Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo`s sprawling `America` fetched 6.8 million dollars, just under pre-auction estimate, at Sotheby`s Latin American art auction that showed the effects of the ongoing financial crisis.

The nephew of Herge, author of the comic-book boy reporter Tintin, will auction off some of his uncle`s sketches, photos and letters in Paris on Friday, a Belgian newspaper reported.

Georges Remi said he had `some misgivings` about the sale of the items, which belonged to his Belgian uncle of the same name -- Herge was his famous pen name.

The nephew of Herge, author of the comic-book boy reporter Tintin, will auction off some of his uncle`s sketches, photos and letters in Paris on Friday, a Belgian newspaper reported.

Georges Remi said he had `some misgivings` about the sale of the items, which belonged to his Belgian uncle of the same name -- Herge was his famous pen name.

VIENNA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - A rare Leica camera fetched a world-record price of 336,000 euros (492,000 dollars) for cameras of its type at auction in Vienna Saturday, newsagency APA reported.

The tiny portable black camera dating from 1923 becomes the most expensive small camera in the world and the second most expensive camera ever sold at auction.

It was bought by an anonymous European collector.

The Leica camera was the seventh of a series made in Germany to test the market for portable cameras, and intended for export to New York.

DUBAI, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - A shirt belonging to the emir of Dubai was sold for 4.35 million dollars (3.0 million euros) at an auction on Friday to raise funds for a children's education charity, organisers said.

In all, the 12 items donated by prominent political and entertainment figures in the Gulf emirate netted 8.44 million dollars.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also vice president of the United Arab Emirates, wore the short when he won the equestrian endurance world cup in Spain in 2000.

PARIS, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - Alain Delon, the 71-year-old star of French cinema, sold part of his huge art collection for a better-than-expected 8.7 million euros (12.4 million dollars) at a Paris auction on Monday.

The most expensive work, a large 1954 painting by Jean-Paul Riopelle titled 'La vallee de l'oiseau' (The Valley of the Bird), sold for 882,740 euros (1.25 million dollars), or 750,000 euros (1.06 million dollars) excluding fees, the Cornette de Saint-Cyr auction house said.

LONDON, Oct 14, 2007 (AFP) - A painting originally handed over by Francis Bacon to cover the rent on his west London studio was the highlight of a record-breaking Christie's auction of post-war and contemporary art on Sunday.

'Study from the Human Body, Man Turning on the Light' -- which Bacon originally gave to the Royal College of Art in 1969 as rent for a Cromwell Road studio -- fetched 8,084,500 pounds (11,528,497 euros, 16,371,113 dollars), as the Christie's auction totalled 39.8 million pounds.

LONDON, Oct 13, 2007 (AFP) - The record price for a Chinese contemporary artwork was smashed in London on Friday, Sotheby's auction house said, for a painting based on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing.

Yue Minjun's 'Execution' fetched 2,932,500 pounds (5,964,700 dollars, 4,210,300 euros) after two telephone bidders battled it out. The pre-sale estimate was between 1.5 and two million pounds.

The previous highest price paid at auction for a Chinese avant-garde artist was set in June for Yue's 1997 work 'The Pope' for 2.15 million pounds.

PARIS, Oct 12, 2007 (AFP) - Alain Delon, 71-year-old star of French cinema, is selling off part of his huge art collection at a Paris auction next week estimated to ring up between 4.6 and 6.2 million euros (6.5 to 8.7 million dollars).

Bidding farewell to the 40 oils from the 1950s -- including works by Hartung, De Stael and Soulages -- a smiling Delon on Thursday night said to AFP: 'Why be sad, given it was me that decided they go.'

YANGON, Oct 11, 2007 (AFP) - Military-ruled Myanmar said Thursday it will hold a new auction of gems and jade next month, despite calls for a boycott on precious stones from the country.

The official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the sale would take place from November 7-19, the fifth such auction this year.

The announcement came in the wake of a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left at least 13 dead and drew international condemnation, in the biggest anti-government rallies in nearly 20 years.

LONDON, Oct 10, 2007 (AFP) - A series of high-profile contemporary art auctions is set to begin in London Friday, as rising levels of interest in the genre have prompted auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's to stage competing sales.

'Contemporary art is becoming a global language, the interest is massive,' Francis Outred, head of evening auctions and private sales at Sotheby's, told AFP.

'We've seen a generational change that is certainly here to stay,' Outred said, adding that new 'masterpieces are created all the time which is not the case for Manet or Van Gogh.'

HONG KONG, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) - A painting by renowned Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang sold for 2.6 million US dollars in Hong Kong Sunday, smashing the record he set at a New York auction only last month.

The 20-metre- (65-foot) long work, titled: 'Project for Extraterrestrials No 10: Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Metres,' went for 20.5 million Hong Kong dollars, more than the estimate, said auction house Sotheby's.

It uses Cai's signature style of gunpowder on paper to reflect a pyrotechnic event held in 1993 at Jiayuguan, where the Great Wall ends.

