Infozone Breaking World News

After it was revealed that Microsoft’s browser Internet Explorer had a serious security fault last week, Microsoft yesterday released a patch for the fault.

The security flaw, which has hit an estimated 2 million Windows users and up to 10,000 websites; allowed hackers to take over users computers by sending them to infected websites. Called the ‘Zero Day’ exploit, once a computer was infected, the downloaded programs could record keystrokes and steal passwords, credit card details and other information.

 In a statement released by Microsoft, it said that it “encourages all IE customers to test and deploy this update as soon as possible”. The new patch is said to consist of more than 300 updates, for six different versions of Internet Explorer in over 50 languages.

Windows users who have automatic updates turned on will receive the security patch over the next few days, or can download it directly from the Microsoft website.

Honda has announced that it will be pulling out of Formula One next season. Blaming the current economic climate for the decision, Honda is currently looking for a buyer for the team.

This latest news leaves British driver Jenson Button and his team mate Rubens Barrichello without drives, and the workers at Honda’s Brackley headquarters facing redundancies. There has been a deadline of January set for finding a buyer for the team, but in a sport where you would expect to spend more than £300 million a year, it is unlikely to find one in time.

In a statement from Honda’s president Takeo Fukui, he said “Honda Motor Co. has come to the conclusion that we will withdraw from all Formula One activities, making 2008 the last season for participation,”

He went on to say, “Honda must protect its core business activities and secure the long term as widespread uncertainties in the economics around the globe continue to mount.”

Honda has struggled to make an impact since rejoining the F1 constructors in 2006, earning only 14 points last season and being largely uncompetitive in the last two seasons.

Last month Honda announced that it would be building fewer road vehicles in the US, Europe and Japan, as the economic climate hits the motor industry hard.

The new 2009 Formula One season will kick off on the 29th March in Australia, and if a buyer isn’t found there will only be 18 cars on the grid.

Stock markets in both Europe and Asia fell dramatically today, as investors fear that the global economy is heading for a prolonged slump. The news comes after the US stock market (Dow Jones) fell 5% on Wednesday to its lowest level in over 5 years.

Amongst the biggest affected areas were mining shares, as investors expect the demand for raw materials such as steel will fall as the global economy slows.

London’s FTSE100 index fell by 1.6% in the early trading session, with the German Dax Index falling 3.4% and the French Cac40 index slumping by 2.8%. Asian stocks also fell, with Japan’s Nikkei Index finishing the day 6.8% lower, and Hong Kong’s Index down over 4%.

Recent data figures suggest that Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore are already in a recession, while fears that the US is also heading for a recession was enough to send share prices tumbling.

The Croatian Government has put a ban on both Christmas and New Year celebrations for state run companies as the credit crunch continues to hit countries worldwide. The Prime Minister of Croatia, Ivo Sanader said that there was no need to panic, but in the midst of a global financial crisis, the country had to become serious.

He went on to say, “For that goal we forbid buying of Christmas and New Year’s gifts as well as organising of Christmas and New Year’s receptions.”

The news comes as the government proposes to freeze all public sector salaries in 2009. Mr Sanader added “I believe that with the proposed measures we can avoid a deeper crisis within the next year.”

The Croatian government is adamant that it will balance their budget next year, and if successful, will be the first time since the country’s independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

The country’s main income is from its tourist industry, and fear that there will be a sharp drop in visitor numbers due to the ongoing financial crisis.

A convict in a West German jail has sparked a major manhunt after he escaped the institution in a cardboard box. The 42 year old man, who was serving a seven year sentence for drug dealing, had been making stationery with other inmates, which were destined for German shops.

It is thought that at the end of the shift, the man climbed into a cardboard box, before being picked up by a courier. Once the courier had left the prison grounds, the inmate cut a hole in the Lorries tarpaulin and made a run for it. The courier driver alerted the authorities when he noticed the tarpaulin flapping in the wind.

The whereabouts of the inmate are still unknown, but the prisons warden, Beate Peters has stated that the man must have had accomplices outside of the prison. She said “As soon as the prisoner jumped off the back of the lorry his friends would have picked him up.”

Ms Peters when on to say, “We have no idea where the fugitive is hiding. We assume that he is still in the county and is lying low before making his move.”

Security at the prison in Willich, near Düsseldorf has been stepped up since the escape.

The Historic QE2 was late for its final voyage as it ran aground on a sandbank off the cost of the Isle of Wight on its way to Southampton. The 70,000 ton vessel was heading to Southampton for the start of its last voyage, when strong winds beached it on the sandbank.

The QE2 was eventually refloated with a combination of the tide rising and numerous tug boats, and arrived at Southampton around an hour late. After an inspection, the vessel was given the all clear, with Cunard bosses stating that there was no damage to the hull and that the QE2 would set off on time.

The QE2’s last cruise voyage to Dubai got under way with 1700 passengers and 1000 crew on board, waving from the decks as thousands of spectators waved the huge vessel off. Fireworks and a speech by Master Captain Ian McNaught in which he said, the QE2 had been “a symbol of British excellence for 40 years” preceded the launch.

The QE2 will now travel to Dubai, where it will be permanently docked and become a luxury floating hotel and visitor attraction.

After nearly a year since Google announced that it planned to bring us the Android OS for mobile phones, it was ceremoniously unveiled with the help of T-Mobile yesterday. The device, called the T-Mobile G1, which is made by the manufacturer HTC will be the first device to run the Android operating system.

For those of you that don’t know, Android is Google’s brand new operating system for mobile phones, and is open source meaning that third party developers can make applications for the platform. For the development of the Android OS, Google set up the Open Handset Alliance, which is a partnership of over 30 companies, who work on making phone software easier to use.

The G1 device features a 3.2 inch display that is touch sensitive, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and a QWERTY keyboard, as well as a host of other features including a 3 megapixel camera and microSD card slot.

The first T-Mobile G1 devices will ship in the US on the 22nd of October, with the UK release in November and the rest of Europe in the New Year.

The Large Hadron Collider facility (LHC) sprang into life today, as scientists turned it on for the first time. Scientists are hoping that the huge underground structure, which fires beams of protons around the 27 kilometre donut shaped tunnel at the speed of light, will give a better understanding of the moments after the Big Bang.

The £5bn facility which is situated on the Swiss-French border has had a troublesome birth, being hugely over budget and two years behind schedule.

Scientists turned the system on this morning around 08:30BST and have been testing firing one beam around the tunnel. Over the coming days and weeks the scientists plan to fire multiple beams of protons in opposite directions; colliding them together at the speed of light.

It is hoped that the Large Hadron Collider will answer some fundamental questions about the universe and its beginnings.