Apple Overtakes Coca Cola As The World's Most Valuable Brand

Tech giant Apple is the world’s most valuable brand – worth a massive £60billion, according to a report.

The iPhone maker was named number one by industry experts Interbrand, knocking Coca Cola off the top spot for the first time in 13 years.

The soft drinks giant drops down to third in the list, one behind internet firm Google.

Apple has been in the annual Interbrand list of top brands since it was launched in 2000, entering back then at no 36.

The 100 firms that make up the world’s biggest brands are together worth a cool £928bn.

Jez Frampton, from Interbrand, said: “Every so often a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but with its ethos.

“That is why, following Coca Cola’s 13-year run at the top, Apple now ranks number one."

He said current Apple CEO Tim Cook has assembled a solid leadership team and has kept the company's late founder Steve Jobs’ vision intact — 'a vision that has allowed Apple to deliver on its promise of innovation time and time again'.

Technology companies account for five of top 10 brands this year - Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and Intel.

However, not all technology brands fared well. BlackBerry, which tumbled last year to 93 from 56 in 2011, has disappeared from the list.

And Nokia, which dropped to 19 from 14 in 2011, finished this year in 57th place — “the biggest faller” among the 100.

Cntrl + Alt + Del: Bill Gates Comes out Clean Says It Was A Mistake

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates confessed on Thursday that Control-Alt-Delete, the infamous three-key combination long used by frustrated PC users, was a “mistake,” and was only implemented after an IBMkeyboard designer wouldn’t assign a single button to perform the task of rebooting or logging in to Windows and accessing the task manager.

“So we could have had a single button, but the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn’t want to give us our single button,” Gates said during a talk at a Harvard fundraising initiative (the comments on “Control-Alt-Delete” begin at 16:30).

“It was a mistake,” he said in a confession greeted by cheers and warm laughter from the audience.

Gates’ statement marks the first time he has so convincingly acknowledged that the feature wasn’t exactly one of Microsoft’s greatest ideas.

David Bradley, a designer of the original IBM PC, is the man behind the “Control-Alt-Delete” command to reboot a system. He famously teased Gates a decade ago on stage during an event marking the 20th anniversary of IBM’s PC.

“I may have invented it, but Bill made it famous,” Bradley said at the time.

In a recent interview with CNET, Bradley said he never really knew why Microsoft decided to make his invention their log-in command.

“Why they used it for the log-in also, I don’t know,” he said. “I guess it made sense to them.”

Sex on The Railway Tracks: Woman Killed and Man Loses Legs

The loved-up couple had been on their way home from a party at a friend’s house when they hit by amorous, and fatal, desire.

A woman was killed and her boyfriend’s legs cut off when they were hit by a train while having sex on a railway line.

Police said the pair had embarked on their early morning romp after a night out boozing.

The woman, who was in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene while her 41-year-old lover was taken to hospital with both legs severed.

They had been on their way home from a party at a friend’s house when they hit by amorous, and fatal, desires.

An official said: “The man told police they had failed to overcome their natural passion when walking home… and wanted to experience an extreme sensation near the railroad tracks.”

To make matter worse, officers are considering charging the man for trespassing on the track after the couple’s sex session in the Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye.

In 2008 a pair having sex on a railway track in South Africa were killed by a freight train.

The driver later told police he saw the couple from a distance and repeatedly hooted “but they continued with their business”.

Nigeria 53rd Independence Anniversary: Russia Congratulates Nigeria

Independence anniversary: Russia congratulates Nigeria.

Russia has congratulated Nigeria on its 53rd independence anniversary, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The felicitation is contained in a message sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin to President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday.

A statement issued by the Russian Embassy in Abuja quoted Putin as saying: “please accept my sincere congratulation on the occasion of your country’s Independence Day.

“I am confident that the relations between Russia and Nigeria, based on the principle of friendship and mutual respect, will keep on developing actively in all directions.

