Iran's recent seizure of unmanned US Navy boats shined a light on a pioneering Pentagon program to develop networks of air, surface and underwater drones for patrolling large regions, meshing their surveillance with artificial intelligence.

The year-old program operates numerous unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, in the waters around the Arabian peninsula, gathering data and images to be beamed back to collection centers in the Gulf.

The program operated without incident until Iranian forces tried to grab three seven-meter Saildrone Explorer USVs in two incidents, on August 29-30  and September 1.

In the first, a ship of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hooked a line to a Saildrone in the Gulf and began towing it away, only releasing it when a US Navy Patrol boat and helicopter sped to the scene.

In the second, an Iranian destroyer picked up two Saildrones in the Red Sea, hoisting them aboard.

Two US Navy destroyers and helicopters quickly descended, and persuaded the Iranians to give them up the next day, but only after stripping cameras from them, according to the US military.

The Iranians said the USVs were in international shipping lanes and were picked up "to prevent possible accidents."

The US Navy said the USVs were operating well out of shipping lanes and unarmed.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, called the Iranian actions "flagrant, unwarranted and inconsistent with the behavior of a professional maritime force."

US forces "will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows," he added.

- One year at sea -

The drones are operated by the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet's Task Force 59, created last year to integrate unmanned systems and artificial intelligence into Middle East operations.

Airborne and subsea drones are pretty well developed and proven, but unmanned surface boats are much newer and yet essential for the future, 5th Fleet spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins told AFP.

Since starting last year, the US Navy and regional partners have deployed both slow USVs like Saildrones and battery-powered speedboats like the Mantas T-12.

Equipped with solar panels and sail wings, the Saildrones carry multiple sensors and cameras, and are designed to spend up to a year at sea transmitting data by satellite.

San Francisco-based Saildrone operates around 100 vessels around the world for clients including the Pentagon, major oceanographic institutes, meteorological agencies, and groups studying fisheries and pollution.

"Having circumnavigated Antarctica in 2019 and then having sailed through the eye of a category-four hurricane last year, there really isn’t any maritime environment our drones cannot operate," said Saildrone spokeswoman Susan Ryan.

- Focus on Iranian activities -

In the Gulf, Hawkins would only say that they collect information for "enhancing our vigilance of the surrounding seas and strengthening our regional deterrence posture."

But Iranian activities are likely the main target.

Iran also patrols the region and has accosted and seized foreign commercial vessels and harassed US Navy ships in several tense confrontations in recent years.

The US Navy has sought to prevent Iran from shipping weapons to Yemen's Houthi rebels and other groups, and also helps enforce sanctions on Iran.

The key, Hawkins said, is taking the information collected from all sorts of unmanned sources, in the air, on the ground and on the sea, and making sense of it quickly.

Artificial intelligence helps identify unusual activity, like unnoticed vessels, in the USV data that human observers might miss.

"You need artificial intelligence to pick out what warrants more attention," he said.

- No secret -

Hawkins said it was unclear why only after a year into the program that the Iranians suddenly decide to try to retrieve some Saildrones.

None of what the US is doing is secret, he noted.

The program was announced last September, and in February the 5th Fleet hosted International Maritime Exercise 2022, which brought together 10 countries and more than 80 USVs to try out in the Gulf.

Even so, the US chose to place Task Force 59 in the tension-filled Gulf instead of another less challenging region, and the activities apparently have Tehran bothered.

The US military says the program is in part about developing tactics and doctrines for operating USVs, including learning how to deal with a country like Iran trying to grab them off the sea.

Right now the US operates them with manned surface vessels nearby to deal with interference.

"You can't just go pick up stuff out of the ocean that has a country's flag on it," said one US official.

"If it's the sovereign property of our nation, they have to give it over," the official said.

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Japan's "Ice Prince" Yuzuru Hanyu, who announced his retirement from competitive figure skating at the age of 27, is one of the sport's all-time greats and an icon to his worldwide legion of adoring fans.

After winning his first men's individual Olympic gold medal aged 19 at the 2014 Sochi Games, Hanyu became the first man in 66 years to retain his crown when he again stood atop the podium at Pyeongchang 2018.

He also claimed the world title twice but his impact on figure skating goes far beyond just medals.

