Bank Negara perkenal mata wang baharu

KAKITANGAN BNM, Nor Aimah Mohd. Nor menunjukkan siri mata wang baharu di Kuala Lumpur semalam.

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KUALA LUMPUR - Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) memperkenalkan siri mata wang baharu dengan rekaan wang kertas dan syiling yang menerapkan keunikan Malaysia daripada segi warisan, budaya dan khazanah alam di samping peningkatan ciri-ciri keselamatan berteknologi terkini.

Edaran wang kertas denominasi RM1, RM5, RM10, RM20 dan RM100 akan disediakan pada separuh kedua 2012 manakala denominasi RM50 baharu sudah berada di pasaran.

Wang syiling denominasi 5 sen, 10 sen, 20 sen dan 50 sen yang dilancarkan pada 25 Julai lalu akan diedarkan Januari depan.

"Bagi siri baharu ini, substrat polimer digunakan untuk pembuatan wang kertas denominasi RM1 dan RM5 manakala selebihnya menggunakan kertas.

"Siri wang kertas baharu ini menggabungkan ciri-ciri keselamatan yang seiring dengan teknologi terkini termasuk imej bayang-bayang, tetingkap jernih, potret tera air berpiksel dengan nombor yang jelas, benang keselamatan yang berubah warna dan benang kanta mikro," menurut BNM dalam satu kenyataan semalam.

Kenyataan itu menyebut, ciri-ciri lain adalah permukaan wang membolehkan individu yang bermasalah penglihatan mengenal pasti dan membezakan denominasi.

Tanduk badak sumbu dipotong diganti dengan kayu

AFP RUPA kepala seekor badak sumbu yang diawet selepas tanduk haiwan itu dipotong di Muzium Sejarah Alam Semula Jadi di Bern, Switzerland.

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GENEVA - Pihak pengurusan Muzium Sejarah Alam Semula Jadi di Bern, Switzerland mengambil langkah drastik apabila bertindak menggantikan tanduk enam ekor badak sumbu yang diawet dengan kayu bagi mengelak ia dicuri.

Langkah itu dibuat selepas beberapa kurator muzium itu mendengar tanduk badak sumbu dicuri di beberapa muzium di seluruh Eropah termasuk di Britain, Perancis dan Jerman.

Tanduk badak sumbu amat berharga di Asia kerana kebanyakan penduduk menganggap ia boleh digunakan untuk melawan penyakit dan menguatkan tenaga batin.

Menurut pihak muzium itu, sejak beberapa bulan lalu, tanduk itu berharga di antara 20,000 franc (RM68,177) dan 250,000 franc (RM852,261).

"Di pasaran gelap, tanduk badak sumbu lebih bernilai daripada emas," kata muzium tersebut dalam satu kenyataan. - AFP

Beckham masih tiada tandingan

BILA berada di luar padang, Beckham lebih banyak menghabiskan masa dengan anak-anaknya.

KARIER bekas bintang bola sepak England, David Beckham masih belum menunjukkan tanda-tanda suram.

Meskipun telah berusia 36 tahun, bekas kapten skuad The Three Lions itu masih lagi laku di pasaran.

Setelah bermain dengan tiga kelab terkemuka dunia iaitu Manchester United, Real Madrid dan AC Milan, perancang yang kini bersama Los Angeles Galaxy itu masih mampu menarik minat banyak kelab elit Eropah.

Terbaru, suami kepada anggota kumpulan pop Spice Girls, Victoria itu kini dikaitkan dengan kelab dari Perancis, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Namun, pihak pengurusan Beckham, XIX Entertainment dengan pantas menepis spekulasi tersebut meskipun kontraknya dengan LA Galaxy berakhir 31 disember ini.

“Tiada perjanjian dicapai dengan mana-mana kelab setakat ini. Semua cerita mengenai perjanjian tersebut hanyalah spekulasi sahaja.

“David masih lagi belum membuat keputusan mengenai masa depannya,” kata XIX Entertainment.

Biarpun berita itu hanya spekulasi, namun jelas sekali ia membuktikan bahawa populariti pemain kesayangan England itu masih utuh dan laku di pasaran.

Media melaporkan PSG sanggup menawarkan gaji 800,000 euro (RM3.32 juta) sebulan untuk membawa imej dan populariti Beckham ke ibu negara Perancis itu.

PSG yang dimiliki oleh Qatar Sport Investments, mahu menggunakan Beckham sebagai daya penarik kepada peminat bola sepak terhadap Liga Perancis, khususnya berkaitan dengan pemasaran dan penjenamaan kelab tersebut.

Selain menjadi bintang bola sepak terkemuka, Beckham yang mempunyai raut wajah yang kacak turut menjadi ikon metroseksual, model dan jurucakap kepada produk-produk terkenal dalam dunia fesyen, minyak wangi, kosmetik dan penjagaan kesihatan.

Status selebriti yang dikecapi Beckham di luar padang ini bagaimanapun tidak menjejaskan fokus utamanya di atas padang.