“I wish you good health, happiness and success, and I wish the people of Nigeria peace and prosperity.”

N30bn Tallest Hotel in West Africa Unveiled in Lagos

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, unveiled the tallest hotel in West Africa, the Intercontinental Lagos built at a cost of N30 billion.

Fashola unveiled the hotel in a ceremony also attended by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; Oba of Lagos, Oba Riliwan Akiolu 1; ex-governor of CBN, Joseph Sanusi, and other dignitaries.

The hotel located at Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, is a 23-storey building with 358 rooms, 37 suites and a presidential suite.

The Intercontinental Lagos, a subsidiary of the Intercontinental Hotel Group, IHG, is owned by the Milan Group.

Fashola said the new hotel showed that the economy of the country was witnessing growth daily but without corresponding employment.

According to him: “The new sector is the tourism sector. This is the only virgin sector in the country, and it will help address the challenges of unemployment in the country.”

The governor said the new hotel had helped to create new 650 direct jobs in the state.

He noted that with the construction of more hotels and hospitality outfits, more direct jobs would be created as well as numerous indirect jobs.

Chairman, Milan Group, Ramesh Valechha said the hotel will change the landscape of Lagos and boost the hospitality industry in the state.

He noted that the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, for the project was signed on March 31, 2004 while it took two years to complete the design work before the conceptual- isation of the project began.

He stated that the Lagos State Government, Skye Bank and Wema Bank were in supportive of the project.

Valechha disclosed the building of the hotel cost over N30 billion while 650 jobs were created for Nigerians.

Brazilian Businessman Inspired By Egypt's Pharaohs Buries £310,000 Bentley For Use Afterlife

He has all the riches he could ever dream for in this life. But to avoid any risk of missing out in the afterlife, wealthy entrepreneur 'Count Scarpa' is burying his greatest treasure - his new £310,000 Bentley convertible.

In a bizarre announcement on his Facebook page the 62-year-old declared that he plans to do as the Pharaohs of Egypt did and take his riches with him when he dies by burying them.

So tomorrow, he will entomb his brand new Bentley Continental worth over £310,000 to make sure he has a comfortable journey into the ‘other side’. The funeral ceremony, he promises, will be at 11am.

His Bentley is his prized possession, so he's burying it, inspired by the Egyptian Pharaohs, in the hope of having it in his afterlife

In a photo on his social network site Count Scarpa stands beside his black Flying Spur, the latest model on the market, with a cockatoo on his arm and writes: 'I decided to do as the Pharaohs: this week I will bury my favourite car, the Bentley here in the home garden! Bury my treasure in my palace rssss !!!'

He says he’s digging the grave in the back garden of his mansion in Jardins, one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Sao Paulo.

Brazilian Ronaldinho Undergo Tooth Surgery To Fix His Famous Buck Tooth

Football's most famous buck-toothed grin is no more, as former Barcelona star Ronaldinho has undergone a tooth correction procedure at a dentist in Brazil.

The World Cup winning forward underwent the surgery last month but videos have just emerged of the Samba star in the dentists chair.

The procedure - which reportedly cost £36,000 - means that the 33-year-old is now sporting a Hollywood smile, rather than the wonky grin that football fans came to know and love over the years.

The party loving forward is currently on the books at Atletico Mineiro and his trip to the dentist coincided with an interview he gave to Brazilian Playboy, where he has insisted it's not just his teeth that have changed: "I’m now in love," he said.

"I have girlfriend and I now have a much quieter life. In the past I was often unfaithful, but I have no intention of making the same mistake now."

No if he'd do something about that perm, he'd be a new man completely.

REVEALED: Why Nigeria Was Excluded From 2015 DV Lottery

The United States Consul-General, Mr. Jeffery Hawkins, on Thursday, gave reasons why Nigeria was excluded from the 2015 Diversity-Visa-Programme registration.

Hawkins told journalists at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, that Nigeria was among other countries that had in the last five years, sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the country through the programme.

