Microsoft Corp ratcheted back growth expectations for its internet and search engine unit last night as it took a $6.2bn writedown on the value of an online advertising company it bought five years ago.

Microsoft has unveiled Surface, a tablet computer to compete with Apple's iPad.

A turbulent week for racing took another twist this evening as Ruby Walsh was hit with a 14-day ban following a dramatic finish to the Pertemps Handicap Chase at Stratford.

BILL GATES has heralded the arrival of the world’s “second digital decade”, predicting that within a few years technology will be in every room in the home, from screens to wall projections and even built into desks or tables.

The audience of a gadget show in the US burst into laughter when they watched Microsoft chairman Bill Gates take a starring role in his self-deprecating farewell video.