Buktinya, Beckham pernah menduduki tempat kedua dalam anugerah Pemain Terbaik Dunia FIFA sebanyak dua kali dan menjadi pemain menerima gaji paling mahal di dunia pada 2004 ketika bersama Real Madrid.

Pada 2007, Beckham menyertai saingan Liga Bola Sepak Amerika Syarikat dan sekali lagi menerima bayaran tertinggi dalam kontraknya bersama LA Galaxy selama tiga tahun.

Storybook Homes are More Than Make Believe

Storybook homes like this Moroccan estate can also come with fantastic prices. Photo: Realtor.com

With some children's stories, the setting is a major part of the story -- think of the woodland cottages in the "Hansel and Gretel," "Snow White," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "The Three Bears," or the unexplained footwear habitation of the poor old woman who lived in a shoe.

We gathered 10 such storybook-worthy homes. Some of these properties look like they’re straight out of children’s stories, while others look like they belong in a beautifully illustrated vintage children’s book. We’ve even featured a few from an architecture style known as Storybook.

Information on some of the following houses was provided by Realtor.com, and photos of a few others were supplied by John Robert Marlow, creator of the website Storybookers, which pays tribute to the whimsical, Tudor-meets-Hobbit Storybook architecture style that had a moment in the 1920s, but which lost its popularity by the end of the '30s.

Haines Shoe House
Location: York, PA
Price: $140,934 (estimate)
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Square Footage: 1506

The quirky home was built in 1948 as an outlandish advertisement to sell shoes. Photo: Beck Gusler | Flickr

This novelty house in the shape of a shoe recalls nursery-rhyme memories of the old woman who had so many children she didn’t know what to do. The Haines Shoe House on Shoe House Road has been occupied by senior women, but only temporarily as a guest house for couples to spend the weekend. Honeymooners were also invited to stay in the home by the owner, “Shoe Wizard” shoe seller Mahlon Haines. There’s an ice-cream shop located in the instep and a shoe-shaped dog house also sits on the property.

Spadena Witch House
Location: Beverly Hills, CA
Price: $1,300,000 in 1998, current estimate $2,872,000
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 4
Square Footage: 3,970

The witch house made a cameo appearance in Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone. Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri | Creative Commons; Insets: Katherine O. | Yelp.com

This famous Storybook-style house has a few names: Spadena House, the Witch House, and it’s also called the Hansel & Gretel House. It was built in 1921 by Hollywood art director Harry Oliver and originally served as office space and dressing rooms for silent filmmaker Willat Studio. The next occupants were the Spadena family, hence the name, but there are no official records of any witches or Hansel and Gretel in residence. By the late 1990s, the home had fallen to ruin and was nearly razed, but it was recently rehabilitated, including restoring a once filled-in moat, with the help of another Hollywood art director, Nelson Coates.

Moroccan Palace
Location: 4 W Rivercrest Dr
Price: $8,900,000
Bedrooms: 8
Bathrooms: 10
Square Footage: 19,668

This palatial abode was built in 2005 and sits on 3.78 acres. Photo: Realtor.com

This Moroccan-style palace has room for Aladdin, Ali Baba, and approximately 40 thieves, with eight bedrooms in the main building and two two-story guest houses, each with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. In addition to the oversize pool, two cabanas, and general palatial grandeur, the property comes with a petting zoo.

Searles Castle
Location: 389 Main St, Great Barrington, MA 01230
Price: $11,000,000
Bedrooms: 14
Bathrooms: 17
Square Footage: 60,000

The sprawling 68-acre estate includes a private pond. Photo: Realtor.com

Some think that cottages must be quaint. Not so when speaking of Berkshire cottages — mansions built by business tycoons of the Gilded Age. This French Chateau-style mansion on 61 acres in the Berkshires region of Western Massachusetts went on the market for $15 million a few years ago. The price has since been reduced. Built as Kellogg Terrace by the railroad tycoon widow Mary Hopkins circa 1887, the mansion later took the name of her second husband, Edward Searles, whom she hired to decorate the home. In recent decades, the estate has served as a school and an events venue.

Disney Court
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Price: N/A
Bedrooms: N/A
Bathrooms: N/A
Square Footage: N/A

Disney's original studio was but a couple doors away in 1931. Photo: John Robert Marlow

If the circa-1931 Disney Court bungalows look familiar, it’s likely because they were “almost certainly” the inspiration for the woodland home in the Walt Disney animated feature " Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Another tale holds that Disney animators lived here, and supporting that, the Los Feliz, Calif., location is proximate to the original Disney Studios. A different Snow White-inspired house — owned by the woman who was the voice of Snow White in the animated film — is on the market.

Drogba wants to quit Chelsea – Lampard may follow him

FUTURE IN DOUBT ... midweek Chelsea
heroes Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard

DIDIER DROGBA is determined to quit Chelsea next month — and Frank Lampard could follow him.

Drogba, 33, is furious the club have rejected his demands for a new two-year contract.

