Mansory McLaren MP4-12C Revealed

Mansory has released the first images and details of their tuning package for the McLaren MP4-12C which will be unveiled tomorrow at the Geneva Motor Show.

Thanks to a new performance exhaust, new air intake system and an engine remap, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo unit makes 670 PS 675 Nm (498 lb-ft) of torque.

As a result of this and the aerodynamic enhancements, the McLaren is supposedly capable of doing 353 km/h (219 mph).

The exterior receives a body kit by Mansory that widens the dimension of the vehicle by 60mm, it includes replacement parts for the roof, the front and rear aprons, the mirror housings and the fenders. The kit is completed with a set of 20 inch wheels.

Mansory has also worked on the interior. It includes a new airbag sports steering wheel, aluminium pedals and real carbon-fibre elements.

The Mansory MP4-12C will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show that opens to the media on March 6

Source: worldcarfans

Yang mana satu?

Abramovich cari pengganti selamatkan kempen Chelsea selepas pecat AVB

DALAM diam-diam, pemilik Chelsea Roman Abramovich mungkin sudah berdamai dengan Jose Mourinho dan bekas bos The Blues itu menjadi antara calon untuk mengambil alih tugas pengendali di Stamford Bridge musim depan susulan pemecatan Andre Villas-Boas.

Abramovich memecat Villas-Boas Ahad lalu, kurang 24 jam selepas kekalahan memalukan 1-0 di West Bromwich Albion yang sekali gus terus meletakkan Chelsea di tangga kelima saingan Liga Perdana.

Buat sementara, bekas pemain tengah Roberto Di Matteo yang menjadi pembantu Villas-Boas, dinamakan sebagai pengurus sementara sehingga hujung musim untuk cuba mengelak malapetaka memalukan tersingkir pada pusingan kelima Piala FA apabila menentang kelab Liga Kejuaraan, Birmingham dalam tugasan pertamanya, hari ini.

Selepas itu, pengurus Itali itu akan memberi tumpuan untuk mengemudi Chelsea berada dalam kelompok empat teratas liga bagi menjamin tempat dalam saingan Liga Juara-Juara musim depan - atau mungkin cuba bangkit menebus kekalahan 3-1 kepada Napoli dalam perlawanan 16 terakhir Liga Juara-Juara.

Namun spekulasi yang lebih hangat diperkatakan masa kini berkisar terhadap sasaran Abramovich untuk mencari pengurus kelapan dalam tempoh lapan tahun sebagai pemilik kelab London barat itu.

Sejak membeli Chelsea pada 2003, Abramovich menyingkirkan Claudio Ranieri, Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti dan Villas-Boas dan nama yang kian disebut-sebut kini ialah Mourinho, bekas pengurus Liverpool Rafael Benitez dan pengurus Barcelona, Pep Guardiola, selain bekas pengurus England, Fabio Capello. – AFP

Running reptile isn't making a splash

Water walker ... lizard goes for a run

BRIAN BEVAN / ARDEA / CATERS NEWS

By MATT QUINTON

CHECK out this whizz of a lizard — as it darts across a pool.

The sporty Plumed Crested Basilisk — also known as Jesus Christ basilisk — can walk on water.

Its amazing antics were caught by photographer Brian Bevan, who built a pool to capture the reptile's skill.

He used a hi-tech laser-beam system which triggered the camera as the creature was mid-stride.

Brian, from Biggleswade, Beds, said he was surprised at how well the pictures turned out.

He said: "I created a tank with two shelters either side and a little pond in the middle.

"Basilisks are known for their ability to walk on water and I decided to set up the laser system because I noticed how it would dash from one side to the other.

Mid-stride ... lizard halfway though its run

BRIAN BEVAN / ARDEA / CATERS NEWS

"I've seen a few pictures of basilisks walking on water but I was quite surprised when I saw these shots because I hadn't seen anything like this before.

"It looks as though I caught it just at the right moment when it was deciding which direction to run in."

Basilisks are native to South America. They achieve the incredible feat by running very fast, creating enough force with their feet to keep their body above the water.

Harta karun bernilai RM241.8 juta dijual

SEBAHAGIAN daripada harta karun yang ditemui di perairan Indonesia merupakan barangan kemas.

JAKARTA – Harta karun bernilai AS$80 juta (RM241.8 juta) yang ditemui di dalam sebuah kapal yang karam di perairan Indonesia 1,000 tahun dahulu sekali lagi akan dijual.

