London

Some say hemlines and heels rise and fall with the state of the sharemarket. But for those who really want to know how bad things are there is only one item that counts: lipstick.

When times are tough, consumers stop spending on big-ticket items. Car sales are down by a third; the drop in demand for mortgages has taken its toll of spending on carpets and furniture.

But, according to one economist, rather than lose the spending habit consumers simply trade down to less extravagant items to cheer themselves up. What’s more, this effect has held good in recessions of the past and in countries with different cultural traditions.

Anyone who has bought the Alce Nero Organic Whole Wheat Biscuits ‘Frollini Con Farina Integrale Biologica’ (350g) from Italy, with the best-before date of Jan 23, 2009, should throw them away.

ANYONE who has bought the Alce Nero Organic Whole Wheat Biscuits ‘Frollini Con Farina Integrale Biologica’ (350g) from Italy, with the best-before date of Jan 23, 2009, should throw them away.

Members of the Spanish Davis Cup team celebrate
©AFP - Daniel Garcia

MADRID (AFP) - Spain’s come from behind Davis Cup win over hosts Argentina at the weekend added yet another trophy to the impressive collection racked up by Spain in 2008.

“Spain is sports,” top-selling daily newspaper El Pais wrote Monday, one day after Spain won the most prestigious team title in men’s tennis for the third time.

The paper added the country’s sports success was its “best window” to the world.

Along with its sultry climate, atmospheric Malacca boasts an intriguing history, unusual food and a lively nightlife, says Rhymer Rigby.

By Rhymer Rigby

Night falls in the characterful Chinatown district of Malacca Photo: GETTY IMAGES

A riverboat wends its way up the Malacca River Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Sol Kerzner at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai
©AFP/File - Karim Sahib

DUBAI (AFP) - Dubai is throwing a multi-million-dollar extravaganza on Thursday to launch a luxury hotel on an artificial palm-shaped island, despite the bite from the global financial crisis.

More than 2,000 world celebrities are due to attend the event which has been dubbed by the local press as “the party of the decade.”

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, actors Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington, and former basketball great Michael Jordan are expected to walk the red carpet at the 1.5-billion-dollar “Atlantis, The Palm” hotel.

The Atlantis resort complex in Dubai where one night in the new resort where one night can cost up to US$25,000

A man and his son in a swimming pool at the Atlantis resort complex in Dubai where one night can cost up to US$25,000

People cool down in a swimming pool at the Atlantis resort complex in Dubai where one night can cost up to US$25,000

DUBAI (AFP) — Dubai, home to the world’s tallest tower and and other extravagant landmarks, boasts a new resort billed as unique in the Middle East: the ocean-themed Atlantis, where a night will cost up to 25,000 dollars.