And he has resolved to make a lucrative move to China in the January transfer window rather than wait until his contract expires next summer.

The Ivory Coast international has been offered a two-year deal by Chinese club Dalian Aerbin worth £200,000 per week while Chelsea are only prepared to give him 12 months at £125,000 a week.

That means Drog can earn £20MILLION in China or £6.5m at the Bridge.

Drogba's decision is a massive blow at a time that club legend Lampard is considering his future.

Lamps is offended and mystified at his recent treatment by manager Andre Villas-Boas.

The England star wants to know where he stands at the club he has served for the past 10 years and believes he deserves an explanation for his absence from Chelsea's starting line-up.

Yet he has been left in the dark by AVB, who insists he will not be making any special allowances for the midfielder.

Villas-Boas said: "Plenty of players are pushing for selection and Frank is not the only one.

"Lamps and John Terry represent the best in the history of this club.

"But every player must be treated as fairly as possible."

Lampard has 18 months of his £170,000-a-week Chelsea contract to run and is unhappy at being on the bench for the last two games against Valencia and Manchester City.

He voiced his frustrations after coming on as a sub to score the winning penalty against league leaders City on Monday.

Villas-Boas said last night: "I speak with Frank every day and he will continue to be important for this club.

"I know that Steve Kutner, Frank's agent, has contacted Ron Gourlay (Chelsea chief executive) about Frank's contract situation. But we have not decided yet."

Those claims were denied by Kutner, who said: "I did not call Ron Gourlay to specifically discuss Frank's contract.

"It is true we had a meeting a while ago but we do fairly frequently.

"We discussed Frank's importance to the club off the pitch on matters such as sponsorship and merchandising, as well as his importance on the pitch.

"We are very happy with the 18 months left on his contract.

"As far as the manager speaking to Frank is concerned, I can only rely on what Frank is telling me."

Chelsea will let Nicolas Anelka leave for Shanghai Shenhua in January but are unlikely to agree to Drog's departure while they fight for the title and Champions League.

Mak nyah jadi pramugari di Thailand

EMPAT mak nyah yang bertugas sebagai pramugari untuk syarikat penerbangan PC Air ialah Chayathisa Nakmai (kiri), Dissanai Chitpraphachin (dua dari kiri), Nathatai Sukkaset dan Phuntakarn Sringern (kanan). - Reuters

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BANGKOK - Empat mak nyah bertugas sebagai pramugari untuk syarikat penerbangan PC Air bagi laluan Bangkok ke wilayah Surat Thani, Thailand.

Syarikat penerbangan itu pada mulanya hanya mahu menggaji lelaki dan wanita sebagai pramugari serta pramugari.

Namun, ia mengubah rancangan selepas menerima lebih 100 permohonan daripada golongan mak nyah.

Menurut syarikat penerbangan tersebut, kelayakan untuk menjadi pramugari itu adalah sama buat mak nyah iaitu memerlukan ciri-ciri kewanitaan dan mempunyai daya penarik.

Empat mak nyah itu ialah Chayathisa Nakmai, 24, Dissanai Chitpraphachin, 24, Nathatai Sukkaset, 26, dan Phuntakarn Sringern, 24. - Reuters

Konsert K-Pop pertama di Brazil

KUMPULAN 4Minute membuat persembahan di Sao Paulo, Brazil kelmarin. - AFP

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SAO PAULO, Brazil - Sejumlah peminat menonton buat kali pertama konsert penyanyi dan band pop dari Korea Selatan di Easpaco das Americas di sini kelmarin.

Penyanyi pop, G.NA, kumpulan nyanyian 4Minute dan Beast menyertai konsert tersebut yang berlangsung selama dua setengah jam.

Kumpulan 4Minute memulakan persembahan itu dengan lagu Muzik dan mengalu-alukan kehadiran para peminat.

Para peminat itu menjerit ke arah kumpulan tersebut dalam bahasa Korea yang bermaksud 'saya sayang kamu'.

Penyanyi G.NA turut menyanyikan lagu permintaan daripada para peminat iaitu Take a Bow yang dipopularkan oleh Rihanna.

Kumpulan Beast menyanyikan lagu Shock, Soom, Rainy Days, Fiction dan beberapa lagu lain daripada album mereka.

Semua penghibur dari Korea Selatan yang dikenali sebagai K-Pop itu bernaung di bawah syarikat Cube Entertainment. - Agensi

I beleaf in miracles... Images show animals' wonderful disguises

Fool-iage ... gecko could trick anyone into thinking it is not there

THIS gecko knows how to plant itself in the perfect hiding spot — by making itself look like a leaf.

The creature — a Leaf-tailed Gecko — is barely visible against the foliage.

It is one of a number of animals that are true masters of disguise, blending into their environment to fool predators or prey.

Some animals use a mixture of shape, colour, texture and behaviour to make them appear like their surroundings.