“As at today, Nigerians have graduated from being under-represented to being a fully well represented group in the U.S.

“There is therefore no longer any need to encourage Nigerians to apply to travel to the U.S. through the Diversity-Visa-Programme.

“Already there are too many Nigerians in the U.S. that have benefited from this programme,’’ he said.

The envoy explained that the diversity visa was created to promote countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.

Hawkins said that Nigeria and other affected countries had already exceeded their quota in the last five years.

He, however, stressed that the U.S. authorities would continue to give preference to Nigerians travelling to U.S for visits, business transactions, studies and professional engagements.

“All other types of immigration from Nigeria to the U.S, apart from the diversity visa, would continue unabated.

“Also, let me say that the ban has nothing to do with our relations with Nigeria now, and in the years ahead,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the envoy as saying to journalists.

He also dismissed insinuations making the rounds that the move was to reduce the number of Nigerians travelling to the U.S.

The U.S official also said that the development had “nothing to do with insecurity, activities of Boko Haram and other forms of upheaval in Nigeria.”

It would be recalled that the U.S. Department of State, banned Nigeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Haiti from participating in the 2015 Diversity-Visa-Programme.

Other affected countries are: India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Blackberry Messaging (BBM) To Become Available To Non-Blackberry Users

From this weekend, users will no longer need to own a Blackberry device to access its BBM messaging service.

Blackberry has confirmed BBM will be available as a free download for Apple and Android devices but not for Windows phones.

The move comes as the Wall Street Journal reports that Blackberry will lay off 40% of its staff before 2014.

Widening the appeal of BBM could be a clever way for the company to reinvent itself, said experts.

"Blackberry is having a tough time, sales are down, it is losing market to Windows phones and it needs to do something to stop the rot. This is as good a move as any," said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group Europe.

"Offering it across other platforms broadens the appeal of BBM," he added.

The messanging will be available for Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean while iPhones running iOS 6 or iOS 7 can also download it.

"With more than a billion Android, iOS and Blackberry smartphones in the market, and no dominant mobile messaging platform this is absolutely the right time to bring BBM to Android and iPhone customers," Andrew Bocking, vice-president for BBM, was quoted as saying.

BlackBerry Unveils Z30 Smartphone With 5-inch Display

The company on Wednesday introduced the BlackBerry Z30, a new model that features a 5-inch display, stereo speakers, a bigger battery, and the latest version of its BlackBerry 10 operating system. 

The Z30, which was previously known as the BlackBerry A10 when it was in development, and which CEO Thorsten Heins has alluded to, is the company's newest flagship smartphone, occupying the tier above the Z10 and Q10.

The Z30 comes as BlackBerry is actively "exploring strategic alternatives," which is business-speak for looking for a buyer. Speculation has ranged from partnerships and joint ventures to the company getting broken up into pieces that would be more palatable for purchase.

Concerns have mounted on BlackBerry's viability after a brutal first quarter, which saw a disappointing number of BlackBerry 10 devices sold. The company reports its fiscal second-quarter results next week. Reports of layoffs have only exacerbated those fears. 

Indeed, despite a buzz-filled launch and early positive impressions, BlackBerry got swallowed up by the flood of other high-profile smartphone launches, including the Samsung Galaxy S4. The announcement comes as Apple is prepared to release iOS 7, and will launch the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S on Friday.

As such, it's no surprise that BlackBerry is choosing a more low-key format to introduce the Z30, one that doesn't involve a major press conference spanning multiple global locations, like the Z10 launch, or even at its developer conference, like the Q5.

BlackBerry appears to be taking a cue from the trend to go bigger with screen size, pioneered by Samsung and its Galaxy Note franchise. The Z30 features a 5-inch Super AMOLED display, as well as "top-of-the-line components," including a 1.7-gigahertz processor and quad-core graphics. The phone also features a larger 2,880 mAh battery, which it boasts is the largest put into a BlackBerry, which gets 25 hours of mixed use. 

