My yacht's bigger than yours! Battle of boats as billionaire Roman Abramovich is put in his place by Microsoft boss's larger vessel

He is used to having the biggest and best of everything.

Yet Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was put in his place yesterday by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

The billionaire Russian's 377ft yacht named Luna was moored close to the town of Antibes in South East France, making quite an impression on the coastline.

Battle of the boats: The Luna and the Octopus sit alongside each other in the Mediterranean close to the town of Antibes

Cruising by: Mr Allen's yacht Octopus eclipses Luna in length by 37ft and has its own helipads and a basketball court

But then Mr Allen's 414ft vessel, named Octopus, cruised past to give him the bragging rights.

The yacht is equipped with two helicopters, two submarines, a swimming pool, a music studio and a basketball court. Mr Abramovich's also has a swimming pool and helipads.

Mr Allen is also known for using the yacht to host star-studded parties where his band provide the music.

Mr Allen, who is worth around $13billion, will not get to keep them for too long however - Mr Abramovich owns the 536ft Eclipse - the world's largest private yacht.

Well equipped: Both vessels have two helipads and swimming pools alongside a host of other luxury rooms

Billionaires: Mr Allen and Mr Abramovich are among the world's richest men and as well as their huge yachts own a wide range of property and sports teams

It was thought that neither man was on board their respective boats in the Mediterranean.

Both do own huge homes in the south of France, with the Russian's being a £30million mansion in Cap d'Antibes.

There can be no argument who is on top when it comes to sports ownership however - and it is not the Chelsea owner.

The American is a part owner of the Major League Soccer side the Seattle Sounders, but also has control of NBA side the Portland Trail Blazers and NFL team the Seattle Seahawks.

Both men are among the world's 100 richest according to Forbes, with Abramovich ranking at number 53 and Allen at 57.

Gisele Bundchen kekal paling kaya

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen memberikan pos menarik pada majlis karpet merah Institut Kebajikan Seni Kostum dan Muzium Metropolitan bagi meraikan perasmian Muzium Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty di New York, 2 Mei lalu. - Reuters

LOS ANGELES 9 Mei – Model terkenal, Gisele Bundchen mendahului model-model lain sebagai penerima pendapatan paling tinggi dalam senarai pendapatan tertinggi model Forbes 2011 dengan jumlah pendapatan sebanyak AS$45 juta (RM135 juta).

Supermodel itu diikuti rapat Heidi Klum and Kate Moss dalam senarai tersebut yang menunjukkan peningkatan pendapatan sebanyak 30 peratus berbanding tahun lepas.

Pendapatan Bundchen meningkat daripada AS$25 juta (RM75 juta) kepada AS$45 juta (RM135 juta) hasil daripada pelbagai penajaan.

Pendapatan Klum dan Moss masing-masing juga meningkat dari AS$16 juta (RM48 juta) kepada AS$20 juta (RM60 juta) dan dari AS$9 juta (RM27 juta) kepada AS$13.5 juta (RM40.5 juta).

Model-model lain yang turut berada dalam senarai sama turut mencatat peningkatan pendapatan, tetapi tidaklah setinggi tiga model tersebut.

Pendapatan Adriana Lima yang berada di tangga keempat senarai hanya meningkat setengah juta dolar kepada AS$8 juta (RM24 juta).

Alessandra Ambrosio pula berada di tempat kelima, naik satu tangga daripada kedudukan keenam tahun lalu dengan menerima AS$5 (RM15 juta), sementara di tangga keenam, Daria Werbowy menerima jumlah pendapatan yang sama pada 2010 iaitu AS$4.5 juta (RM13.5 juta).

Kemunculan mengejutkan dalam senarai Forbes adalah Lara Stone yang menerima pendapatan AS$4.4 juta (RM13.2 juta) dan berada di tempat ketujuh.

Kedudukan Carolyn Murphy pula memenuhi jangkaan apabila berada di tempat kelapan dengan pendapatan AS$4.3 juta (RM12.9 juta).

Natalia Vodianova dan Candice Swanepoel masing-masing berada di tempat kesembilan dan ke-10 dengan pendapatan AS$4 juta (RM12 juta) dan AS$3 juta (RM9 juta). - Agensi

Game, sweat and match for Ron

The pits ... Ronaldo works up a sweat as he trails hot Irina

MOST men would sweat buckets in the presence of IRINA SHAYK - and CRISTIANO RONALDO is no exception.