Sea-through? Speckled Sanddab is barely recognisable on pebbled ocean floor

The gecko in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in Madagascar features in a collection of pictures that also include a Speckled Sanddab fish that makes itself look like pebbled ocean floor.

Other images show a Katydid that camouflages itself on moss in Costa Rica, a Bat-faced Toad among dead leaves in a park in Colombia, a Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko on a tree, as well as a Lichen Spider that hides on bark in Thailand.

Green and unseen ... Katydid hides on moss

Hidden ... Bat-faced Toad is camouflaged on leaves

Hard find ... gecko is nearly impossible to spot on tree

Crawl over ... but spider is difficult to notice on bark

Freeze a jolly good fellow

Ice to see you, to see you ice ... climber Will Gadd scales the frozen waterfall

A CLIMBER d-ices with death – by scaling a 450ft waterfall covered in dangling icicles while UPSIDE DOWN.

Will Gadd, 44, and Tim Emmett, 37, spent two weeks meticulously plotting their ascent of the notoriously tricky Helmcken Falls in Canada - dubbed the world's hardest climb.

They had to battle deadly ice spray - which could freeze them to death in minutes - temperatures as low as -25°C, and the thought of one mistake sending them plunging into a frozen 100ft deep ice hole below.

Water risk ... the epic climb is in full flow

But amazingly, after four hours of constant, problem-free climbing, the pair successfully reached the summit to become the world's FIRST to conquer it.

And a triumphant Will declared that they had to use sheer brute force to overcome the tricky 20ft long icicles dangling from the falls overhanging walls.

Will said: "It's like doing hundreds of pull-ups on icicles to get to the top. By the end I'm not sure if we or the waterfall won.

Hang on a minute ... athlete Will Gadd climbing on the Ice Fall

"There was so much to deal with - getting covered in spray and turned into human popsicles, the huge icicles, the cold - the list is endless.

"It's overhang behind the actual waterfall is extreme and means you are often climbing almost horizontally - it is like climbing along the underside of a stadium's roof.

"Ice normally doesn't stick to overhanging walls, but this ice was literally sprayed on by the waterfall, creating the huge icicles.

Just don't look down ... Will Gadd breaks off an icicle on the Ice Fall

"There is literally no other ice in the world that is as difficult as this to climb.

"This thing is so unpredictable - no one knows what is going on with it in truth.

"The spray ice also appears to create a cone that surrounds the water as it is in mid-air falling into the plunge pool. Over time this grows to be more than 100ft in height.

"The falling river then disappears into the spray cone and flows out of the bottom.

"It is quite frightening to think about what would have happened had we fallen in. It would be like plummeting into lava - you simply wouldn't be likely to live."

Breathtaking ... Will Gadd uses ropes to scale the fall

Standing at over 450ft in total, the Helmcken Falls, in Wells Grey Provincial Park, Canada, is one of the fiercest in the world - continuing to flow even in the depths of winter when temperatures dip well below freezing.

And its unique combination of challenges makes it one of the most difficult - and spectacular - climbs in the world.

Tim Emmett, from London, added: "There's always debate about the true hardest climb in the world but I think all climbers would agree this is easily the most difficult.

"When you have already climbed a long way up you are exhausted and drained, and then you have to deal with so many challenges.

"It is no wonder people consider this to be the world's hardest climb.

"As you can imagine, we took our time and enjoyed the view once at the top - I think we had earned it."

Challenge ahead ... Tim Emmett prepares to scale the 450ft Ice Fall

Wanita Saudi semakin kaya

PEMBABITAN wanita Arab Saudi dibidang ekonomi semakin penting berikutan nilai pelaburan yang kian meningkat.

Aset persendirian di negara Teluk dan Asia Barat dianggarkan RM125.6 bilion

RIYADH: Seorang pakar mendedahkan aset tunai yang dimiliki wanita Arab Saudi kini bernilai AS$12 bilion (RM37.5 bilion).

Sebagai tambahan, jumlah kekayaan persendirian wanita di negara Teluk dan Asia Barat dianggarkan AS$40 bilion (RM125.6 bilion).

“Penyertaan Wanita Teluk dalam bidang ekonomi menjadi semakin penting kerana pembabitan mereka dalam pelaburan meningkat kepada kira-kira AS$500 bilion (RM1.5 trilion),” kata Pengerusi dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Changing Our World, Michael Hoffman.

Beliau membuat pendedahan ini dalam syarahannya yang dipetik laman web www.yallafinance.com.

Beliau bercakap mengenai masa depan dan aspirasi untuk tahun baru terutama yang berkaitan sumber kewangan dan penyelesaian sesuai pada peringkat antarabangsa.

Selain itu, Hoffman turut membentangkan statistik mengenai potensi besar pelaburan yang diuruskan wanita seluruh negara yang beliau anggarkan bernilai kira-kira AS$20 trilion (RM62.5 trilion), menambah sembilan peratus daripada aset dimiliki wanita dan kadar ini dijangka meningkat dalam dekad akan datang.
Dalam perkembangan lain, Arab Saudi berada di tangga keempat ekonomi terbesar dari segi simpanan keseluruhan sehingga akhir 2010 dengan jumlah simpanan termasuk emas sebanyak SR 1.7 trilion (RM1.4 trilion).

