Lexus announce LS460 Touring Edition

Sporty variant of flagship saloon aimed at young drivers

The Lexus LS460 Touring Edition features a special Smoky Granite Mica exterior.

 

The cabin gets black and saddle leather-trimmed sports seats and a wood and leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear shift knob.

Now that it’s got a bit of attention from young motorists thanks to the LFA supercar and the CT200h hatchback, Lexus seems to have set its sights on this lucrative section of car buyers. No, there’s no supermini in the offing, but Lexus has announced a Touring Edition of its flagship 2011 LS460 saloon, which it hopes will “attract younger buyers to the LS line-up.” The high end saloon will be offered with both all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive.
To “add excitement” to what we believe is the world’s most comfortable luxury car, Lexus has added a few enhancements inside and out, such as 19in five-spoke alloy wheels (AWD version gets 18in alloys) a special Smoky Granite Mica exterior, a sport kit and grille.

The cabin gets black and saddle leather-trimmed sports seats, a wood and leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear shift knob, premium floor mats as well as matte brown wood trim all round. A bit less bland maybe, but how these changes add excitement to the car, beats us.

The LS460 Touring Edition prices start at $73,000 (Dh268,000) in the US, but if at all the limited edition model makes it to our shores, we’re sure it won’t be that cheap.

The story of the world's most expensive book

Dubai played its part in immortalising the Ferrari legend in a diamond-studded edition that is priceless in content

Karl Fowler takes pride in the craftsmanship of the book.

A preview of its inside pages - exclusive photographs commissioned for the book.

The first signed copy of the Ferrari Enzo Diamante as it made its debut at the Melbourne Grand Prix 2011.

Ferrari is one of the best-recognised brands in the world. Even people who don't know their clutch from their carburetor can identify the distinctive prancing horse logo.

Founded by Enzo Ferrari in Modena in 1929, the Italian company is commemorating its history by publishing the world's most expensive book (at face value). The Enzo Diamante Edition - The official Ferrari Opus made its debut at the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 27 this year and is described as the most lavish and valuable historical reference Ferrari has ever produced - and the expertise of a Dubai company was involved in the creation of the glittering prancing horse on the book's cover.

Speaking at its release ceremony, Antonio Ghini, the publishing director for Opus Media Group, the UK-based publishing group that created this unique edition, said, "Ferrari Opus is not a book, it's a concerto. A triumphant opera whose score is made up of cars, technology, history and achievements, and whose protagonists will live for ever. Opus, like Ferrari, is a unique experience."

Indeed it is. Costing $275,000 (Dh1,010,116) per copy, sporting the famous prancing horse logo that's crusted with 1,500 diamonds that together form over 30 carats (clarity VVS-Vs 1, colour-F), the book weighs 37kgs.

This collector's piece, which was first released in the UK in December 2010, contains every detail of every race Ferraris have entered, plus exclusive interviews and profiles of every driver who raced for the team. Of the 200,000 words and 2,000 pictures in the book, nearly 75 per cent is exclusive, never-seen-before-in-print content. There are 300 limited-edition copies of the book, and the sale is limited to one copy per country. In February this year, buyers in Australia and Sri Lanka bought the copies for their country, while car-crazy wealthy patrons from the USA, UK and UAE are waiting in line to snap up copies too.

Siroya Collections, a Dubai-based diamond jewellery company, was chosen to create the diamond-encrusted silver prancing horse that graces each of the 300 copies of this special diamante edition. Anshul Siroya, proprietor of Siroya Collections, says in an exclusive interview with Friday: "It is an absolute privilege to be associated with Opus and Ferrari. At Siroya collections, our team has selected, with utter precision, the finest and most beautiful quality of diamonds to be a part of this invaluable masterpiece. We have, as always, focused on providing the finest workmanship.

"I personally see the Enzo Diamante Ferrari Opus edition as a very prestigious investment opportunity for every Ferrari fan. It not only forges a special relationship with the Ferrari family but also makes them a part of an elite group from all around the world. This is something never done before by any publishing house and perhaps difficult to replicate."

At the end of the sale of the books, the owners automatically qualify for a raffle to win a Ferrari F1 car.
Karl Fowler, the CEO of Opus Media Group, spoke to Friday in an exclusive interview about what the making of the book meant for his publishing house, and about the other Opus subjects the house has published.

You take pride in publishing some of the world's most prestigious and iconic books. What's the thought process behind them?

