nside Roman Abramovich's palatial £150million home by Harrods.. that extends three storeys underground

By Angella Johnson
Last updated at 11:45 AM on 27th December 2010

It is a mansion fit for a king - or even a tsar.

Not content with the dozens of houses he already owns around the world, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has purchased all nine flats of a prime London block with Harvey Nichols and Harrods as their corner shops.

Spread across two stucco-fronted properties in Knightsbridge in London, the eight-bedroom building is expected to be worth up to £150million.

The massive home extends three storeys underground and has a swimming pool, staff apartments and 30,000 square feet of space

It should provide plenty of space for Abramovich, 44, girlfriend Dasha Zhukova, 29, and their baby son Aaron, one.

For Chelsea football club owner Abramovich, whose £14billion fortune makes him the 15th richest person in the world, the house will be a measure of his vast wealth and an opulent expression of his personal style.

'It looks as though it will be palatial,' said a source familiar with the plans. 'He wants a very plush interior in the style of high neoclassical Victoriana to match the exterior.

'This is clearly a personal project, because men like him would normally hand such a massive undertaking to some upmarket interior design firm.

'He's going to be very hands-on and there will be nothing minimalist about his taste. Inside will be all cornices, thick pile carpeting and heavy drapery.'

Abramovich and heiress girlfriend Dasha Zhukova escaped the British cold with sun and shopping in St Barts earlier this month

The proposals, approved by Kensington and Chelsea council, should also prove more than adequate for Mr Abramovich, if his older five children do occasionally visit.

The development, over five storeys above ground and three basement levels, boasts a cinema/entertainment room, an indoor pool, steam room and sauna, as well as a children's study and entertainment room.

All six family bedrooms have en suite bathrooms, as do the two guest rooms. In a linked mews development behind the main building, four flats above a multicar garage will be used as staff accommodation.

The total size is 30,000 sq feet, five times the area of a normal five-bedroomed family home.

The home is currently two adjoining townhouses, which were split into nine apartments in 1998.

Mr Abramovich has been buying up the individual flats over the years to convert the building into the single home, but did not change the exterior.

He first bought a flat there in the late Nineties, spending £1.2million. He and his then wife, Irina, spent a similar amount gutting and remodelling it and it was their London home for several years.

That was before he bought Chelsea FC, a Sussex estate and a London home worth £40million, which Irina kept following their divorce.

The palatial Knightsbridge home has plenty of room for all six of Roman's children, five from his marriage to ex Irina and son Aaron with Dasha, seen here frolicking on the beach in St Barts

'I knew he was buying property,' said a property expert. 'But I didn't realise all of them were in these two buildings. He was obviously determined to acquire them and just waited patiently until, one by one, they came on the market.'

By cannily buying up individual flats, the Russian has ended up paying between £15million and £20million for the two historic houses, a great deal less than their eventual worth.

He bought the freehold for the buildings from Sun Life for only £1.8million.

Abramovich is believed to have a large property portfolio including a villa in the South of France and multiple yachts.

The Knightsbridge building was designed by renowned master builder Thomas Cubitt, who worked on a swathe of grand designs in West London in the 1830s.

Cubitt was also responsible for the east front of Buckingham Palace. The new interiors are designed by neoclassical architect John Simpson, a favourite of Prince Charles who was responsible for the Queen's Gallery addition to Buckingham Palace, built in in 2002.

John Martin Robinson, a historic building consultant who has assessed the proposals, said there was so little period detail remaining that the work could only improve the building.

'It will reintroduce a grand town house of the type which originally featured in the square,' he said.

'The work will revive some of the original early Victorian glamour of the square and introduce a classical interior worthy of the elevation.'

Stock market woes drive wealthy investors to (super)car showrooms

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:43 AM on 27th December 2010

The wealthy who are wary of the stock market are investing in prestige cars instead, it was revealed today.

The number of people with four or more top-end models such as Porsche and Bentley is on the increase, according to insurance company Aviva.

And some even have as many as 30 prestige cars, owning the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce, the company added.

An investment: The all-new Ferrari 458 Italia will set you back a whopping £169,545

The Rolls-Royce Phantom coupe costs a hefty £267,950

Aviva said that, on average, owners of these types of expensive car only do about 5,000 miles a year - about two-thirds of the national average.

The average value of the prestige car collections insured with Aviva is £350,000.

Almost two-thirds of these cars are less than two years old, with 50% having personalised number plates and 85% of the owners being male.

The most popular of the prestige cars is Porsche, followed by Bentley, Aston Martin and Ferrari.

Scott Leonard, high net worth underwriting manager at Aviva, said: 'The popularity of owning a collection of high-value cars is growing among the wealthy of the population generally. It is not simply the preserve of A-list footballers and pop stars.

Lamborghini Reventon supercar has become a collectors item

Mercedes SLS AMG car costs more than £160,000

'It seems that people with money to spend and invest are now as likely to add a new prestige car to their possessions as a work of art, so perhaps Porsches are the new Picassos."