With his elegant style and delicate, boyish looks, Hanyu inspires devotion like few other athletes in world sport.

His supporters, known as "Fanyus", follow his every move, spend fortunes watching him compete and even carve sculptures of the rake-thin star, who is known as "Yuzu" to his devotees.

They also shower the ice with Winnie the Pooh toys after his routines, in a chaotic tribute to the tissue box cover he carries to the rink with him.

"The way he looks and his technique and the effort he puts in -- no one else will have that total package," 46-year-old fan Yumi Matsuo told AFP earlier this year.

"I'm really happy that I'm alive at this time so that I can support him."

- 'Everything has gone wrong' -

Hanyu has been at the top of men's figure skating for almost a decade.

He began skating as a child in his native Sendai, in Japan's northeast. When the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the region in 2011, he was practising on the ice and was forced to flee the rink on his skates.

Hanyu makes a point of honouring the victims of the disaster and he dedicated his first Olympic title as "a gift for my country".

"I'm the only gold medallist but I don't think I'm just spiritually by myself, I'm here because of all the people in Japan who supported me," he said after his Sochi gold.

Hanyu went on to win world titles in 2014 and 2017, breaking records with jaw-dropping scores, as he and American rival Nathan Chen battled it out for skating supremacy.

Hanyu had to overcome an ankle ligament injury to win his second Olympic gold in Pyeongchang, admitting afterwards that he was at barely a quarter of full fitness.

His second title earned him a place in skating immortality and cemented his hero status in Japan, where he became the youngest recipient of his country's prestigious People's Honour Award the same year.

Injuries dogged him later in his career and hampered his bid this year to join 1920s star Gillis Grafstrom of Sweden as the only other man to win three Olympic singles titles.

He fell in his short programme at the Beijing Olympics and placed fourth overall, revealing afterwards that he had pain-killing injections before taking the ice.

He said he "did everything" but felt that "everything has gone wrong this time around".

- 'Greatest skater ever' -

Eventual winner Chen paid tribute to Hanyu as "the greatest skater ever".

"Watching him when I was a kid, I never even dreamed that I would be able to have the opportunity to even skate with him," said the American.

Hanyu refused to rule out another tilt at the Olympic title immediately afterwards and said that he was determined to land the quadruple axel, a legendary jump that no skater has ever pulled off in competition.

Tuesday's announcement ends a competitive career unlike any other in skating history, leaving his fans in shock and disbelief at the news.

Hanyu still remains something of an enigma despite the huge attention, rarely granting interviews and having no social media presence.

But it is all part of the appeal for his devoted supporters, who will still be able to watch him perform in exhibition shows.

For Hanyu himself, his achievements are etched into skating history.

"I'm an Olympic champion -- I won two titles in a row and I'm proud of that," he told reporters in Beijing in February.

"As someone who has won two consecutive titles, I want to make sure I'm proud of myself, and that's how I intend to live my life from here on."

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Bernard Laporte, the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), has served as a player, coach and even a minister, overcoming controversy and setbacks to become one of the most powerful figures in the sport.

The 58-year-old faces his latest challenge this time in court, accused of favouritism in awarding the shirt sponsors contract for the national side to close friend and billionaire owner of Top 14 champions Montpellier, Mohed Altrad.

Laporte has had a varied and colourful career which has covered all angles from sports to business to politics and now sees him in a role at the heart of preparations for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

On the rugby front he has been a title-winning scrum-half as well as a successful coach both with the national team -- achieving Six Nations Grand Slams in 2002 and 2004 -- and at club level.

A figure whose prominence transcends rugby, he has featured in advertising campaigns from ham to dog food.

In politics he put up posters for Socialist Francois Mitterrand during one of his presidential campaigns and then served as a minister in the right-wing government under former prime minister Francois Fillon, who was later convicted in a fake job scandal.

He was not a political natural and he lashed out at some of his former colleagues once he had been relieved of his duties in 2009.

"They did not consider me part of their world," he told Paris Match in 2009.

"I lacked the polish and the networks, I simply did not exist."

That seemed a strange admission from a man of whom an English observer remarked: "Apart from (Cardinal) Richelieu no one else in France has shown more political sense."