Our starting point whenever we look at a new subject or new genre is very simple, and in many ways, fundamental to our business and creative model. We ask ourselves a simple question: ‘How can we tell this iconic story in a way that has never been told before?' If we can't tell the story differently, then we have no creative point of difference. We are just like any other publisher. In actual fact, the commercials of an Opus project are secondary. I know that sounds like a cliché but it is true. Our belief is that if we are able to tell the story with pure integrity and imagination and differently, then people will recognise that and buy an Opus. This is more true of stories that have a strong emotive following and which are handed down from one generation to the next.

In this race for the best, the biggest and the most expensive, does content and creativity get compromised?

In every Opus we make, we have to make sure that at least 50 per cent of the content (photographs and editorial) has never been seen or published in any way before. For example, on the Ferrari Opus we took that exclusive content level up to 75 per cent. We are, therefore, raising the bar in terms of content integrity to a level not seen in global publishing before.

In my view, to have a race you need to have a competitor. We don't have anyone close to what we do anywhere in the world. Speed is something we actually sacrifice in the interests of our uncompromising creative integrity. I will give you two examples. The original budgeted schedule for the Ferrari Opus was set at 12 months for complete content creation. It actually took us three years. The reason we took so long and it cost so much was that we kept finding new areas of the Ferrari ‘story' to tell.

For example, there is a section in the Ferrari Opus that has pictures taken by a special piece of technology called the ‘sensecam'. It was developed by Microsoft, originally for military use. We had to wait six months before we could test it and play with it. We used the technology with the Ferrari F1 team during a F1 race to capture angles and moments of the race from the cockpit of the car, something that's never been done before. It was the first attempt of its kind ever in photographing sport.

The point I am trying to make is we stopped the production for an entire six months just so we could capture a small batch of photographs using this new, untested technology. I don't know of any other publisher that would have stopped production for such a period of time and maintained the overheads like we do.

My second example: We wanted to create something truly unique and special for our Makkah Opus project. So we commissioned one of the world's most talented mosaic artists, UK-based artist Genna Wise, to create a stunning large-scale mosaic art piece of the pilgrims performing the Haj. The art piece itself has been specially photographed and will form an exclusive two-metre long gatefold in the Opus. The original mosaic art will be travelling the world as part of the Journey to Makkah Opus touring exhibition. Creativity is never compromised in our quest for unique and diverse storytelling.

How does it feel to publish the world's most expensive book?

It is not important that we have produced the world's most expensive publication. What is important, and what makes me happy and proud of the team we have at Opus, is knowing we have been true to the story we are telling. That people will come away with a unique experience and interaction with the story they love and have a bond with it like never before.

I think if we are able to achieve that then we have something different and special. Yes, the Ferrari Opus ‘Diamante' edition is special and expensive. But it reflects the craftsmanship and investment value and rarity that each one of those special copies holds. The owner of the Sri Lanka edition of the Ferrari Diamante told me recently that he bought his copy not for himself but for his son - he wants to hand it down in years to come. That put a big smile on my face.

Was this your dream project?

I loved the Ferrari Opus project. I loved the emotion, the passion, the desire to be the best that is so much of the Ferrari story. It was a story to tell on a global stage as well so that gave us a real thrill. It was hugely challenging and a big responsibility given the prestige and devotion to Ferrari by millions of fans the world over. We had to get it right. Remember, as we only ever produce limited editions, we can never print a second or third run. We only have one chance to get it right!

Each copy must have netted huge profits for Ferrari and Kraken Opus, but what is its intrinsic worth in the world of sport?

It does not have a value. It is priceless.

So far Sri Lanka and Australia have bought a copy. Who are the other buyers?

We have interest from now eight other countries including the UAE, USA, Italy and UK.

What's your next project?

We have currently seven different Opus being created on varying subjects, which are all at different stages of production. We have an Opus with Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian cricket icon, coming out this year. We have one telling the story of the South African SpringBoks rugby team, which is amazing as it will include never-before published content from the apartheid years of black rugby. We have the Opus telling the story of the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah, which is our first Opus in both English and Arabic language in one edition, plus we have an Opus devoted to telling the story of the building of the world's tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa, which will be out in a few months time. We have also signed a further ten deals with partners that gives us a long pipeline of Opus editions to join the family.

Facts: The limited edition book costs $275,000 per piece.l Each copy has 852 pages and measures half a square metre. l The Opus includes gatefold pictures two metres long and exclusive interviews with the motorsport legends that have been part of Ferrari's unique history.

