New York / AFP It’s not exactly a store, but the Google “showroom” that opened in New York is the internet giant’s first real-world shop and a step onto terrain where rival Apple has excelled. The success of the temporary storefront Google opened in the trendy Soho neighborhood could help the California-based company decide whether to follow Apple’s lead ...

  Bloomberg In a darkened master bedroom, David Kaiserman stood in shirtsleeves next to a turned-down king bed. “Good morning, Siri,” he said to the iPad in his hand, and the lights went on while the blackout shades retracted. “Your home is ready to rise and shine,” the virtual assistant replied. Inside this four-bedroom stucco house in Alameda, California, Kaiserman, ...

  Tokyo / AFP Tokyo may be the style capital of Asia, but with South Korea and China snapping at its heels and Japan’s most iconic brands rooted in Europe, the city is being urged to haul its fashion week into the big leagues. Tokyo Fashion Week kicked off its spring/summer 2017 season showcase with six days of events intended ...

  Relaxnews After signing up the American ‘it girl’ for previous seasons, the Guess label has once again picked Hailey Baldwin as the star of its campaigns, this time for Guess Jeans and Guess Holiday. Here’s a look at the rise to fame of this “celebrity daughter,” who, despite proving popular on social media, still has everything to prove in ...

  Tokyo / AFP Okinawa, the Japanese archipelago home to thousands of US troops and popular with scuba divers, is looking beyond its beach resorts and World War II battle sites to bag a spot in high fashion. A two and a half hour flight from Tokyo and closer to Taiwan, Okinawa couldn’t be more different from the Japanese capital, ...

  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 ...

  ABU DHABI / WAM The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) on Thursday signed a joint venture agreement for a long-term partnership and cooperation for the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy programme. KEPCO, the prime contractor for the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant currently under construction in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, has been ...

  DUBAI / EMIRATES BUSINEES Etisalat, through its newly established Etisalat Digital, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Accenture at the Gitex Technology Week 2016, to collaborate in the digital solutions arena to enable ICT and digital transformation in the region. The two parties will work together combining Etisalat Digital’s technology platforms and solutions with Accenture’s business knowledge, solutions ...