Users of the world’s most common web browser have been advised to switch to a rival until a serious security flaw has been fixed. The flaw in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer could allow criminals to take control of people’s computers and steal their passwords, internet experts say. Microsoft is investigating...

The British pound has continued its sharp decline against the euro, reaching a new record low of 1.1238 euros on Thursday. It is at the lowest level since the euro was launched in 1999. Meanwhile, the pound gained one cent against the US dollar, reaching $1.4924 in afternoon trading....

As European leaders gather in Brussels, the German finance minister has launched a blistering attack on Gordon Brown’s economic rescue plan. In an interview with Newsweek magazine Peer Steinbruck derided the £20bn package and accused Mr Brown of “tossing around billions” which would saddle a generation of taxpayers with...

Sun Microsystems appears to have put its utility computing effort, Network.com, on hold until it gets an idea of how to resurrect it. The pioneering computing effort, which launched two years ago, offered pay-per-use computing infrastructure for high-performance computing applications without forcing customers to buy expensive IT equipment. However,...

The UK economy contracted 1% between September and November, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) has estimated. This fall followed after a 0.8% drop in the three months to the end of October, said the think tank. Indicating that the rate of output decline is “accelerating”,...