Three police forces are hunting a serial sex attacker in connection with the murder of a pensioner battered to death in her own home.

And on to the accessories. Autumn's aglitter with ruby slippers, jewelled purses and chandelier earrings, says Gemma Hayward

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have created a luxury handbag collection under their fashion label The Row.

A handbag belonging to Margaret Thatcher fetched £25,000 when it went under the hammer, auctioned by Lord Archer.

Emma Hill's hallmarks are supple and slouchy leather, shiny brass hardware and shapes that are classic but not too formal

Fashion house Burberry finished a stellar year in style today as bumper sales of leather bags and accessories drove a surge in annual profits.

Labelux, the private luxury group which already owns Bally, has bought Jimmy Choo for around £500m. Labelux snapped up the shoe firm ahead of a host of rival bids, including the private-equity outfit TPG.

If you ask me...

Cycling doesn't just get you from A to B any more. Bikes have become an inspiration for writers, fashion designers and photographers. They are an expression of who we are – and who we want to be, argues Harriet Walker

Mireia Llusia-Lindh, the Barcelona born, London-based entrepreneur, was so fed up with not being able to find a handbag that fits a laptop as well as all those other things women store in their bags, that she designed her own.

Samsonite, the luggage maker backed by the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners and Royal Bank of Scotland, is lining up an initial public offering in Hong Kong.

The bray of the gadget bore takes a lower tone than a donkey's and an only slightly higher pitch than that of a public schoolboy on the drone-o-meter, I found out last weekend.