World's most expensive book sells for $17.5m

NEW YORK (AFP) - The first book printed in what is today the United States of America sold for more than US$14 million (S$17.55 million) at auction in New York on Tuesday, Sotheby's said, becoming the world's most expensive book.

The translation of Biblical psalms "The Bay Psalm Book" was printed by Puritan settlers in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640 and was sold at a one-lot auction by Sotheby's.

Airbus will overtake Boeing in production by 2018

BERLIN (AFP) - Airbus chief Fabrice Bregier says the European planemaker will overtake its US rival Boeing to become the world's biggest producer within four or five years, in an interview with a German Sunday newspaper.

Bregier told Welt am Sonntag that Airbus would step up production through its new A320Neo and long-haul A350 models.

Pelanggaran Hak Cipta: Yahoo! bayar ganti rugi dan kos

FIRMA Yahoo! Asia Pacific Pte Ltd telah membayar ganti rugi dan kos kepada Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) sebagai antara syarat penyelesaian berhubung satu kes pelanggaran hak cipta.

Yahoo! Asia Pacific, yang sebelum ini dikenali sebagai Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd, mengaku telah menyiarkan semula kandungan berita daripada akhbar SPH tanpa kebenaran syarikat media itu menerusi laman web Yahoo! Singapore News.

Menurut satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan kededua syarikat itu semalam, SPH dan Yahoo! Asia Pacific telah mencapai penyelesaian secara damai.

Penyelewengan BN: Kroni kaya rakyat terbeban

Kerajaan berkongsi keuntungan hasil pelaksanaan Sistem Penguatkuasaan Automatik (AES) bersama kroni dengan cara membebankan rakyat, kata Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Bandar, Azan Ismail.

Beliau mengulas jawapan bertulis Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein di Dewan Rakyat semalam bahawa kerajaan berjaya mengutip sebanyak RM20,020,500 juta kompaun hasil AES bermula 11 Jun 2013 hingga 23 September 2012 dengan kutipan lebih kurang 10 peratus.

Richest prizes in the world of sports

The biggest single payout in sporting history went a boxer who didn't even win the bout. But earning a whopping $52 million didn't come easy for Oscar De La Hoya: he had to go 12 rounds with fearsome Floyd Mayweather, only to lose on a split decision. When the two pugilists pounded on each other in Las Vegas back in 2007, the fight set a record for the time by generating over $130 million in pay-per-view income, plus another $19 million in live ticket sales. De La Hoya didn't take home the belt, but he still pocketed the lion's share of the winnings. Mayweather, meanwhile, walked off with $25 million.

Hartawan penerbangan, Sir Richard Branson jadi pramugari Air Asia

MELBOURNE: Hartawan penerbangan, Sir Richard Branson akan mendarat di Kuala Lumpur tengah hari ini dengan memakai mekap, berkasut tumit tinggi dan sarung kaki untuk menunaikan janji selepas kalah pertaruhan kepada Ketua Eksekutif AirAsia, Tony Fernandes pada Grand Prix dua tahun lalu. 

Beliau berlepas dari Perth pagi ini dengan penerbangan amal untuk mengumpul dana ke Kuala Lumpur, dengan berpakaian wanita. 

Indonesia convicts former beauty queen Angelina Sondakh of graft

JAKARTA (AP) - An Indonesian court has convicted a former beauty queen-turned-ruling party politician of graft and sentenced her to 4 1/2 years in jail.

The guilty verdict on Thursday against Angelina Sondakh is the latest blow to the Democratic Party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose second and final term in office is ending next year amid widespread disappointment at his efforts to clean up endemic corruption.

Tuduhan pelacuran bekas ketua IMF

French writer Tristane Banon is to lodge an official sexual assault complaint against IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Photograph: Daniel Janin/AFP/Getty Images

LILLE: Sebuah mahkamah Perancis semalam menolak permintaan agar dibatalkan dakwaan terhadap bekas ketua Dana Kewangan Antarabangsa (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, kerana pembabitannya dalam kegiatan pelacuran, kata peguamnya.

Euro zone tips into recession: EU data

A protester holds a sign reading "Austerity kills" during a march against austerity measures in Brussels on Nov 14, 2012. The 17-nation euro zone tipped into recession in the third quarter, with the economy shrinking 0.1 per cent compared with the three months to June when it contracted 0.2 per cent, official data showed Thursday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

BRUSSELS (AFP) - The 17-nation euro zone tipped into recession in the third quarter, with the economy shrinking 0.1 per cent compared with the three months to June when it contracted 0.2 per cent, official data showed Thursday.

