PARIS / AP It’s no secret that politics infuses fashion — and some critics are interpreting the mania for blue at Paris Fashion Week as a statement of “the blues” about the perceived rise of nationalism across Europe and America. Here are some highlights from Sunday’s star-filled Paris shows — including how a 9-year-old fashionista turned heads at Valentino. ...

  PARIS / AP It was designer Elie Saab’s first collection since his coup of dressing Meryl Streep for the Oscars following the actress’ high-profile spat with Chanel. The deep blue embellishments of Streep’s lauded Oscars gown were picked up again in Saturday’s fall-winter Paris show, inspired by the magical, romantic ballet Giselle. Meanwhile, Paris Fashion Week went gaga for ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Max, the largest value fashion brand in the region, has recently launched the latest spring collection for men, women and children with florals and nautical designs taking center stage. This year, for the women’s Spring collection, there is a natural flow of colours developed into a palette that is both transitional and forward-looking. Colours are ...

  DHAKA / AP Teen model Shonali Khatun strutted the catwalk as the audience cheered and clapped for a fashion show held in the capital of Bangladesh. But Khatun is no ordinary model, and this was no ordinary show. She and the 14 other models are survivors of acid attacks, common in this South Asian country where spurned lovers or ...

  DUBAI / WAM The theme parks in the UAE are dialling up the “smart” visitor experience to ensure the country remains one of the world’s fastest growing markets, industry experts announced, ahead of the of the Dubai Entertainment, Amusement, and Leisure Show. The UAE is the dominant market in the Middle East and North Africa, the world’s fastest growing region ...

  KUWAIT / WAM Compliance of OPEC with an oil output cut exceeded a target, standing at 140 percent in February, while non-OPEC producers’ compliance was 50-60 percent, Kuwaiti Minister of Oil, Water and Electricity Essam Al¬ Marzouq said, the state Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported. He attributed OPEC’s compliance to deep production cuts by Saudi Arabia, a voluntary act ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The Union National Bank (UNB) has no intention of merging with any other bank, its chief executive officer (CEO) has affirmed. “There are no formal procedures or any intention to merge UNB with any other banking institutions,” Mohammed Nasr Abdeen told reporters after the bank’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. The bank ...

  DUBAI / Reuters Most major Gulf stock markets were pulled down on Thursday by a 5 percent overnight slide in oil prices, while Abu Dhabi was hit particularly hard as heavyweights First Gulf Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi traded ex-dividend. Abu Dhabi’s stock index dropped 2.9 percent as First Gulf Bank tumbled 8.7 percent and National Bank ...

  Bloomberg European Central Bank optimism on global growth bolstered the euro and sent bonds lower as the prospects for more stimulus dimmed. US stocks rose even as oil slid below $50 a barrel for the first time this year, exacerbating a slump in commodities. Lenders led the S&P 500 Index to its first gain in four days, as the ...

  President Donald Trump’s economic adviser, Peter Navarro, has vowed to restore US manufacturing supremacy. This is no surprise — Trump’s election campaign emphasized the promise of a return to the industrial economy of the mid-20th century, before countries such as China supplanted the US as the workshop of the world. But this push is unlikely to succeed. Changes in ...