Nokia slips in smartphone market as Apple and Samsung overtake

Apple and Samsung have overtaken Nokia in global smartphone shipments.

Nokia had been number one but slipped to third in the second quarter of this year with a 15 per cent share of the global market. Apple has a 19 per cent share and Samsung has 18 per cent, according to analysts Strategy Analytics.

Similar reports from ABI Research and IDC confirmed Strategy Analytics’ findings. Apple entered the smartphone market just four years ago so its rise is impressive. However, Strategy Analytics say that Samsung’s share is growing more quickly than Apple’s, suggesting that the lead could change hands again soon.

“Having become the first ever vendor to ship 100 million smartphones in a single year during 2010, long-time leader Nokia has slipped two places in our rankings in Q2 2011,” said Tom Kang of Strategy Analytics. “The vendor’s 15 per cent global market share is less than half of what it was just one year earlier, as the industry awaits Nokia’s pending transition to Windows Phone 7.

According to ABI, 47 million Android smartphones were shipped in the second quarter of 2011, with 34 per cent of them being Samsung phones. HTC shipped 23 per cent of Android phones and Sony Ericsson shipped 11 per cent. Google’s operating system now has a 46.4 per cent share of the OS market, ABI said.

Though Nokia has lost its place at the top of the smartphone market, it remains the number one mobile phone manufacturer in the world, shipping 24.2 per cent of all phones in the second quarter of this year. Samsung is second with 19.2 per cent and LG is third with 6.8 per cent. Apple is in fourth place with 5.6 per cent of shipments but is closing the gap on LG.

Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' DVD Goes on Sale

  Teen sensationJustin Bieberis causing yet another sensation with the release of his movie “Never Say Never” on DVD and Blu-Ray. At least one record store in the UK reported a rush of 500 fans to by the disc.

The Canadian singer also gave the new release a little push with a Tweet to his more than 11 million Twitter fans, urging them to be the first to own his movie on DVD.

The DVD’s official release is set for July 25, but in some select markets it’s being released a day early

To avoid the rush, you can buy the DVD, or Blu-Ray disc through TheImproper at amazon.com and get a 42% discount! The DVD retails for $29.99. But click the link here and get it for $17.49, a $12.50 savings.

The DVD is in stock now. No wait!

The film follows Bieber’s rise, culminating in a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.                

The paramount Entertainment release includes personal home footage that showcases his talent at an early age and features commentary from celebrities including Usher and Miley Cyrus.

Paramount also is giving away two pairs of tickets to special “meet and greet” with the teen sensation through an online drawing.

Details are included with the DVD and Blu-Ray discs.

Beyond that the Bieb’s film is inspiring to watch. It’s the highest grossing concert-themed film ever in U.S. history.

It grossed more than $72.2 million domestically, topping previous record-holder, the late Michael Jackson’s movie “This Is It.

UK Singer Amy Winehouse Unable to Escape Inner Demons

British singer Amy Winehouse ultimately couldn’t escape her demons. After demonstrating an addictive personality for years, and several trips to rehab, the 27-year-old singer was found dead over the weekend at 27.

It won’t be known until toxicology reports are completed what role drugs and alcohol played in her death, but circumstantial evidence suggests that her life ended after one last bender.

The tragedy highlights the complexity of addiction and how difficult it can be to beat if the underlying psychological causes go untreated.

Although, Winehouse had reportedly sworn off drugs, she transferred her addiction to alcohol. She was reportedly found several times by bodyguards passed out after binging on vodka, according to London tabloid The Daily Mail.

She never had a problem finding alcohol at the bars near her North London home, nor did she ever encounter a shortage of hangers on and enablers who partied with her.

In the end, it may prove that Winehouse died from other health problems that were exacerbated by drinking and drugs.

She had been hospitalized previously for a lung condition related to emphysema and was prone to seizures if she drank too much.

Doctors had warned her in late May that she had to stop drinking or it would kill her.

Her parents tried in vane to keep her away from bad influences, including her first husband, Blake Fielder Civil, who led her on a descent into drug addiction. But Amy was just too headstrong.

“For most of her life, I’ve been aware of needing to keep an eye on her,’ her mother Janis said. “She’s reckless, very determined and if she wants to do something she will just do it. No one can stop her once she’s made her mind up. She never thinks of the consequences.”