The Portuguese winger sported a couple of soggy armpit patches as the couple left the Masters 1000 tennis final in Madrid, Spain, yesterday.

Cristiano pointed toward his hot lover - possibly a move designed to steer attention away from his embarrassing perspiration - who sizzled in a revealing pink top.

Stunning ... Irina leads the way

The Russian beauty cut a serious figure as she exited the Magic Box stadium following NOVAK DJOKOVIC's triumph over RAFAEL NADAL.

But she looked loved-up with the greasy Real Madrid star during the match, nuzzling into his bejewelled ear and whispering sweet nothings.

Cristiano grinned like a besotted teen, clearly more distracted by his stunning model lover than the action on the court.

He was served an ace the day she walked into his life...

Tease ... Irina whispers sweet nothings as soppy Ronaldo falls into a trance

QPR Co-Owner Mittal Tops U.K. Rich, Usmanov is Second in Sunday Times List

ArcelorMittal Chief Executive Officer Lakshmi Mittal.

Russian Billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

Russian-born billionaire Roman Abramovic.

The yacht 'Eclipse', owned by Roman Abramovich, leaves the dock of shipyard Blohm and Voss in Hamburg.

The Duke of Westminster.

Vedanta Resources Holdings Chairman Anil Agarwal.

Lakshmi Mittal topped the Sunday Times ranking of the 1,000 wealthiest people in the U.K. for a seventh year and Alisher Usmanov leapfrogged Roman Abramovich to No. 2 as the list’s combined wealth rose 18 percent over 12 months.

The total number of billionaires rose to 73. Mittal, the Indian-born chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaker, topped the list even after the 60- year-old’s fortune declined 22 percent to 17.5 billion pounds ($29 billion), according to the Rich List, published yesterday. Usmanov, 57, the billionaire shareholder of Russian iron-ore producer Metalloinvest, beat 44-year-old Roman Abramovich to second place after adding 7.7 billion pounds to his net worth.

The cumulative wealth of the U.K.’s 1,000 richest families and individuals rose to 395.76 billion pounds during the year. The total fell short of the record 413 billion pounds reached in 2008, according to the rankings compiled each year by Philip Beresford. The number of billionaires on the list rose 20 to 73, two short of the record of 75 set in 2008.

The list has been compiled for the past 22 years and is based on identifiable wealth, including property, art, racehorses and shares in publicly-held companies. It excludes bank-account balances.

The year before, the net worth of those on the list had risen at a record pace, rising 30 percent to 333.5 billion pounds as the country’s richest residents recovered from the global financial crisis.

“Britain’s super-rich are making light of the age of austerity,” Beresford said in an e-mailed statement.

Commodity Producers

Mittal, the owner of 41 percent of Arcelor Mittal (MT), saw the steelmaker’s shares fall 12 percent in 2010 as surging raw- material costs squeezed profit margins. His decline in wealth was the biggest drop in this year’s list.

Prices for iron ore, a steelmaking ingredient, have gained 24 percent in the past three quarters, while European hot-rolled steel coil, a benchmark product used in cars and buildings, rose only 3.7 percent in the period.

Mittal created ArcelorMittal in 2006 when his Mittal Steel Co. bought Arcelor SA in the industry’s biggest acquisition.

Conversely, the rise in iron-ore prices helped boost Usmanov’s wealth to 12.4 billion pounds, the biggest gain on the list. Metalloinvest is Russia’s largest producer of the commodity.

Soccer Teams

Usmanov owns 26.9 percent of Russian Web company Mail.Ru Group, which raised about $1 billion in an initial public offering in London in October. He also owns about 10 percent of Facebook Inc. together with fellow Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Usmanov is the second-largest shareholder of Arsenal soccer club, with 27 percent of the London team.

Abramovich fell to third place in this year’s list, while adding 2.9 billion pounds to his total wealth, which now stands at 10.3 billion pounds. The owner of Chelsea Football Club, once Russia’s richest man according to Forbes, became wealthy after the collapse of the Soviet Union by building up Russia’s fifth- largest oil producer. His oil business, OAO Sibneft, was bought by OAO Gazprom in 2005 as then-President Vladimir Putin moved to return the country’s oil wealth to state hands.

The billionaire owns homes in the U.K. and Russia, as well as in Cap d’Antibes on the French Riviera, on the Caribbean island of Saint-Barthelemy, and in Aspen, Colorado, according to filings for his candidacy for Russian regional elections. His Millhouse LLC manages his assets, holds stakes in Evraz Group SA (EVR), Russia’s second-largest steelmaker, and Highland old Mining Ltd (HGM) Evraz rose 27 percent in 2010 in London trading as steel prices recovered following a global economic slump.

