Headline

1962 Ferrari Auctioned For $51.7 mn In New York

Published

2 years ago

November 14, 2023

A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sports car sold for $51.7 million in New York on Monday, making it the second most expensive car ever sold at auction, Sotheby’s said.

The bright red roadster had been the property of an American collector for the past 38 years, and its auction price was surpassed only by that of a Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that went for 135 million euros in 2022, the auction house said. That would be $144 million at today’s exchange rate.

The 250 GTO went on sale Monday evening after a few minutes of bidding in the auction room, but at a price lower than the more than $60 million expected by RM Sotheby’s, the luxury car subsidiary of the auction house.

Sotheby’s did not identify the winning bidder.

Dating from 1962, the legendary Scuderia sports car — chassis 3765, four-liter engine developing 390 horsepower — had finished second in a race of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) on the German Nurburgring circuit, as well as in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the team had to withdraw due to engine failure, according to RM Sotheby’s.

After several years of competition on the Italian mainland and in Sicily, the car was sold and exported to the US in the late 1960s.

Restored and modified, the 250 GTO changed American owners several times before ending up in the hands of an Ohio “dedicated collector” in 1985, who sold it on Monday.

“This stunning GTO offers its next caretaker further touring and vintage racing enjoyment, or display at major concours d’elegance and marque gatherings worldwide,” Sotheby’s said.

The Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that fetched 135 million euros in 2022 was one of only two examples of the sport car. It sold at a confidential auction at the German manufacturer’s museum in Stuttgart and was the most expensive car ever sold worldwide, whether at auction or privately, a RM Sotheby’s spokesman told AFP.

This week, New York auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s conclude their autumn season of art sales, which have not been affected by hard times and have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars since November 7.

Christie’s, which on Thursday sold Claude Monet’s “Le bassin aux nymphéas” (“Water Lily Pond”) for $74 million and three paintings by Paul Cezanne for $53 million, reported a total of $864 million by late Monday.

Competitor Sotheby’s, which closes its New York sales on Thursday, sold Pablo Picasso’s “Femme à la montre” (“Woman with a Watch”) on Wednesday for $139 million, the second-highest amount ever achieved for the Spanish master, who died 50 years ago.

Sotheby’s followed that sale on Monday with a Cezanne — “Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, temps couvert” (“Poplars on the banks of the Epte, overcast”) — to an Asian collector for $30.7 million.

An 1892 Monet, “Le Moulin de Limetz” (“The Mill at Limetz), in the same American family for 130 years, sold for $25.6 million.

And finally, American painter Mark Rothko broke his record for works on paper: “Untitled” was bought by an anonymous bidder in the room for $23.8 million.

The market is driven by China and Asia and shows no signs of slowing down, according to Sotheby’s, despite a tense international context.

“Whatever happens in the financial markets, a car of this caliber is a collector’s item, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Michael Caimano of RM Sotheby’s told AFP before the car sale, comparing the Ferrari to a work of art that “can be touched, felt and heard.”

Headline

Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

24 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

24 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

Headline

US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

24 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”