Inside info
For those who can't afford the $275,000 Enzo Diamante edition, the book will be soon made available in three other editions: $34,925 Enzo, the $6,545 Cavallino Rampante and the $3,520 Classic.

By the way …

• The first copy of the book will visit all the Formula 1 Grand Prix events this year, and make its last stop at Maranello, Italy.
• It will be signed by Luca di Montezemolo, as well as Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO of Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi-based company that helped make this book a reality, and many Ferrari legends.
• The book will be auctioned, with money going to two charities selected by Ferrari and Mubadala.
• Arjun Wickramsinghe of South Ceylon publishing snapped up the first copy put up for sale and Sri Lanka became the first country to have a copy of the Ferrari Opus

Fuel station upgrading to take weeks

Process will begin in Dubai once the work is completed in Sharjah and northern emirates

Currently 84 stations are being upgraded with improved dispensing equipment and out of the 86 pumps in Dubai, only the older ones will be upgraded.

Sharjah motorists are forced to drive around the emirate hunting for petrol with several stations running dry. Pumps do not have petrol, but convenience stores are open to thirsty motorists parched by the rising temperatures. (Clockwise) Cars line up at an Adnoc station to fill petrol as Enoc, Eppco and Emarat pumps only offer soft drinks and chips.

Sharjah: Long queues and disruptions at Enoc and Eppco stations in Sharjah and the northern emirates could last for two to three weeks before moving on to Dubai.

Khalid Hadi, head of corporate communications for Enoc/Eppco, told Gulf News that "system upgrading" was to blame for the delays, which entered their fifth day yesterday.

"The upgrading work on the distribution pump and system has been extended to Ajman and Sharjah," Hadi said.

He said that 84 stations are being upgraded with improved dispensing equipment and the resulting disruptions are expected to last for the next two to three weeks.

Once upgrades in Sharjah and the northern emirates are complete, the work will move to Dubai. Enoc and Eppco stations in the city are expected to experience similar disruptions which are estimated to last for one month.

"Not all the stations will undergo upgrading. Some new Enoc and Eppco sites already have the latest systems. There are 86 stations in Dubai and only the older ones will be upgraded," said Hadi.

They intend to update 130 service stations in total.

Analysts believe that there may be different approaches to mass system upgrades to prevent excessive disruption.

"In theory, if you're upgrading your distribution systems, you might close down one service station at a time, or turn off one pump at a time to ensure the majority of stations remain open.

"A large number of pumps closed by service stations for a couple of weeks means a lot of disruption," Samuel Ciszuk, a Middle East energy analyst at IHS Global Insight, told Gulf News.

According to a resident of Fujairah, petrol shortages in the northern emirates present a challenge to motorists because of the distance between petrol stations.

"Petrol shortages are also in Fujairah, Kalba and Dibba. It's very difficult to manage the long distances and travelling between stations," said Goldie, a resident of Fujairah.

Fuel subsidies lead to waste: Expert believes low cost encourages lavish consumption patterns  
 
In the Middle East and North Africa's hydrocarbon-rich countries, gasoline, petrol and diesel have been generously subsidised as one way of giving the resource back to the population, says Samuel Ciszuk, a Middle East energy analyst at IHS Global Insight to Gulf News.

The flipside is that the population becomes used to cheap motor fuels, creating a wasteful consumption pattern which starts to eat into the resources, Ciszuk says.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest producer, has its own integrated operations and can refine its crude and reserve some of the products for the domestic markets. This is the case with most other big oil producers, he says.

In Dubai and to some extent the northern emirates, they don't have domestic production to meet the demand. So they have to pay market prices. This has been rising with increasing petrol prices, according to the analyst.

He says there has been talk of cutting the subsidies over the last few years. However, in the wake of the last few months of regional upheaval, governments are not ready to bear the political costs of a reform that would add to people's living costs.

Ex-husband plans to sell J Lo's nude videos

London (IANS) - Singer Jennifer Lopez's first husband Ojani Noa is set to sell to a port site their honeymoon videos in which J Lo appears naked.

Lopez's lawyers hope to block the sale by enforcing a permanent injunction the singer took out to stop Ojani Noa from releasing the tapes.

Thesun.co.uk reports that Noa, who was married to Lopez for 11 months in 1997, has found a legal loophole in his battle to cash in.

Previously, a Los Angeles judge backed his girlfriend Claudia Vazquez, who bought 27 hours of footage, including 20 minutes of nudity, for a dollar from Noa.