In the end, Winehouse couldn’t handle the emotional ups and downs of her life.

Some believe the end of her relationship with film director Reg Traviss earlier this year triggered her last downward spiral.

Winehouse reportedly spent the last week of her life in an alcoholic stupor that may have ended after she downed a number of drugs purchased at a London bar hours before she died, according to British news reports.

The drugs reportedly included cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and ketamine, an animal tranquilizer known for producing psychedelic effects.

What is Search Engine Optimisation?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is a marketing technique for making a web page appear more frequently above others in a list of results from a search engine.

SEO stands for search engine optimisation, a process for attracting more readers to a web site from search engines. Web pages can be edited in order to improve their visability in search engines, with the aim of appearing at the top of the list of results for a popular search term. The higher up the list of results for a search term a web page appears, the more people will click on it.

Search engines such as Google or Bing serve as a huge index of websites. Users use search engines to find web pages with information on a specified topic or subject, and search engines return a list of results ranked according to both the relevancy and authority of each web page on that topic.

The more specifically relevant a web page is to a given search term, the more likely it is to appear on the search results page. The web page must also have good authority to appear high in the list, usually indicated by other websites linking to it in relation to that subject.

Google provides its own guide to demonstrate how websites can work with search engines and ensure that content is appropriately indexed.

The SEO process becomes competitive when many websites try to appear at the top of the list of results for the same popular term.

Search engine optimisation can be particularly important for reputation management around a specific term, such as a name. If a brand wants to control what information appears when people search for their name, they must make sure their own pages appear above those of others in search engine results. They must push positive mentions above negative ones.

A huge number of factors can influence the ranking of a web page in a list of search results, including the page's relevancy and authority. Search engines such as Google use a secret algorithm to rank their list of results, and SEO professionals spend time working out what those factors are so they can take best advantage of the system.

If the web is full of criticism of a brand, those web pages will appear when people search for that brand. An SEO-based reputation management strategy would involve optimising web pages with positive mentions and trying to have them ranked above the negative web pages in search, hiding them from the view of casual browsers.

Visually impaired student makes it to IIM

A 26-year-old 100 per cent visually impaired student from Kolkata has battled all odds to make it to the prestigious management school - IIM.

The IIM dream, chased by many but realised by few. 26-year-old Suresh Reddy from IIM Calcutta belongs to the select club. He was 13 years old when he lost his vision. His parents asked him to quit studies, but Reddy fought on. Armed with new technology and helped by friends, he cracked the IIM entrance - the first person with 100 per cent visual impairment to get admission into the elite management school.

"My credibility of carrying an IIM tag should compensate. If I say I am from x school people just walk off. If I am from IIM, people will pay at least one second attention. It is that one second that I am looking for," said Suresh Reddy.

In an intensely competitive world, Suresh spends his every waking hour on studies just to be at par. For many at IIM, he is an inspiration.

"Lots of people have told me that they find Suresh's story very inspiring and I agree, we thought we were the smart ones getting through IIM but look at this guy, he has achieved something," said Sri Vatsavan.

But it's not just the students of IIM Calcutta who see Suresh both as an inspiration, the institute too thinks he is both a challenge as well as an opportunity.

From scanners to e-books to giving extra attention, the institute too is finding ways to help Reddy.

"He has been also exemplary in his efforts to study and learn things," said Professor Prashant Mishra, Chairman, Post Gradutate Programme.

But above all, it's hope and self-belief that drives Reddy.

"I have no other choice but to be optimistic and at least to follow if not to lead," he said

Rahul Dravid pips Sachin Tendulkar to getting his name on Lord's century honours board

So 100 centuries was reached at Lord’s on Saturday. Not by Sachin Tendulkar on his own, of course, but by a tripartite middle-order combination of Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, as Dravid became the first of this India team's batsmen to have their name etched on the honours board here.

Dravid’s cerebral century was his 33rd in Tests, to add to Tendulkar’s 51 and Laxman’s 16. Everyone was still talking about Tendulkar, but Dravid was the only Indian doing the walking. It was a masterful innings.

This is where it all began for Dravid, back in 1996 when he made his Test debut along with Sourav Ganguly. In a fascinating precursor to a long and understated career, Dravid made 95, but was upstaged by Ganguly who made 131.

