Glitter critters

Shine on you crazy exoskeleton ... golden jewel beetle

THESE crazy creatures are not afraid to show their colours in stunning pictures shot in their natural habitats.

This gleaming golden bug just loves making an exhibition of itself.
Scratching about in Costa Rica, the jewel beetle shines with these other kaleidoscopic critters from around the world. 

Their names — hawk-headed parrot, blue poison dart frog, cuckoo wasp, lantern bug and Tiger’s treefrog — are equally colourful. 

Hawk-head . . parrot in Amazon

Buzzing ... Italian cuckoo wasp

Light work ... lantern bug in Malaysia

Hop star ... blue poison dart frog

Tigerish ... Colombian treefrog

Kelibat Rozaimi, Irfan menjadi tumpuan

IRFAN (tengah) dan Rozaimi (empat dari kiri) menjadi perhatian pegawai pencari bakat kelab Brisbane Roar.

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GOLD COAST, Australia - Aksi menentang Brisbane Roar hari ini bakal menjadi medan terbaik buat kapten Harimau Muda, Irfan Fazail dan Rozaiman Abdul Rahman untuk membuktikan keupayaan masing- masing.

Ini kerana Irfan dan Rozaimi yang meledak 10 gol pada kempen kelayakan Piala AFC Bawah 22 Tahun (B-22) sebelum ini dikatakan mendapat perhatian pegawai pencari bakat kelab terbabit, Brad Maloney.
Perlawanan menentang Brisbane Roar merupakan aksi terakhir Harimau Muda pada siri Jelajah Australia yang bermula penghujung Januari lalu.

Bekas penyerang import Sabah, Scott Ollerenshaw yang mengaturkan jelajah tersebut adalah antara individu yang bertanggungjawab mengenal pasti bakat kedua-dua pemain muda itu sebelum menjemput Malo- ney menyaksikan persembahan mereka dengan lebih dekat pada aksi menentang juara Liga Australia (Liga A), Brisbane Roar hari ini.

"Saya telah dibawa oleh Ollerenshaw yang telah mengaturkan perlawanan persahabatan Harimau Muda di Australia dan sudah tentu saya mahu mencari bakat-bakat baharu, dan beliau telah memberikan cadangan untuk menilai prestasi dua pemain terbabit.

"Sejujurnya saya sangat kagum dengan persembahan pemain-pemain Harimau Muda khususnya dari segi teknik, kepantasan, skil serta persefahaman, selain memiliki barisan jurulatih yang sangat profesional biarpun usia mereka masih muda," kata Maloney ketika menyaksikan sesi latihan Harimau Muda di Kompleks Sukan Carrara di sini semalam.

"Irfan dan Rozaimi ternyata menarik perhatian saya. Mereka memiliki teknik yang bagus, pantas dan sangat cepat menyesuaikan diri dengan corak permainan. 

"Saya fikir, gaya permainan mereka cukup matang. Mereka juga dilihat mampu menyerlah jika diberikan lebih banyak pendedahan.

"Kini, saya semakin teruja untuk menyaksikan persembahan mereka pada aksi esok (hari ini)," jelasnya.
Pada masa yang sama, beliau turut menyifatkan peluang kedua-dua pemain itu nampak cerah untuk beraksi dalam Liga A.

"Saya ingin menasihati Irfan dan Rozaimi agar bermain seperti biasa dan buat seperti apa yang mereka lakukan pada sesi latihan."

Rangka tulang disahkan milik Raja England

GAMBAR menunjukkan lubang kubur yang mengandungi rangka tulang Raja Richard III di Leicester.

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LEICESTER - Identiti satu rangka tulang yang ditemui di dalam tanah di sebuah tempat meletak kereta di sini telah disahkan para saintis sebagai Raja Richard III yang pernah memerintah England.

Para penyelidik dari Universiti Leicester mendapati keputusan ujian asid deoksiribonukleik (DNA) pada rangka tulang berusia 500 tahun itu sepadan dengan seorang keturunan adik perempuan raja tersebut.