Dikenali sebagai Harta Karun Cirebon, ia ditemui di dalam bangkai sebuah kapal dekat Pelabuhan Cirebon di Pulau Jawa dan mengandungi sekitar 250,000 objek berharga termasuk kristal, mutiara dan emas.

“Harta karun ini adalah yang terbesar pernah ditemui di Asia Tenggara berdasarkan kualiti atau kuantiti,” kata Pengarah Cosmix Underwater Research Ltd., Luc Heymans dalam satu e-mel kepada agensi berita Assoicated French Press.

Syarikat berkenaan yang beribu pejabat di Dubai, Emiriyah Arab Bersatu bertanggungjawab mengangkut harta karun itu dari dasar laut.

Harta karun itu ditemui dari bangkai sebuah kapal sedalam 57 meter oleh beberapa nelayan Indonesia.

Kira-kira 22,000 selaman dilakukan di antara April 2004 dan Oktober 2005 yang dibiayai syarikat berkenaan selepas pihak berkuasa Indonesia memberikan kebenaran untuk mengangkut harta karun berkenaan.

Firma berkenaan gagal mencari pembeli apabila harta karun tersebut dijual pada satu lelongan di Indonesia pada tahun 2010.

Ia kemudian dieksport ke Singapura.

“Harta karun itu akan dijual di Singapura,” kata Heymans. – AFP

Elephants get their feathers ruffled by a flock of angry birds

Flock and awe ... birds spook elephants

Caters News Agency

DETERMINED to keep their favourite roosting spot free from unwanted intruders, this is the incredible moment a giant cloud of tiny birds spook a herd of elephants.

Thousands of starling-sized queleas come together to form an imposing barrier which prevents the thirsty beasts from reaching a watering hole.

The five-ton giants soon concede defeat to the possessive flock of tiny birds — and leave to quench their thirst elsewhere.

Photographer Antero Topp, 60, was at the Satao Camp waterhole in East Tsavo, Kenya, when the mayhem broke out.

Wall of wings ... queleas keep control of their territory

Caters News Agency

He said: "The birds spent most of the time feeding somewhere close to the waterhole but every morning and evening they gathered in huge flocks close to the water.

"There are big trees close to the waterhole where the birds landed and at that time we suddenly heard a strong crack.

"A huge branch had been broken by the weight of these tiny birds despite them only weighing about ten grams each.

"All the birds took off and you could hear an unbelievable whoosh and after that birds' ear breaking calls.

Spooky ... queleas are the world's most abundant bird species

Caters News Agency

"Despite their size faced with the huge flocks of birds I was surprised to see the elephants actually back away maybe 50 metres, and some even ran.

"I think the elephants were afraid of the size and shape of the flocks and the almost supernatural whoosh noise made as they all took to the air."

Red-billed queleas are the world's most abundant wild bird species, with an estimated breeding population of 1.5billion pairs.

On top of the world – the climber who felt like he was walking on clouds

Climber ... Remi looks like he's on top of the world

THIS is the moment a climber felt truly on top of the world as he scaled a 4,744-foot volcano.

Surrounded by clouds Remi McMurtry is photographed by his climbing partner from another part of the Snffellsjvkull glacier.

Remi and pal Will Copestake ventured to the Icelandic peak after craving an adventure and pulling the name out of a hat of destinations.

The climb was part of a 27-day hike across Iceland and the pair had to endure the coldest June in Iceland for 59 years.

Will said: "We set off around midday, in summer in Iceland the sun shines 24 hours, so you're not really constrained by light.

"We spent the entire climb in the clouds, not really able to see what we were doing, once we got to the top we had to wait 20 minutes before the clouds cleared enough.

"We both love climbing and the local people said it was a nice mountain to climb as it was quite rounded and not very steep.

"When I looked at the photograph of Remi I thought 'that looks like a stairway to heaven', with the rock pointing out of the clouds he could have been at the pearly gates."

Snffellsjvkull is Icelandic for "snow-fells glacier" or "snow-mountains glacier" and is 700,000 year old stratovolcano with a glacier covering its summit It's a famous location in Iceland, primarily due to the novel 'A Journey to the Centre of the Earth' by Jules Verne, in which the characters find the entrance to a passage leading to the centre of the earth on Snffellsjvkull.

Both of the 21-year-old fearless hikers, who are based in Stirling, were told about the mountain by locals in the nearby city of Reykjavmk The climb was a break from the duo's country crossing fundraising attempts for little known charity, Made in Ullapool, a small social enterprise aimed at providing for vulnerable adults.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Ferrari has unveiled the fastest road-car it has ever produced, ahead of the vehicle’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18)

The F12 Berlinetta can streak from 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds and continue up to 200km/h in just 8.5 seconds, thanks to a host of powertrain and design changes.