Mind you, had he made a double century Dravid would still have been in the shadows; it was umpire Dickie Bird’s last Test match!

And so the back seat was empty again, and Dravid gladly took it. He is an old-fashioned batsman, a barnacle in the age of bashers.

While most stride out carrying blades resembling railway sleepers, Dravid prefers something much skinnier. He relies on touch rather than power, playing the ball so much later than the modern generation who generally rush at the oncoming ball like enraged bulls.

Dravid likes playing in England. He excelled for Kent in county cricket and was the leading run scorer in the 1999 World Cup here. What’s more, his 148 at Headingley in 2002 in typically seamer-friendly conditions was a masterclass in the art of tricky Test-match batting

They call him ‘The Wall’, a nickname he hates, but it is not, excuse the pun, without foundation. Indeed that base, an immaculate forward-defensive stroke, seems to be made of the very best concrete.

Delve deeper into the statistics and you realise that along the way yesterday Dravid passed Ricky Ponting’s 12,363 runs to place him second in the all-time run scorers in Test cricket. The trouble is that Tendulkar has 14,726.

But Dravid won’t mind. He’s comfortable where he is.

Amy Winehouse dies aged 27 of a suspected drug overdose

The troubled singer Amy Winehouse, once regarded as the brightest young star in music, has died aged 27 of a suspected drug overdose.

Paramedics discovered her at her north London home yesterday at around 4pm yesterday, but were unable to help.

Her death follows years of widely-publicised addiction to drugs and alcohol, which saw Winehouse fade from the height of her musical success and become more talked-about for her physical decline.

On Saturday night, Winehouse's father, Mitch, a former London black cab driver who launched his own jazz career following his daughter's success, was believed to be travelling back to London from New York. The singer Michelle Gayle, a friend of the family, said that Mr Winehouse was "devastated".

Last night, friends of the star paid tribute to her extraordinary talent. The singer and actress Kelly Osbourne said: "I can't even breath right now I'm crying so hard, I just lost one of my best friends. I love you forever Amy and will never forget the real you!"

LeAnn Rimes, the country singer, said "RIP Amy Winehouse. So sad to see such a talent gone and her life end in tragedy."

Nokia posts near €500m loss as handset sales slump

Nokia, the embattled mobile handset maker, posted an operating loss of nearly €500m for the six months to July 2011, after sales of its smartphones slumped by a third

The Finnish company, which used to dominate the mobile phone market with its robust handsets, saw a 25pc drop in net sales of all its mobile phone models.

It reported an operating loss of €487m (£424m), down from a €295m operating profit in the same period the previous year. Sales across the group fell 11pc to €9.28bn.

Stephen Elop, Nokia’s chief executive, said the challenges facing the company had been “greater than expected but added that its efforts to mitigate them were already having a “positive impact on the underlying health of [the] business.”

Nokia’s devices and services division saw revenues fall 23pc to €5.47bn, and posted an operating loss of €247m, down from a €643m operating profit during the same priod the year before.

The company has lost significant market share to Apple and Siemens, and in June lost its crown as the world’s biggest smartphone producer to the latter company.

It is now staking its bets on Windows-based devices, after signing a strategic partnership with Microsoft earlier this year. The first Windows-based device is expected to ship before 2012.

Mr Elop said that people who have seen the early Windows Phone work were “very optimistic about the devices”.

He added that Nokia will accelerate plans to reduce its operating expenses, and will overshoot its previous target to reduce overheads by €1bn in 2013.

The company has already made changes to its sales management, dealt with an “inventory build up” in China and Europe and taken a “more responsive approach to pricing” in different territories, he said.

In June, the company warned that sales for the period would be ‘substantially below’ its previous expectation of more than €6 billion, because it had cut its sales margins from between six and nine per cent to about break-even.

Nokia’s telecommunications arm, Nokia Siemens Networks, grew revenues by 15pc to €3.64bn and narrowed losses from €179m to €111m.

Its mapping division, Navteq, also narrowed losses from €81m to €58m and grew net sales by 6pc to €245m.

England v India: MS Dhoni's journey from ticket collector to express run-gatherer

The Indian captain, MS Dhoni, says that the experience of leading his team out at Lord’s on Thursday will be an honour to rank with anything he has achieved in his glorious career.

