MINI is bringing its commitment to innovation, sustainability, driving fun and individuality to the Mondial de l’Automobile 2010 in Paris.

MINI has revealed the goodies it will be showcasing there, including the current model line-up and a study vehicle, namely the MINI Scooter E concept.

The MINI, MINI Clubman and MINI Convertible models will be joined by the latest addition in the family, the Countryman.

Luxury yachts that whisk their millionaire owners or charter guests to the world’s top beauty spots, guzzling gallons of fuel on the way, have long scraped the bottom of the green league tables.

But as superyachts converged on the Riviera for this year’s 20th Monaco Yacht Show, a small but determined minority were flying the green flag as the ever expanding fleet of mega yachts seeks to reduce its carbon footprint.

Paolo Moretti, who heads the yachting division of Italy’s ship certification body RINA, told AFP interest in environmental topics has spiked in the yachting sector over the last five years.

“Luxury yachts have big budgets but owners now not only want to excel in terms of comfort and luxury but also in environmental sustainability,” he said.

New hotel group B Hotels & Resorts unveiled its flagship Fort Lauderdale property September 23, ahead of its December opening date.

The company, which promises “fresh, innovative and unpretentious” hotels in the upper-upscale category, plans to open a series of hotels, resorts and boutique properties in the US and internationally over the coming years.

The first property on the Fort Lauderdale coast in Florida, which is set to start accepting reservations in October, offers 240 rooms and a range of signature services that will eventually be rolled out to all hotels and resorts, including “B Nourished,” “B Active,” “B Indulged,” “B Adventurous,” and “B Green.”

A new luxury train began running Thursday between Moscow and Nice in the south of France, in a flashback to the tsarist times when Russian aristocrats flocked to the French Riviera.

The Russian Railways-operated train will depart from Moscow’s Belorussky station every Thursday afternoon, and arrive in Nice 53 hours later after passing through European capitals including Warsaw and Vienna.

“Today is a day of celebration,” said Mikhail Akulov, vice president of Russian Railways, “It’s a new stage in our partnership with the French railways.”

Forbes released its 2010 list of the 400 richest people in America this week, and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was in the top spot for the 17th consecutive year.

Industrialist Warren Buffett, Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, has bagged the second place this year with fortunes worth $45 billion.

While worth $27 billion dollars, software company Oracle’s co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison is the third richest American.

With a net worth that grew by nearly $4.9 billion, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had the largest percentage gain this year, jumping from 158 to number 35 with $6.9 billion.