Lunch With Rupert Not to Everyone's Taste

Five days into a week-long auction on eBay, there appears to be less appetite than expected for the offer of lunch with the world's most powerful media mogul, Rupert Murdoch.

The unprecedented charity auction, offering chance to dine with the News Corporation chairman and chief executive, has raised just £57 more than the reserve price with just two days left to go.

The auction, in aid of the Jerusalem College of Technology, has a reserve of $25,000 (£14,000) and has attracted only two bidders. The first bid is for the reserve price and the second, from a "Norman Rentrop", offers just $100 (£57) more.

The bidder may, or may not, be German publisher Norman Rentrop, the chairman of the £57m Verlag fur die Deutsche Wirtschaft (Publishing House for the German Business World) who owns 14 % of German football club Borussia Dortmund.

Mr Rentrop can only hope the auction does not heat up in the final two days. If successful, he and four friends will take lunch with Mr Murdoch in New Corp's private executive dining room in New York, while the Jerusalem College of Technology will be £14,410 richer.

Mr Murdoch has established links with the Israeli hi-tech industry. News Corp subsidiary NDS, which develops the firm's satellite encryption software, has offices in the country.

The lunch is listed through eBayGiving Works, the charity listings that offer not-for-profit organistions a way of raising funds and awareness. Details of the auction can be found at eBay.com/rupertmurdoch