Bloomberg A contentious reform of international bank capital standards is going down to the wire, as regulators including the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank try to bridge a wide gap on key issues before the end of the year. At issue is the way banks measure the risk of mortgages, corporate loans and even the threat …

  Los Angeles / AFP The figure-hugging gown Marilyn Monroe wore to serenade President John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday smashed its guide price to sell for $4.8 million at auction on Thursday. The flesh-colored dress, adorned with 2,500 hand-stitched crystals, had been expected to fetch between $2-3 million, Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills said. It went to Ripley’s …

  La Paz/ AFP Centuries ago, Spanish colonizers forced their Bolivian servants to wear the puffy skirts that have come to symbolize the country’s “cholitas,” or indigenous women. Today, one local designer is turning the tables with plans to export high-end cholita fashion — blossoming skirts, bowler hats and intricately woven shawls — to Madrid, Paris and beyond. Fresh off …