“It’s obviously big, leading 15 people who have the expectation of 1.2 billion,” Dhoni said, in a rare and exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport. “It’s an honour, it’s very special. But at the same time it’s an added responsibility. You want the Indian team to win each and every game, which is not possible. Still, that’s what you are expected to do.”

Is there a more impressive man in world cricket? England captain Andrew Strauss describes himself as a winner, but for all the kudos of his three Ashes triumphs, the man on the other side of Thursday’s coin toss has done it all: World Cup, World Twenty20, World No 1 in Test cricket. And he has done it with such serenity and poise that you would think he was still playing in a tape-ball street game back in his native town of Ranchi.

This is one of Dhoni’s greatest talents: the ability to transmit calm and relaxation to his players when things are tight. Yet it is something of a conjurer’s trick, for he is keenly aware of the responsibility he carries. Indeed, he himself sometimes feels the need to escape from the pressures of fame climbing aboard one of his 25 beloved motorbikes. “If get the chance,” he says, “somewhere in Delhi or Mumbai I will take my bike out, take the helmet with me and go around for a ride.”

The face that launched a million billboards, Dhoni enjoys the trappings of success, and deservedly so. At the same time, though, he remains rooted in the simple work ethic of his family, who hail from the economically underprivileged state of Jharkhand. In as much as he has a home at all – rather than a nomadic existence on the team bus - he continues to live in the family house in Ranchi along with his parents and his brother Narendra.

“Since 2005, I have not spent much time with my family,” he said, thinking back to the year of his Test debut against Sri Lanka. “In fact I have spent more time at the Taj Landsend in Mumbai. It was my 100th visit recently, which means I have spent more than 400 days in that hotel, and that is a lot more than I have spent with my family.

“People say, ‘Why are you not hitting those big sixes?’ Often I joke that I’m getting old and I don’t have the strength. But time has changed. Now it’s all about the requirement of the game, if the situation doesn’t require me to hit sixes, why should I? It’s the singles and doubles which really excite me now.

Dhoni’s six quotient has certainly dropped in recent years, but there was one recent instance that no cricket lover will easily forget. With this year’s World Cup final in the balance, and India looking vulnerable at 114 for three, he sent himself in and took control of the situation in a 109-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir. It ended emphatically, when he picked up a ball from Nuwan Kulasekara and sent it back over the sightscreen just like the old Dhoni.

“It was instinct rather than a plan,” he explains now, “but I did say to myself if it is in the right area, I will go for the big shot. I hadn’t flowed during the Cup, but form is something that goes in one or two innings and comes back in five to 15 deliveries. It’s the state of mind that is important. I’m glad I promoted myself, because it gave me the chance to do something special for the country.” Which is what Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all about.

Dark Knight Rises Trailer, Official Version, Finally Rises (watch!)

The official version ofChristopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” finally hit the Web (today), a week after a shaky bootleg version went viral. It was worth the wait.

One or more enterprising fans filmed it while it was previewing in the theater and posted an unofficial version on the Web.

Fans scrambled to find it online, while Warner Bros. busily exerted copyright claims to bottle up the renegade footage.

The official clip, at a minute and 35-seconds, is longer and has a few more details.

Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and his voice can be heard on the clip.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a new ally in the Gotham Police Department.

Anne Hathaway should add some spice as Selena Kyle, aka Catwoman. And, foxy French actress Marion Cotillard will play Miranda Tate, a Wayne Enterprises employee.

As the clip opens, the words, “Every Hero Has A Journey” appear on a blacked out screen.

Then a voice-over intones: “If you make yourself more than just a man. If you devote yourself to an ideal. You become something else entirely. A legend Mr. Wayne.”Commissioner Gordon, (Gary Oldman), appears pleading for Batman’s help while lying on a hospital bed with an oxygen mask stapped to his face.

“We were in this together,” he says. “Then you were gone. Now this evil rises. The Batman … has to come back.”

Bale’s voice cuts in with an ominous reply: “What if he doesn’t exist anymore?”

“He must! He must!” Gordon gasps.

The scene cuts to the Gotham City skyline. Buildings morph and crumble, captured on the film poster released earlier this week at DarkKnightRises.com

The film will be Nolan’s third and final Batman movie, after “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” which set box office records, so you can imagine how high fan interest is in the sequel.