The hard lessons learned from his two years as a minister paid off, for he has worked the corridors of power more effectively in the world he understands, rugby.

Laporte, who is also a vice-chairman of global governing body World Rugby, was named by highly regarded magazine Rugby World the most influential personality in the sport.

- 'Thrives on adversity' -

His brusque, straight-talking manner -- sometimes delivered with colourful language -- in his strong southwest France accent can rub people up the wrong way.

However, his devil-may-care and take-no-prisoners attitude to life may be down to when he had a brush with death.

He was in a coma for a week as a result of injuries he suffered in a car crash in 1985.

"It is the most important moment in my life," he said.

Ignoring the doctor who told him he would never play rugby again, he showed his bull-headed determination in doing so and six years later as captain lifted the French league crown with Bordeaux-Begles.

Laporte drives people as hard as he drives himself -- though as a club coach he did benefit from two wealthy owners.

However, he would point to results as he guided Stade Francais from the third tier to being crowned French champions in 1998 and Toulon to three successive European Cup triumphs as well as the 2014 national title.

"Bernard will never let things go and will always say what he thinks and without sugar coating it either," said former Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal.

"He is not someone one can buy off or coax over to one's side.

"He is not a bird one can shut in its cage."

This plain speaking allied to a ruthless streak has also produced results as federation president.

He notably masterminded a shock victory for France in winning the right to host the 2023 World Cup, when South Africa were regarded as overwhelming favourites.

However, according to federation vice president Serge Simon, one of his oldest friends dating back to the Bordeaux title-winning side days, overcoming the odds is Laporte's forte.

"He thrives on adversity. He builds his personality round that," said Simon.

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Over a career which stretched to more than a quarter of a century, c were often as eye-catching as her tennis.

AFP Sport looks at 10 of the best worn by the 23-time Grand Slam title winner:

2002 - Catsuit, not wet suit

-- When Williams won her second US Open in 2002, she did it dressed in a Lycra catsuit.

It dominated large parts of her opening round press conference where some reporters were bemused.

"Great outfit. Does it come with flippers, mask and snorkel?"

"Of course not," fired back the American. "This is more of a cat suit. It's not a wet suit. A wet suit has long sleeves and it's usually longer and thicker material.

"This is made of Lycra. It's supposed to have the illusion of looking a little bit like leather from a distance. But it's made of Lycra because it kind of sticks to the body. It kind of really sticks to what type of shape you have. If you don't have a decent shape, this isn't the best outfit to have."

2004 - In the Paris pink

-- Williams appeared at Roland Garros in a bright pink two-piece outfit designed by Nike.

Her headband was emblazoned with the letter 'S' while her crop-top revealed a belly button stud.

2004 - Biker girl in black leather

-- Williams's initial dilemma was whether or not she would be allowed to play at the US Open in knee-high boots rather than tennis shoes.

"You can wear them while you're playing, I'm sure," she said before removing them.

"It's like a rebel-look, when I'm being really rebellious. I'm just doing things different with the black and the studs. I'm just being a rebel. So maybe I would start out with something like, 'Serena's going rebel without a cause'."

2008 - Game, set, mac!

-- Serena lost the 2008 Wimbledon final to sister Venus but made a statement when she arrived on Centre Court at the start of the tournament wearing a white trench coat.

"I don't think it's going to keep the rain away but we can always hope. I absolutely love trench coats," she explained.

Britain's Daily Express captioned the moment: 'Game, Set and Mac, Miss Williams.'

2014 - Leopard print curve ball

-- Pink leopard print for day matches, black for the night at the 2008 US Open. Nike called it: "The fierce Nike Serena Dress."

Fellow player Elena Vesnina told USA Today: "She's trying to show her curves. That's a good thing -– you're showing the best part of your body and you're covering some kind of things that you don't want to show. Serena looks really good in it."

2018 - Superhero and a warrior?

-- One of her most controversial outfits was her black catsuit unveiled at Roland Garros.

"I feel like a warrior in it, a warrior princess from Wakanda," said Serena, in reference to the hit movie, Black Panther. "I've always wanted to be a superhero."

The French Open, however, took a dim view and banned it at future events with French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli insisting: "One must respect the game and the place."