Ujian DNA yang dibuat itu melibatkan seorang pembuat perabot yang dilahirkan di Kanada, Michael Ibsen.

Ibsen merupakan keturunan adik raja itu, Anne of York.

Kesan kecederaan yang didapati pada rangka tulang itu adalah akibat satu pertempuran.
Pengumuman itu dibuat oleh seorang pakar arkeologi, Richard Buckley pada satu sidang akhbar di universiti tersebut semalam.

Rangka tulang itu ditemui pada September 2012. 

Raja itu meninggal dunia dalam pertempuran Bosworth yang berlaku pada tahun 1485.
Mayat baginda kemudian diarak dalam keadaan bogel dan berlumuran darah dari medan pertempuran ke Leicester, tengah England sebelum dikebumikan di sebuah kubur tanpa batu nisan di Greyfriars di sini.

Menurut Buckley, rangka tulang tersebut akan dikebumikan di Gereja Leicester di sini. - Agensi

Kereta sport Arab pertama dipamer di Doha

KERETA Bugatti Veyron turut dipamerkan pada Pertunjukan Kereta Antarabangsa Qatar di Doha.

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DOHA, Qatar - Sebuah kereta buatan firma Lebanon, W Motors yang bernilai £2.2 juta (RM10.65 juta) dipamerkan pada Pertunjukan Kereta Antarabangsa Qatar di sini kelmarin.

Menurut akhbar dalam talian MailOnline semalam, kereta sport LykanHypersport itu lebih mahal berbanding Bugatti Veyron yang berharga £1.5 juta (RM7.26 juta).

Ia merupakan kereta sport pertama buatan negara Arab.

Bagaimanapun, LykanHypersport masih belum dapat menandingi kelajuan Bugatti Veyron.
Kereta sport LykanHypersport mencatatkan kelajuan 0 hingga 100 kilometer sejam (km/j) dalam tempoh 2.8 saat.

Kelajuan maksimum kereta itu ialah 395 km/j.

Kereta sport Bugatti Veyron pula mencatatkan kelajuan 0 hingga 100 km/j dalam tempoh 2.5 saat.
Kelajuan maksimum kereta itu ialah 431.072 km/j.

Kereta sport LykanHypersport itu dihasilkan dengan kerjasama firma Magna Steyr Italia, RUF Automobile, Studiotorino, Viotti, dan ID4MOTIO.

Hanya tujuh buah kereta itu yang akan dikeluarkan dalam tahun ini. - Agensi

Race to buy rare Ferrari ends with sale for a massive £5.2m

Sold ... rare Ferrari went for a massive £5.2million

A RARE 1958 Ferrari has become one of the world's most expensive supercars after it sold at auction for a whopping £5.2million.

The midnight-blue convertible 250 GT LWB California Spider model - one of only 50 ever made - was the subject of a bidding war which saw it soar past its £4.2m estimate. 

It was sold by auctioneers Gooding and Company at the meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, after passing through the hands of just three owners in the past four decades. 

It was lovingly restored in 2012, going on to scoop a Platinum trophy and a set of almost perfect scores when it was shown off at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the American Ferrari Club Meet. 

Fully restored ... Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider

 

The model, certified as genuine by the Ferrari Classiche Department, features rare covered headlights, and an interior decorated with tan leather. 

David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Company said: “We always look forward to January because Scottsdale automotive auction week is a dynamic and significant marketplace for our business as well as the collector car industry as a whole." 

The auction also saw a cream 1957 Maserati 150 GT Spider prototype go up for sale, eventually being snapped up for just under £2m 

In June last year, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO made for race driver Stirling Moss was sold to US car collector Craig McCaw for a reported £22m. 

If true, that would make it the most expensive Ferrari ever sold.

Sekarang, siapa rugi?

Jika sebelum ini kelibatnya tidak dipandang sebelah mata tetapi kini ramai yang mencemburui­nya.
Pada 2011, Tottenham dan Wigan bersiap sedia dengan kemungkinan mendapatkan pemain te­ngah Celta Vigo yang dipang­gil Michu (gambar), boleh didapati secara percuma. Kedua-dua kelab itu bagaimanapun enggan mengambil tindakan susulan.