Other additions include stereo speakers and Paratek Antenna technology that it said would dynamically tune the reception and provide a better connection in low-signal areas.

On the software side, the Z30 will come with BlackBerry 10.2, which features an enhanced Hub that prioritizes certain contacts and messages, a new notification system with BlackBerry Messenger, and the ability to have icons on the lock screen for better messages and notifications. BB 10.2 will be available to existing BlackBerrys starting mid-October.

The Z30 will launch at select carriers and retailers in the U.K. and the Middle East starting next week, with other regions coming ahead of the holiday season. The Canadian carriers will release their availability dates "shortly," and details for a U.S. release would come soon, according to a representative.

Nigerian Government Plans To Ban Importation of Vehicles To Encourage Local Production

The Federal Government has revealed plans to ban importation of vehicles into the country, to encourage local production, even as revival efforts for the nation's moribund assembly plants were yet to be visible.

Besides, the government has stepped up moves to reposition the nation's transportation system, in line with its transformation agenda.

Already, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has concluded arrangements to kick-off passenger service on the Eastern railway route before the end of December.

President Goodluck Jonathan stated these while declaring open the 2013 yearly national management conference of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) in Uyo, Monday.

The President did not however state the time frame for the vehicle import ban programme.

He stressed that the efforts being made, especially in local vehicle production at Nnewi, Anambra State need to be encouraged.

Recently, the government directed its various organs to purchase vehicles made at the Nnewi plant, a gesture that was lauded by the Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga had earlier hinted of government's plan to create three automobile training centres and clusters at Lagos, Nnewi and Kano.

The training centres, according to Aganga, would be established in partnership with Brazil to train Nigerians in automobile maintenance and spare parts production, while the clusters would host new vehicle assembly plants.

The President said that the reform in the rail, airport and the maritime sectors were aimed at gaining the confidence of investors and to empower Nigerians.

BBM For Android To Land 20th September; A Three-month Samsung Exclusive Deal

Another day, another tidbit about where BBM is and when we can finally get our hands on it. The latest news comes from Samsung Mobile Nigeria, which tweeted on Monday 16th September that BlackBerry's cross-platform messenger would be available for Android on 20th September.

But not all Android devices will be able to download the app, if Samsung's tweet is believed to be true. The company confirmed it would hold a three-month exclusive, meaning only select Samsung Galaxy devices will be able to download BBM for Android during the first few months of the app's availability.

That said, it's unclear if the Samsung-BlackBerry agreement is limited to Nigeria (after all—Samsung's Nigeria arm tweeted the news). Pocket-lint has contacted the companies for further information.

Thorsten Heins, chief executive officer at BlackBerry, originally teased the launch of BlackBerry Messenger on handsets other than BlackBerry’s own in May while on stage at the BlackBerry Live conference in Florida. BlackBerry initially planned a summer release. However, as the days of summer faded into autumn, rumours have pointed to 23 September as a potential launch date.

BlackBerry hasn't provided any additional word, other than confirming earlier this month that it submitted BBM for iPhone to Apple's App Store for approval. While that's all fine and dandy, Android users are still waiting to hear when BBM for Android will land for them.

When it does finally hit Google Play, BlackBerry has previously said the app will be free and need Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean OS to run.

BBM Communications Director at BlackBerry, Victoria Berry, issued the following statement to CrackBerry: "The excitement around the upcoming BBM launch on iPhone and Android devices seems to know no bounds. Although I’m a big fan of this passion, I want to clarify that no one will have an exclusive on offering BBM. We’ll be bringing the app to Android and iPhone users across the globe.

Nigeria To Face Ethiopia in Final Round of Brazil 2014 World Cup Qualifier

Nigeria will visit Ethiopia in October for the final round of the world cup qualifier. The reigning African champions will face the Walia Eagles in a 2 legged-match up to decide one of the 5 countries that will fly Africa's flag in Brazil.

