U.S. luxury shoppers scaled back spending in August, as concern about a declining stock market depressed consumer confidence among even the wealthiest of customers and stores braced for a prolonged downturn.

Namibia will impose a ban on all trade with 'worked ivory' from next month in a bid to assert its control and abide by international regulations on endangered species, an official said on Wednesday, August 20th.

U.S. retailers, led by the discounters, are expected to post slightly better June same- store sales this week, thanks to seasonal weather and rebate checks that have made their way to cash registers, mostly for basic items such as gasoline and food.

Some commercial real estate sectors could be in for dark days if housing values continue to fall and the U.S. economy deteriorates, the head of commercial real estate for Marathon Asset Management said on Monday.

Versace has agreed to design the interior of a limited edition Lamborghini car and its accompanying accessories like gloves and bags in the latest collaboration between the two luxury brands.

A forward-looking measure of U.S. non-residential construction activity weakened last month but remains above a record low reached in March, an architects' trade group said on Wednesday.

Top designers, royalty and stars of the art and music world dazzled the capital this week with a whirlwind of glitter, glamour and luxurious parties at the first ever London Jewellery Week.

PERTH, June 13 (Reuters Life!) - Got 48 hours to explore Perth, the capital of Western Australia? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a short visit. FRIDAY 7 p.m.

A man who said he was tired of life went on a stabbing rampage on Sunday in a crowded Tokyo shopping street, killing seven people and wounding a dozen others.

By Borys Kit LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Counterculture icon Emily the Strange, a symbol of female empowerment and anti-conformity, is headed to the big screen with her four mysterious cats.

A Singapore-based "Sex and the City" fan who bought a $19,000 (9,600 pound) travel package inspired by the movie was cheated out of the film's premiere and after-party, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Death hangs over the new movie by German director Wim Wenders, whose "Palermo Shooting" starring U.S. actor Dennis Hopper had its premiere at the Cannes film festival on Saturday.

Danish art student Nadia Plesner, being sued by the fashion house Louis Vuitton for depicting its handbag on a T-shirt, says her design has got more people talking about the Darfur conflict than she ever thought.

Danish art student Nadia Plesner, who is being sued by the fashion house Louis Vuitton for depicting its handbag on a T-shirt, says her design has got more people talking about the Darfur conflict than she ever thought.

A Hong Kong jewellery tycoon was jailed for more than three years on Friday May 10th for bribing travel agents to bring tourists to his company's showrooms, a report said.