Drogba to quit Chelsea after snubbing new deal

DEAL ME OUT ... veteran Blues' hitman Drogba

DIDIER DROGBA is ready to walk away from Chelsea after rejecting a January move to AC Milan.

The striker, 33, is in the final season of his £120,000-a-week contract and has turned down a 12-month extension.

Now he is poised to quit Stamford Bridge as a free agent next summer for a lucrative switch to Russia or Qatar.

Drogba's agent Thierno Seydi, based in Senegal, claimed last night: "Didier has had the offer of a one-year extension from Chelsea. That does not suit us.

"We know what we want, where we want to go and what offers we have.

"AC Milan came in for Didier on loan with an option to buy but I said 'No' straight away. Their offer did not interest us.

"At Didier's age, he has nothing left to prove as a player. He will go where he is offered the most money.

"It could be the United States, Russia, Qatar or somewhere else in Asia.

"Once you are well into your thirties you have to go to a club where you can be certain you'll be able to pay your bills.

"LA Galaxy are a possibility among many others. He has been linked with Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia, as they pay well.

"But neither Didier nor I have had an offer from them."

Drogba was signed by Jose Mourinho from Marseille for £24million back in 2004 and has scored 146 goals in his seven years at Chelsea.

News of Drogba's impending departure comes as former Blues favourite Marcel Desailly claims the club is being torn apart under Andre Villas-Boas by dressing-room cliques.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman said: "There are quite a few mini-clans at the club.

"The squad is exploding and people who could hold things together in the past are having to deal with personal worries. You sense total disorganisation at Chelsea right now. It is collectively falling apart."

Kenderaan baharu teroka Marikh

GAMBAR yang tidak bertarikh menunjukkan beberapa juruteknik memerhatikan kenderaan Curiosity di Makmal NASA di Pasadena, California.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Amerika Syarikat (AS) - Pentadbiran Aeronautik dan Angkasa Lepas Kebangsaan (NASA) mendedahkan kenderaan baharu sebesar sebuah kereta yang akan meneroka planet Marikh.

Kenderaan itu yang diberi nama Curiosity mempunyai lengan sepanjang dua meter dan dilengkapi laser untuk memusnahkan batu di planet tersebut.

"Ini ialah mesin impian saintis Marikh," kata timbalan ketua projek saintis Marikh di NASA, Ashwin Vasavada.

Kenderaan itu bernilai AS$2.5 bilion (RM7.94 bilion) dan ia akan bergerak ke kawasan yang mempunyai organik dan karbon di Marikh pada Ogos tahun depan.

Kenderaan itu membawa seberat 4.8 kilogram plutonium yang boleh menjana kuasa selama dua tahun di Marikh.

Ia sepanjang dua meter, lebar sembilan meter dan setinggi dua meter. - Agensi

Katil tempat Jackson mati tak akan dijual

GAMBAR yang dirakamkan pada 7 November lalu menunjukkan katil tempat Michael Jackson meninggal dunia di rumahnya di Los Angeles, California.

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LOS ANGELES, Amerika Syarikat (AS) - Katil tempat penyanyi terkenal, Michael Jackson meninggal dunia pada 25 Jun 2009 tidak akan dijual dalam satu acara lelongan pada 17 Disember depan.

Lelongan berkenaan menampilkan barang-barang dari sebuah rumah yang disewa oleh Raja Pop itu di sini.

Firma lelongan Julien menarik balik katil tersebut daripada senarai lelongan barangan dari rumah beralamat 100 N. Carolwood Drive di sini yang merupakan kediaman terakhir Jackson sebelum kematiannya.

Presiden firma berkenaan, Darren Julien menyatakan kelmarin bahawa hanya kepala katil berkenaan sepatutnya dijual dalam lelongan itu.

"Namun atas permintaan Estet Michael Jackson, kami menarik balik kepala katil ini daripada lelongan yang akan diadakan pada 17 Disember depan," kata Julien.

"Sebelum ini cuma kepala katil ini yang berada dalam senarai lelongan, bahagian-bahagian lain katil berkenaan bukan untuk dijual," tambahnya. - Agensi

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Ford has announced the launch of a record-breaking V8 engine, debuting in the Shelby GT500 this week, ahead of its Los Angeles Auto Show debut.

The new 2013 Ford Shelby GT 500 contains a 5.8-liter supercharged V8 producing 650 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, making it (by Ford’s reckoning) the most powerful production V8 engine in the world.

The model boasts a top speed of more than 200 mph (320 km/h), helped by its 3,850-pound light weight and a six-speed manual transmission, with Ford’s high-performance SVT team individually tuning nearly every vehicle system for power.

One of the principal modifications is a larger, more efficient supercharger that helps to create the 650 hp, along with a new cooling system to relieve the 5.8-liter engine.

Ford has also fitted a launch control system to optimize launch traction depending on surface and temperature and fitted the car with Brembo brakes, with a package allowing the addition of SVT-designed Bilstein electronc adjustable dampeners.

The model will be on show, alongside its nemesis, the redesigned Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public November 18.