Nigeria avoided the likes of other heavyweights like Egypt, Cameroun and Senegal who were in pot 2.

However West African neighbours, Ghana got a tough draw with North African power house, Egypt.

Burkina Faso are going to play Algeria. 

Tunisia match up against Cameroon, while Ivory Coast will slug it out with the Teranga Lions of Senegal.

Below are the drawn games;

Ivory Coast v Senegal

Ethiopia v Nigeria

Tunisia v Cameroon

Ghana v Egypt

Burkina Faso v Algeria

11-15 October 2013: 1st leg

15- 19 November 2013: 2nd leg

5 playoff series winners qualify for 2014 FIFA World Cup

Nigeria And Few Others Excluded From Participating In 2015 America Diversity Visa Lottery Programme

Information from the United States Department of State sighted on Sunday said Nigerians and citizens from few other countries were not eligible for DV-2015

The department said Nigeria was excluded since over 50,000 Nigerians had immigrated into the United States in the last five years.

The department listed other countries not eligible as Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador and Haiti.

Others are India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam

However, many African countries would continue to enjoy the programme.

Some of them are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia and Ghana.

Others are Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles and Sierra Leone.

Diversity visas are said to be distributed among six geographic regions, while no single country could receive more than seven per cent of the available space in any year.

Already, advertsiements for the 2015 US DV lottery have started with several businesses inviting Nigerians to apply for the program.

Applications for the 2015 US DV lottery is expected to take off from October 1, 2013.

In 2012, 14,769, 658 persons were said to have qualified worldwide for the US DV lottery among the 19, 672, 269 which applied.

Get Ready for Higher Chocolate Prices

Cocoa butter prices have nearly doubled.

Chocolate prices are expected to rise due to cocoa butter prices nearly doubling from $4,000 to $7,000 a metric ton.

Cocoa butter, which gives chocolate the melt-in-your mouth feel, is in high demand as more of the middle class can afford to buy chocolate. This, combined with the upcoming holiday period will likely keep chocolate in high demand. This means that some companies may have to pass the cost cocoa butter onto their customers. 

Nestle didn’t say if it would be raising prices on its chocolate, claiming that price hikes are always a last resort. Smaller chocolate makers haven’t been as lucky. One shop has increased its chocolate prices by 30% to 40% since January to make up for the high cost of cocoa butter. 

Barry Callebaut, which supplies chocolate to Nestle, Mondelez (MDLZ) and Hershey (HSY), claims that sometimes price changes have to happen.

Mercedes-Benz Unveils Self-Driving Car

A Mercedes-Benz that will self-drive in most conditions should be available by 2020, German automaker Daimler (DDAIF) announced.

The luxury car was revealed at this week’s Frankfurt car show. 

The German car maker has been working on improving its driverless technology over the past few years and recently became the world’s first car manufacturer to demonstrate autonomous driving in rural and urban traffic.

Last month, a Mercedes Benz S 500 Intelligent Drive research vehicle, drove autonomously through a 100-kilometre-long route from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany. With the aid of its highly automated ‘Route Pilot’, the vehicle was able to negotiate its own way through dense urban and rural traffic.

The driverless S-Class was also able to deal with some difficult situations involving traffic lights, roundabouts, pedestrians, cyclists and trams.

The move could help the company regain its lead ahead of rival BMW (BMW).

Catholic Priets May Be Allowed To Marry Amid Papal Changes

The Vatican has opened its door to the possibility of married priests, a move that would go against centuries-old Church tradition.

Archbishop Pietro Parolin, who will be No.2 in the Roman Catholic Church when be becomes secretary of state next month, declared that the priestly vow of celibacy derived from an age-old rule, but was not Catholic dogma.

"It's not a dogma of the Church and it can be discussed because it's an ecclesiastical tradition," Archbishop Parolin told El Universal newspaper in Venezuela, where he is completing his term as Papal Nuncio.