2018 - Tennis in a tutu

-- After the French Open ban, the American appeared at Flushing Meadows in a black tutu dress. The top of the costume had one long sleeve while the right-hand side was sleeveless.

"It's easy to play in. Kind of aerodynamic with the one arm free. It feels really good. Yeah, the tutu is easy to play in because I practiced in it before. That was fun," she said.

2021 - Salute to Flo Jo

-- At Melbourne Park, the American wore a brightly-coloured red, pink and black one-piece outfit with just the right leg covered.

It was, she said, a tribute to late US sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner.

"FloJo was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up. Well, watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing," explained Williams.

2021 - Train of thought at Wimbledon

-- Williams appeared on court with a removable white train.

Her fashion statement, however, was quickly forgotten when she was forced to retire from her first round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich with a right leg injury after just six games.

"Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on -- and off -- the court meant the world to me," she said in a statement.

2022 - Diamond life in New York

-- For her final bow at the US Open, Williams's outfit caught the eye, a skirt designed with six layers -— one tier for every US Open title she has won —- and a diamond-encrusted bodice.

"It is a dress made for a supernova's farewell," said The New York Times.

Williams later revealed she had adapted the dress on the fly.

"I have six layers to represent the six wins but I took four out because it was too heavy," she said.

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Brightly coloured outfits, a matching hat and a pristine pair of gloves: Queen Elizabeth II's look was instantly recognisable and a self-created uniform styled to suit her role.

During her reign, the monarch tried out every shade in the colour chart, from canary yellow to lime green, fuchsia and navy blue.

Her inimitable style was developed over the decades by aides and designers, starting with Norman Hartnell, who created her wedding dress when she married Prince Philip in 1947.

Made from duchesse satin and decorated with crystals and 10,000 seed pearls, it was a dazzling sight for a Britain emerging from the wreckage of World War II.

Hartnell also made the silk dress she wore for her coronation in 1953. It was embroidered in gold, silver, green and pink, complete with emblems of the countries over which she ruled.

The designer later said that he took inspiration from "the sky, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars and everything that might be embroidered on a dress destined to be historic".

Hardy Amies was the monarch's official dressmaker from 1955 to 1990.

"The task of making clothes for the Queen is not an easy one," he said.

Amies initially created crisp outfits for her foreign tours, before taking over domestic duties from Hartnell, and was behind the striking pink ensemble she wore on her silver jubilee in 1977.

Her look and style in recent decades has been down to Angela Kelly.

The daughter of a Liverpool dock worker, Kelly joined the monarch's team of dressers in 1993 and became her personal assistant and senior dresser in 2002, as well as a close confidante.

"We are two typical women," she once said. "We discuss clothes, make-up, jewellery."

During the 2020 coronavirus lockdown, Kelly even had to cut and style the queen's hair, she recalled in an officially approved biography "The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe".

- Dress code -

Designing Queen Elizabeth's outfits meant conforming to the royal dress code.

"There are not written-down laws but there are kind of traditional old etiquette-plus-protocol rules," former royal butler Grant Harrold, an etiquette expert, told AFP.

"She will always wear tights," he said, which will be flesh-coloured, while her nail varnish will be pale pink.

"You will never see her wearing a skirt -- especially at her age -- above the knee," he said.

As for jewellery, she wore a brooch or a pearl necklace.

There was a practical side to the Queen's dress code, even if it seemed as if she was keeping old traditions going, by wearing a hat and gloves in public.

At 1.63 metres (five foot four inches) tall, the brightly-coloured hat allowed her to be picked out in a crowd, likewise her see-through umbrellas and block heels.

Harrold also pointed out the gloves served another purpose -- "not catching any bugs" -- given the dozens of hands she had to shake.

Kelly sewed extra layers of lining into the queen's evening gowns to cushion the impact of beading and crystals on her back.

For her day-wear, tiny weights were sewn into the hemlines in case of windy weather. Kelly would also wear in the monarch's new shoes to ensure they were comfortable.

However, the hallmark of her style was her bold colours, worn from head to toe.

"The Queen is well-known for block-colour dressing, using vivid and bold colours to ensure she is easily visible on important occasions," said Caroline de Guitaut, who curated a 2016 Buckingham Palace exhibition entitled "Fashioning a Reign".