Chelsea and Arsenal are second and third, respectively, in the Premier League standings this year. Manchester United leads.

Putin told Abramovich in December to “open up his wallet” to help build stadiums for the 2018 soccer World Cup in Russia.

Self-Made Woman

The number of women in the list has risen above 10 percent for the first time in its history and now stands at 108, Beresford said in the statement. That number includes Mary Perkins, the founder of Specsavers Optical Group Ltd., whose increase in wealth to 1.15 billion pounds with her husband, Douglas, makes her Britain’s first self-made female billionaire, Beresford said.

The highest new entrants were Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja, 70 and 75 respectively, who took the ninth spot with a fortune calculated at 6 billion pounds. The brothers said in January they plan to sell shares in some units in India in two to three years as they expand in the country.

Bapa seret anak yang berbogel

LU TAN menyeret anak lelakinya dalam keadaan bogel di bandar Hechi, China baru-baru ini.

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HECHI, China - Seorang bapa, Lu Tan menyeret seorang anak lelakinya keluar dari sebuah kafe Internet di sini selepas membogelkannya, lapor sebuah akhbar kelmarin.

Dia menyerbu kafe Internet itu baru-baru ini dan menyeret anaknya di hadapan rakan-rakannya.

Seorang saksi berkata: "Dia (Tan) memukul budak itu yang menangis meminta belas kasihan. Namun, bapa budak itu mahu memberitahu semua orang bahawa anaknya tidak berguna dan menyeretnya ke rumah setelah membogelkan dia dengan kedua-dua tangannya diikat."

Dia menyatakan beberapa anggota polis tidak bertindak campur tangan walaupun selepas mereka dihubungi untuk membantu budak tersebut.

Saksi itu menjelaskan bahawa budak berkenaan didakwa mencuri wang untuk digunakan bagi melayari Internet.

Tan berkata, dia bertindak memukulnya kerana tidak mahu kehidupan dia dirosakkan oleh Internet.

Menurutnya, ibu budak itu meninggal dunia semasa dia berumur sembilan bulan.

"Saya sudah membesarkannya. Saya bekerja keras untuk membiayai keluarga," kata Tan. - Agensi

Kereta RM3.92 juta dalam majlis tunang anak bos F1

KERETA Bugatti Veyron F1.

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LONDON - Bos perlumbaan kereta Formula Satu (F1), Bernie Ecclestone membiayai penyanyi Rihanna yang menaiki sebuah helikopter dari Paris ke London untuk menghiburkan tetamu dalam majlis pertunangan anaknya, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Selain Rihanna, sebuah kereta Bugatti Veyron F1 yang bernilai £800,000 (RM3.92 juta) dan dianggap kereta terbaik pernah dihasilkan turut dipamerkan dalam majlis pertunangan itu.

Rihanna dibayar £250,000 (RM1.22 juta) untuk menyanyikan enam buah lagu.

Majlis pertunangan anak perempuan Bernie, Petra dengan seorang ahli perniagaan, Jamie Stunt berlangsung baru-baru ini.

Ia diadakan di dewan Stesen Kuasa Battersea di sini dan dihadiri 300 tetamu Petra termasuk kerabat diraja Britain, Puteri Beatrice dan kekasihnya, Dave Clark.

Kereta Bugatti Veyron berwarna putih itu dibawa dengan menggunakan sebuah lori. - Agensi

Budak jual 3,000 lukisan kumpul biaya rawatan kanser

AIDAN melukis gambar raksasa kegemarannya di atas katil hospital sewaktu sedang menjalani rawatan.

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KANSAS, Amerika Syarikat - Seorang kanak-kanak, Aidan Reed berjaya menjual sebanyak 3,000 keping gambar raksasa yang dilukisnya demi membiayai kos rawatan penyakit kanser yang dihidapinya, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Aidan yang berusia lima tahun itu didiagnosis penyakit leukemia pada 13 September 2010.

Sejak itu, dia yang berasal dari Kansas, Amerika Syarikat (AS) dikehendaki menjalani rawatan termasuk kemoterapi, jangkitan, saluran tulang belakang dan prosedur lain yang menyakitkan.

Pakar perubatan bagaimanapun memberitahu bahawa penyakit yang dialami Aidan menunjukkan 90 peratus untuk pulih.

