2013 Ford Escape Already has 8,000 Orders

The Ford Escape saw a major overhaul for the 2013 model year, ditching its traditional SUV styling for something more in line with the European Kuga offering.

As part of the American automaker’s ‘One Ford’ plan of ensuring North American models are nearly identical to its European counterparts, the changes to the 2013 Ford Escape are being welcomed with open arms.

Ford announced that it has almost 8,000 orders for its new Escape that will be hitting showrooms late next month with a starting price of $23,295, about $200 cheaper than its predecessor. But the base model isn’t even what the consumers are interested in. Half the orders for the new Ford Escape are for the higher trim levels: the new Titanium and the SEL which starts at $28,695. That falls in line with our recent report that average new car sales reached an all-time high of $30,748.

Powered by either a 1.6- or 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, the Escape combines performance (thanks to a turbocharger) with fuel efficiency. The previous 2.5L four-cylinder is also being carried over, but it’s expected that most buyers will opt for the new EcoBoost offerings.

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Bahrain activists set off Grand Prix protests

Hundreds of Bahraini protesters have taken to the streets of Manama, the country's capital, after an opposition call for a week of anti-government demonstrations to coincide with the Formula One Grand Prix set to be hosted by the Gulf state.

Sunday's protest was the first in a week of planned daily demonstrations and sit-ins called by al-Wefaq, Bahrain's largest Shia opposition political party, to last through the end of the international racing event scheduled for April 22.

Al-Wefaq said the pro-democracy protests under the banner of "steadfastness and challenge" would take place in Shia villages on the outskirts of Manama, including one on Tuesday near Bahrain's international airport.

The party said there are no plans for protests near the Sakhir circuit where the F1 race will be held.

Grand Prix controversy

Al-Wefaq leader Abdel Jalil Khalil told AFP that the bloc would not try to prevent the event but was organising protests to "take advantage of this week's race to highlight our political and democratic demands".

Foreign journalists have been routinely blocked from entering the country since the government cracked down on an uprising in February and March 2011, killing at least 35 people.

The Grand Prix controversy has for the second time shed the international media spotlight on the troubled kingdom, an opportunity the opposition says will use to publicise demands for greater equality and democracy.

Bahrain's cabinet insisted in a statement on Sunday that the decision by Formula One's governing body to go ahead with the race reflected "confidence in the country's security and stability".

The shooting and wounding of a 15-year-old boy by riot police last week had increased pressure on race organisers and participating teams to boycott the event.

On Friday, both the sport's governing body, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile), and commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone announced the race will take place as scheduled.

Human Rights Watch, a US-based rights watchdog, condemned the decision, arguing the sporting event would be exploited "to obscure the seriousness of the country's human rights situation".

Aljazeera

Official: 5 killed, 5 wounded in aerial attack in South Sudan

Five people were killed and five others wounded after an airplane dropped bombs Saturday on a town in South Sudan, a military spokesman in that fledgling country said -- though a Sudanese military spokesman denied any such attack.

Col. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Army of South Sudan, said that the aerial strike hit a market area in Rubkona, which is part of Unity state, at 1 p.m. Saturday (6 a.m. ET).

Abiemnom County in that state, as well as two counties in Warrap state, were also attacked Saturday, Aguer said.

But Al-Sawarmi Khalid, a spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces, said, "We have not carried out attacks into South Sudan."

Both military spokesmen referenced Heglig, a key oil installation in South Kordofan state that produces nearly half of Sudan's oil and was seized by South Sudan's military this week.

Aguer insisted Heglig is part of South Sudan.

Meanwhile, Khalid said that Sudanese military forces were "approaching Heglig from all sides."

Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations welcomed a U.N. Security Council statement this week demanding "a complete, immediate and unconditional end to all fighting and a withdrawal of the SPLA from Heglig and an end to aerial bombardments."

"We will observe closely the behavior and attitude of the reaction of the government of the South to this call and if they don't heed it, we will reserve our right to exercise the right of self-defense and we will chase them out, " Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman said.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, has called South Sudan's move to occupy Heglig "completely unacceptable" and urged forces to withdraw immediately. The African Union similarly has called on forces to pull out and for aerial bombardments to stop.

Yet South Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations blamed the Khartoum government for attacks on their forces at the border, which she said provoked their actions at Heglig.

"South Sudan had no choice. It had to defend itself to deter attacks on South Sudanese territory," Agnes Oswaha said. "South Sudan is prepared to withdraw troops as long as a mechanism is put in place that the area cannot be used to launch further attacks."

South Sudan gained independence from the north in July, the result of a referendum overwhelmingly approved by voters last year.

The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war between the two sides that killed about 2 million people.

Despite the split, several outstanding issues have yet to be negotiated, including citizenship, border demarcations and oil revenue sharing.

When they separated, South Sudan acquired three-quarters of Sudan's oil reserves. The two countries have been locked in negotiations over how much the landlocked South Sudan should pay to use a pipeline and processing facilities in the north.

In late July, South Sudan halted oil production after accusing Sudan of "stealing" $815 million worth of its crude. Sudan said it confiscated the oil to make up for unpaid fees.

CNN

Chinese treasures stolen in Durham museum heist are found by police

Police have recovered Chinese treasures worth more than £2m that were stolen in a well-planned heist earlier this month.

A gang chiselled into Durham University's Oriental Museum through an outside wall on 5 April, taking more than half an hour, then took as little as 60 seconds to grab two Chinese artefacts which it is believed were probably stolen to order.

Using torches to see, the thieves made straight for two separate cabinets containing an 18th-century jade bowl and a Dehua porcelain figurine. They made off before police alerted by the alarm got to the scene.

Despite making five arrests, Durham police could not initially find the artefacts and alerted the ports. But a police spokeswoman said on Saturday night: "Both artefacts have been recovered."

The bowl dates from 1769 and has a Chinese poem written inside, while the figurine is of seven fairies in a boat and stands about 30cm (12in) high.

Both are from the Qing dynasty, China's last imperial dynasty, and their total value is estimated by auctioneers at more than £2m.

A 40-strong team of detectives are looking for two men wanted in connection with the raid. On Wednesday they released photographs of Lee Wildman, also known as Jason or Lee Green, 35, and Adrian Stanton, 32, both from Walsall.

Lee Wildman was one of five people from the West Midlands who were arrested and bailed pending further inquiries after the museum raid.

The Guardian

World’s Only Red Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV For Sale

Take the Murcielago LP670-4 Super Veloce (SV) for instance. This car was the last hurrah for the aging Murcielago model, which had been in production for about 8-years.

So to give it a proper send-off, Lamborghini decided to produce 350 examples of a lighter, more powerful Murcielago and labeled it the SV.

This car, thanks to its 6.5-liter, V12 motor, which produced 670-hp and 487-lb/ft of torque, is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and tops out at an insane 212 mph.

So it is a mental supercar, and that is exactly how we like our Lamborghini’s. At this point, we are sure you’re tempted to buy one. To assist you with that, we have found the only ‘Red’ Murcielago SV ever produced (at least in this exact shade of red). According to the seller, Lamborghini Miami, this car is number 240/350 and has covered just 1400-miles.

As for the price, hope you’re sitting down for this; it’s $378,950. Carbon-ceramic brakes with yellow brake calipers and the optional large rear wing are included in that price, but it’s still a little steep.

So if you’ve got the money and are wondering what could cure your boredom, this 2010 model year SV might just be the antidote you’re looking for.

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