Yellow Sun-Drop diamond sells for $11 million

A 110-carat yellow jewel called the Sun Drop Diamond, thought the biggest of its kind in the world, sold for a record 10 million francs ($10.9 million) at auction in Geneva.

The gem was discovered in South Africa in 2010 and wowed visitors to London’s Natural History Museum where it was dispalyed earlier this year.

“It’s an absolute record for a yellow diamond,” Sotheby’s David Bennett told journalists after the sale. “It is a spectacular, unique stone.”

The sale price was slightly less than the estimations of experts who had valued the yellow diamond at between 11 and 15 million dollars.

Gemologists have certified the pear-shaped jewel as “Fancy Vivid Yellow”, the rarest and most desirable colour for a yellow diamond, Sotheby’s said.

The yellow diamond, about the size of a woman’s thumb, takes its colour from traces of nitrogen in its carbon makeup.

Following its discovery the gem was cut in New York by US diamond company Cora International and spent a number of months on public display .

“Every time we’ve shown it around the world, people have gone ‘oh my god’,” Bennett, head of jewellery for Europe and the Middle East, told AFP last week.

“It has never been owned so the buyer will be the first person to wear it,” said the expert.

Beyonce dapat RM359,000 satu minit

LOS ANGELES: Penyanyi Beyonce Knowles dinamakan sebagai penghibur yang menerima bayaran paling tinggi di dunia yang mengenakan bayaran mengikut setiap minit kemunculan beliau di pentas.

Penyanyi Love on Top itu mengungguli satu kajian pendapat halaman web media sosial saucytime.com dengan memperoleh £1.25 juta (RM6.3 juta) bagi persembahan yang membabitkan nyanyian lima buah lagu pada satu majlis persendirian sambutan Tahun Baru 2010, yang menyamai pendapatan sebanyak £71,040 (RM359,000) bagi setiap minit persembahan beliau di pentas, lapor femalefirs.co.uk.

Tempat kedua adalah penyanyi Mariah Carey yang menerima bayaran £630,000 (RM3.2 juta) bagi satu persembahan membabitkan nyanyian empat buah lagu di sebuah parti yang sama diadakan tahun sebelumnya di kepulauan Caribbean yang sama.

Penyanyi yang menduduki tempat ketiga pula adalah Kylie Minogue yang dibayar sebanyak £33,000 (RM166,00) bagi setiap 60 saat. Beliau menyanyi di sebuah majlis pelancaran di Hotel Atlantis, Dubai pada November 2008.

Ia diikuti Jennifer Lopez yang menerima bayaran hampir £25,000 (RM126,000) seminit dari seorang jutawan Russia, Andrei Meinichenko ketika muncul di majlis sambutan hari jadi isterinya pada 2007.

Sementara itu, Beyonce dikatakan terus membangkitkan tanda tanya mengenai kebenaran mengenai berita kehamilan beliau ketika muncul dalam persembahan Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

Penyanyi berkenaan mempersembahkan single terbarunya, Countdown dalam rancangan berkenaan tetapi perutnya tidak kelihatan seperti sedang hamil.
Ketika pengacara memperkenalkan kemunculan penyanyi itu, beliau mengenakan baju singkat hitam dan langsung tidak kelihatan seperti hamil enam bulan seperti yang didakwa.

Bagaimanapun penyanyi berusia 30 tahun itu sebenarnya muncul melalui persembahan yang dirakamkan lebih awal ketika musim panas lalu.

Penonton jelas tidak menyedari bahawa Fallon menjadikan bintang Amerika Syarikat itu seperti benar-benar berada di studio berkenaan. Ketika pengacara menunjukkan album terkini penyanyi itu beliau memandang kamera sambil berkata: “Malam ini dia di sini untuk mempersembahkan lagu Countdown dari album terkininya, Four. Dipersilakan Benyonce.”

Penonton di studio kemudian bersorak dan mula memberikan tepukan kepada seseorang yang sebenarnya tidak berada di sana. – Agensi

Electric Rolls-Royce Phantom 102EX

Luxury car maler Rolls-Royce has developed its first electric-powered vehicle, that goes up to 125 miles fully charged.

The one-off Phantom 102EX has been touring the globe to gauge the reactions of Rolls-Royce owners and potential customers to a fully electric-powered car.

The 6.75-liter V-12 was replaced by a massive 71-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery housed within the aluminum spaceframe.

“We have engineered the world’s first battery electric vehicle for the ultra-luxury segment,” chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a statement.

“We begin an exploration into alternative drive-trains, seeking clarity on which alternative technologies may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce cars of the future.”

The company wants to ascertain how long the car can drive between re-charges and how it operates in extreme weather conditions, but there are no plans yet to develop a production version.

“I must be convinced that any alternative drive-train we choose for the future delivers an authentic Rolls-Royce experience,” Muller-Otvos said.

“It must be a technology that is right for our customers, our brand and which sets us on a sound footing for a sustainable future.”