NEW YORK, Oct 6, 2007 (AFP) - A masterpiece by the French post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin showing Tahitian women bathing under mango trees could fetch 60 million dollars at auction in November, Sotheby's auction house said.

'Te Poipoi' ('The Morning'), an 1892 canvas showing Gauguin's two women women bathing in an idealized exotic spot, goes under the hammer at Sotheby's New York on November 7.

LONDON, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - A newly discovered Faberge egg made for a top banking dynasty is expected to fetch up to nine million pounds (13 million euros, 18 million dollars) when it is sold in London next month, auction house Christie's said Thursday.

The egg was made for the Rothschild family in 1902 by Peter Carl Faberge and contains a diamond-encrusted cockerel which pops out every hour to flap its wings and nod its head while opening and shutting its beak and crowing.

NEW YORK, Oct 2, 2007 (AFP) - Two major works by Pablo Picasso, a bronze head of his muse Dora Maar and a 1931 canvass 'La Lampe,' will go under the hammer in New York on November 7, Sotheby's auction house said Tuesday.

Sotheby's expects the painting, which comes directly from the artist's family, will fetch 25-35 million dollars, and the 80-centimeter (31.5-inch) high sculpture Picasso made in Paris in 1941 will bring 20-30 million.

'La Lampe' is a portrait of another Picasso mistress, Marie-Therese Walter.

LONDON, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) - Jewels that once previously belonged to Anita Delgado, a Spanish dancer who became the fifth wife of a wealthy Indian maharaja, are to be auctioned in London, auction house Christie's said Monday.

The eight pieces of jewellery, described by Christie's as consisting predominantly of art deco pieces, will be sold on December 12 and are expected to fetch more than 200,000 pounds (287,000 euros, 408,000 dollars).

The auctioneers estimated that a single emerald, diamond and rock crystal necklace will on its own draw bids up to 100,000 pounds.

LONDON, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) - A British charity has sold a complete set of Harry Potter books autographed by their author J.K. Rowling on e-Bay for 18,200 pounds (26,133 euros, 37,100 dollars), it said Sunday.

Bidding for the seven books on the online auction site closed at midnight (2300 GMT Saturday) after a starting offer of 100 pounds, Books Abroad development director Claire Newman told AFP.

Rowling's mother-in-law, Barbara Murray, works for the Scottish charity which supplies books to schools worldwide.

LONDON, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - A 157-year-old whisky was sold for more than 29,000 pounds (41,500 euros/59,200 dollars) Friday, setting what is thought to be a world record auction price for a bottle of Scotch.

The Bowmore single malt, which was bottled in 1850, was sold at McTear's auctioneers in Glasgow for 29,400 pounds to an anonymous telephone bidder, beating the distillery itself.

The price, which included buyer's premium, comfortably beat the pre-sale estimate of between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds.

TOULOUSE, France, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - Dozens of collectors' items from the now defunct supersonic passenger jet Concorde went under the hammer Friday in southern France, kicking off a hotly-awaited four-day auction.

Over the weekend to Monday, fans of the iconic aircraft will be able to bid for one of 835 lots including instruments, oxygen masks, baggage compartment doors, photographs signed by the first Concorde crew, and even a toilet seat.

TOULOUSE, France, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - A thousand collectors' items from the now defunct supersonic passenger jet Concorde are to be sold to enthusiasts at an auction in southern France from Friday, organisers announced.

Fans of the iconic aircraft will be able to bid for instruments, oxygen masks, baggage compartment doors and even a toilet seat, with prices starting at 20-3,000 euros (28-4,200 dollars).

NEW YORK, Sept 25, 2007 (AFP) - A rare copy of the Magna Carta, a 13th century English document enshrining the rule of law, is to go on sale in New York in December, in one of the most important ever sales of a document.

The royal charter, dated 1297 and bearing the seal of King Edward I, is expected to fetch up to 30 million dollars when it goes under the hammer at Sotheby's, the auction house said in a statement Tuesday.

NEW YORK, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - A painting believed to be one of the last produced by Vincent Van Gogh goes to the auction bloc in New York on November 7, Sotheby's auction house announced.

'The Fields' (Wheat Fields) is expected to sell for between 28 and 35 million dollars, Sotheby's estimated.

Painted in June-July 1890 'in the final weeks of the artist's life,' the picture depicts sprawling gold-wheat fields in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

NEW YORK, Sept 22, 2007 (AFP) - From 19th century Chinese erotica to contemporary Indian paintings, hundreds of Asian artworks went under the hammer in New York this week, with records falling for several leading artists.

One of the highest-profile sales of the week was Sotheby's contemporary Chinese, Japanese and Korean artworks on Thursday.

The sale saw the record for a work by Chinese symbolist painter Zhang Xiaogang tumble twice, with his 'Bloodline Series: Comrade,' from 1995 selling for 2.5 million dollars -- four times more than its top estimate.

NEW YORK, Sept 20, 2007 (AFP) - Two paintings by Irish expressionist artist Francis Bacon are expected to fetch more than 50 million dollars when they go on sale in New York later this year, Sotheby's auction house said Thursday.