The clip ends with a stand-off between Batman and Bane, with a another fade to black screen with the words “The Epic Conclusion.”

Check it out below:

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Michael Vaughan: Sachin Tendulkar, still the best in the business, is everything you would ever want in a batsman

After India’s tour to England in 2007 it felt as if we had seen the last of Sachin Tendulkar in this country. Chris Tremlett was bowling well against him and Sachin looked a bit fearful of the short ball, which tends to happen towards the end of a player’s 

Ryan Sidebottom was also causing him a lot of problems, he didn’t score a hundred in the series and averaged only 38. To think he is still on the circuit, playing better than ever and is on the verge of a 100th international century is a phenomenal achievement.

 Tendulkar is top of the list simply because of the pressure and weight of expectation he has coped with. He is more famous in India than their prime minister or president and has had to deal with the kind of pressure that status brings whenever he walks to the crease.

When he arrives at the wicket everything is perfect. His technique is great.

There have been various theories about batting over the last decade or so with buzz words such as trigger movements and forward presses. Tendulkar just stands still. He is dead side on. If you sat down with a pen and paper to draw the perfect batsman, you would sketch out Tendulkar’s profile.

He is side on with a nice simple back lift. His shoulders are aligned to mid on and he plays straight. He gets his head over his front leg and plays close to his body. Tendulkar does everything that any good coach would teach and he has been playing in that simple fashion for the whole of his career

When he was struggling with his elbow injury in 2007 he went through a phase of trying to defend his wicket, but just recently he has started to attack again which is when he plays at his best.

It is the same as Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting. Whenever they looked to defend you thought you could get them out. When great players such as these guys attack and score quickly they are beautiful to watch. Their feet move more positively, they get in position quicker and Tendulkar will arrive here looking to take the bowlers on because he knows they will be aggressive towards him.

Like all batsmen, he is at his most vulnerable early in the innings to the fuller delivery nipping back. A ball pitching on off stump and coming back through the gate will cause him problems

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Employees using own gadgets 'more productive'

A new survey suggests that consumers who are using their own technology for work are seeing rel increases in prductivity.

Just a few years ago the workplace had all the best technology – whether it was a photocopier or a new computer, few consumers could afford to buy the latest kit. Desktop PCs could easily cost thousands. Now, however, it’s difficult to spend that amount of money and users, increasingly eager to avoid the standard issue work laptop, are using their own machines wherever possible.

According to a YouGov survey, businesses who let employees use their own technology see productivity increases of up to 30 per cent. Citrix Online, which commissioned the study, even goes so far as simply giving their staff a budget and telling them to buy their own devices. As more software becomes web-based, the details of the hardware matter less and less.

That makes it more important than ever that technology is as good for the home as it is for the office – with 45 per cent of businesses already allowing employees to use their own computer equipment, the number of reasons to put up with poor kit are diminishing. More than half of the companies Citrix surveyed didn’t even know what devices all their employees were using. But in 50 per cent of cases, a personal device offers greater functionality or flexibility than the one provided by the employer.

A number of businesses did raise concerns about the security of having external devices accessing their networks, but with increasing pressure for more home working, that is a problem that is likely to be resolved relatively quickly. It may mean, in some instances, that users have marginally less freedom to install or use their own computers in the future, but the ultimate situation is likely to look much better in the next couple of years than in the past.

These changes, however, are likely to have a significant impact on how people work: if employees are able to choose their own hours and work remotely, it will become harder for managers to assess anything other than results.

6 foods to help you have great sex

  They say sex is a great stressbuster. They are right because love-making has been found to relive the pressure of the burdens of life, ease stress, soothe chronic aches and pains, spur creativity and rev up the energy levels.

Experts say that anything that makes you feel good, alive and physically excited will make you feel as if you've shed years. And all these things are associated with sex.

You are probably aware of the basics of terrific sex, but let us suggest you a few aphrodisiacs which can add zing to your sex life.

Figs have been found to be brimming with minerals like magnesium, manganese and zinc and also Vitamin E. All of them can do wonders to spice up your sex life.

The flashy-red watermelons contain a substance called citrulline, which sends the body the signals to release arginine, which relaxes blood vessels. This produces an effect similar to Viagra. And need we give you details about what Viagra does?