For Michele Clapton, costume designer on the hit Netflix television series "The Crown", her outfits "formed an armour, a uniform".

On weekends at one of her country residences, Elizabeth switched style and was often seen wearing a headscarf, raincoat and pair of boots.

"People remarked they were amazed at the speed at which she could be with her corgis in the garden at one minute, and then changed, and appearing with her suit, hat, and gloves the next," said Clapton.

- Message -

Though the sovereign has to remain politically impartial, she used her clothes to convey a message.

For example, an Irish clover or a Canadian maple leaf brooch might have been worn on an official visit as a way of honouring her hosts.

The palette would often contain subtle nods to national colours, as on her landmark 2011 visit to Ireland, when she arrived in emerald green.

Rumour had it that she also used her Launer handbag -- square with a short strap which she apparently had 200 of -- to send secret signals to her staff, depending on what she did with it.

Discretion was preferred on some sartorial details, however.

In 2018, the luxury lingerie company Rigby & Peller was stripped of its royal warrant after its former owner disclosed details of royal bra fittings in her memoirs.

Elizabeth attended her first London Fashion Week in 2018, sitting next to the veteran Vogue magazine editor, Anna Wintour.

For the occasion -- to present the inaugural "Elizabeth II Fashion Award" -- she wore a duck-egg blue dress and jacket.

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With a new logo and eyes on the metaverse, Tommy Hilfiger returned to New York's Fashion Week, presenting a collection that seeks to reinvent his brand.

The American designer had not shown a collection on the catwalks of New York in three years, among the heavy-hitters including Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein who opted out.

"We started the brand in New York -- it is my home," Hilfiger told AFP, explaining his decision to return.

While the designer grants Paris the distinction of global fashion capital, he says New York is at its epicenter, for "pop culture, fashion or music, entertainment, celebrity."

His show on Sunday drew inspiration from Andy Warhol, who Hilfiger dubbed the world's pop art king.

Although most labels are presenting their spring-summer 2023 collections, Hilfiger chose to show a fall collection that better reflected the current changing temperatures -- and also allowed spectators to purchase items in real time.

- Back to basics -

Persistent showers threatened the outdoor show on the banks of the East River, as fog obscured Manhattan's skyscrapers in the distance.

But between a DJ, drag queen performance and Travis Barker on the drums, those in attendance could be distracted from getting soaked.

As a remix of Beyonce's latest hit "Break My Soul" with Madonna's "Vogue" pumped in the background, Hilfiger introduced a return to form, with new takes on the horizontally striped sweatshirts and polos, or large-checked coats, that saw him reinvent prep and embrace hip hop in the 1990s and early 2000s.

To accessorize the classics the designer showed a playful line of ties, long-sleeved gloves, large scarves and heavy necklaces, which adorned a diverse parade of models spanning gender and body type.

"I went back to my archive with my design team," said the designer whose brand, like Calvin Klein, is owned by the Dutch group PVH, and whose global retail sales notched $9.3 billion in 2021.

"And we took everything that was great 25-30 years ago and made it relevant for today."

- Metaverse -

Sunday's novelties included a new Hilfiger monogram, although the brand's iconic logo is still in circulation.

And to add a final touch of modernity, a parallel, virtual show took place simultaneously on the metaverse, on the video game platform Roblox that's populated with avatars.

"If you look at the millions of gamers in the world -- many of them in Asia, by the way -- you're reaching an audience that you would not normally reach through physical fashion," Hilfiger said.

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Television's biggest stars on Monday hit the red carpet -- well, the gold carpet -- for the Emmys, for the first full-fledged gala honoring the best of the small screen since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

After a virtual ceremony in 2020 and a scaled-back show last year, gowns and tuxedos were de rigueur at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, where the glitterati arrived in bright sunshine.

Here are some takeaways about who wore what at the Emmys: strapless dresses were big, as were metallics.

- Pretty in pink -

For the first major Tinseltown awards show since the Oscars earlier this year, some of Hollywood's A-list fashionistas opted for classic pretty in pink vibes.