"It is a great challenge for the Pope because he has a mission to unite and all these decisions must be taken in a way that unites the Church, rather than dividing it," he said. "At that point, you can talk and reflect and go deeper into these issues that are not defined by faith and think about some changes, but always in the service of unity and as the will of God. It's not what I want [that matters] but to be faithful to what God wants for his Church."

Archbishop Parolin's comments come at a time of upheaval in the Church, which has been beset by scandals over sex abuse by priests, following the resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of the Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis.

Francis has made waves by calling for a "poor Church for the poor". He has said he wants to boost the role of women in the Church, although he has noted that Pope John Paul II ruled out the ordination of women.

He has also taken a more tolerant stance on homosexuality, declaring: "Who am I to judge?"

Yesterday, he reached out to nonbelievers in an unprecedented letter to Italy's leading left-wing paper La Repubblica to answer a columnist who declared that he did not believe in God. The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics told Eugenio Scalfari, the newspaper's co-founder and former editor, that non-believers did not commit a sin as long as they followed their consciences.

"The question for people who do not believe in God is to listen to their consciences. Also for those without faith, sin is going against your conscience. Listening to it and obeying it means making up one's mind about what is good and evil."

The Catholic insistence on the celibacy of priests dates back to the first centuries of the Church. The first Church law mandating celibacy was Canon 33, enacted at the Synod of Elvira, now the Spanish city of Granada, around 305-306 AD. The discipline was definitively reaffirmed at the Council of Trent in the mid-16th century.

The Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic churches, however, allow married priests.

Francis, in an interview in 2012 before becoming Pope, said: "For the moment, I am in favour of maintaining celibacy, with all its pros and cons ... It is a matter of discipline, not of faith. It can change. Personally, it never crossed my mind to marry."

Blobfish Wins Ugliest Animal Vote

The grumpy-looking, gelatinous blobfish has won a public vote to become the official mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.

This gives the fish the unofficial title of world's ugliest animal.

The society began as a science-themed comedy night and devised its mascot campaign to draw attention to "aesthetically challenged" threatened species.

The winner was announced at the British Science Festival in Newcastle.

The blobfish tops a list that includes the huge-nosed proboscis monkey, the similarly afflicted pig-nosed turtle, an amphibian affectionately known as a "scrotum frog" and pubic lice.

Biologist and TV presenter Simon Watt, president of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, said he hoped the campaign would draw attention to the threats facing these weird and wonderful creatures.

See images of other nominated animals below;

Italian Priest Gives Pope Francis a 20-year-old Renault

An Italian priest has given Pope Francis a 20-year-old white Renault 4 to drive himself around Vatican city.

The car - which has 300,000 km (190,000 miles) on the clock - was presented to the Pope by Father Renzo Zocca at the weekend. The pontiff later drove it.

Known for his humble lifestyle, Francis said he used to drive the same car in his native Argentina.

In a bid to encourage austerity in the Church, the Pope has urged officials to avoid using expensive limousines.

Father Zocca said he was moved by the Pope's effort to create "a Church for the poor", and told the Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana that he wanted to give him a gift.

"What better than my old Renault 4?" he asked.

Father Zocca said he was surprised to receive a phone call from the pontiff accepting the gift.

The priest turned up at his Vatican residence on Saturday to present the car.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says the Pope's bodyguards were amazed when he took the keys and drove off.

The Secret Behind Manchester United Success - Sir Alex Ferguson Reveals

Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reveals the methods and mentality that saw him win 28 major trophies in 26 years in charge.

The Old Trafford legend allowed professors from Harvard Business School to carry out a case study on his methods during his last season and explains what made him a winner.

In a wide-ranging interview published in full in the Harvard Business Review, Sir Alex explained that his first move upon joining the Red Devils was to establish his famed focus on youth.