She claims that Lopez was harming her livelihood by blocking work on a planned film incorporating the tapes.

Noa's manager Ed Meyer said his client could market the steamy footage because J-Lo gave him permission to film her and gave him the tapes when they split.

He said bids started "in the hundreds of thousands" and were expected to rocket.

He added: "If an offer (from porn site) looks good, we'll definitely take it."

Lopez, who is now married to singer Marc Anthony, plans to appeal against the judge's ruling.

66,000 new jobs on the way -Saudi king

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the creation of 66,000 new jobs in the public sector for graduate teachers as well as for health diploma holders.

Among the new jobs in the education sector, 39,000 are reserved for women and 13,000 for men, said a decree issued by the king approving plans for employment of jobless Saudis.

The official statement pointed out that there are 28,552 jobless health diploma holders. Among them 14,000 have passed the professional classification test of the Saudi Authority for Health Specializations.

Of the 14,000 qualified Saudis, 4,000 will be employed in the Health Ministry, 4,000 others in other government departments and the remaining 6,000 in the private sector within six months.

The remaining 14,552 diploma holders will be asked to continue their education at community colleges or health institutes and will be given a monthly stipend of SR1,000.

After their education, for not more than two years, they would be accommodated in the private sector. Those who could not qualify for the health sector would be given administrative jobs in the private sector and the Labor Ministry should ensure their employment.

The decree urged the Saudi Authority for Health Specializations to review the status of health institutes and close them gradually and the Higher Education Ministry should provide their graduates special programs to enhance the quality of their education. They will also get priority for higher studies under King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program, it added.

The detailed Saudization program approved by the king on Saturday also included opening of women sections at all government departments within two months. The plan also includes employment of more women in private institutions.

"Measures should be taken to set a minimum salary for Saudis in the private sector and present that proposal to the Council of Ministers for approval," the decree said.

It also called measures to restrict employment of Saudi women at lingerie shops, within a month.

Other proposals included fixing working hours in the private sector to eight hours daily and limiting weekly working days to five within a month to encourage Saudis to work in private firms.

The decree emphasized the need to establish women-only industries and urged concerned authorities to allocate land for the purpose within a month. Foreign companies licensed by SAGIA should also follow Saudization regulations.

Labor Ministry has been asked to conduct a survey of private sector jobs that can be done by Saudi men and women and the survey should be ready within a month. The government will support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by providing them with soft loans as well as technical and marketing support.

More women should be employed in pharmaceutical companies in the Kingdom by providing them with necessary training, the decree said. Of the 2,472 employees currently working in the sector 1,793 are now non-Saudi. Women should also be appointed in other factories after training.

Saudi teachers working in private school should be given a minimum salary of SR5,000 in addition to SR600 transportation. Fifty percent of the salary will be given by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) for five years. The decree urged measures to Saudize 39,943 jobs in private schools.

The detailed plan calls for raising the cost of employing non-Saudis by increasing charges for issuing and renewing iqamas to raise money for HRDF. It also called for making foreign workers to undergo a professional qualification test before issuing iqamas. A study will be conducted on jobs that are mostly held by expatriates. Another study will be conducted on jobs required by the market. Specialized institutes will be set up to train Saudi men and women. Government departments carrying out new projects should train Saudis to take up jobs generated by the new projects, within a month.

Gaga's album banned in Lebanon

London (IANS) - Pop star Lady Gaga's latest album "Born This Way" may be topping the music charts in 21 countries, but it has been banned in Lebanon for being "offensive to Christianity".

A shipment of the album arrived in the Middle East country this week, but was immediately impounded by authorities in the general security department on grounds of taste, reports thesun.co.uk.

Gaga has also come in for some criticism from religious groups in the US for the track "Judas". The single was taken off radio stations in Lebanon this April.

World's most expensive kebab costs 750 pounds

London (IANS) - A chef in Britain has created the world's most expensive kebab - aptly titled King of Kebabs - and costs a whopping 750 pounds, a media report said.

The dish has moved on from being a humble doner to include saffron-infused flat bread, milk-fed lamb from the Pyrenees and even edible gold, The Sun reported Thursday.

The kebab uses gold leaf for a finishing flourish and champagne-infused mint and cucumber yoghurt completes the luxury, it said.

Chef Andy Bates created the kebab to mark the launch of The Great Food Truck Race TV show, celebrating street food.

Andy said: "It took a fair bit of time to source the best possible ingredients to ensure that this kebab was the most exclusive one out there but I loved every minute."