Hoffman menambah sepanjang tempoh 10 bulan pertama pada 2011, jumlah simpanan kewangan negara itu meningkat sebanyak 18 peratus menjadikannya SR1.97 trilion (RM1.64 trilion). – Agensi

Mercedes SLK 55 AMG and Ducati Streetfighter 848

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new collaboration with Bologna-based Ducati to be unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show.

The ‘Streetfighter Yellow’ models are designed to celebrate the partnership between the automaker and motorcycle brand.

This partnership has already produced several collaborations such as the Ducati Djavel AMG Special Edition showcased in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

This time, the firms have produced both a car and a bike — the SLK 55 AMG and the new Ducati Streetfighter 848, both highlighted in bright yellow, a color variant which Mercedes-Benz says it will bring to production if there is enough demand.

Among the special features on the SLK 55 AMG, the most powerful SLK model ever made, are yellow-illuminated LED door sills and contrasting yellow stitching against black leather in the door panels, shift lever and steering wheel.

The Ducati Streetfighter, also finished in striking yellow, features a revised Testastretta 11° engine with 97 kW (132 hp) and new ergonomics.

The co-operation agreement between AMG and Ducati was signed in November 2010 at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Lapan Ferrari, sebuah Lamborghini berlanggar

BEBERAPA anggota polis melakukan siasatan ke atas tiga buah kereta sport mewah yang terlibat dalam perlanggaran melibatkan 14 buah kenderaan di lebuh raya Chugoku, Shimonoseki kelmarin.

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TOKYO - Lapan buah kereta sport Ferrari, sebuah Lamborghini dan dua buah kereta Mercedes berlanggar di sebuah lebuh raya di Shimonoseki, tenggara Jepun kelmarin.

Menurut agensi berita AP, polis menyatakan perlanggaran itu disebabkan salah seorang pemandu sebuah Ferrari itu cuba untuk mengubah laluan sebelum kereta tersebut merempuh penghadang jalan.

Kereta Ferrari itu kemudian berpusing di lebuh raya tersebut.

Beberapa buah kereta lain berlanggar kerana cuba mengelak Ferrari tersebut.

Tiada seorang yang cedera serius dalam nahas itu tetapi polis di wilayah Yamaguchi menyatakan 10 orang dirawat kerana mengalami luka.

Menurut polis, 14 buah kereta terlibat dalam nahas itu.

Agensi berita AFP melaporkan bahawa kos perlanggaran itu melibatkan 300 juta yen (RM12.07 juta).

Harga kereta baharu Ferrari ialah lebih 20 juta yen (RM804,794) manakala Lamborghini berharga sehingga 30 juta yen (RM1.20 juta). - Agensi

Into the record bugs

Biggest ever ... Weta bug found in NZ

AN EXPLORER has found the biggest insect ever on record - so large it can scoff a carrot.

She's called a Weta Bug and has a huge wing span of SEVEN inches and weighs as much as three mice.

Former park ranger Mark Moffett, 55, discovered the cricket-like creature up a tree on New Zealand's Little Barrier Island.

He spent two days searching for the creepy crawly which were thought to be extinct after Europeans brought rats to the island many years ago.

American Mark, 53, said: "Three of us walked the trails of this small island for two nights scanning the vegetation for a giant weta.

Huge ... insect weighs as much as three mice

"We spent many hours with no luck finding any at all, before we saw her up in a tree.

"The giant weta is the largest insect in the world, and this is the biggest one ever found.

"She enjoyed the carrot so much she seemed to ignore the fact she was resting on our hands and carried on munching away.

"She would have finished the carrot very quickly, but this is an extremely endangered species and we didn't want to risk indigestion.

"After she had chewed a little I took this picture and we put her right back where we found her."

Mark, from Colorado, added: "We bug lovers hear a lot of people who think insects are inferior in some way because of their size, so it was great to see such a big insect.

"This became all the more amazing when we realised that this was the largest insect recorded."

Superman comic sells for £1.4m

Record ... original Superman edition

THE first comic book to ever feature Superman has been sold for a record £1.4MILLION — reportedly by cash-strapped Hollywood star Nicolas Cage.

The Action Comics No.1 introduced the iconic superhero to the world in 1938 and cost just ten cents at the time.

Con Air star Cage famously bought a copy of the collector's item — of which there are only around 100 in existence for £96,000 in 1997 — when he was set to appear in a Superman film directed by Tim Burton.

It is said the comic that was sold was stolen in 2000 and recovered in a California storage shed in April this year — just like an issue owned by Cage.

Seller? ... Nicolas Cage

Cage — who is so obsessed with the Man of Steel he named his six-year-old son Kal-El, Superman's birth name — had to pay to get it back because the insurance company had already settled up.