"From the moment I got to Manchester United, I thought of only one thing: building a football club. I wanted to build right from the bottom," he began.

"I knew that a focus on youth would fit the club's history and my earlier coaching experience told me that winning with young players could be done and that I was good at working with them. So I had the confidence and conviction that, if United was going to mean anything again, rebuilding the youth structure was crucial. You could say it was brave but fortune favours the brave.

"At some clubs, you need only to lose three games in a row and you're fired. In today's football world, with a new breed of directors and owners, I am not sure any club would have the patience to wait for a manager to build a team over a four-year period.

"Winning a game is only a short-term gain - you can lose the next game. Building a club brings stability and consistency.

"Although I was always trying to disprove it, I believe that the cycle of a successful team lasts maybe four years and then some change is needed. So we tried to visualise the team three or four years ahead and make decisions accordingly.

"Because I was at United for such a long time, I could afford to plan ahead - no one expected me to go anywhere. I was very fortunate in that respect.

"Everything we did was about maintaining the standards we had set as a football club - this applied to all my team building and all my team preparation, motivational talks, and tactical talks.

"I had to lift players' expectations. They should never give in. I said that to them all the time: 'If you give in once, you'll give in twice.' And the work ethic and energy I had seemed to spread throughout the club.

"Superstars with egos are not the problem some people may think. They need to be winners because that massages their egos, so they will do what it takes to win. I used to see [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [David] Beckham, [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes and others out there practicing for hours.

"If the day came that the manager of Manchester United was controlled by the players - in other words, if the players decided how the training should be, what days they should have off, what the discipline should be and what the tactics should be - then Manchester United would not be the

Manchester United we know.

"Before I came to United, I told myself I wasn't going to allow anyone to be stronger than I was. Your personality has to be bigger than theirs. That is vital.

Apple Unveils Two New iPhone 5: iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S

Apple on Tuesday unveiled two new iPhones, fielding a slick new top-end model along with one aimed at budget-conscious smartphone shoppers around the world.

“The business has become so large that this year we are going to replace the iPhone 5 and we are going to replace it with two new designs,” Apple chief Tim Cook announced at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters.

Apple will begin taking orders on Friday, and on September 20 the two devices will go on sale in the United States, Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore.

The iPhone 5C is part of Apple’s bid to counter the flood of low-cost smartphones from rivals, most of which use the Google Android operating system.

Apple designer Jony Ive said that despite the low cost, the polycarbonate iPhone 5C with a steel frame “is beautiful.”

“We took the same fanatical care with how the iPhone 5C feels in your hand,” Ive said.

The iPhone 5C with 16 gigabytes of memory will sell for as low as $99 with a US carrier contract — half the cost of earlier iPhone base models.

Analysts were keenly focused on the promise of an iPhone 5C to win over buyers in China and other developing markets.

“The 5C a no-compromise device,” Gartner analyst Van Baker told AFP after trying out Apple’s new phones. “It is just in a plastic case instead of a metal case, and they basically reduce the price by the cost of materials.”

The top-line iPhone 5S, which starts at $199 with a contract for US buyers, “is the most forward thinking phone we have ever created,” said Apple vice president Phil Schiller.

“It is the gold standard in smartphones.”

Schiller said the 5S model includes a speedier chip which brings up the computing power from 32 to 64 bits.

“It has over a billion transistors in it,” he said, adding that the device will be “about twice as fast in graphics and computing power and about 40 times faster than the original iPhone.”

The 5S will also have improved battery life, with some 10 hours of talk time, or 40 hours of music listening, Schiller added.

Apple introduced a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S, as a new security measure in place of passwords.

“You can just press the home button to unlock your phone,” Schiller said. “You can use it to authenticate iTunes purchases.”

Schiller added: “We have so much of our personal data on these devices, and they are with us almost everyplace we go, so we have to protect them.”

Apple also broadened its color palette, announcing the low-cost phone in blue, white, pink, yellow and green, and the top-line model in silver, gold and a new “space gray.”