Tahun lalu, mereka juga berdepan situasi yang sama. Pemain Sepanyol itu yang ketika itu beraksi di Rayo Vallecano, menamatkan La Liga musim lalu sebagai pemain tengah dengan jaringan terbanyak dan mempunyai klausa pelepasan hanya £2.2 juta )(rm10.6 juta) di dalam kontrak.

Sekali lagi, kedua-dua kelab itu memandang sepi pemuda itu, membolehkan Swansea City tampil tanpa saingan untuk mendapat­kan pemain berusia 26 tahun itu.

Michu

Semuanya menjadi sejarah dan ramai mula me­nyedari tanggapan pengurus Swansea, Michael Laudrup yang menyifatkan Michu pembelian berbaloi musim ini.

Dia adalah penjaring ketiga terbanyak dalam Liga Perdana Inggeris sepanjang musim ini, membawa Swans ke final Piala FA dan kini dinilaikan berharga £30 juta (RM144 juta) oleh kelabnya.

Pengurus Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson bukan satu-satunya pe­ngurus Liga Perdana Inggeris yang mempersoalkan bagaimana seorang pemain yang sebagus itu boleh terlepas begitu saja.

“Hanya £2 juta (RM9.6 juta) dan saya tidak pernah mendengar mengenainya,” keluh Ferguson sebelum Krismas.” Saya perlu berbincang dengan pasukan pencari bakat.”

Penyerang legenda Ireland Utara, Gerry Armstrong, yang kini pengulas bersama perlawanan La Liga, mungkin boleh dimaafkan kerana kini berkata ”Saya sudah katakan.”

Beliau memberi amaran kepada kelab Liga Perdana Inggeris mengenai Michu tiga tahun lalu sewaktu dia bermain dengan Celta Vigo di divisyen dua Sepanyol.

“Saya menyaksikannya beberapa kali dan anda boleh melihat dia memang berbakat,” kata bekas penyerang Real Mallorca dan Tottenham itu.

“Dia adalah pemain hebat dengan teknik yang hebat, melakukan larian pada masa yang tepat ke petak penalti dan menjaringkan gol.

“Saya ada memberitahu Tottenham mengenainya dan sedar Wigan turut mahu mendapatkannya tetapi mereka turut memburu pemain lain dan tidak mengambil langkah selanjutnya.”

Michu boleh didapati menerusi perpindahan secara percuma pada akhir musim 2010-11, kerana kontraknya dengan Celta berakhir. Rayo Vallecano, sebuah kelab di luar Madrid, yang baru-baru ini dinaikkan ke La Liga, mendapatkannya dan membayarnya £6,000 (RM28,976) seminggu, menurut Armstrong.

Pada musim pertama­nya di liga perdana Sepanyol, Michu menunjukkan kehebatannya. Dia menjaringkan 15 gol, menjadikannya penjaring tengah terbanyak di La Liga, mengatasi Andres Iniesta dan Mesut Ozil, serta membantu Rayo kekal di La Liga.

Anda mungkin menjang­kakan jumlah jaringan itu mampu menarik kelab besar Eropah terutamanya apabila Michu mempunyai klausa pelepasan £2.2 juta dalam kontraknya.

Begitupun, Felipe Minambres, pengarah bola sepak Rayo, berkata: “Banyak pasukan bertanyakan kami mengenai Michu tetapi yang benar-benar serius membuat tawaran adalah Swansea.”

Justeru mengapa kelab lain tidak cuba mendapatkan pemain itu?

“Saya rasa mereka tidak melihatnya dengan teliti, biarpun mungkin mereka akan melihatnya dengan lebih teliti sekarang,” kata Armstrong.

“Mereka mungkin terfikir bahawa corak permainan di Sepanyol dan England jauh berbeza tetapi saya yakin Michu boleh menyesuaikan diri, dia mempunyai tubuh yang besar, berketinggian 1.84m dengan teknik yang hebat dan mampu menjaringkan gol.