The actor — who used to command millions for his films — is believed to have had to flog the comic after getting into financial trouble.

Two years ago Cage sued his former business manager, Samuel Levine, for allegedly squandering his fortune on bad investments.

Since then he has been sued by the taxman, banks and finance companies, and even his ex-girlfriend, Christina Fulton, the mother of his 20-year-old son, Weston.

He has lost several properties through foreclosure and sold off others, including two in England and a castle in Bavaria, to try to pay his bills.

Only a handful of the Action Comics No 1 still in existence are thought to be in a good condition.

Another copy of the same issue sold for a previous record price of £950,000 in March last year.

But that one was not said to be in as good condition as the copy sold yesterday through New York-based ComicConnect.

Ferrari FF Neiman Marcus Sold Out in 50 Minutes

The special edition of the Ferrari FF showcased in the annual Neiman Marcus Chrismas Book, was sold within fifty minutes on Thursday, October 27, 2011.

Despite a price tag of $395,000 (or $95k more than a dealer-purchased Ferrari FF), the 10 available cars sold out in less than an hour!

The Neiman Marcus FF will come in an elegant Grigio Caldo exterior color and with a matching luggage set to compliment the Ferrari’s treated leather interior.

To top off the package is an awesome Ferrari Winter Driving Experience that will be held in Aspen, Colorado.

You don’t even have to flog your own FF through the Colorado snow; it’s an arrive-and-drive program, using Ferrari’s FFs instead of your own.

Individuals who ordered the Ferrari FF Neiman Marcus also get the added bonus of receiving their cars by spring of 2012 (much sooner than normal FF buyers).

Source: motorauthority

2013 Hennessey Venom Spyder

Performance has released the first image and details for the Venom GT Spyder, the open top variant of the Venom GT Coupe.

A massive 1,200 bhp (895 kW / 1217 PS) is produced by the Venom GT Spyder’s engine and the model’s weight is stated to be 1,200 kg ( 2,645 lbs ).

Pricing for the coupe is set at $950,000 whereas the Spyder will cost $1.1 million.

Source: Worldcarfans

Kek Krismas paling panjang di dunia

KEK terpanjang di dunia dipamerkan di sebuah hotel di Shanghai semalam.

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SHANGHAI - Seramai 80 orang tukang masak membantu mengukur kek Krismas paling panjang di dunia di sebuah hotel di sini semalam.

Kek itu yang sepanjang 1,068 meter berperisa vanila dan mengandungi coklat diiktiraf dalam rekod Guinness sebagai yang terpanjang di dunia.

Ia dibuat sempena satu majlis kebajikan bagi mengutip derma untuk kanak-kanak yang menghidap kanser. - Agensi

K-Pop mahu kuasai dunia

BEBERAPA anggota kumpulan K-Pop, Girls Generation membuat persembahan pada majlis pembukaan empat saluran televisyen kabel di Seoul semalam.

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LONDON - Selepas melonjak popular di Asia, generasi muda bintang pop Korea Selatan yang dikenali sebagai K-Pop kini berusaha menakluki dunia dengan muzik mereka.

Sejumlah bintang Korea Selatan itu pernah membuat persembahan pentas di London dan New York.

Seorang pakar senario muzik Asia, Steve McClure berkata, dia percaya K-Pop memiliki peluang lebih cerah menembusi pasaran dunia berbanding muzik pop Jepun.

Menurut McClure, berbanding Jepun, pasaran muzik di Korea Selatan terhad dengan sebahagian besar pendapatan penyanyinya dikawal firma telekomunikasi tempatan yang menaja mereka.

Justeru, katanya, penyanyi Korea Selatan lebih fokus untuk mencari pasaran di luar negara untuk menambah pendapatan mereka.

Contoh terbaik ialah kumpulan K-Pop ialah Girls Generation apabila 500,000 unit album pertama mereka dijual di Jepun.

Selain itu, menurutnya, bintang K-Pop bersikap lebih profesional dan menghasilkan muzik lebih baik daripada pesaing mereka dari Jepun. - Reuters