Fashion house darling Elle Fanning, who was nominated for her work as Catherine the Great on "The Great," wowed onlookers in a black strapless Sharon Long gown with a pink ruffled neckline and dramatic sweeping train with a pink lining.

Hannah Waddingham, a winner last year and nominee this year for comedy smash hit "Ted Lasso," also embraced baby pink in a structured strapless Dolce & Gabbana corset dress that exploded in a puff of a full-length tulle skirt.

And Connie Britton, one of the many acting nominees for HBO's breakout dark comedy "The White Lotus," rocked a floaty salmon-colored Monique Lhuillier gown with matching cape.

- Shimmering metallics -

Glittering metallic fabrics are always a winner when one is hoping to end the night with a golden Emmys statuette.

And Quinta Brunson did just that.

The "Abbott Elementary" star and creator, who won an Emmy for writing the pilot of her breakout ABC sitcom, stunned the red carpet in a strapless brown Dolce & Gabbana gown with a bronze skirt and a daring thigh-high slit.

Britain's Lily James, who was nominated for the role of bombshell actress Pamela Anderson in the limited series "Pam and Tommy," wore a skin-tight bronze Versace gown with ruching at the waist.

And Sandra Oh, nominated for the final season of "Killing Eve," slayed in a sequined sparkling purple suit with a matching blouse open to the navel.

"I want to channel my inner rock star, and I love Prince, and I love the color purple," she told Variety on the red carpet.

Not to be left out, "Euphoria" star Colman Domingo -- who won an Emmy for best guest actor in a drama -- was on trend in a patterned D&G gold suit with a black see-through shirt.

- Go big or go home -

Zendaya, who repeated as best actress in a drama for raw teen series "Euphoria," went for basic black -- a strapless Valentino gown with a sweeping full skirt and pockets. Accessories? Diamonds, a black headband and a trophy.

Hitmaker Lizzo, whose series "Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls" won in the competition program category, made a serious fashion statement in a billowing red tulle dress.

Andrew Garfield, Seth Rogen, "Succession" star Nicholas Braun and singer John Legend all looked quite dapper in white -- a bold look for a big return to Emmys red carpet style.

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New York, United States - Glamour on the one hand, activism on the other: designers Tory Burch and Gabriela Hearst showcased two different approaches to New York Fashion Week 

- 'Richness and minimalism' -

American designer Burch offered New York a vintage-inspired collection that veered away from her well-known prints and bright colors.

"The collections have been for me much more personal now that I'm not running the business," she told AFP after the show.

Since 2019, Burch has entrusted her husband, Pierre-Yves Roussel, with managing the company, while moving into the roles of chief creative officer and executive chair.

For the Spring/Summer 2023 edit, Burch said she thought back to when she moved to New York in the 1990s and wanted to highlight "the concept of richness and minimalism" at the same time.

With sheer cotton tops, lace bras and silver shoes, Burch evoked the sleek sophistication and eroticism in vogue in the early '90s.

"I do think it's a bit sexier than what we have done in the past," she said. "And I think that women are feeling that right now. I see that that's how women want to dress, but I also love a certain elegance to it."

She said she also experimented with layering, using a jersey bandeau skirt as a recurring motif, sometimes worn over pants.

"I wanted to challenge us to push it a little further and also to have a more focused point of view," she explained.

- Women's empowerment -

Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst's show was imbued with ambiance. In an enormous warehouse with opaque windows, her models paraded down a runway lined with a gospel choir.

Gold dominated, shimmering across a cape, on a breastplate and popping against white and black accompaniments.

Long yellow and orange ponchos handsewn in Uruguay and red pantsuits also brought to mind the colors of fire.

Some pieces appeared to have been directly molded onto the models with the collection notes describing how leather had been soaked in water and then draped over a form to create unique pieces.

The theme of women's empowerment was also woven into the show.

Hearst, who is also the creative director at Chloe, said her 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collection was inspired by the ancient Greek poet Sappho and how she had shed light on the hardships women had to endure.

"This Joy," a gospel song written by Grammy winner Shirley Caesar, was performed by the Resistance Revival Chorus, which was billed as a collective of women and non-binary singers that addresses how "historically marginalized women have been in the music industry."

The catwalk cast included women's rights activist Cecile Richards, Mexican Chilean climate activist Xiye Ba and anti-toxic shock syndrome campaigner Lauren Wasser.