You've tried whiskly, you've tried wine but didn't feel the buzz. Pick a bottle of champagne and feel the difference. It enters the bloodstream faster than the wine does, so make sure you don't drink too much of it. Many champagnes have been found to have the same amount of antioxidants as red wine.

The Red Hot Chilli Peppers can bring out the hotness in you. They help recreate the symptoms of arousal: flushed cheeks, a quiver on your tongue, and more kissable lips. They also up the heat in the body.

Cheese releases 10 times more endorphins than the great ol' aphrodisiac - Chocolate. It will help you set the right mood.

Chocolate has been your trusted friend when it comes to having a great sex. You just need to maintain the bond. Its aphrodisiac property has been ascribed to two chemicals. One, tryptophan, which is the building block of serotonin, a brain chemical involved in sexual arousal. And two, phenyethylamine, a stimulant.

So the kind of food we gorge upon can do wonders with our sex life. Right food can make you positively sexual. (MensXP.com)

Taylor Swift Could Take Bath on Nashville Manse Flip (see it!)

Taylor Swift is selling her Nashville mansion for $1.45 million, but could learn a hard lesson about the depressed housing market. With only a $50,000 mark up, she’ll likely take a loss on the property.

Swift, who shot to stardom as a teenager, went on a real estate buying spree. She also owns a $3.55 million house in Beverly Hills, and a 4000-square-foot duplex penthouse condo at The Adelicia complex in downtown Nashville for $1.99 million.

Now, she’s divesting, hopefully not because she needs the money.

The 21-year-old superstar listed the house less than a year after buying it for her parents.

The 4,929 square foot red brick house, modest by superstar standards, was built in 1929 and has expansive yard and sprawling gardens.

The four bedroom, five-and-a-half bath house also has a main level master suite with a double en suite facility, according to realtor.com.

Add to that, several fireplaces, hardwood floors, custom woodwork and several magnificently ornate hand-crafted plaster ceilings, and you’ve got a house fit for a queen.

The house was built for entertaining. It has commercial-grade stainless steel appliances, marble counter tops and back splash in the oversized kitchen.

That’s complemented by a walled terraced garden, with a free standing outdoor fireplace and a water fountain.

Swift likes traditional style, reflected in the home’s neutral colors with white walls and period furniture.

Her newer 4-bedroom, 4-bath home in theFranklin Canyon area of Beverly Hills, which she purchased in April, is on the same scale. It’s also modest by Hollywood standards.

The East Coast traditional on 1.37 acres in the Santa Monica mountains, complete with white picket fence.

Built in 1941, it features canyon views, access to private tennis courts, and a guest house.

Manchester United put off by Inter Milan's £35 million valuation of Wesley Sneijder

Manchester United fear the financial cost is becoming a growing obstacle in their attempt to sign the Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder alhough it is understood the Dutchman could yet move to Old Trafford if the Italian club relent on their £35 million valuation.

Ferguson, who intends to give him his United debut against Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, believes Cech’s success at Chelsea, after arriving as a 22 year-old, justifies his faith in De Gea.

"I went to see Petr Cech when he was at Rennes," Ferguson said. "He was 19 at the time and I said to myself, ‘yeah, he’s too young’. But Chelsea bought him not long afterwards for £7 million or something and he’s never been out of the team.

Senior figures at United suggested that interest in the 27 year-old had ended and that Sneijder’s £190,000-a-week salary demands would break the club’s pay ceiling.

Sir Alex Ferguson, speaking in Seattle last night, hinted at the barriers which have led United to review their moves to sign Sneijder. He said: "There is no real interest in Sneijder at this moment in time for a lot of reasons. I’ve not been involved in that since I came over here."

Pointedly, however, Ferguson did not say that the deal might not eventually happen.

Ferguson also dismissed concerns over the inexperience of Manchester United’s 20-year-old summer recruit, David de Gea, by claiming the Spanish goalkeeper can emulate Chelsea’s Petr Cech in the Premier League.

De Gea, who signed for £18.3 million from Atlético Madrid, is due to link up with his new team-mates here this weekend after being signed to replace Edwin van der Sar.