Korean Pop Music Out To Conquer The World

Korean Pop Music Out To Conquer The World Members of K-Pop idol group Girls' Generation perform during the Korean Pop Culture and Art Awards at the Olympic Hall in Seoul November 21, 2011. By Mike Collett-White LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A host of young Korean stars are taking to the stage in London, New York and beyond in a bid to crack one of the final global frontiers for Asian culture -- pop music. "K-pop," as Korean pop is called, has made major inroads into Japan, the world's second largest music market. But breaking into key countries further afield like Britain, Germany, France and, most crucially, the United States, has so far eluded acts who may be household names at home but remain virtual unknowns outside Asia. Korean bands are not the only ones trying to be the next Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber. Japanese artists, some of them "J-pop" superstars, have also looked overseas for new audiences, although the size of their own market, only just behind the United States in the world rankings, means they have less incentive. "It is a pain for a lot of these Japanese bands to make the effort to try and penetrate overseas markets," said Steve McClure, executive editor of McClure's Asia Music News and an authority on the region's music scene. "Time spent doing that is time not spent here and it's a really fast-paced market and you have to work at it," he told Reuters, speaking from Japan. Foreign music accounts for around a quarter of Japanese record sales, and the top 10 albums on record are all by local artists. Hikaru Utada holds the record with "First Love" from 1999, while Mariah Carey is the biggest international artist. K-POP VS. J-POP McClure, like many others, believes that K-pop stands a better chance at success globally than J-pop, although even that is far from certain. The structure of Korea's relatively small music market is such that telecom companies control a large proportion of revenues, he said, meaning bands have an economic incentive to look abroad. And K-pop acts, often created and nurtured by savvy record companies like S.M. Entertainment, are being groomed for specific markets -- learning Japanese, for example, and fitting in with Japan's musical mores. One recent success story has been the nine-member South Korean girl band Girls' Generation, whose first full-length Japanese album sold over 500,000 copies in Japan. McClure also argued that Korean pop acts, though often manufactured, were generally more professional than their Japanese rivals and produced a better sound. The most obvious, and biggest barrier to Asian acts breaking regions like Europe and North America is language. Since music is about communicating ideas and feelings, common language helps. And the prevalence of English makes it easier for a singer from Toronto, for example, than one from Tokyo. "The language barrier is probably the biggest thing that sets us apart from the global (arena)," said G.NA, a 24-year-old Canadian-Korean singer whose first language is English but who has found success in Korea. She, along with two other K-pop acts, will be appearing at London's 02 Academy Brixton on December 5 as part of what the PR company handling the gig called "The Invasion of K-Pop." It follows a K-pop concert at New York's Madison Square Garden in October. Those and other similar gigs outside Asia underline the ambition of K-pop acts and management companies to conquer the West and beyond. It may be less invasion and more a small-scale foray, but promoters say there are encouraging signs for K-pop. "We can't spend too much money if there is no market for us," said Ronnie Yang, head of CABA Entertainment who is organizing the London gig featuring artists from Cube Entertainment. "But we feel this is the right stage for developing a new market -- there is demand and it is higher than before." G.NA, for one, is not getting lost in the hype. Chance, she says, is as important as anything else. "This industry is kind of like gambling," she told Reuters by telephone from Seoul. "You lose something, and you may lose everything. You may win and win more than expected. I think there's a lot of luck. "It does depend on how much we try, but no matter how hard we try, if the circumstances don't work out, then things may not work out the way we planned. This concert is huge -- if people don't like it that could be the end of that." "GENRE-SPECIFIC" The wide pop genre may be the hardest market to crack abroad, but there has been success in the United States and elsewhere within narrower categories of music like classical, dance, rock and heavy metal. Japanese heavy metal band X Japan staged a North American tour in 2010 catching the attention of major news outlets, and have visited Europe, Latin America and Asia this year. L'Arc-en-Ciel, a Japanese rock group, has flirted with the United States and Europe, and plans a 2012 world tour. The event is limited in scale so far, however, with seven dates showing on the website including indigO2 in London with a capacity of around 2,500. The band's guitarist Ken alluded to a cultural barrier which has proven tough to break down. "In Japan I am always listening to music from the U.S. and the UK," he told Reuters by telephone, speaking through a translator. "But I never really got the impression people in the UK were listening to music from other parts of the world. So I'm really looking forward to getting a sense of how those people in Britain will perceive our music." McClure added: "Music is meant to be the universal language...well, yes and no. "There does seem to be this inability to accept an Asian face in the world pop music market place. I don't know why that is, as there are Asians who have done well in other spheres."

Bukti keampuhan automotif Jepun

RAKYAT Jepun tidak pernah gagal untuk bangkit. Contoh paling klasik adalah bagaimana negara itu mampu menjadi salah sebuah kuasa ekonomi dunia, biarpun Hisroshima dan Nagasaki hampir lumat dibedil bom atom Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada Perang Dunia Kedua pada tahun 1945.

Jepun juga tidak pernah sunyi daripada berdepan bencana alam. Berada dalam lingkungan Lingkaran Api Pasifik, negara matahari terbit itu sering digegar oleh gempa bumi berskala tinggi. Kemuncaknya, 11 Mac lalu bahagian timur negara berkenaan dilanda gempa bumi dan tsunami.

Impaknya meliputi segala aspek. Loji nuklear Fukushima Daiichi musnah dibadai tsunami, sekali gus mencetus krisis nuklear dan tenaga. Selaku rumah kepada banyak syarikat pengeluar kenderaan utama dunia, bencana itu nyata mengganggu rantaian bekalan alat ganti. Akibatnya, jumlah pengilangan automobil Jepun menjunam.

Bagi wartawan pemotoran seperti saya, antara persoalan yang timbul adakah Jepun akan membatalkan acara pemotoran pentingnya iaitu Tokyo Motor Show 2011 (TMS). TMS yang merupakan acara dwitahunan biasanya dilangsungkan pada bulan Oktober.

