Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin

"India-entertainment-film-Bollywood-China,FOCUS" by Rachel O'Brien This photograph taken on June 7, 2012 shows Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin (L) and actor Abhay Deol (R) posing for photographers on the green carpet for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) World Premier, Shanghai, at the Lido cinema in Singapore. A Hindi political thriller called "Shanghai" hits cinemas Friday, raising awkward questions about India's development with a fictional town trying to emulate fellow giant China's shiny financial capital

Shoppers pose

Shoppers pose for a picture in front of a Chanel luxury boutique at the IFC Mall in Shanghai June 4, 2012. China is the world's third biggest market for personal luxury goods, worth at least 160 billion yuan ($25 billion). China's importance for firms such as Louis Vuitton's parent LVMH and Gucci's PPR SA is indisputable: last year, as Europe was mired in financial crisis and the U.S. economy faltered, mainland Chinese shoppers spent an estimated 111 billion yuan ($18 billion) on luxury goods, according to consultants Bain & Co. In the next three years, it is expected to leapfrog over Japan and the United States to take the top spot, with the luxury segment expanding to 180 billion yuan ($28 billion).

CHINA-LUXURY

A model stands next to a new Aero Coupe car, made by luxury British automobile brand Morgan, after its launch at the China Luxury exhibition in Beijing June 8, 2012. China is presently the world's third biggest market for personal luxury goods, worth at least 160 billion yuan (US$25 billion), but is expected within the next three years to leapfrog over Japan and the U.S. to take the top spot. As it grows, the market is also maturing, moving from so-called aspirational luxury, where bling is king, to what experts call absolute luxury: the desire to be seen as both wealthy and discerning.

JUSTICE-CRIME

Family members of Nepalese man Govinda Prasad Mainali, his wife Radma Mainali (C), daughter Mithila Mainali (R) and Alisha Mainali (L) smile with their supporters in front of the Tokyo High Court in Tokyo on June 7, 2012. A Tokyo court on June 7 granted a new trial to a Nepalese man serving a life sentence for a high-profile 1997 murder, a court spokeswoman said.