Hearst also said she had aimed to offset the climate footprint of her show by working with Swiss company Climeworks, which uses technology to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air.

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Hong Kong, China- Inside the bowels of a Hong Kong industrial building, Eric Pun was among two dozen people crammed into a classroom learning to drill holes -- acquiring a new set of skills before heading abroad.

Savvy businesses have started offering crash courses in subjects like home repair and hairdressing, capitalising on a wave of people departing Hong Kong as China cracks down on dissent and strict pandemic rules upend the economy.

For Pun, a 35-year-old nurse emigrating to Australia with his family, taking the home repair class was both a practical cost-saving measure and a way to prepare mentally for the unknown.

"In Hong Kong, if there is a problem you can go to the property management office or hire someone from the mall... but when my family lives in a house, I'll have to rely on myself," he told AFP.

Spending a day at Renobro, one of the handful of companies offering home-repair lessons, costs HK$1,980 ($250) and courses are fully booked weeks in advance, according to company co-founder and instructor Lau Chun-yu.

"More than a thousand people have participated in our course," Lau said.

"When we first started, we didn't expect so many people would be emigrating."

Lau said his students, who are mostly in their thirties and include doctors and teachers, race through a one-day syllabus of more than 40 skills, such as caulking, plastering and rewiring appliances.

"Most of them aren't well-prepared, but... they hope to go over as soon as possible," he said, citing fears that foreign countries may tighten immigration controls in the long run.

- Brain drain -

Hong Kong is currently experiencing an exodus of local and foreign talent.

Many residents have baulked at Beijing's sweeping crackdown on dissent following huge and sometimes violent democracy protests three years ago.

Stringent zero-Covid rules also remain in place two and half years into the pandemic, restricting daily life and isolating the city internationally.

Latest census figures showed a record dip in Hong Kong's population, which fell 1.6 percent to 7.29 million compared with a year earlier. The labour force has plunged to 3.75 million, the lowest in nearly a decade.

Many of those leaving are families with school-aged children.

Official primary school figures released earlier this month showed there were 70 fewer classes across 60 schools this academic year. More than 4,000 teachers have left their jobs in the past school year.

The United Kingdom became one of the most popular destinations for Hong Kongers after it announced a visa scheme that provided a pathway to citizenship, arguing Beijing had abandoned its pre-handover promise to allow residents key freedoms and autonomy.

So far more than 140,000 people have applied under the British scheme since it was launched in January 2021.

Other common choices for relocation include Canada, Australia and the United States, mirroring a similar wave of emigration that occurred ahead of Hong Kong's 1997 handover from Britain.

- 'I want to be equipped' -

Despite their optimism for life overseas, many would-be emigrants told AFP they were worried about job prospects and wanted to learn more skills as insurance.

Fashion retailer Kimi Chau, 35, took a series of hairdressing classes in preparation for her move to Britain along with her husband and five-year-old.

"I want to be equipped for a job after I've arrived... If I could learn more skills before I leave, then if the opportunity came along for me to open up a business, I would be more confident," she told AFP.

Chau said her concerns about Hong Kong's education system amid a shifting political climate drove her to leave.

"Because I have a kid, the issue felt closer to home and I didn't take a long time to decide."

On a sweltering August afternoon, Chau and other hairdressing students brought along friends and family members to the salon where they took their classes for an informal graduation ceremony and a bittersweet farewell.

Instructor Jason Yip said the hairdressing industry has a relatively low entry threshold and Hong Kongers can get a job quickly, adding that roughly one-third of his students plan to emigrate.

Yip added that many of his students appreciate the social dimension of hairdressing, as a way to stay close to family members and to connect with like-minded Hong Kongers.

"For them, (hairdressing) can become a kind of hobby, and they are quite happy to have it after arriving in a new place," Yip said.

"That kind of joy is shared and there is a sense of achievement."

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© Agence France-Presse

Here is an A to Z of the new King Charles III:

- A for action man -

Charles earned the nickname in his daredevil youth, jumping out of planes, escaping from submarines, windsurfing, playing polo and waterskiing.

- B for black spider -

Before becoming king, he bombarded government ministers with letters, dubbed the "black spider memos" for his messy annotations.