“Dia juga bekerja keras dan mempunyai etika kerja yang bagus.”

Jumbo fit for a prince: The £240million private jet

• Billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud ordered the customised Airbus A380 three years ago
• He already owns a customised 747, an Airbus 231 and a luxury yacht featured in a James Bond film
• Jet will boast luxury suites as well as a prayer room with electronic mats which automatically turn towards mecca 

When you have £16billion in the bank, a Cessna is simply not an option.

Instead, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud is about to take delivery of an Airbus A380, the world’s biggest private jet. 

The same model is used by Singapore Airlines and Emirates and can fly 800 passengers 8,000 miles before refuelling. But the Saudi prince doesn’t need 800 seats, so he will have them removed to make room for an opulent, marble-finished Turkish bath and a parking space for his Rolls-Royce.

Flying palace: An artist's impression of what the £300million customised Superjumbo will look like and a few of the luxuries on board

The plane will even boast a dedicated prayer area, in which computer-generated mats move to point towards Mecca.

The Western-educated prince, 57, is known as the Warren Buffett of the Middle East because of his reputation as a shrewd investor. He also owns 7 per cent of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.

The new airliner joins Prince Alwaleed’s stable of private jets, including a modified Boeing 747 and an Airbus 321. He is also the proud owner of a 280ft superyacht, 5KR, formerly owned by Donald Trump, which featured in the Bond film, Never Say Never Again.

Business class: The plane's boardroom features a table which functions as a giant touchscreen and (right) a white spiral staircase winds around the lift which travels three floors and also drops onto the tarmac to act as the prince's private entrance

The new jet, which has already been labelled the Flying Palace, will boast:

• A dazzling main spiral staircase as well as a lift which will travel the plane's three floors and lower onto the tarmac to act as the Prince's private entrance
• A Concert Hall featuring a grand piano, accoustic panelling and seating for an audience of ten. Big name entertainers are expected to perform.
• A Hamam steam room lined with marble only two millimetres thick to keep the weight down as well as a sensory area for treatments
• A magnificent Wellbeing room for guests featuring a giant screen on the floor allowing them to see what they are flying over
• A full size boardroom featuring a large perspex table which doubles as a huge touchscreen
• A total of five luxury suites as well as a prayer room with electronic mats which automatically turn to face mecca  
• Ample parking space for a Rolls Royce   

 

Night flight: The opulent jet will boast no fewer than four luxury suites as well as a prayer room with electronic mats that automatically turn to face mecca while (right) the stunning Wellbeing room for guests will feature a giant screen on the floor allowing them to see what they are flying over

Giant of the skies: The Airbus A380 is the world's largest airliner and has been designed to carry over 600 passengers. The basic cost is £135 million but Prince Alwaleed's plane is expected to top £300million 

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the region's wealthiest man

Airbus will deliver the extravagant toy to the prince in the New Year, a spokesman confirmed.
The prince is the first person to buy one of the luxury jumbos, estimated to have cost £240million. 


The spokesman said: ‘This is the most up-to-date model you can get and the largest civil aircraft ever. It’s huge – half again as big as a 747.’ 


The Airbus will be delivered to the prince ‘green’ – a basic shell ready to be furnished to the client’s desires. 

Design Q, the company working on the interior, says the A380 is ‘not only the most luxurious aircraft in existence, but also reflects the cultural values and status of its owner’. 

The plane boasts the equivalent of three tennis courts’ worth of floor space, while the lowest cargo deck also has ample parking room. 

A grand white spiral staircase will greet guests in the entrance hall. 


On arrival a lift drops to the runway and a red carpet unfurls, with downlights to ‘give the impression of turning up at the Oscars’, according to Design Q.

The belly of the A380 has been turned into a relaxation zone, including a Turkish bath lined with marble only 2mm thick to keep the weight down.

Next door is a wellbeing room, with the floor and walls turned into a giant screen showing the ground below. 

Guests can stand on a ‘magic carpet’ and watch the journey, a scented breeze blowing into the room.