A futuristic bodyframe made out of new alloys has helped bring weight down to 1,525kg, less than the previous V12 Fiorano model, as well as increasing the structural integrity of the vehicle.

Underneath the hood is a 6.3-liter V12 that generates about 740 horsepower, Ferrari confirmed, more than its serious rival the Lamborghini Aventador.

Extensive time in the wind tunnel has helped Ferrari boost downforce by 76 percent and significantly reduce drag, thanks to a hood design to channel air away from the top of the car and ‘Active Brake Cooling’, which only opens the guide vanes to the brake cooling ducts at high operating temperatures, reducing drag.

The automaker’s attempt to jump on the environmental bandwagon has resulted in a reduction in fuel consumption of 30 percent and carbon dioxide emissions of 350 g/km — not bad for a high-performance sports car, but unlikely to win any green prizes anytime soon.

Surat Khalifah Abu Hafs kepada Pope dipamerkan

SEPUCUK surat daripada Khalifah Abu Hafs dipamerkan di Capitol Hill, Rom kelmarin.

ROM, Itali - Sepucuk surat daripada Khalifah Abu Hafs Umar al-Murtada dari Maghribi kepada Ketua Gereja Roman Katolik, Pope Innocent IV dipamerkan di sini kelmarin.

Surat itu bertarikh 10 Jun 1250 dari Marrakesh, Maghribi. Abu Hafs memerintah sebahagian kawasan di Maghribi dari tahun 1248 sehingga 1266 Masihi.

Surat tersebut merupakan sebahagian dokumen yang dipamerkan pada pameran Arkib Rahsia Vatican yang diadakan di Capitol Hill, Rom.

Pameran itu dibuka kepada orang awam bermula semalam dan akan berakhir pada September depan.

- Agensi

Menara komunikasi tertinggi siap dibina

GAMBAR yang dirakamkan kelmarin menunjukkan menara komunikasi paling tinggi di dunia, Tokyo Sky Tree di timur Tokyo.

TOKYO - Pembinaan menara komunikasi paling tinggi di dunia, Tokyo Sky Tree dengan ketinggian 634 meter di sini siap sepenuhnya semalam.

Pembinaan itu lewat dua bulan ekoran kejadian gempa dan tsunami yang melanda Jepun pada Mac tahun lalu yang menyebabkan kekurangan bahan binaan.

Tokyo Sky Tree turut diiktiraf sebagai bangunan kedua tertinggi dunia selepas Burj Khalifa di Dubai yang setinggi 828 meter.

Ketua-ketua industri pelancongan di negara ini berharap menara setinggi 634 meter itu akan dapat menarik kehadiran ramai pelancong asing.

Bilangan pelancong asing menurun di Jepun selepas bencana tsunami dan krisis nuklear yang berlaku pada tahun lalu.

Pembinaan menara di timur Tokyo itu bermula pada Julai 2008 dan mengikut jadual asal ia sepatutnya siap dibina pada Disember tahun lalu.

Tokyo Sky Tree turut mengatasi Menara Canton di Guangzhou, China yang setinggi 600 meter dan Menara CN setinggi 553 meter di pusat bandar Toronto, Kanada.

Seramai 580,000 pekerja terlibat dalam pembinaan menara itu yang menelan belanja AS$806 juta (RM2.4 bilion). - AFP

Berlian milik bekas Permaisuri Perancis dilelong

GAMBAR menunjukkan sebutir batu berlian yang pernah dipakai bekas Permaisuri Perancis, Marie de Medici.

GENEVA, Switzerland - Firma lelongan antarabangsa, Sotheby akan melelong sebutir batu berlian yang pernah dipakai oleh bekas Permaisuri Perancis, Marie de Medici.

Berlian itu dipakai oleh Medici semasa hari pertabalannya sebagai Permaisuri Perancis pada 13 Mei 1610.

Batu berlian seberat 35 karat yang berbentuk seperti buah pear itu dijangka dilelong pada harga antara AS$2 juta (RM5.9 juta) hingga AS$4 juta (RM11.9 juta) pada 15 Mei depan di sini.

Ia pernah dibeli oleh seorang pengumpul berlian, Nicolas Harley de Sancy.

De Sancy membeli berlian tersebut di Istanbul, Turki pada akhir kurun ke-16.

Ekoran itu, berlian itu diberi nama Beau de Sancy.

Berlian tersebut telah beralih tangan dalam kalangan kerabat diraja Perancis, England, Prussia dan Belanda. - Agensi