Dozens of curvy women staged a fashion show near the Eiffel Tower , braving chilly rain in skimpy outfits to defy fashion diktats with the simple slogan: "My body is beautiful."

Transparent nightgowns, stockings and lingerie were out in full force along with white-winged models gently mocking US underwear Victoria's Secret to the delight of Parisians and tourists who snapped away with mobile phones and cameras.

Plus size models and "everyday women" took part in the second edition of the "body positive" show, inspired by a movement launched in countries such as Britain and the United States.

Organiser Georgia Stein told AFP her goal was "to represent the majority of women, show they are beautiful despite their 'faults' which are in fact not faults because they are completely natural, like tummies, cellulite or stretchmarks".

The message was underscored by signs in English that read "My body is beautiful" or "Your beauty through your diversity".

Stein, 32, said she wanted to make a difference for "women who don't feel good about themselves and fall into depression as a result".

"In France we lag far behind on the subject," she added in reference to fashion for larger women.

"We don't see any diversity in advertising campaigns or on catwalks. The market for larger sizes is minimal."

Leslie Lauthelin, who wears a French size 44-46 (a US size 10-12, a UK size 14-16) said she had trouble finding fashionable clothing in stores.

Sexy lingerie

"Finding something trendy at a good price is almost impossible. We have to fall back on things with little flowers, outfits that are pretty out of date," she said.

"Finding sexy lingerie if you are curvy, with good support, is complicated. We are doing this so that the fashion world gets going," she added.

The city of Paris in February organised a campaign against fat shaming during the latest fashion week, but the message had trouble being heard. Fashion houses contacted by AFP preferred not to comment publicly.

Karl Lagerfeld, the late designer known for speaking his mind, once said that "no one wants to see curvy women" on catwalks.

Stein noted there were fewer plus sized women in France than in Britain or the US.

"In the United States, they are who they are, a woman size 50 will wear a short, tight dress with a plunging neckline or heels.

"In France, we are more likely to hide that of which we have too much or not enough."

Victoria's Secret wings

"Ladies, don't forget your wings," Stein called out as she adjusted a pink puff on the arm of a shiny-lipped model wearing a fuchsia nightgown in a cafe north of Paris ahead of the show.

Stein herself was wearing a lacy white slip and makeup but all were covered with blankets as they headed to a bus that took them to the Trocadero plaza where the show had the Eiffel Tower as background.

She said that when staff at Victoria's Secret were asked why there was not more diversity among their models -- who are sometimes called angels -- they had replied "because we sell fantasy".

"They were hit by a huge boycott on social media," Stein said. "With the wings we wanted to send a little wink, to say we too are angels who sell fantasies."

Vienna, Austria | 

The Austrian capital is for the second year in a row basking in the title of the world's most liveable city, as measured by the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual ranking of the world's urban centres.

Tourists may already be familiar with its Habsburg palaces and numerous opportunities for coffee and cake, but how else has Vienna kept its place at top?

- The great outdoors -

Environment is an important factor in the EIU's ranking and Vienna prides itself on its residents' access to plentiful green spaces, with rolling woodland at the city limits easy accessible by its efficient public transport system. Even within its urban area, the city says that half of its surface is covered with some sort of greenery. Vienna can also boast that its drinking water comes direct from the Alps but if inhabitants need even more water to cool off in, a stretch of the Danube river is open for swimming in summer -- reachable by metro, of course. 

- An 'inclusive' city -

Many of Vienna's municipal policies focus on keeping the cost of living in check and preventing patterns of inequality and gentrification that have affected other big cities. For example, annual travelcards for public transport cost just one euro per day and now outnumber cars in the city.

Housing is also an area where efforts have been made over decades to keep costs down, with around 60 percent of the city's 1.8 million inhabitants living in a property where rents are capped. The cost of living overall is near the European average and the city's crime rate is the lowest it has been for almost 20 years.

One resident Barbara Zburny told AFP that there were "no ghettos" in the city, adding: "Different cultures mix together well."

- Everybody happy? -

One could be forgiven for thinking that given all this, the Viennese would be among the world's cheeriest people and in the last satisfaction survey carried out by city authorities in June, nine out of ten did indeed say they were either "happy" or "very happy" to live in Vienna, with the city's cultural life and environment scoring particularly highly.

However, the Viennese also have a reputation for "Schmaeh" or a sardonic sense of humour, and not always looking on the bright side of life. Indeed, tips for newcomers often include the essential skill of complaining like a local -- or "raunzen" in the local dialect.

One survey of emigrants worldwide ranked Vienna 65th out of 72 cities in order of "friendliness", with the language barrier cited as a particular problem in fitting in.

- 'Vienna-bashing' -

The left has won every democratic election in Viennagoing back a century, with the city sometimes at odds politically with the more conservative rest of the country.

Every flattering international ranking is therefore useful ammunition for the city authorities, especially ahead of what's expected to be a strong right-wing challenge in municipal elections in 2020.

