Relaxnews The second part of the sale of fashion magnate Pierre Berge’s famous library — one of the most valuable in private hands — raised nearly five million euros (£5.5 million) Wednesday when it went under the hammer in Paris. Some of the most rare first editions of classics of 19th century European literature were among the 376 works …

  Relaxnews Fashion designer Stella McCartney unveiled her first menswear collection recently at London’s famous Abbey Road recording studio, where she promised men a more free and fun wardrobe. McCartney chose to present the collection at the recording studio made famous by her father, Paul McCartney, and his three fellow Beatles when they named one of their albums after Abbey …

  Troy Patterson / Bloomberg Buried on page 86 of the October J. Crew catalog is a sentence to chill the blood of any man who has shopped for clothing in the past five years: “We widened our ties by ¼” to keep up with today’s changing proportions.” It is almost an aside. Nearly an afterthought! But for the loyal …

  Relaxnews Pharrell Williams has unveiled his first fashion collection in his role as ‘Head of Imagination’ at denim brand G-Star RAW. Titled ‘Elwood X25’, the collection comprises a series of jeans in 25 different prints for men and women, ranging from animal patterns and bold florals to geometric, check and camouflage motifs. Each print was chosen by Williams to …

  Bleiswijk / AFP Flowers more exotic than the humble tulip will soon flourish for the first time in Dutch greenhouses after intensive research into growing the capricious vanilla orchid to harvest one of the world’s most expensive spices. In the middle of potato fields in a central Dutch rural town, scientists from Wageningen University have for the past four …

  Coihuín / AFP Farmers in southern Chile still remember when they could make a living just by picking up seaweed at the beach. Not just any seaweed, but the red algae used to make agar-agar — a jelly-like substance used in a plethora of products from ice cream to dietary supplements to cosmetics. Chile is one of the world’s …

  CAIRO / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi here on Thursday regarding the latest regional and international issues of mutual concern and ways to bolster strategic co-operation. The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince is currently visiting …

  TIRANA / WAM Sultan Mohammed Majed Al Ali, UAE Ambassador to Greece and Non-resident Ambassador to Albania, discussed on Thursday with Damian Gjiknuri, Albanian Minister of Energy and Industry, how Albania can benefit from the UAE’s experience in renewable energy. The meeting, which took place at the ministry, tackled ways of enhancing bilateral relations in areas of energy and …

  DUBAI / WAM Hospitality industry in Gulf region remains firm on its growth trajectory with projects worth $23.5 billion under construction in the key markets of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, organisers of a key industry event in Dubai reported on Thursday. The ongoing projects in region have a combined estimated value of $104.4 billion, of which 15 are …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Azizi Developments, the UAE-based real estate developer with global reach into international markets, announced its 14th project launch in the burgeoning Al Furjan district, Azizi Samia, which is among Azizi Developments 20 projects in Dubai. The fully-serviced residence, a B+G+2P+12 structure, is Azizi Development’s newest project, which is within close proximity to Discovery Gardens, Dubai …