These are the top 10 prestige cars insured with Aviva:

CAR ANNUAL MILEAGE VALUE OF TYPICAL NEW MODEL

1. Porsche 7,279 £120,453

2. Bentley 8,560 £153,400

3. Aston Martin 6,871 £170,500

4. Ferrari 5,290 £207,075

5. Jaguar 7,580 £69,900

6. Mercedes-Benz 9,000 £157,500

7. Range Rover 12,227 £66,395

8. Maserati 8,000 £85,550

9. Lamborghini 5,333 £166,784

10.Rolls-Royce 5,200 £195,840

CAN YOU SPOT THE 50 HIDDEN MOVIE TITLES IN OUR BLOCKBUSTER QUIZ?

Solve the visual clues and find the FIFTY films featured in our blockbuster quiz

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:53 AM on 27th December 2010

Put your film knowledge to the test with our ultimate quiz....

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Shamed Sheridan pestered me to take part in sleazy three-in-a-bed session with a leading soccer manager, claims former lover

By Gavin Madeley
Last updated at 9:53 AM on 27th December 2010

Disgraced Tommy Sheridan yesterday faced fresh allegations that he badgered a former lover to take part in squalid three-in-a-bed sessions.

Laura Smith claims the Scottish politician seduced her into sleeping with him and a leading football manager.

The soccer boss strenuously denies the allegation involving the former Scottish Socialist Party chief, who was convicted last week of perjury in a libel battle with the News of the World.

Convicted liar Tommy Sheridan outside court after the case with his wife Gail who has vowed to stand by him

But Miss Smith, now 44, said today: 'I stand by every word.'

Sheridan, 46, faces years in prison and financial ruin after being convicted of lying in court about visits to a seedy sex club.

In a signed statement to police, Miss Smith claimed she was coaxed into the threesome by Sheridan, who then badgered her to have sex with his own brother-in-law, Andy McFarlane, and later with Danish party activist, Katrine Trolle.

Miss Smith said she was also pestered to visit a swingers’ club but refused.

She told the News of the World: 'Tommy was only ever after one thing – sex. The bottom line is I now know he is a horrible person.'

Sheridan's former Danish lover Katrine Trolle

Her claims follow explosive testimony by journalist Anvar Khan during Sheridan’ s 12-week perjury trial when she described taking part in group sex with him, Mr McFarlane and Miss Trolle and visiting Cupid’s sex club in Manchester.

Miss Smith, who got to know Sheridan after both grew up in Glasgow’s tough Pollok district, also said the philandering politician begged her for sex on the eve of his marriage to Gail.

She claimed he told her the couple’s marriage was one of political convenience.

Miss Smith added: 'The night before he got married he left messages saying he was coming round to my house with a bottle of wine.

'He only had one thing in mind, and it wasn’t for a cup of tea. But I just ignored him. Once he got married I wasn’t interested anymore – although, of course, he tried.

'When he realised it was all over he pretended he didn’t know me.'

The damning revelations are certain to heap further strain on the Sheridans’ marriage despite Gail, 46, who walked free from court after she was cleared of perjury, vowing: 'I have and will always stand by Tommy.'

Sheridan was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow of lying under oath five times during his £200,000 defamation victory against the News of the World in 2006.

He was freed to spend Christmas with wife Gail and five-year-old Gabrielle after being bailed by Lord Bracadale until sentencing on January 26. Senior legal sources say he could be facing five years in prison.

Yesterday the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant broke his silence by posting a message of defiance on the social networking site Facebook.

In it, he thanked his small band of supporters and wrote: "We are strong and will continue to fight against the forces of darkness. A very merry xmas to you all. Solidarity always. T, G and wee G."

However, Sheridan still faces a race to save his family from homelessness as he fights the prospect of a potentially costly appeal by the News of the World against his successful 2006 defamation action.

The Sunday tabloid will seek to reclaim legal costs of around £500,000.

Last Thursday, the jury of 12 women and two men found Sheridan guilty by a majority of a single perjury charge broken down into five allegations.

He was convicted of lying in the 2006 court case by saying he did not have an extra-marital affair Miss Trolle.

He also lied about visiting Cupid's swingers' club in Manchester twice with Miss Trolle, Miss Khan, Mr McFarlane and footballer friend Gary Clark. He was also convicted of lying by claiming he did not admit to his sex club visits at an SSP meeting in 2004.

The trial - Scotland's longest-ever perjury case - is estimated to have cost between £2million and £3million. It was claimed during Sheridan's defence that the police inquiry had cost £1.5million.

During the trial, Sheridan claimed there had been a plot to depose him as SSP leader by rivals and during his five-hour closing speech he appeared to choke back tears as he spoke about his wife and five-year-old daughter.

Following the guilty verdict, Lord Bracadale told him: 'You have been convicted of the serious offence of perjury and must return to court expecting to begin a prison sentence.'

