ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Regional forces in Tigray in northern Ethiopia took control of the airport on Wednesday morning, prompting the state-owned carrier to cancel flights to the troubled region.
Ethiopian Airlines said it suspended flights to Tigray’s capital Mekelle and the cities of Axum and Shire “due to the current situation,” without providing further details.
A taxi driver told The Associated Press that the airport, which is usually controlled by federal forces, was occupied by soldiers from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front carrying light arms.
The driver, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said a commander ordered him to leave the airport, saying no flights would be landing.
The takeover appeared to be peaceful, with no gunfire heard in or around the airport. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front did not immediately issue a statement.
No other airlines fly to the region, although it is reachable by chartered flight.
The cancellations came three days after seven opposition groups, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, formed an alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his government.
Abiy’s Prosperity Party retained power in a June general election that was boycotted by the main opposition groups.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front fought federal forces during a deadly conflict in northern Ethiopia that ended with the signing of a peace agreement in November 2022.
The opposition groups announced the formation of a coalition they called the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival on Sunday.
FILE - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali attends a session at the World Atomic Week forum at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (Sergei Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
MILAN (AP) — Diesel creative director Glenn Martens went out with a racy, body-positive collection during Milan Fashion Week on Tuesday, ending a tenure that revitalized and revolutionized the brand.
The runway, bathed in red light, set the stage for a provocative show. That was driven home midway when Diesel models planted in the stands began moaning in sexual revelry from their seats, alone, in pairs and threesomes, to the soundtrack “Love to Love You Baby.”
“Every season we try to do something unexpected. This one was a bit more … experimental,” Martens said backstage. “I think the whole celebration of being body positive and loving each other is part of the Diesel DNA.”
The collection featured knitwear that appeared to disintegrate into denim and leather, part of the brand’s trademark textile innovation. Martens employed trompe l’oeil — an artistic technique that gives a three-dimensional appearance to a flat surface — to create the illusion of luxe shearling and leather. Shorts became gradually shorter until the final look was little more than a strip of fabric across the bum.
Laser-cut T-shirts looked as if they were falling apart and had simply been thrown on during a morning-after “walk of shame,” an impression reinforced by smudged lipstick.
In the seats, writhing turned to headbanging for the runway finale, and Martens received a standing ovation. He leaves Diesel, which he joined in 2020, but stays on at parent company OTB’s Maison Margiela, the avant-garde Paris couture house.
At Diesel, “we never pretended to be a luxury brand, even though we were on during fashion week,” Martens said. “We also wanted to do more alternative things, and think about the community. I think that’s what I try to celebrate, but also with respect for the clothes."
Designer Glenn Martens accepts applause after his Diesel women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).
A couple perform during the Diesel women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection fashion show in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).
Models wear creations part of the Diesel women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).
Models wear creations part of the Diesel women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).
Models wear creations from Diesel's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
