North Dakota's Republican-led Legislature has convened special session to begin fixing a budget mess

European shares opened higher on Wednesday, with mining stocks leading gains on higher metal prices, while Swiss drugmaker

Conservative and right-wing gains in Bavaria and Hesse will be felt across Germany.

Indonesia’s Election Commission has approved all three presidential candidates for next February’s election, including a former special forces general whose running mate is the son of the outgoing president

By Uditha Jayasinghe COLOMBO Sri Lanka's central bank is expected to keep rates unchanged at its policy meeting

So many people are overindulging on brunch mimosas that restaurants now have a vomit surcharge.

In 1953, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel reopened her couture house after a 14-year hiatus at the age of 70. “Why did I return?” the legendary fashion designer later posited in an interview with Life magazine. “One night at dinner, Christian Dior said a woman could never be a great couturier.” It’s a quote that perfectly captures everything Chanel represents to this day, more than a century after she opened her first millinery shop in Paris in 1910. It also happens to be nestled in the enormous boarded timeline of the designer’s life that greets visitors to Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto, a major retrospective of the French couturière’s work, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Marking the first time that a UK exhibition has been dedicated entirely to Chanel, it charts the designer’s humble beginnings in the Loire Valley of France through to the establishment of her eponymous brand and the evolution of her creations throughout the years. Incorporating gowns, suits, jewellery, fragrances and accessories, the exhibition features more than 50 of the designer’s famous tweed suits alongside several fragile pieces usually stored deep within the belly of the V&A’s archive. “We were very aware of the classic things people know about Coco Chanel,” says curator Connie Karol Burks, referencing the designer’s famous little black dresses, the 2.55 handbag and her tweed suits. “We really wanted to spotlight much more of what she contributed to fashion, and a bit more of her approach to designing clothes, like her need for comfort, simplicity and freedom of movement.” It’s a modality easily expressed from the start of the exhibition, the entrance to which is a subtle, black, perfume-like box on the ground floor (the museum’s usual rotunda-like fashion space is currently occupied by its Diva exhibition). When downstairs, visitors may be surprised to find flowing frocks fitted with bows and pockets from as early as the 1930s. “She was an active independent woman, primarily designing for herself,” explains Karol Burks. “These were practical and elegant clothes.” Practicality, as we soon learn, was an integral part of Chanel’s oeuvre. The exhibition celebrates the designer’s penchant for streamlined garments, clothes that rejected the stiff and restrictive aesthetics that had defined women’s wear just a few years earlier. It also includes details of her deep connection to Britain, including her friendships with figures from high society. While staying at the respective homes of Winston Churchill and the Duke of Westminster, Chanel embraced British sport, which is thought to be how the corresponding aesthetics of tweed and knitted jerseys found their way into her collections. Also included here is a sketch of Chanel painted by Churchill while the two were staying at the Duke of Westminster’s Scottish retreat in 1928. “Coco is here,” he wrote to his wife at the time. “She fishes from morn till night, & in two months has killed 50 salmon.” Elsewhere, highlights include the Chanel “Ford”, the name given to the designer’s little black dress that became a global staple for women everywhere. There are evening gowns aplenty, and an optic-white room entirely dedicated to the creation of the designer’s iconic perfume Chanel No 5, as well as an oval-shaped section devoted to Chanel’s tweed suits, with two rows of them spanning the curve of the room. As has already been reported, the exhibition also doesn’t shy away from Chanel’s controversial wartime activities. It features previously unseen documents illustrating evidence of her collusion with Nazis during the Second World War, while also, confoundingly, unearthing evidence that indicates she was a member of the French resistance. “It’s such a complex thing to get your head around,” says Karol Burks. “We felt it was important to have it in the exhibition and to display those original documents. But they almost give more questions than answers.” Unlike the V&A’s Dior exhibition, which charted the brand’s existence beyond the life of its founder, the Chanel retrospective ends with the designer’s death in 1971. Given the label’s extensive history in modern culture, perhaps this makes sense: there’s only so much you can squeeze into one show. But in many ways, it is a limitation that produces a lingering sense of intrigue around the designer herself. “Despite there being over 175 biographies [of Chanel], she’s still being written about and new information is still coming to light,” Karol Burks adds. “I don’t think anyone has quite pinned down who Gabrielle Chanel was. The more you learn about her, the less you know.” ‘Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto’ runs from 16 September until 25 February at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum Read More Loved in triangles, dressed for liberation: The queer fashion secrets of Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group Young people not snowflakes or wasters, says curator of rebellious fashion exhibition Pharrell Williams designed his first collection for Louis Vuitton for himself