- C for Camilla -

Charles was devastated when, while away on naval service, she wed Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. Charles turned to Camilla after his marriage to Diana collapsed. They married in 2005.

- D for Diana -

A badly-matched couple, their "fairytale" marriage fell apart in explosive fashion. They separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, a year before her shock death in a car crash.

- E for environment -

A fervent environmentalist, Charles is driven by environmental preservation and organic farming. He was outspoken on climate change long before it became mainstream.

- F for faith -

The new head of the Church of England sees his role as defending the free practice of all faiths. Charles has studied Judaism and Islam and tries to encourage inter-faith dialogue.

- G for Gordonstoun -

Charles hated his years at the stark Scottish boarding school, describing his years there as a lonely "prison sentence". Toughing it out for duty's sake formed part of his character.

- H for homeopathy -

Charles is convinced by alternative medicine and even uses it on his farm animals. His outspoken views have often infuriated some in the scientific community.

- I for income -

Before his accession, Charles's money came from the Duchy of Cornwall, the heir to the throne's private land and property portfolio. The surplus funded his family's public, charitable and private activities and he voluntarily paid income tax.

- J for jubilee speeches -

His moving, rousing addresses closing Queen Elizabeth II's 2002, 2012 and 2022 jubilee celebrations, in which he referred to her as "Mummy", helped endear him to the nation.

- K for Knatchbull -

The one that got away. Encouraged by Lord Mountbatten, Charles proposed to Amanda Knatchbull, his second cousin and Mountbatten's grand-daughter, in 1979, but she declined.

- L for lengthy wait -

Charles was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, since the age of three in 1952, and the longest-serving prince of Wales, since the age of nine in 1958.

- M for Mountbatten -

The prince's great uncle Louis Mountbatten was his mentor and closest confidant, guiding his early life. His assassination by Irish republican paramilitaries in 1979 left Charles distraught.

- N for Navy -

Charles served on the ships from 1971 to 1976, taking command of a coastal minehunter for his last 10 months. He served in the Caribbean and around the Pacific and learned to fly helicopters.

- O for offspring -

Charles was a more hands-on parent to Princes William and Harry than his own parents had been. However, he has grown estranged from Harry after he quit royal duties and moved to California, sniping at Charles on the way.

- P for Prince's Trust -

Charles launched the Prince's Trust with his £7,500 navy severance pay and the charity had helped more than a million disadvantaged youngsters by the time of his accession to the throne.

- Q for Queen Mother -

Charles adored his "darling grandmother", queen Elizabeth, the queen mother. "For me, she meant everything", he said in a moving tribute after her death in 2002.

- R for residences -

Charles will now be expected to move into Buckingham Palace, giving up his Clarence House official London residence. He also inherits the Sandringham estate in eastern England and Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands.

- S for style -

Old-fashioned for some, impeccably suave for others, Charles's sartorial style is unwavering, perhaps because his outfits are the same: shoes from 1968, a coat from 1985 and immaculate double-breasted suits.

- T for Transylvania -

The king, who claims descent from Vlad the Impaler, bought and restored several properties in Romania to help preserve its stunning nature and unique rural traditions.

- U for university -

He went to Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, becoming the first heir to the throne to take a degree, graduating in 1970 with a 2:2. He switched from anthropology and archaeology to study history.

- V for Vision of Britain -

Charles's 1989 book outlines his cherished architectural principles, calling for proportionate, aesthetic development in keeping with local tradition. He put his theories into practice, building Poundbury, a model suburb.

- W for Wales -

Queen Elizabeth II made Charles the prince of Wales aged nine, and he learnt Welsh before his inauguration ceremony in 1969.

- X for X-Rated -

A secretly-recorded 1989 phonecall with Camilla, published in 1993, was deeply embarrassing after tabloid newspapers got a hold of it and published transcripts.

- Y for youth -

Charles thinks Britain could emulate Germany's national community or military service, as part of his drive to unlock latent talent in the nation's youngsters.

- Z for Zaza -

Also known as a gin and Dubonnet. The royals' preferred cocktail before lunch. Former prime minister Tony Blair referred to them as "true rocket fuel".

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© Agence France-Presse