There are also about 20 ‘sleepers’ – the equivalent of First Class seats – a boardroom and a concert hall.

As the largest stakeholder in News Corp outside the Murdoch Family, Prince Alalweed was interviewed on the deck of his yacht in Cannes by the BBC following the phone tapping scandal.

Looking relaxed in a pair of shorts and sunglasses he famously declared that News Corp's then chief executive Rebekah Brooks 'has to go', which many believe effectively ended Brooks's career at the company.

A spokesman for Design Q, the Worcestershire-based company who will be carrying out the customisation of the plane, told the Independent the plane would be 'not only the most luxurious aircraft in existence, but also reflects the cultural values and status of its owner.'

Mayan doomsday

  - 12 ways the world could end tomorrow

Friday ... end of the world?

THE Apocalypse could be just a day away – and a Sun investigation can now reveal the top 12 end-of-the world scenarios.

The ancient Mayan civilisation’s 5,125-year-old Long Count calendar ends on Friday December 21 – and doom mongers across the world are predicting global oblivion. 

It is not known exactly how the Doomsday will come about but experts have speculated that a deadly alien invasion, catastrophic meteorite collision and even the Large Hadron Collider – just over the English Channel could destroy the Earth as we know it. 

Here Alice Everley explores the 12 chilling ways we could perish. 

Are we doomed? ... Chitchen Itza in Yucatan penisula of Mexico, once home to the ancient Mayan civilisations

 

1 METEORITE COLLISION 
 
ASTEROID expert Austen Atkinson says the chances of a serious meteorite strike on Earth are very small but the consequences would be catastrophic. Asteroids near Earth travel at between 20 and 30 kilometres per second, making them both hard to intercept and hard to see. If a 500-metre wide asteroid hits the water, a tsunami several miles in height could wipe out all humanity.
2 FLU PANDEMIC 
 
DEADLY flu pandemics happen irregularly but are very dangerous and destructive. The most serious pandemic in recent history was the ruthless and deadly 1918 Spanish flu. It spread all the way to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands, claiming the lives of as many as 50MILLION people. Scientists believe that the next pandemic is not a matter of if but when. 

3 MASS RADIATION EXPLOSION FROM THE SUN 
 
THE sun releases huge amounts of matter and radiation, releasing bursts of solar wind and magnetic fields into space. Those particles cause strong aurorae that we know as Northern Lights in the North Pole and Southern Lights in Antarctica. But intense cosmic rays from a mega-powerful ejection could cause anything from massive long-lasting power outages to fatal exposure to humans by blowing a massive hole in the Ozone layer. 

Sun matter ... Northern Lights

 

4 RELIGIOUS APOCALYPSE 
 
MOST religions predict some variation of a Judgement Day. In Christianity it will supposedly happen after the resurrection of the dead and the second coming of Jesus Christ. In Islam, Yawm ad-Din is believed to be God’s final assessment of humanity, going hand-in-hand with annihilation of all creatures, resurrection of the body and the judgement of all. The exact timescale of the predicted apocalypse is unknown. 

5 SUPERVOLCANO 
 
A SUPERVOLCANO is capable of producing an eruption of a scale thousands of times larger than a normal volcano. Continental hotspots conceal huge flat-lying invisible supervolcanoes, where a massive magma pool would be growing underground and could explode. The famous active Yellowstone supervolcano in Idaho is 50 miles across and could cause destruction over a 1,000-mile plus radius - causing potential extinction. 

Sleeping monster ... supervolcano

 

6 CATACLYSMIC POLE SHIFT 
 
SCIENTISTS suggest the Earth had experienced shifts in relative positions of the modern-day geographic locations of the poles. If the poles shifted rapidly, it could lead to cataclysmic events, such as devastating floods and tectonic plate shifts associated with earthquakes and volcano eruptions. 

7 ALIEN INVASION 
 
EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS invading our planet have been a constant fear over the last century. Believers suggest aliens have been living among us for a long time, infiltrating the world’s population by pretending to be human. On December 21st doom mongers say we could expect anything from an alien invasion - wiping out mankind or extra-terrestrials depleting the planet’s resources and destroying the Earth. 

