Infozone Breaking World News

A study conducted by computer security firm Sophos has found that criminal gangs are making millions of pounds by selling fake Swine Flu medication to unsuspecting Brits. The Sophos study found that many Brits, who feel that they may not be able to get Tamiflu through the NHS are being redirected to fake online pharmacies where the counterfeit medication is being sold.

The study also found that the top five countries trying to purchase Tamiflu and other medications such as Viagra and Cialis are Germany, UK, US, Canada and France. A spokesman for Sophos said: “The criminal gangs working behind the scenes at fake internet pharmacies are putting their customers’ health, personal information and credit card details at risk”.

Adding that, “They have no problem breaking the law to promote these websites, so you can be sure they’ll have no qualms in exploiting your confidential data or selling you medications which may put your life in danger”.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health tried to reassure people by saying, “There’s no need to jump the queue or pay for antivirals. They are free on the NHS and being offered to all who need them.”

It is estimated that these criminal gangs can earn between £10,000 and £60,000 a day by selling their counterfeit medications, with continuing concerns about Swine Flu driving their profits higher.

People who are still worried about Swine Flu and want to buy Genuine Tamiflu should check that the online pharmacy is fully registered before purchasing.

Microsoft has announced that it has banned nearly 600,000 people from its Xbox Live service for modifying their consoles to play pirated games. Microsoft stated that modifying an Xbox 360 console to play pirated games violates the services ‘terms and conditions’ and will lead to players being banned.

The statement said, “All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live”.

Adding that, “The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them.”

It is hoped that this move will be a deterrent against video game piracy, which costs the video games industry an estimated £750 million a year.

Microsoft has not revealed how it determined which gamers to ban, but said that all of the consoles affected had been verified as breaking the term and conditions of the service.

With oil prices steadily rising again, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that this could affect global recovery amidst the global recession. The IEA also warn that the demand for oil may also be affected if price continue to rise into the next year.

Oil prices have risen by 77% in 2009 and is now trading at around $79 per barrel with China the driving force behind demand. In the IEA’s monthly report, it forecasts that there will be a 1.6% increase in demand for oil, taking it up to 86.2 million barrels per day.

The IEA added that the global economy was still fragile and demand within developed countries was falling as oil prices began to rise towards the $80 per barrel mark. The head of IEA’s oil industry division, David Fyfe said, “If prices keep rebounding, there’s a risk to the global economy as a whole, even to some of those economies in the Far East and even the Middle East”.

Although there is some concern about oil prices, the IEA also said that global demand would still grow in Q4 this year and that OPEC drilled more oil in October than September.