Apple said its iOS 7 software will debut September 18. It includes a free iTunes Radio Service featuring more than 200 stations “and an incredible catalog of music from the iTunes Store,” Apple announced earlier this year.

The two new handsets keep the four-inch screen of current iPhones, despite some speculation Apple would boost the size to compete with larger phones from rivals like Samsung.

Llamas said Apple is seeking to fend off challenges from lower-priced devices while “it enjoys bigger profit margins and still maintains the aura of being an aspirational brand.”

“I think there was an expectation for that ‘one more thing,’” said Roger Kay at Endpoint Technologies. “People were looking for some pizzazz and they didn’t get it.”

“We’ve enjoyed tremendous success with iPhone in Japan, in fact it’s the top selling smartphone in the country, and we look forward to delivering iPhone into even more customers’ hands through NTT DoCoMo,” Cook said.

INCREDIBLE: $30,000 Coffin with Built-in Stereo Sound System Unveiled

Fredrik Hjelmquist's CataCombo Sound System is now offered for integration into luxury coffins. The stereo system shall pipe the music into it "for audiophiles on the other side."

At $30,000 (N4.91M), the coffin comes equipped with speakers and a Spotify music streaming account. And while the party might be going on 6 feet underground, the living can share in the experience by changing the mix online or seeing a digital readout of what's playing on the tombstone.

The idea of this invention is not clear, cause if you can hear the music while lying in your coffin, you probably shouldn't be in it just yet!

In fact, "Rest in Peace" has been changed to “Rest in Style”! 

Women Group Protest Against Coming Miss World Event in Jakarta

The 2013 Miss World pageant is scheduled to hold at the Sentul International Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday September 28th..but it won't hold if the Muslim women in the country have their way.

For days now, members of an Islamic group called Hizbut Tahrir have been protesting against the pageant in Jakarta. Yesterday, they converge outside the office of the local organizer of the beauty contest, MNC media group, warning them not to stage the pageant in the city.

Other cities are also holding protests, demanding that the permit to hold Miss World pageant in their country be revoked, saying that the pageant runs against their culture.

MNC Group and Miss World Organization say it's too late to find a new location but promised that contestants would not be allowed to wear bikini at the event.

In Jakarta on Thursday, about 1,000 people protested outside the building housing the local organizer of the contest, chanting “Allah Akbar” or “God is great.” The demonstrators, predominantly women who were clothed so only their faces and hands were visible, also waved banners reading “Reject Miss World” and “Miss World Culture Liberalisation Campaign.”

Protests also were held in the Sumatran cities of Medan and Pekanbaru, and in Makassar in Sulawesi. Protesters gathered at local council buildings and called on the government to revoke the permit for the contest, in case the pressure on the contest itself failed to persuade it to hold the event elsewhere.

But the local organizer, MNC media group, said it was not possible to cancel the contest or move the location, and that the government has pledged to provide security for the event.

“I think there is a misunderstanding,” Hary Tanoesoedibjo, head of MNC, told reporters Wednesday in Bali. “I assure that there will be nothing that runs against our culture. I would not accept if there was a bikini show.”

The chairwoman of the Miss World Organization, Julia Morley, earlier confirmed that none of the contestants would wear a bikini.

The competition will be held partly on Bali, with the final round set for Sept. 28 on the outskirts of Jakarta.

“The contest will not be different from other beauty pageants in Indonesia,” said Budi Rusmanto, an organizer in Jakarta. “The only difference is the participants.”

Rejection of the event has come not only from hard-line groups, but also from the country’s most influential clerics’ group, the Indonesia Ulema Council, whose fatwas, or edicts, are followed by many devoted Muslims.

Last week, the council urged the government to cancel the contest, saying the exposure of skin by women in such a competition violates Islamic teachings, even after organizers agreed to cut the bikini competition and instead outfit contestants in more conservative sarongs.