Magazine signed by John Lennon sells for $12,713

A 1966 magazine signed by John Lennon containing his remark that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus has sold for $12,713.

An surgeon at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Centre had the winning bid Thursday in a 17-day online auction run by RR Auction of Amherst, N.H.

Lennon signed "John C. Lennon" above his photo in the September 1966 "Datebook," even though his middle initial is W. for Winston.

In the magazine, Lennon said: "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now. I don't know which will go first — rock 'n' roll or Christianity."

His comment provoked much anti-Beatle sentiment in the United States, where some people burned their Beatle records.

Japanese PM’s 80s pop tune hot on net auction

A single released by Japan’s future prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, two decades ago has sparked a bidding war amongst fans at an auction site.

His pop ballad single, entitled “Take Heart - Fly, Dove of Peace,” was said to have fetched around 35,000 yen (230 pounds).

Teruaki Asanuma, the producer of the 1988 record, expressed his surprise when the bidding started at 1,000 yen.

“I never imagined that there would be a day when this tune would come into the spotlight,” The Telegraph quoted Asanuma as telling Japanese tabloid Kyodo News.

Dentist Asanuma also revealed that Hatoyama, who will be sworn in as prime minister on September 16, initially wanted to sing a traditional Japanese tune but he suggested a lighter pop style, in keeping with Hatoyama’s “urban flair”. (ANI)