Invasion ... aliens

 

8 NUCLEAR WAR/WW3 
 
THE Cold War is over, but the threat is still very real – think North Korea’s long-range rocket launched just this week heightening international tensions and fears the rogue state could be building up to a nuclear capability.

9 ICE AGE 
 
GRADUAL climate change in the shape of global warming is well-known but an abrupt climate change is a distinct possibility, some scientists say. Global warming may reduce the warm winds blowing from the tropics – causing a big imbalance in temperatures within the Northern hemisphere with the environmental consequences unknown and potentially fatal. 

Chilling ... Ice Age

 

10 RISE OF THE MACHINES 
 
SUPER artificial intelligence with the view to a kill could be hiding among us waiting to strike, some conspiracy theorists have suggested. The chances of a big plot attempting to conceal such technological progress from humans are slim. But let’s face it, if they are capable of taking over the world on December 21st, they wouldn’t be reckless enough for us to notice before they’re all set, would they? 

11 TIME TRAVEL ERROR 
 
TIME travel geeks believe someone from the future could have ventured into our past and caused a conflict in the time-space continuum. This, they argue, could be how the Mayans got their mysterious calendar in the first place. The Mayan time-traveller could then have zipped back in time and warned the ancients all about the apocalypse.

12 LARGE HADRON COLLIDER (LHC) 
 
SCIENTISTS from 60 countries have been working 250ft underground on the project trying to recreate conditions after the Big Bang 14billion years ago. Some still fear there is a chance the powerful machine could generate mini black holes which could grow and instantly swallow our planet. They even tried to get the European Court of Human Rights to stop the tests.

Messi’s on the market... at, er, £312MILLION!

LOLLY GOSH ... Messi is making serious bucks

LIONEL MESSI would now cost Manchester City or Chelsea a mind-blowing £312MILLION.

The world’s best player has agreed a new six-year deal with Barcelona worth an estimated £17m a year gross until 2018. 

That totals an amazing £102m in wages. Add in his £210m get-out clause and the total package is £312m.
And that is only if the man many already acclaim as the greatest footballer of all time accepts to move to Manchester City or Chelsea WITHOUT a pay rise. 

Realistically, though, the chance of Messi, 25, ever coming to an English club appears to be zero. 

Midfield maestro Xavi, 32, and inspirational skipper Carles Puyol, 34, have also both agreed new deals. 

Barca director Toni Freixa said: “Puyol, Messi and Xavi are three basic pillars. It was absolutely necessary to have our principal pieces tied to the club. 

“It’s a great satisfaction for the board to give continuity to our project with these new deals.”
Messi was earning around £10m a year gross in his last contract, plus an extra 30 per cent which was performance-related. 

But his new deal will cost Barcelona a lot more because of new tax laws in Spain. 

Instead of 24 per cent tax, the Catalans will now pay up to 52 per cent on Messi’s salary — which means they will have to shell out a huge amount more in order to give him even a modest net pay rise. 

Barca remained tight-lipped about the terms of the deal last night. Talks were not straightforward as they have lasted the best part of four months. 

But Barca president Sandro Rosell was desperate not to be the man who messed up Messi. 

The Argentina hero has already spent 12 years at the club after joining as a precocious kid. 

This is the sixth time he has renewed his contract, signing a two-year extension to his previous deal which ran until 2016. 

Messi has scored a record-breaking 90 goals for club and country in 2012. He also set a new La Liga record last season with 50 goals. 

Despite the loss of celebrated chief Pep Guardiola, Barcelona are enjoying the best start ever in La Liga under new boss Tito Vilanova — they have won 15 games out of 16 and sit nine points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

Four days to go until the Mayan Doomsday

If you’re seriously concerned about the world ending on Friday, then this could be just the ticket.

Ron Hubbard has built a luxurious underground bomb-proof shelter in Montebello, California, with a leather sofa, plasma TV and wooden flooring - just in case the Mayans’ predictions come true.