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Harry Maguire wore a hangdog look, though some would say he has for much of the last two years. Wout Weghorst did not score, but then he has not in 93 per cent of his appearances for Manchester United. With an equaliser required in the FA Cup final and three substitutions still available to Erik ten Hag, he opted for a solitary roll of the dice. That was bringing on Scott McTominay. In Ten Hag’s defence, an aerial assault aimed at Weghorst and McTominay, the big lads in the box, almost yielded a leveller. But the FA Cup final could be framed as a victory for the extreme talent in Manchester City’s starting 11, given Ilkay Gundogan’s talismanic role and the reality that, for much of the season, he has been overshadowed by Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. Yet it also highlighted a difference in strength in depth: City left two match-winners unused, in Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez, and while the precocious Alejandro Garnacho threatened to be a game-changer for United, the reality is he has 11 senior starts to his name. There is a difference in pedigree and, even if United’s options were reduced by the injuries that sidelined Antony, Anthony Martial, Lisandro Martinez, Donny van de Beek and Marcel Sabitzer, the supporting cast felt weak. A year into his reign, Ten Hag pronounced it a “fantastic season”. If the aim now is for evolution, not revolution, the FA Cup final offered a mandate for further change. For some, it represented the end. One of Saturday’s starters was first to admit it could be his farewell. “I have to talk with my family, I still have one year left in my contract here,” Fred told TNT Sports. “Now it’s holiday time and a good opportunity to rest. I’ll talk to my staff, to the club and see what’s everyone’s decision.” Fulham have expressed an interest. Ten Hag’s midfield upgrade, which should continue this summer, could mean his days are numbered. But there was also the sense that this would be a smaller summer than last year, with fewer arrivals, without a mass clearout. In both the middle of midfield and defence, the idea was that one back-up could leave, but if both did, it could create problems. McTominay has admirers at Newcastle: younger and, as an academy product, with the proceeds of a sale counting as pure profit in the books, he could bring a bigger fee. Yet Newcastle may now be able to target higher-calibre players. And if Fred goes, it is likely McTominay stays. McTominay and Fred are different players who may be on a par in other respects. Not their defensive counterparts. Victor Lindelof has proved a fine deputy to Raphael Varane and Martinez. Maguire has had two traumatic seasons, first with his form, then his falling status. He needs a move but the last two years offer precious few reasons for anyone to sign a player on £200,000 a week. Ten Hag is likely to stick with his four main full-backs, with Diogo Dalot signing a new contract this week, Aaron Wan-Bissaka improving under his coaching and Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia the incumbents on the left. United hope to bring in funds from full-backs Brandon Williams and Alex Telles and centre-back Eric Bailly, but it is pertinent that they have struggled to sell in recent seasons; otherwise, each might already have left. Meanwhile, with Garnacho’s development and the potential return of Amad Diallo from a loan, they should try and cash in on Anthony Elanga. Dean Henderson is a rarity, a player who looks sellable for a sizeable amount and who, in Nottingham Forest, has a potential buyer. David de Gea’s 545th United game is the last of his current contract; while he could go on a free transfer, he is likely to remain. But his season lends itself to different conclusions, with plenty of clean sheets and some terrific saves but too many errors, some costly; both Europa League and FA Cup defeats were attributable to him and United require competition. Ten Hag has a balancing act. The mismanagement of the Glazers, failing to complete a takeover, could limit his budget. United overspent last summer – the cost of Antony is not just the £86m fee but the knock-on effect elsewhere – and Ten Hag has had to compromise, both in his idea of a goalkeeper and in January. Weghorst’s loan ends with the ridiculous statistic that he scored two goals in 31 games; United’s infamous previous non-scoring strikers, whether Alan Brazil, Garry Birtles or Diego Forlan, were positively Haaland-esque in comparison. The summer targets now – a striker, a midfielder, a goalkeeper – may not come cheap but there is a clear need for another scorer to relieve the burden on Marcus Rashford and for someone to offer ballast alongside Casemiro, with United’s poor away record against the top nine, plus defeats at Wembley and in Seville showing that, for all Christian Eriksen’s class in possession, he lacks the physicality sometimes required. Buying depends in part on selling. United are aware of their difficulties in offloading players in recent years. It is a reason why too many have lingered too long at Old Trafford. Now there are some, such as Jadon Sancho and the ever-injured Martial, who represent unfulfilled potential but who are unlikely to attract big offers and who could do with being consistently excellent and consistently fit. There are others, such as Fred and McTominay, who can be useful squad players but might be sacrificed. There are those, like Maguire, Van de Beek, Williams, Telles and Bailly, who really have to go, for their sake as well as the club’s. And there is Weghorst, who will and who would represent an indictment if United bring him back next season. Because if the first priority is to give Ten Hag a stronger starting 11 next year, it is evident he needs a better bench as well. And, as with every summer at Old Trafford in recent years, United must end it with less deadwood than they began it. Read More Man charged over ‘offensive Hillsborough T-shirt’ at FA Cup final FA Cup final reveals key summer questions for Manchester United This FA Cup was more important than most – but Man City still need more Football rumours: Manchester City look to tie down Erling Haaland to new deal Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires aged 41: ‘The time has come to say goodbye’ The sporting weekend in pictures