Ibu bapa Aidan, Katie dan Wiley sebelum ini berdepan dengan masalah untuk membayar bil hospital sehingga terpaksa mencagar rumah mereka bagi mendapatkan wang. Cukup mengejutkan apabila Aidan yang memiliki minat melukis raksasa dapat membantu menyelesaikan masalah tersebut.

Dalam waktu singkat Aidan berjaya menjual 3,000 lukisan yang dilukis di katil hospital sewaktu menjalani rawatan.

Keseluruhan wang yang dikumpulkan melebihi AS$30,000 (RM89,235), sekali gus cukup untuk mendapatkan semula rumahnya yang dicagar dan menjalani rawatan susulan selepas ini.

Lukisan Aidan turut menerima tempahan dari Jepun, Itali, Brazil dan negara lain di seluruh dunia. - Agensi

Rom plans £80m Chelsea spree

'SEXY' PLANS ... Blues owner Abramovich

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH is ready to spend another £80million this summer to bring 'sexy football' to Chelsea.

The Russian billionaire wants the Blues to play a more thrilling and attacking style next season.

He made a start by bankrolling the £72m deals for Fernando Torres and David Luiz.

The Blues owner is targeting three main roles - a creative midfielder, a flying winger and a classy right-back - and has told chief executive Ron Gourlay to draw up a wish-list.

The targets are believed to include the likes of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, Tottenham's Gareth Bale and Dutch defender Gregory van der Wiel.

Wesley Sneijder, Thomas Muller, Adam Johnson, Matt Jarvis, Ashley Young, Jack Rodwell, Marouane Fellaini, Luka Modric and Andrey Arshavin are other possibilities - all of who can inject pace into an ageing squad.

A Blues insider said: "Roman has always wanted to see a Chelsea side that played what he calls 'sexy football.'

"He'd rather see a match where they win 4-3 in swashbuckling style than grind out a 1-0 result."

Sukan arnab melompat kian popular

SNOPPY melompat satu halangan di sebuah kelab Kaninhop di bandar Jena, jerman baru-baru ini.

JENA, Jerman - Pertandingan arnab melompat melepasi pagar kini menjadi sukan baharu yang digilai di seluruh dunia, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Mula diperkenalkan di Sweden pada awal tahun 1980-an, acara yang dikenali sebagai Kaninhop itu memerlukan arnab-arnab melompat melepasi halangan yang terdiri daripada pelbagai saiz serta ketinggian.

Seekor arnab berwarna putih hitam bernama Snoopy dari bandar Jena, Jerman merupakan bintang di kelab Kaninhop tempatan.

"Snoopy boleh melompat setinggi 60 sentimeter. Ia juga hebat dalam pertandingan dengan pernah menduduki tempat kedua dan ketiga," kata pengasas kelab Kaninhop di Jena, Claudia Fehlen.

- Agensi

Penyelam temui harta karun jutaan dolar

SEBAHAGIAN duit syiling dan harta karun yang ditemui oleh kumpulan penyelam Deep Blue Marine.

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SANTO DOMINGO - Kira-kira 700 duit syiling perak, batu cermin dan barang kemas penduduk Mayan pada era tahun 1500-an ditemui di dasar laut di luar pantai Republik Dominica, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Ia ditemui oleh satu pasukan dari kumpulan pencari harta karun, Deep Blue Marine selepas mereka melakukan tinjauan 67.59 kilometer dari pantai dengan menggunakan peralatan berteknologi tinggi.

Semasa membuat tinjauan itu, seorang nelayan tempatan menjual kepada mereka satu syiling lama yang ditemuinya semasa menyelam.

Anggota-anggota pasukan pencari harta karun itu mendapati ia merupakan antara duit syiling yang paling lama pernah ditemui.

"Kami bercakap kepada lelaki itu jika dia menunjukkan lokasi duit syiling tersebut ditemui, anda boleh bekerja dengan saya," kata Naib Presiden Deep Blue Marin, Randy Champion.

Kebanyakan duit syiling itu tidak mempunyai tarikh menyebabkan anggota-anggota kumpulan tersebut membuat rujukan dengan mencari maklumat menerusi sejumlah buku untuk mengetahui tahun duit berkenaan.

Menurut Champion, pasukan itu menyelam pada musim luruh yang lalu dan akan pergi ke lokasi tersebut dalam tempoh dua minggu lagi.

Bangkai kapal itu kini dipenuhi pasir dan terumbu karang. - Agensi