Chelsea pull plug on Battersea Power Station stadium plans as Malaysian rivals get go-ahead

Chelsea's hopes of moving to Battersea Power Station have been extinguished after a Malaysian consortium completed a £400million purchase of the London landmark.

The Blues are considering moving away from Stamford Bridge and had lodged a bid to move to the iconic 39-acre site on the south bank of the River Thames.

No go: Chelsea's impressive hopes to build a new 60,000-seater stadium (below) at Battersea Power Station have ended

The west Londoners released plans in May that detailed how they hoped to turn the derelict site in to a 60,000-seater stadium incorporating the four famous chimneys.

Administrators Ernst & Young revealed last month that they had shunned the Blues' offer, opting instead to name a Malaysian consortium as the preferred bidders.

And after a 28-day due diligence process, the consortium's bid has been rubber-stamped.

'Following a global marketing process that started in February 2012 and covered all major world wealth centres, a consortium comprising SP Setia, Sime Darby and the Employees' Pension Fund of Malaysia have exchanged contracts on the (Battersea) site for £400m,' a statement from Ernst & Young read.

The consortium have planning consent to build 3,500 homes and 1.7 million square feet of office space. They also plan to build a tube station on the premises that will connect to the Northern Line.

Last year Chelsea failed in their bid to buy back the freehold of the 42,000-capacity Stamford Bridge from supporters group Chelsea Pitch Owners.

Power surge: A Malaysian consortium have planning consent to build 3,500 homes and 1.7 million square feet of office space

Tower about that? Chinese city builds its own version of the world-famous London landmark

China is well known for leading the world in exporting goods, but these pictures of its very own Tower Bridge show the country is not adverse to importing a historical monument or two.

To the untrained eye, visitors to Suzhou in the east of China may well believe they have ended up 9,000km away by mistake.

The city in the Jiangsu province now boasts its very own - almost identical - version of London's most iconic bridge.

The cloned Tower Bridge in Suzhou in China's Jiangsu province, is an almost identical version of London's landmark

As if that's not enough to stave off homesickness for English visitors, the reproduction of the bridge also boasts a cafe at the top promising 'English-style coffee'.

All that differs between the two replicas is that the Chinese version lacks a raising mechanism to allow boats to pass underneath.

The top floor of the building boasts a cafe promising 'English-style coffee' to guests

Unlike the version spanning the Thames, the replica Tower Bridge lacks a raising mechanism

And, of course, during the Olympics this summer, it also won't boast the five rings currently adorning the version that spans the River Thames.

London is not the only city to have inspired builders in Suzhou, though.

Sitting about 200 miles north-west of Shanghai, the area has become well known for cloning other world-famous landmarks.

The river through the city also has its own Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as a copy-cat Alexandre III Bridge straight out of the French capital, Paris.

English, Dutch and French visitors to Suzhou can all feel at home in the city thanks to its replica landmarks

As well as being inspired by London's landmark, the city also boasts its own Sydney Harbour Bridge

The original Tower Bridge, complete with Olympic rings, which will be illuminated every night during the Games

On top of that, the area boasts a Dutch town complete with windmill and Dutch-style housing.

Suzhou is often dubbed the 'Venice of the East' and has been an important hub of China's silk industry for around a thousand years.

The original Tower Bridge dates back to 1896 when it was the only crossing point over the river Thames.

A colossal 11,000 tonnes of steel help provide the framework to the tower which, at the time it was built, was the product of 432 working over an eight year period.

London miliki bangunan tertinggi di Eropah

GAMBAR menunjukkan bangunan tertinggi di Eropah iaitu Shard yang terletak di tebing Sungai Thames, London.

LONDON – Bangunan pencakar langit tertinggi di Eropah, Shard yang dibina dengan 95 peratus dana dari Qatar, dirasmikan di sini semalam.

Struktur besi dan kaca setinggi 310 meter itu dirasmikan oleh Perdana Menteri Qatar, Hamad Jassem Al-Thani dan Putera Andrew yang merupakan anak lelaki pemerintah Britain, Ratu Elizabeth II.

Satu pertunjukan cahaya laser dengan iringan muzik orkestra diadakan bagi menyerikan majlis perasmian tersebut.

Perasmian berkenaan menandakan pembinaan bahagian luar bangunan itu telah siap.

Bangunan Shard terletak di tebing selatan Sungai Thames dekat Jambatan London di sini.

Kerja-kerja menyiapkan bahagian dalaman bangunan berkenaan dijangka berterusan sehingga tahun hadapan.

Bangunan itu lebih rendah jika dibandingkan dengan Bangunan Burj Khalifa di Dubai, Emiriyah Arab Bersatu yang merupakan bangunan pencakar langit tertinggi di dunia.

Burj Khalifa setinggi 828 meter.

Bagaimanapun, bangunan Shard mengatasi Menara Moscow di Rusia sebagai bangunan tertinggi di Eropah.

Nama Shard diberikan oleh arkitek Itali yang mereka bentuk bangunan berkenaan, Renzo Piano.

Dengan kapasiti boleh memuatkan 12,000 orang, bangunan setinggi 95 tingkat itu akan menempatkan sebuah hotel lima bintang, ruang pejabat seluas 600,000 meter persegi dan beberapa restoran mewah serta kedai.

Bangunan pencakar langit berbentuk meruncing itu juga akan menempatkan 10 unit apartmen.

Setiap apartmen dilaporkan berharga sehingga £50 juta (RM246 juta).

Apartmen di tingkat 53 hingga 65 bangunan itu merupakan kediaman tertinggi di Britain.

Dibina dengan kos £450 juta (RM2.22 bilion), Shard akan dibuka sebagai tarikan pelancong pada Februari depan. Setakat ini lebih 17,500 orang mendaftar secara dalam talian untuk melawat dek pemandangan bangunan tersebut manakala tiket bagi tujuan tersebut boleh ditempah bermula hari ini. – AFP

Pelancong diminta tidak pakai skirt pendek

GAMBAR fail menunjukkan sejumlah pelancong asing menaiki sebuah perahu di Tasik Nagin, Srinagar pada 30 Ogos 2007.

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SRINAGAR, India - Sebuah kumpulan Islam di Kashmir India semalam memberi amaran kepada para pelancong supaya mereka tidak memakai skirt pendek dan pakaian yang mendedahkan tubuh badan di wilayah itu.

Kumpulan tersebut, Jamaat-e-Islami meminta lembaga pelancongan di wilayah itu supaya menyokong pendirian mereka.

Menurutnya, para pelancong perlu diberitahu lebih awal supaya berpakaian sopan ketika berada di Kashmir bagi mengelakkan mereka mencetuskan kemarahan golongan ekstremis agama.

"Sejumlah pelancong, terutamanya warga asing, memakai skirt pendek dan pakaian menjolok mata yang bercanggah dengan etika dan budaya tempatan serta tidak dapat diterima dalam masyarakat yang bertamadun," kata jurucakap Jamaat-e-Islami, Zahid Ali.

Sejumlah pelancong kembali mengunjungi wilayah Kashmir yang ditadbir India sejak dua tahun lalu selepas keganasan antara pihak pemisah Islam semakin berkurangan di rantau berkenaan.

Majoriti penduduk wilayah tersebut terdiri daripada orang Islam.

Kashmir terkenal kerana memiliki panorama yang indah seperti rumat bot, banjaran gunung dan tasik. - AFP