The civilisation’s Long Count calendar which began 5,125 years ago in 3113 B.C. ends on December 21, 2012 - sparking fears among a small group of people that a major catastrophe could happen.

Bomb-proof: Children test out the bunk beds in the underground survival shelter in Montebello, California

Going underground: The luxurious bomb, nuclear and chemical weapon-proof bunkers are kitted out with beds, kitchens, flushing toilets and even fireplaces - and sell for an average price of £46,000 based on fittings

Handle: A young girl stands in the bunker, which has a leather sofa, plasma TV and wooden flooring

Mr Hubbard manufactures hi-tech underground ‘recreational bomb shelters’ - and has seen his business boom from selling one a month to one a day in the past year.

THE END - OR A NEW CALENDAR?

Inscriptions in Mexico refer to Bolon Yokte - a god associated with war and the underworld - 'descending from the sky' at the end of a 13th period of 400 years on December 21 2012.

But many Mayan experts believe the ‘apocalypse’ concept is a false interpretation of their 5,125-year Long Count cycle as Friday simply marks the start of a new calendar.

The luxurious bomb, nuclear and chemical weapon-proof bunkers are kitted out with beds, kitchens, flushing toilets and even fireplaces - and sell for an average price of £46,000.

Mr Hubbard revealed that he is currently rushing the instalment of two shelters - one in New York and another in Indiana - in time for the potential Doomsday anticipated by some people this Friday.

He said: ‘I will be heading into my shelter on December 21 just because I have one and if any of the astrophysicists are right, I would feel really stupid.

Tidy: The 500 sq ft cylindrical shelters - produced in California - each measure 10ft in diameter and 50ft long

Home comforts: A bed is prepared in the shelter with the Chile flag on the pillows and duvet cover

Practical: The bunkers have escape tunnels with one sided hatches which can only open from the inside, as well as sealed contamination rooms between the entrance and living areas

‘I've sold shelters to astrophysicists who believe there is a possibility that we could be hit with a strong solar flare or large amounts of radiation. 

'I will be heading into my shelter on December 21 just because I have one and if any of the astrophysicists are right, I would feel really stupid'

Ron Hubbard, shelter manufacturer

‘I'll spend three days underground in the shelter just to be safe. If you have a shelter you might as well go in it. I don't think anything will happen but you never know.’

The 500 sq ft cylindrical shelters - produced at Mr Hubbard’s based in California - each measure 10ft in diameter and 50ft long.

They have escape tunnels with one sided hatches which can only open from the inside, as well as sealed contamination rooms between the entrance and living areas.

But they have proved popular not just with those preparing for armageddon, but hunters too.

Installation: The chambers are mean to be installed 20 feet underground - offering comfort as the world falls apart around you

Relax in comfort: A leather sofa and basins can be found inside the Doomsday underground bunker

Space optimization: There are a range of shelters for sale- this one being cheaper than the luxury edition

Mr Hubbard said: ‘I started making them because I wanted one for myself, but didn't want to pay $1million (£600,000) to $2million (£1.2million) for them.

'I'll spend three days underground in the shelter just to be safe. If you have a shelter you might as well go in it. I don't think anything will happen but you never know'

Ron Hubbard, shelter manufacturer

‘We get a lot of people who buy the shelters as a form of insurance for the worst case scenario. Just like someone would buy fire insurance in case their home suffers a fire.

‘We have gone from selling one a month to one a day in the past year since Obama's re-election.
‘Many people are afraid of economic meltdown, others simply want to have one just in case something catastrophic does happen.

‘People love them. They make a very nice hunting cabin or weekend retreat, so they don't just have to sit there waiting for a catastrophe.’

Creature comforts: The small dining area with an ornament on the side is reminiscent of a table at a diner

Home made: There is a mini fridge and microwave in the shelter but little other space for food preparation

Tight quarters: Visitors likened the California shelter to a studio apartment when they looked around

CCTV with a view of the world upstairs: Add a few trinkets and posters and you have a home from home