The previous right-wing national government under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was often accused of indulging in "Vienna-bashing", particularly in respect of the city's social expenditure.

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© Agence France-Presse

Paris, France |

A matchstick-sized implant could revolutionise HIV prevention regimes after early trials suggested the device could stop at-risk people contracting the virus for up to a year at a time, new research showed

Unveiling their findings from a clinical trial at the 10th annual International AIDS Society conference in Mexico City, developers said the device could eventually offer a novel approach to HIV suppression. 

It uses a molecule called MK-8591, which is roughly 10 times stronger as an HIV inhibitor than medicines currently on the market, and which has a very high barrier against resistance.

"It slowly releases the drug and maintains a very consistent level of the drug in your body and taking this prophylactically it can actually prevent you from getting infected," Mike Robertson, director global clinical development for virology at MSD research, told AFP.

Currently, individuals at high risk of contracting HIV have to take a pill every day in order to guarantee their protection. 

In its annual report on the disease, the United Nations this month said that global AIDS deaths had fallen one third since 2010 to roughly 770,000 in 2018.

But it warned that the decline in new infection rates was slowing worldwide, and in some regions including Eastern Europe and the Middle East, rates were increasing dramatically. 

Robertson said that the implant, or even a monthly pill containing the same active ingredient could provide more options for at risk communities. 

"The people that are at highest risk are different populations -- for example men who have sex with men still remain in the US and Europe the group that has the highest rate of new infections," he said. 

"But globally the highest incidence rate is in young women in sub-Saharan Africa and this is another group where most the new infections are occurring."

Anton Pozniak, International AIDS Society president, said that the implant "offers another choice for those who might in the future also have pills and injectables available" to prevent infection. 

Tuesday also saw fresh analysis unveiled on a recent clinical trial into the safety and tolerability of a HIV vaccine. 

The Phase 2 trial took place in Kenya, Rwanda and the United States among healthy, low-risk, HIV negative adults. The initial results showed that the vaccines were well-tolerated among subjects.

A Phase 3 trial is now in planning. 

"These are very promising times in HIV vaccine research, with multiple efficacy clinical trials ongoing, new approaches in development, and a growing sense that we may be getting closer to an effective vaccine," said Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Director Roger Tatoud.

Rome, Italy | 

Two German tourists were fined Friday for making themselves a coffee on the steps of the famous Rialto bridge in Venice and asked to leave the city, the municipal authorities said.

The two backpackers from Berlin, aged 32 and 35, had made themselves comfortable at the foot of the world-famous landmark and got out their portable coffee-making equipment when they were spotted by a passer-by and reported to the police, the city authorities said in a statement.

Using a newly-passed law, police officers fined them 950 euros ($1,050) for unseemly behaviour and asked them to leave Venice. 

"Venice must be treated with respect and impolite people who come here and think they can do what they want must understand that, thanks to the local police, they can be stopped, fined and sent away," the city's mayor Luigi Brugnaro said. 

"From now on, we will also communicate the identities of people who have been asked to leave to the embassies and consulates of their home country," the mayor said. 

The new law, passed in May, sets out rules for decency, cleanliness and safety in the lagoon city, which has a population of just 55,000 but is invaded every year by around 30 million visitors and is increasingly feeling the detrimental effects of mass tourism. 

The law bans picnicking at certain sites, bathing in fountains and not wearing a shirt in public spaces, often with draconian fines for the offenders. 

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Thanh Hoa , Vietnam |Thousands of daytrippers jostled for selfie space and elbowed their way to the sea at a popular north Vietnam beach over the weekend, with extra vigilant lifeguards watching worriedly over the summer surge.

There are few beaches in this part of the country, and Sam Son in Thanh Hoa province has long been a go-to destination with its white sand coastline and blue waters.

But its beauty has proven both a blessing and a curse, leading vacationers to pack out the 16 kilometre-long (9.9 mile-long) beach. 

"Today, there are too many tourists," said Le Huu Mui, an 80-year-old visiting with family.

He last came to Sam Son five years ago and was shocked at the difference. 

"We have to hustle on the beach and it is less comfortable than previous years." 

On Saturday couples snapped selfies in front of elaborate sandcastles and families played spirited games of tug of war. 

But not everyone was relaxing.

"We have to keep an eye on everything," said lifeguard Nguyen Huu Linh, 41. "There are cases of tourists not listening to us."

Visitor Dao Quyet Tien, who comes to the beach frequently, has also noticed murkier waters as more swimmers stir up sand and sediment.

"There have been a few times...when the beach water was dirty," he told AFP. "It's not comfortable to swim." 

But he admitted the crowds also brought a lively atmosphere to Sam Son.

"With the beach busy like this, I can meet new people -- that's what I like about about it," the 27-year-old said. 

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Islamabad, Pakistan |

It's a cuppa like no other. Every evening in Islamabad a crowd arrives at Sanaullah's street stall to taste his "tandoori chai" -- milk tea served in terracotta mugs, still hot from his traditional oven. 