'Study for Bullfight No. 1, 2nd Version' and 'Self Portrait' were both painted in 1969 and come from a private European collection. They are due to go on sale on November 14 at Sotheby's fall contemporary art sale.

MOSCOW, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) - A Russian billionaire's purchase this week of a multi-million-pound art collection came at the prompting of the Russian state, Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi said in an interview Wednesday.

The state had wanted to buy the collection of Russian classics owned by the late Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich itself, but 'I understood that we wouldn't be able to obtain the necessary funds from the budget in time,' Shvydkoi told daily Kommersant.

LONDON, Sept 17, 2007 (AFP) - Around 450 artworks belonging to the late Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich have been sold to a Russian tycoon who intends to take them back to Russia, auction house Sotheby's said Monday.

Sotheby's did not name the buyer and would not reveal the exact amount he paid for the collection, which contains gems by Russian artists including Boris Dmitrievich Grigoriev.

But the auction house did say in a statement that it was 'substantially higher' than the top pre-sale estimate of 20 million pounds (29 million euros, 40 million dollars).

NEW YORK, Sept 17, 2007 (AFP) - Asian art is under the spotlight at almost a dozen auctions in New York this week, with lots ranging from 19th century erotic scrolls to contemporary Chinese artworks due to go under the hammer.

Highlights of the week include a collection of 18th century Chinese snuff bottles at Christie's and a rare 13th century Tibetan Buddhist bronze figure at Sotheby's expected to reach in excess of 3.5 million dollars.

NEW YORK, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - A tiny and extremely rare 5,000-year-old white limestone sculpture from ancient Mesopotamia is expected to fetch up to 18 million dollars when it goes on sale in New York later this year.

The carved Guennol Lioness, measuring just over eight centimeters (3 1/4 inches) tall, was described by Sotheby's auction house as an icon of near-eastern ancient art and was due to be sold in New York on December 5.

ROME, Sept 11, 2007 (AFP) - Two official programmes from the funeral service for late Italian opera legend Luciano Pavarotti were Tuesday posted for sale on the online auction site eBay, with the pricier one offered at 50,000 euros (70,000 dollars).

The booklets appeared to be from the 1,500 programmes handed out to guests at Saturday's funeral. The cheaper one was going for 25,000 euros.

All the guests at the mass in Pavarotti's home town of Modena, in northern Italy, were specifically invited by the family.

The legendary singer died last Thursday aged 71.

HARARE, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Zimbabwe's annual tobacco auctions wrapped up with almost 70 million kilogrammes of the leaf sold, after pricing disputes delayed the start of the selling season, officials said Monday.

This is a far cry from the impoverished country's glory days, when tobacco production reached a record high of 236.13 million kilogrammes (236,130 metric tonnes) in 2000 to just 55.6 million kilogrammes last year.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 22, 2007 (AFP) - A pale-blue dress worn by Princess Diana to the 1987 Cannes Film Festival failed to attract bids in an Internet auction for charity on Wednesday, just days ahead of the 10th anniversary of her death.

The silk chiffon evening gown was among 79 dresses that Diana auctioned off for charity at Christie's in New York in June 1997, two months before she died in a car crash in Paris.

LONDON, Aug 17, 2007 (AFP) - A bottle of champagne thought to have been taken from Adolf Hitler's wine cellar was sold at auction in Britain on Friday.

The bottle of 1937 Moet et Chandon was bought by an anonymous Swedish bidder for 1,688 pounds (3,359 dollars, 2,487 euros) at Charterhouse auctioneers in Sherbourne, south-west England.

It is believed to have been in Hitler's personal stock and grabbed by a British soldier in Germany as Hitler's Nazi regime collapsed at the end of World War II.

LOS ANGELES, Aug 17, 2007 (AFP) - A Ferrari once owned and raced by 'King of Cool' Steve McQueen has sold at auction in California for just over 2.3 million dollars, auction house Christie's said Friday.

The auction house's head of US car sales, Christopher Sanger, described the car as one of the most important celebrity-owned vehicles ever to come to auction, and said the 800-strong crowd cheered when it came on the block.

MOSCOW, Aug 15, 2007 (AFP) - The final auction to sell off assets belonging to bankrupt Russian oil group Yukos was held in Moscow on Wednesday, with the identity of the buyers and legal wrangling adding a sense of mystery to proceedings.

Yukos, once Russia's biggest oil group, has been declared backrupt and its assets are being auctioned off to settle multi-billion-dollar back tax claims filed by the Russian government.

WASHINGTON, Aug 10, 2007 (AFP) - A piano that belonged to Elvis Presley is being auctioned off online to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the rock 'n' roll legend's death, an official from the selling company said Friday.

'The starting price is 250,000 dollars but we hope to sell it for somewhere around two million dollars,' Bernie Chase of Symbolic Collection, the company selling the piano on the auction website eBay, told AFP.

The online auction of the white Knabe baby grand began this week and runs until August 18.

HONG KONG, Aug 5, 2007 (AFP) - A Bruce Lee fan has splashed out 40,000 Hong Kong d