THE super rich in the United Arab Emirates are bidding millions of dollars for out-of-the-ordinary car licence plates as the Gulf state basks in an oil-driven economic boom.

Asked what he planned to do with the licence plate, the twenty-something said he would frame it and mount it on a wall rather than attach it to a car.

Will it be Daniel's day as Brits lead Oscars line-up

Atonement, the wartime tale of love and redemption adapted from Ian McEwan's acclaimed novel, is up for best movie in a strong year against the multi-nominated No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.

British actor Tom Wilkinson, who also appears in Michael Clayton, is nominated for best supporting actor.

GM, Toyota locked in race for world's top automaker

GM gained $2.05, or 8.7 percent, to $25.70 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Toyota's American depositary receipts were up $2.34, or 2.4 percent, to $99.25.

GM still must "defend" mature markets in the United States and Europe as it increases production in the emerging markets, the automaker's chief sales analyst, Michael DiGiovanni, said on a conference call with analysts and reporters. The ultimate winner for global sales will likely be the company that's most successful in markets such as China, India, and Russia, he said.

Respond to Stephanie's blog here:

Alison Struve and Bill Martens are still thinking about it.. and so am I! So, I'll keep you posted.. but while we're thinking about it you should too, and let me know! They can be either your favorite gifts.. or not so favorite gifts.

Well as the temperatures continue to drop and the forecast more commonly includes flakes of snow.. my heart starts to race thinking about driving on the winter roads. I don't know about you, but although I've lived in Wisconsin all my life.. I still get extremely nervous confronting freezing rain, black ice and white-outs.

CHICAGO CENTRAL: First-Look Pix, Specs & Analysis

This monster is the big-rig equivalent of a Harley-Davidson dresser, though it's closer to a private jet than an 18-wheeler inside—and gets 5 to 15-percent more fuel efficiency thanks to its aerodynamic design.FACELIFT: 2009 Acura RL Stays Tech-Heavy Inside, Gets Bolder OutsideCOMPLETE COVERAGE: 2008 Chicago Auto Show .

Report claims abuse of Iraqi prisoners limited

Jonathan Miller is on the case.Karzai verbally attacks British ===================== We are live in Afghanistan tonight after Afghan president, Karzai, condemned the British and Americans, but the British in particular, for allowing the Taliban to regroup again after the initial victory in 2003. It's an intriguing development and we will be hearing from Alex Thomson in Helmand, and from Davos where President Karzai has been meeting Gordon Brown. Our correspondent Faisal Islam is there and we shall also have more on the rogue trader and the world economy. Light at the end of tunnel for Welsh miners ================================ Finally Darshna Soni is at Tower Colliery in Wales reopened 10 years ago and finally closed today because they have worked the seam out. But not all is lost they are off to open a smaller one down the road.

Tomato cans ripe for picking Journeyman boxers know all too well about ...

Reggie Strickland of Indianapolis refuses to be called a tomato can despite his 66-276-17 record. "I've had more fights stolen from me than I've lost," says Strickland, 39. "At least a hundred."
Courtesy of the Indianapolis Star


John O'Donnell, right, carried a 15-0 record into his welterweight bout against Christian Solano (11-12-1) at the MGM Grand Garden on May 5. But O'Donnell had built his record against fighters with a combined winning percentage of .187. Solano scored a technical knockout in the second round.
Courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions


Bruce "The Mouse" Strauss, described as the most ''successful sacrifice'' to grace the ring and featured in a 1997 film, boasted of having been knocked out at least once on every continent except Antarctica.

Was George Plimpton a Literary Giant?

Readers of Exit Ghost will recognize that I'm referring to the extended critical reassessment of the late sportswriter and fireworks enthusiast that Philip Roth weaves into the climax of his novel. (For Stephen Metcalf's more comprehensive assessment of Exit Ghost, click here.) Yes, I know that Plimpton was also editor of the Paris Review, an important literary magazine. But Zuckerman focuses on Plimpton the writer. Yes, I am further aware that Zuckerman, the protagonist of a series of short novels of which Exit Ghost, Roth says, will be the last, is a fictional character who should not be mistaken for the author's proxy. Even so, Roth has always invited readers to take Zuckerman's literary sensibility more or less at face value. Zuckerman's ruminations about George Plimpton's underappreciated genius therefore left me scratching my head.

Your View

Most city staff would run through walls for her. She fought for better pay and benefits while putting the city in the best financial state it's had in years. She inspired us to do more and be more and led by example.

Though I also commend the prisoners for studying for and attaining their General Educational Development (GED) certificates, I wonder whether Oppel has looked at how many people, even if they have a doctorate, find it difficult, if not impossible, to gain employment after being in jail for a felony.