"So youth/age doesn’t matter when you have the ability of a goalkeeper like Petr Cech, or we know David de Gea has. He’s young, he’s quick and he has fantastic presence and composure. His use of the ball is outstanding. So all of these plus points are things that don’t go away. He’s got these natural things."

De Gea will be given a personalised training programme to help him add bulk to his slender frame ahead of his first campaign in England.

New signing Ashley Young made his first appearance for United in yesterday’s 4-1 victory against New England Revolution, courtesy of goals from Michael Owen, Federico Macheda (2) and Ji-sung Park.

Pentagon reveals 24,000 files stolen in cyber-attack

The Pentagon has disclosed that it suffered one of its largest ever losses of sensitive data in March when 24,000 files were stolen in a cyber-attack by a foreign government

William Lynn, the US deputy secretary of defence, said the data was taken from the computers of a corporate defence contractor.

He said the US government had a "pretty good idea" who was responsible but did not elaborate.

Many cyber-attacks in the past have been blamed on China or Russia, and one of the Pentagon's fears is that eventually a terrorist group will acquire the ability to steal data.

Mr Lynn disclosed the March attack in a speech outlining a new cyber-strategy, which formally declares cyberspace a new warfare domain, much like air, land and sea.

It calls for developing more resilient computer networks so the military can continue to operate if critical systems are breached or taken down.

The Pentagon has long worried about the vulnerability of its computer systems. Its concern has grown as the military becomes more dependent, not only on its own computers, but also on those of its contractors including providers of fuel and electricity.

Mr Lynn said intrusions in the last few years had compromised some of the Pentagon's most sensitive systems, including surveillance technologies and satellite communications systems.

Penetrations of defence industry computer networks have targeted a wide swath of military hardware, including missile tracking systems and drone aircraft.

At his Senate confirmation hearing last month the new defence secretary Leon Panetta said there was a "strong likelihood that the next Pearl Harbor"could be a cyber-attack that cripples the US power grid, and financial and government systems.

Mumbai bomb blasts: India looks at 'every possible hostile group'

Indian police are looking into "every possible hostile group" as they search for the culprits behind the triple bombing in the heart of Mumbai that killed at least 17 people and wounded 131 others.

The attacks were the worst terror strike in the country since the siege of Mumbai that killed 166 people 31 months ago, and government officials struggled to reassure Indians over their safety.

“There was no intelligence regarding a militant attack in Mumbai. That is not a failure of the intelligence agencies" Palaniappan Chidambaram proudly but enigmatically declared at a news conference in Mumbai following the overnight bombings which left 23 people critically injured.

“We know that the perpetrators have attacked and have worked in a very, very clandestine manner.

“Maybe it's a very small group, maybe they did not communicate with each other" Chidambaran stated adding that even though India was encircled by turbulent neighbiours, it was not pointing a finger at anyone at this stage.

The minister’s inference was to neighbouring nuclear rival Pakistan that has been blamed for almost all the earlier terrorist strikes in Mumbai and across India over the past two decades.

No one has so far claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s bombings that ripped through three separate, crowded Mumbai commercial and residential neighborhoods within 15 minutes of each other during the busy, evening rush hour.

The bomb in south Mumbai’s Dadar area was secreted in a bus shelter, placed on the road in the Opera House business district teeming with diamond merchants and automobile spare part dealers a few miles away and hidden on a motorcycle in the adjoining jam-packed Zaveri or jewelry bazaar.

This was Zaveri bazaar’s third bombing; the earlier ones occurred in 1993 and in 2006 and other than killing and injuring people the powerful explosion in this area ripped off storefronts, shattered glass windows and shook the foundation of buildings in a wide area.

Chidambaram, however, speculated that the bombings could have been in retaliation to a series of recent arrests earlier this week of members of the indigenous Indian Mujahideen militant group that reportedly had links with the Pakistan-based Islamist Lashkar-e-Taeba (LeT or Army of the Pure) that is proscribed by the United Nations.

India claims the LeT was behind the three-day siege of Mumbai in November 2008 in which the city’s main train terminus, two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre and café’s frequented by foreigners were attacked, killing 166 people.

India, however, is wary of even hinting at Pakistan’s involvement in the bombings as it comes weeks after bilateral peace talks resumed following a three year hiatus after the November 2008 strike on Mumbai.