Tokyo / AFP French label Koche made its Japan Fashion Week debut recently, transforming part of Tokyo’s famed Harajuku district into a catwalk — stopping traffic to unveil street cool with a French twist. Paris-based designer Christelle Kocher brought her two-year old fashion house to the heart of Japanese youth culture, taking over a street lined with boutiques, which …

  Port Louis / AFP As the horses round the last bend, the crowd starts shouting, their cries crescendoing into deafening cheers as the jockeys bear down on the finish line. “The Deacon” noses across the line in first place and a man leaps in the air, frantically waving his arms, clutching in his hand the winning betting slip. Horse …

  Johannesburg / AFP Demand for homegrown contemporary music is sweeping Africa and driving a creative boom in an industry otherwise battered by falling CD sales and rampant piracy. A recent study of the entertainment sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accountants showed rapid earnings growth in many African countries, fuelled largely by live performances by local artists. “Consumers are increasingly wanting …