Shakira sued by ex-boyfriend and agent for $309m

This April 15, 2012 file photo shows Colombian singer Shakira during an event to hand over land titles to representatives of the Afro-Colombian community at the Plaza de San Pedro in Cartagena, Colombia on April 15, 2012. Shakira's former boyfriend and agent are suing her over contracts that were pending after their breakup, the Colombian pop star's lawyer said on Monday. -- PHOTO: AFP

BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) - Shakira's former boyfriend and agent are suing her over contracts that were pending after their breakup, the Colombian pop star's lawyer said on Monday.

Elvis Presley's bible fetches £59,000 at UK auction

A notation is seen on Elvis Presley's personal Bible as the book waits to be sold at an auction of pop memorabilia in Stockport near Manchester, England, Monday Sept. 3, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP

LONDON (REUTERS) - A bible which once belonged to Elvis Presley and contains his handwritten notes and thoughts has sold for £59,000 at an auction in England, the auction house said.

The bible, given to the singer on his first Christmas at his home in Graceland in 1957, was bought by an American man based in Britain, Omega Auctions said on its website.

AirAsia close to major new Airbus deal

Tony Fernandes (C), poses with Air Asia grid girls 

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Malaysia's AirAsia is putting the finishing touches to a deal to buy up to 100 Airbus passenger jets as it expands internationally, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The deal, potentially worth around US$9 billion (S$11.2 billion), is designed to fuel the growth of what is fast becoming a cluster of related airlines under AirAsia's founder Tony Fernandes, who placed a record order for Airbus jets last year.

Madonna sued in Russia for $13m over gay support

In a file picture taken on July 14, 2012, US singer Madonna performs on stage with dancers at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb, during her MDNA world tour. -- PHOTO: AFP

MOSCOW (AFP) - Several Russian activists have filed a US$10 million (S$13 million) lawsuit against Madonna, claiming they were offended by the pop diva's support of homosexuals during her recent show, their lawyer said on Monday.

"On Friday, a 333-million-ruble (S$13 million) lawsuit was filed against Madame Louise Veronica Ciccone who calls herself Madonna," Mr Alexander Pochuyev, a lawyer representing the activists told AFP.

Maria Sharapova, highest-paid female athlete in the world

Maria Sharapova, tennis, Russia

Sharapova has been featured in a number of magazines, notably in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. 

In 2006, she was Forbes magazine’s highest-paid female athlete in the world, with annual earnings of over $18 million US, the majority of which was from endorsements and sponsorships. 

Jennifer Lopez files $24 million extortion suit against former driver

United States singer and American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez performs during the Pop Music Festival 2012 at Arena Anhembi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 23, 2012. She has filed a US$20 million lawsuit against a former driver whom she claims threatened to spill her secrets if she did not pay him US$2.8 million, court records showed on Tuesday. -- PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has filed a US$20 million lawsuit against a former driver whom she claims threatened to spill her secrets if she did not pay him US$2.8 million, court records showed on Tuesday.

Sackings spark call to boycott Malaysia orchestra

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - An international musicians' group has called for a global boycott of recruitment by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), saying the symphony sacked nine members without cause.

The Paris-based International Federation of Musicians (IFM) posted on its website a strongly-worded attack on the sackings, in a rare note of discord in the usually genteel world of symphony music.

IMF cuts global growth forecast, warns on euro zone

People watch the electric stock index display of a securities firm in Tokyo on Wednesday, July 4, 2012. The International Monetary Fund stepped up its warnings on Monday on risks to the global economy, especially coming from Europe, as it trimmed its growth forecast for the rest of the year. -- PHOTO: AP

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its global growth forecast and warned that the outlook could dim further if policymakers in Europe do not act with enough force and speed to quell their region's debt crisis.

Songstresses dominate Forbes list of rich young celebs

Taylor Swift at the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. Swift topped Forbes' list of the highest-paid celebrities under the age of 30, making $57 million last year. -- PHOTO: AP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Female singers dominated the top of Forbes' list of the highest-paid celebrities under the age of 30, released on Thursday, starting with country pop sensation Taylor Swift.

Euro zone ministers under pressure to deliver euro progress

Greece's new Finance Minister Yiannis Sturnaras arrives at the Greek parliament in Athens on July 6, 2012. Euro zone finance ministers will meet on Monday to build on measures agreed last month to tame the debt crisis, seeking to provide fresh momentum as the economy slows and markets turn sceptical. -- PHOTO: AFP

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Euro zone finance ministers will meet on Monday to build on measures agreed last month to tame the debt crisis, seeking to provide fresh momentum as the economy slows and markets turn sceptical.

Call girl lingerie quickens pulses at Paris couture

(AFP) - A one-time call-girl got the Paris fashion pack hot under the collar with a delectably naughty lingerie line unveiled on the sidelines of the haute couture shows.