Madagascar / AFP The sweet flavours of vanilla are taking on a bitter edge for buyers in Madagascar as prices have almost quadrupled but quality has declined, with experts blaming speculation, money laundering and a poor harvest. Madagascar, producer of 80 percent of the world’s vanilla, has seen the spice’s price jump from about $60 per kilogramme (2.2 pounds) in …

  Chile / AFP Every morning at dawn, a thick mist known as “The Darkness” blows in from the Pacific to the edge of the Atacama Desert, the most arid place in the world. After tantalizing the northern Chilean desert with the promise of moisture, the mist evaporates in the sun, leaving the heat to bake the stark lunar landscape. But …

  Our Correspondent / EMIRATES BUSINESS Ethan Allen has become the first choice among generations. This furniture brand is offering authentic, luxurious and easy to live in designs. Since 1932, the brand is specialised in creating icons of livable luxury. It offers impressively designed, beautifully crafted classics that become as much a part of your style as that little black dress …