The old-fashioned cups are placed directly inside the tandoor, where they are baked at high temperatures.

The tea, prepared separately, is then poured in to the cups, where it starts to boil on hitting the hot clay.  

In Pakistan, where the classic milk tea -- thick, strong, and generously sweet -- dominates all strata of society, the particular alchemy of tandoori chai seduces patrons intrigued by its traditional roots and distinct earthy taste.

The tandoor is ubiquitous in South Asia, most commonly used to bake bread.

But the concept of making tea this way, is  the main draw for many, explains Sanaullah, the jovial owner of a trendy shop located in an upmarket area of the Pakistani capital. 

"The process of making it is really very interesting, which makes people like it," he said, adding that the tea also has a smoky flavour which attracts many.

Sitting among the customers on a low rush stool, Muhammad Ishaq Khawar is a frequent customer.

"There is a different kind of atmosphere, especially the way in which we are served tea. It was a very old system which goes back to the old days when the terracotta pots were used," he explains.  

It may seem like a niche product but the drink has become so popular the Tandoori Chai Company cafes, which recently launched in Lahore, has expanded to a second branch.

And while coffee culture has caught on in Pakistan's main cities with big name chains and local cafes a hit urban youths, tea, regardless of how it is prepared, is nonetheless an essential component of the daily menu.

The country is one of the top tea consumers globally according to research firm Euromonitor International, while a recent study by Gallup found 73 percent of Pakistani tea drinkers have at least two or more cups a day. 

"Not only in Pakistan, but in the entire subcontinent, it has been mixed in our blood," says Mohammad Asim Khan, a customer at a small eatery in Islamabad.

He adds: "Your physical fatigue will go away by taking tea and you get fresh." 

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |These days whenever Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appears in public, he removes his jacket, rolls up his sleeves, grabs a shovel and gets to planting a tree.

Abiy is leading by example as Ethiopia plans to plant a mind-boggling four billion trees by October, as part of a global movement to restore forests to help fight climate change and protect resources.

The country says it has planted nearly three billion trees already since May.

On Monday, state employees were given the day off as Abiy sought to get the rest of the country involved, and the government claimed a "record-breaking" 350 million trees were planted in only one day.

"I think we demonstrated the capacity for people to come together collectively and deliver on a shared vision," Billene Seyoum, Abiy's press secretary, told AFP. 

The figure has attracted scepticism about the sheer number of volunteers this would require, and the logistics involved.

"I personally don't believe that we planted this much," said Zelalem Worqagegnehu, a spokesman for the opposition Ezema party. 

"It might be impossible to plant this many trees within a day." 

Yet Zelalem also noted that hundreds of members of his party planted trees of their own on Monday, and suggested the actual total was beside the point.

"We took this as a good opportunity to show solidarity with the citizens," he said. "Our concern is the green legacy, making Ethiopia green."

- Planting only first step -

Ethiopia's forest cover declined from around 40 percent half a century ago to around 15 percent today, said Abiyot Berhanu, director of the Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute. 

"Deforestation has become very grave in many parts of Ethiopia," he said. 

The recent tree-planting drive has targeted areas that have been stripped of their trees over the years, Billene said. 

The types of new trees planted have varied from region to region. 

"A lot of nurseries have been working on producing more saplings over the past couple months," Billene said, while some of the saplings and seedlings had come from abroad. 

Reforestation is a major component of global initiatives to recapture carbon emissions. It can also purify water, produce oxygen and bolster farmers' incomes, said Tim Christophersen, chair of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration. 

But Christophersen said planting trees was only the first step. 

"The most important factor is grazing pressure. If you plant a tree and a day later the goats come along they will absolutely eat the tree first before they eat the dry grass next to it," he said. 

"We don't speak so much about planting trees but about growing trees." 

He said planting 350 million trees would require about 350,000 hectares (864,000 acres) -- an area bigger than Luxembourg -- and added that a volunteer could realistically plant about 100 trees a day. 

"It is not impossible, but it would take a very well organised effort," he told AFP.

He said that Ethiopia was one of only five countries ranked as having a "sufficiently ambitious" contribution to the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the UN's pact to curb global warming.

Trees take in carbon from the air as part of the process of synthesis and store it in their leaves, branches and trunks.

Abiy's tree-planting drive is part of a national environmental campaign, known as the Green Legacy Initiative, that includes cleaning waterways and making agriculture more sustainable. 

Billene said the turnout Monday indicated that the prime minister's environmentally-friendly message was resonating. 

"Everyone was clear and understood the long-term vision," she said. "They actually bought into the benefits of what it means to have a green country." 

If Ethiopia really did plant 350 million trees on Monday, it would have smashed the current world record of around 50 million held by the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. 

However an official determination may have to wait. 

So far, Ethiopia has not attempted to register its achievement with Guinness World Records Limited, spokeswoman Jessica Dawes told AFP in an email. 

"We are always on the lookout for new record breaking achievements however, and so we would encourage the organisers of this event to get in touch with us to register an application," Dawes said.

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