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Sarah Beeny has said she is feeling happy and well after being given the all-clear from cancer by her doctors. The TV presenter and property expert, 51, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August last year. In April she was told she was all-clear from the disease. In recent months, Beeny has been working on a new Channel 4 documentary that follows her journey from diagnosis to treatment. Appearing on BBC‘s The One Show on Monday (29 May), the presenter said she “always feared” getting breast cancer after her mother died from the same cancer when Beeny was 10 years old. “When I got to 39, which is the age she died, I thought ‘Here we are.’ And then I got to 40 and thought, that’s weird!” she said. “And then I got to 50 and got the diagnosis.” “I’ve lived with this fear for such a long time,” she continued. “But once I realised how the treatment works, it’s not nearly as bad as the fear.” Appearing on Lorraine in April, Beeny said her cancer journey had been a “rollercoaster ride”. ​​“But I feel very fortunate that I had the diagnosis that I did, and that I live in 2023 and that I’m the age that I am. So many things I’m fortunate for, so I feel very blessed,” she said. Beeny, who received chemotherapy, said she would have to take medication for the next 10 years and remain “very vigilant”. “But, yeah, it’s been a weird ride that I wouldn’t wish on anyone else but I’m glad I did it rather than somebody else,” she added. Beeny has four children: Rafferty, Laurie, Billy and Charlie; and married her husband, artist Graham Swift, in 2003. Her family appears in her Channel 4 series Sarah Beeny’s New Life In The Country, which was filmed before her diagnosis. Sarah Beeny: Breast Cancer, My Family and Me will air on Monday 12 June on Channel 4 at 9pm. Read More College student goes viral after sharing her wild two hour commute everyday: ‘This is a journey’ Mother’s warning after viral TikTok hack left skin peeling from her face The ideal age gap for a relationship if you want it to last, according to experts Sarah Beeny shares health update after all-clear from breast cancer Breast cancer symptoms and survival rate as Amy Dowden diagnosed Signs and symptoms of breast cancer as Amy Dowden reveals diagnosis