Mints coin it as consumers scramble for gold
By Sarah Marsh and Jan Harvey
VIENNA/LONDON (Reuters) – In the heart of Vienna in a Biedermeier building commissioned by Emperor Franz I, a man wearing a khaki uniform and beret exchanges a wad of euro notes across the counter for a few sparkling gold coins.
Guenther Fuchssteiner, 59, is a military doctor who for over 20 [...]
Naomi Campbell on catwalk for Mumbai victims
By Shilpa Jamkhandikar
MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) – British supermodel Naomi Campbell walked down the ramp in Mumbai on Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of last November’s Mumbai attacks.
Along with a host of Indian celebrities, the 39-year-old Campbell helped raise funds for the city’s emergency medical services in a charity show called “Mai Mumbai.”
Campbell heads [...]
“China’s Oprah” signs for Hollywood representation
By Borys Kit
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Yang Lan, one of China’s most prominent media entrepreneurs, has signed with the high-powered Creative Artists Agency.
Called “China’s Oprah,” Yang co-founded Sun Media Investment Holding, the country’s second-largest privately owned media company. Her business interests include TV production, newspapers, magazines, digital media and a high-end jewelry line.
CAA
Tiffany profit beat lifts shares, but outlook dim
By Aarthi Sivaraman
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Tiffany & Co (TIF.N) posted a lower quarterly profit on Monday, but trumped Wall Street’s expectations, as the upscale jeweler kept a tight lid on costs to combat sharply lower sales, sending its shares up 13.1 percent.
Tiffany warned that it has not seen any signs of a turnaround yet [...]
Brains or beauty? Women still conflicted
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) – Smart or thin? Rich or ugly?
Women still have a complex and contradictory relationship with their own image according to a poll released on Tuesday that found 25 percent of those questioned would rather win the “America’s Next Top Model” TV show than the Nobel Peace Prize.
And although 75 percent of [...]
Karzai declares assets to offset corruption smear
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has hinted he will run in a crucial election in August, said foreigners exaggerate the extent of corruption in Afghanistan for political reasons, while publicly announcing his earnings on Thursday.
Karzai, who said that he earns 24,350 afghanis ($487) each month, has faced criticism from both Afghans and [...]
Dress with $30 million price tag spurns economic crisis
By Niluksi Koswanage
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters Life!) – The world may be cloaked in economic gloom, but the makers of a dress decked with 751 diamonds worth $30 million are confident that the desire to flaunt wealth has not quite been extinguished.
Worth nearly 5 times the top bonus paid out to American International Group Inc [...]
Gold exports ooze from India, world’s biggest buyer
By Ruchira Singh – Analysis
MUMBAI (Reuters) – India, normally the world’s top gold importer, may have turned net exporter in the last few months as Indians melt down their jewelry to catch high prices.
India imported no gold at all in February for the first time, and traders say it probably won’t again in March.
In fact, [...]
UPDATE 3-Signet posts loss but start of new yr “encouraging”
* Q4 loss $4.97/shr, including goodwill impairment charge
* To cut U.S. costs by $100 mln
* To reduce net debt by around $200 mln this fiscal yr
* Says new fiscal year off to “encouraging start”
* Shares up 10 pct (Adds analyst comment, byline; Updates stock price)
By Nicole Maestri
NEW [...]
Brains or beauty? Women still conflicted
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) – Smart or thin? Rich or ugly?
Women still have a complex and contradictory relationship with their own image according to a poll released on Tuesday that found 25 percent of those questioned would rather win the “America’s Next Top Model” TV show than the Nobel Peace Prize.
And although 75 percent of [...]