Businesses have doled out up to $4 million to send ships through the Panama Canal while trying to avoid the Iran war's risks and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Passage through the canal usually comes at a flat rate via reservations. But companies without bookings can pay more to cross through an auction that awards slots to the highest bidder. The average price to cross the canal ranges between $300,000 and $400,000 depending on the vessel. Businesses that wanted earlier crossings previously paid an additional $250,000 to $300,000. In a number of cases recently, companies have paid big money to jump the line. The canal's administrator says one paid an extra $4 million.
More than 1,400 of Freddie Mercury's personal items, including his flamboyant stage costumes, handwritten drafts of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the baby grand piano he used to compose Queen's greatest hits, are going on display in a free exhibition at Sotheby's London ahead of their sale. The vast collection of the singer's personal belongings had been left to Mercury's close friend Mary Austin. They had remained undisturbed in his west London mansion for 30 years since his death in 1991. The handwritten draft of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is expected to fetch 800,000 to 1.2 million pounds, or $1 million to $1.5 million. The star of the show is Mercury's beloved Yamaha baby grand piano, which is set to sell for 2 million to 3 million pounds ($2.5 million to $3.8 million).