Penari bogel laris di Singapura

PENARI bogel separuh masa, Bryan Tan menunjukkan kostumnya di sebuah apartmen di Singapura kelmarin.

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SINGAPURA – Khidmat penari bogel mendapat permintaan tinggi di Singapura walaupun aktiviti tersebut menyalahi undang-undang negara.

Sungguhpun polis mempunyai kuasa menyerbu mana-mana tempat termasuk kediaman persendirian yang disyaki menjalankan aktiviti tidak senonoh itu, ia gagal menghalang penari-penari bogel Singapura daripada mengiklankan perkhidmatan mereka.

Kebiasaannya para penari bogel di Singapura terdiri daripada pekerja kolar putih berusia dalam lingkungan 20-an.

Mereka menjadi penari eksotik selepas waktu pejabat untuk memenuhi permintaan golongan heteroseksual dan juga gay di pulau berkenaan.

Pemilik agensi hiburan tempatan 2niteok Entertainment, Bryan Tan yang menjadi penari bogel selama lapan tahun berkata, perkhidmatan tarian itu mendapat permintaan tinggi kalangan penduduk pulau berkenaan.

“Tarian bogel adalah biasa di Barat tetapi kini ia semakin digemari di Singapura,” kata Tan yang bekerja sebagai pegawai pentadbiran pada waktu siang.

Menurut laman web syarikatnya, caj untuk melanggani tarian separa bogel ialah Sg$300 (RM736) untuk persembahan selama 20 minit manakala bayaran Sg$400 (RM981) dikenakan untuk tarian bogel sepenuhnya.

Bagi penari bogel wanita pula, mereka biasanya memakai coli dan seluar dalam semasa melakukan persembahan.

“Lelaki lebih gemar melihat wanita memakai pakaian berbanding berbogel sepenuhnya,” kata seorang eksekutif wanita, Jasmine Tan, 28, yang menjadi penari bogel untuk tiga atau empat kali sebulan.

Rata-rata penari bogel di sini merahsiakan pekerjaan sampingan mereka daripada keluarga kerana budaya masyarakat Singapura yang masih konservatif. – AFP

Homes with Unbelievable Garages

Here are five upscale homes with the most amazing car garages currently on the market:

780 Ashley Road, Santa Barbara, CA
Capacity: up to 32 cars
List Price: $20 million

This garage is in a Santa Barbara, CA home for sale at $20 million. Photo: Realtor.com

Montecito's modernistic Glass Pavilion home touts a walnut wood-lined art gallery capable of housing and displaying up to 32 autos.

5000 Royal Street, Park City, UT
Capacity: one 6-car garage, one 22-car garage
List Price: $49.5 million

This garage is in a Park City, UT home for sale at $49.5 million. Photo: Realtor.com

This 63 acre-compound includes a 22,000-square foot log house with 12 bedrooms, two bunk bedrooms and indoor pool as well as two garages, housing 26 cars between the two of them.

21600 Norman Shores Drive, Cornelius, NC
Capacity: one 2-car garage, one 3-car garage
List Price: $2.1 million

This garage is in a Cornelius, NC home for sale at $2.1 million. Photo: Realtor.com/Newscom

The lower level of this Charlotte-area waterfront house is dedicated to an auto showroom equipped with everything from a bar and lounge area to shelves for auto-related memorabilia.

14801 Goodrich Creek Lane, Baker City, OR
Capacity: 12 cars
List Price: $1.8 million

This garage is in a Baker City, OR home for sale at $1.8 million. Photo: Realtor.com/Newscom

This "log home" comes with a carriage house that is outfitted with a 12-car climate controlled showroom, plus a woodworking shop and 1,500-square foot guest suite.

31632 Trigo Trail, Coto De Caza, CA
Capacity: 20 cars or more
List Price: $6.5 million

This garage is in a Coto De Caza, CA home for sale at $6.5 million. Photo: Realtor.com/Newscom

This "car aficionado's compound" boasts 9,500 square feet of living space, grounds hosting a bocce ball court, and an 8,000-square foot auto gallery capable of displaying more than 20 cars within its picture-bedecked walls.

Lukisan dijual RM194.4 juta

GAMBAR oleh firma lelongan Sotheby di New York menunjukkan lukisan abstrak 1949-A-No. 1.

NEW YORK, Amerika Syarikat (AS) - Firma lelongan Sotheby di sini menjual sebuah lukisan abstrak karya Clyfford Still pada harga AS$61.7 juta (RM194.4) dalam satu lelongan kelmarin, sekali gus mencatat rekod baharu untuk pelukis AS berkenaan.

Lukisan yang berjudul 1949-A-No. 1, menampilkan gabungan corak abstrak berwarna putih, hitam dan merah pada kanvas. Harga anggaran lukisan tersebut ialah antara AS$25 juta (RM78.8 juta) hingga AS$35 juta (RM110.37 juta).

Rekod termahal untuk lukisan Still sebelum ini ialah AS$21.3 juta (RM67.1 juta).

Still yang dianggap pakar dalam lukisan ekspresionisme, meninggal dunia pada tahun 1980. - AFP