Selepas beberapa ketika berada dalam ketidaktentuan, akhirnya penganjur acara tersebut, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) mengesahkan bahawa TMS 2011 akan berlangsung bermula 2 hingga 11 Disember depan.

Tidak keterlaluan jika dikatakan bahawa penganjuran TMS membuktikan komitmen industri pemotoran Jepun untuk pulih. Malah, pengeluaran kenderaannya berjaya dipulihkan dalam masa yang singkat.

SEORANG model keluar daripada jentera elektrik sepenuhnya, Nissan Pivo 3.

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Pengerusi JAMA, Toshiyuki Shiga menegaskan pihaknya akan menganjurkan TMS yang sudah memasuki edisi ke-42 sebagaimana dirancang. “Kami yakin TMS akan membuktikan kepada semua tentang daya pemulihan industri perkilangan automotif Jepun,” jelas Shiga.

Tokyo Big Sight

Jika sebelum ini TMS sering diadakan di dewan pusat konvensyen Makuhari Messe, Chiba, tahun 2011 menyaksikan lokasinya diubah ke Tokyo Big Sight, Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Jepun, sekali lagi selepas 24 tahun. Ruang seluas 3,265 meter persegi itu akan menempatkan 176 pempamer dari 12 buah negara dan satu rantau.

Apa yang pasti, ia jauh lebih gah berbanding TMS 2009 yang ketika itu baru merangkak untuk bangkit daripada kemelesetan ekonomi dunia.

Harus diakui juga bahawa pertumbuhan pesat automobil di pasaran besar seperti China dan India sedikit sebanyak mengalih perhatian dunia kepada pameran sama yang diadakan di Beijing, Shanghai dan New Delhi.

Justeru, TMS 2011 yang menjadi simbol kuasa teknologi Jepun perlu bertindak selaku sumber maklumat berkaitan teknologi automobil, bandar dan pengguna. Dengan hasrat menjadi pameran automotif berteknologi termaju, TMS 2011 mengangkat tema Bandar Mobiliti Pintar atau Smart Mobility City.

KENDERAAN masa depan yang comel dan mesra alam, Nissan Townpod.

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Tema itu sekali gus akan mempamerkan kenderaan generasi akan datang (tahun 2040 - 2050) dan sistem-sistem sosial yang berinteraksi dengannya. Ia jua menunjukkan tentang peranan dan tanggungjawab industri automotif di sebalik kebimbangan terhadap isu tenaga serta alam sekitar di peringkat global.

Pengenalan Dunia

Jadi, apa yang boleh anda jangkakan daripada TMS 2011? Sebanyak 52 pengenalan dunia (world premiere) dan 82 penampilan pertama untuk pasaran Jepun akan mengambil tempat di sana.

Untuk tatapan anda, saya telah memilih beberapa pengeluar kenderaan utama Jepun dan apa yang mereka akan pamerkan pada TMS 2011 secara ringkas.

Honda membariskan model-model konsep yang direka untuk keseronokan dan kemudahan mobiliti. Tidak terkecuali, satu model konsep sports yang memberi petunjuk tentang arah rekabentuk model-model masa depannya.

Honda membahagikan model konsepnya kepada tiga kategori iaitu kereta yang terdiri daripada Small Sports EV Concept, AC-X dan Micro Commuter Concept. Sementara model konsep motosikal pula meliputi model Motor Compo, E-Canopy dan RC-E. bukan itu sahaja, Honda turut memperkenalkan model konsep komuter yang diberi nama Townwalker.

MODEL yang diberi nama Townwalker ini dibina untuk memudahkan golongan warga emas bergerak.

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Pengeluar itu juga bakal memperkenalkan N Concept, siri kenderaan kecil yang memberi penekanan terhadap ruang. Produksi pertama model daripada siri itu ialah N BOX. Jentera-jentera lain yang turut dipamerkan ialah Accord, Insight, Jazz dan CR-Z.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. akan mengetengahkan kenderaan baharu, prototaip dan tiga kereta konsep. Antara model yang pasti mendapat perhatian ialah model konsep EV iaitu Pivo 3, Esflow dan Townpod. NV350 merupakan model prototaip van komersial ringan penuh gaya.

Toyota pula bakal memperkenalkan kepada dunia model konsep Fun-Vii (Fun Vehicle interactive internet), FCV-R (Fuel Cell Vehicle - Reality & Revolution) dan FT-EV III (Future Toyota - Electric Vehicle III).

Memberi fokus kepada untuk memenuhi keperluan pengguna kontemporari, Suzuki mempamerkan kereta-kereta kompaknya. Antara model yang boleh ditatap oleh pengunjung ialah Regina, Q-Concept dan Swift EV Hybrid.

Mitsubishi juga tidak ketinggalan untuk mempamerkan kemajuan teknologinya dalam menghasilkan kenderaan elektrik. Pengunjung akan dihidangkan dengan model konsep seperti Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV dan i-MiEV Cargo.

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.