Now Christmas is out of the way, time to book your holidays

... special deals bonanza for tourists

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:17 AM on 27th December 2010

The post-Christmas holiday booking bonanza kicked off today with tourists tempted with special deals.

Travel company Going Places wooed would-be travellers with £200 discounts on holidays with Airtours.

Thomas Cook knocked 10 per cent off holidays booked before the end of January and Monarch Airlines slashed the prices of summer 2011 flights and holidays.

Crowds flock to a beach in Valencia in south eastern Spain at the beginning of the traditional August summer holidays

The Going Places discount is for all holidays booked before the end of February.
The deal also involves child-goes-free offers for many holidays.

Going Places sales director Joanna Wild said: 'With the cold weather starting earlier this year and looking set to stay, there are exceptional offers in place to ensure they enjoy a sunny start to the new year whatever the weather.'

Thomas Cook group chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: 'Holidaymakers are returning to the home of the traditional package holiday - Spain and Greece - as the pound strengthens against the euro and hoteliers respond to the competition from Turkey.

'2011 will still see a huge number of British holidaymakers travel to Turkey as their standard of product and range really does offer outstanding value.'

Monarch Airlines managing director Tim Jeans said: 'After the snow-filled days pre-Christmas and the stresses of the festive season, people in the UK are now longing to get away, relax and enjoy some much-needed sunshine.'

The Direct Holidays company is also offering a number of early-booking deals, which include £100 off per booking or a free child place.

They are available on all holidays departing from May to October 2011.

Thomas Cook said these were their top destinations for 2011:
1. Turkey
2. Spain
3. Greece
4. Cyprus
5. Egypt

How a Facebook feature in the brain rules your social network

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:43 AM on 27th December 2010

If your social life leaves something to be desired, it might be your brain structure that’s to blame.

A ‘Facebook feature’ deep in the temporal lobe governs the number of friends you are likely to make, scientists have found.

The amygdala, a small almond-shaped structure, has for some time been linked to empathy and fear responses.

Party time: The bigger the size of your amygdala, the wider your social circle

But a study suggests that the larger the amygdala, the wider and more complex is its owner’s network of friends and colleagues.

Volunteers aged between 19 to 83 were asked to complete questionnaires which measured how many regular social contacts they had, and in how many different groups.

Magnetic resonance imaging scans found a positive link between big amygdalas and the richest social lives. Professor Lisa Barrett, a psychologist at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, reported the findings in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

She said they were consistent with the social brain theory, which suggests the human amygdala evolved to deal with an increasingly complex social world.
Other studies of primates have shown that those living in larger groups tend to have larger amygdalas.

The Amygdala which is situated deep in the temporal lobe of the brain

The findings was published in a new study in Nature Neuroscience.

Dr Lisa Barrett, Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, who took part in the research, said the amygdala got bigger to cope with mankind's more hectic social life.

She added: 'Further research is in progress to try to understand more about how the amygdala and other brain regions are involved in social behaviour in humans.'

Her colleague Dr Bradford Dickerson, an associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School said: 'This link between amygdala size and social network size and complexity was observed for both older and younger individuals and for both men and women.'

Recently U.S. scientists reported on the case of a woman whose amygdala had been destroyed by a medical condition.

As a result the 44-year-old mother of three felt no fear and constantly put herself in danger. Over the years she had been threatened with a knife, held at gunpoint and assaulted.

VAT rises, interest rates set to go up... no wonder 2011 is the year Britain is dreading

By Eleanor Harding
Last updated at 7:41 AM on 27th December 2010

British households are dreading the year ahead, with two-thirds predicting the economy will take another nose-dive.

The survey found that people are at their most pessimistic for 18 months and families are bracing themselves for another year of economic hardship.

Almost 40 per cent of those questioned said they expected to fall behind with their bills, while a fifth believe they will find it difficult to meet mortgage repayments.

Troubled forecasts: Women aged 35 to 54 are most worried about their financial situation in 2011

And just nine days before VAT rises to 20 per cent, two-thirds also expect to have less spending money in the coming 12 months.

Women and those aged between 35 and 54 are especially downbeat about their financial year ahead, while the most pessimistic workers were professionals such as lawyers and doctors.

Most young people aged 18 to 34, however, expected little change to their social life – with a third expecting their standard of living to go up.

Generous: Despite the gloom and the bitter weather conditions British shoppers spent more on Christmas gifts this year than last

The poll, carried out by Populus for The Times newspaper, comes after experts predicted that interest rates will rise in the coming months – as will property repossessions.

Despite the gloomy outlook, the survey also showed shoppers spent more on Christmas than last year, with average spending on presents up by nearly a quarter from £321 to £395.

Women were bigger gift-buyers than men even though they expressed the most fear about the state of the family finances.

And while doctors, lawyers and other professionals seemed the most downbeat about the New Year, they were nevertheless on the whole optimistic about their own family finances.