After months of post-election conflict ground their country to a halt, Ivorian designers hit the catwalk in Senegal this week with a burst of color and a determination to move on.

Two designers will showcase their creations at the ninth Dakar Fashion week which kicks off Wednesday night, among styles from Senegal, Morocco, Mali, Ghana, the United States and France.

Elie Saab has the formula down pat: Take miles of flowing silks and tulle, whip the fabrics into flattering, nip-waisted silhouettes and cover them with a ton of shimmering sequins and beads and you've got yourself a red carpet winner.

For Wednesday's fall-winter 2012-12 couture collection, the Lebanese designer didn't stray from the winning recipe that has helped him conquer red carpets worldwide. But then again, with gowns that look that good, why would he?

Giorgio Armani paid stylistic homage to Japan on day two of the fall-winter Paris haute couture shows on Tuesday, with sharp bustier dresses making up a big chunk of his collection.

No less than a dozen of the 44 looks from Armani Prive were figure-hugging, bare-shouldered numbers -- some in black velvet, others in tangerine sequins including one that suggested a mermaid that had just emerged from the sea.

Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is opening its catwalk outside the city's landmark Brandenburg Gate with more than 50 shows presenting spring/summer collections for 2012.

The Berlin event, which runs from Wednesday through to Saturday, is seen as a show where young designers who often struggle to get noticed in New York, Milan or Paris can highlight their clothes.

Christian Dior, taking its time finding a successor to John Galliano, firmly distanced itself from the disgraced British designer Monday with an eclectic collection at the Paris haute couture shows.

Four months after firing Galliano over alleged racist slurs, Dior tasked his longtime right-hand man Bill Gaytten to oversee a show inspired by everything from early 1980s Paris nightlife to the architect Frank Gehry.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling said on Monday she had ended her 16-year association with the literary agent who helped to launch the multi-million-selling series of books about the boy wizard.

Christopher Little began working with Rowling in 1995, although it took until August 1996 to find a publisher for her first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".

British pop star Sting cancelled a concert he was due to give in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on Monday, blaming violations of the human rights of striking oil workers in the ex-Soviet state.

Sting said in a statement published on his website that he cancelled the concert, part of his Symphonicity world tour, after campaign group Amnesty International told him of repressions against oil and gas workers.

Monaco's Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene promised each other love and fidelity in an extravagant religious wedding attended by international celebrities and royalty, bringing new allure to the tiny principality known for its luxurious casinos and as stomping ground for the rich and famous.

The Catholic service Saturday followed an intimate civil ceremony Friday, which saw Charlene officially transformed from commoner into royalty. The marriage of the 53-year-old prince and the 33-year-old Charlene Wittstock, a one-time Olympic swimmer from South Africa who is now known as Princess Charlene, ended a three-decade wait for a new princess.

Maria Shriver stood by Arnold Schwarzenegger when he ran for California's governorship in 2003, even after several women accused him of lecherous behavior.

On Friday, 25 years after their fairytale wedding on Cape Cod, she filed for divorce.

Pop diva Lady Gaga arrived in Taiwan on Friday to kick off her first visit to the island, sporting a long black and gold wig and blowing kisses to the delight of fans.

Several cable news channels broadcast live as Lady Gaga got off her private jet and walked towards the waiting media before posing briefly for photos.