a close to a quiet menswear fashion week that saw multiple brands cancel their shows in light of increasing Covid cases across Europe. The appearance of the actors at the Fondazione Prada punctuated the second physicalContinue Reading
The Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) is to talk to Meta about how its virtual reality (VR) business Oculus complies with the regulator’s “children’s code”. The code aims to ensure that online services likely to be accessed by children are appropriate for their use. A campaign group recently found evidence ofContinue Reading
People are spending an average of 4.8 hours a day on their mobile phones, according to app monitoring firm App Annie. In 2020, UK regulator Ofcom found similar amounts of time spent, although its research included watching TV. App Annie’s report indicates that apps were downloaded 230 billion times in 2021, whileContinue Reading
Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) on Sunday reported record quarterly deliveries that far exceeded Wall Street estimates, riding out global chip shortages as it ramped up China production. It was the sixth consecutive quarter that the world’s most valuable automaker posted record deliveries. Tesla, led by billionaire CEO Elon Musk, delivered 308,600 vehicles inContinue Reading
Bitcoin close to $70,000, “memecoins” worth billions of dollars, a blockbuster Wall Street listing and a sweeping Chinese crackdown: 2021 was the wildest yet for cryptocurrencies, even by the sector’s volatile standards. Digital assets started the year with a stampede of cash from investors large and small. And bitcoin andContinue Reading