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Bootleg copies utilising the leaked code on sale now! In Novosibirsk, that is

Versions of the massively-anticipated Half-Life 2 are on sale now in both Russia and the Ukraine - but they're bootleg copies based on the code that was leaked on to the net last year.

Eager punters are currently able to purchase a two disc version of the game in Novosibirsk, Russia's third largest city and the main transit and business centre in the Asian part of Russia. Hackers have apparently even gone to the length of translating text in the fully playable code into Russian.

None of which particularly helps those of us waiting for the proper, finished version of the game. Publishers Vivendi still won't be drawn on when Half-Life 2 is likely to be released, with recent rumours suggesting that it may not be ready now until the second half of the year.

News source: gamesradar.com

Big gender gap in Italy

The findings are derived from surveys of Internet and non-Internet users in 14 countries: the United States, Britain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Macao, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, China and Chile.

The study does however support some long-established Internet usage trends including the fact that the wealthiest segments of the population are the most avid users and that more men than women surf the Web. But figures vary widely by country.

For example, the gender gap is most pronounced in Italy and smallest in Taiwan. According to the study, 41.7 percent of Italian men are online compared to 21.5 percent of Italian women. In Taiwan, the difference is 25.1 percent for men and 23.5 percent for women.

The digital divide, a phrase used to describe how poverty impacts Web usage, appears to be tightening around the world, Cole said.

In seven of the 12 countries for which the information was available, more than 20 percent of the poorest segment of the population uses the Internet. Sweden, Korea and the U.S. have the highest usage of Internet users among the poor.

Skeptical Swedes

The credibility of information published on the Internet also received a surprising boost.

Despite the existence of countless spoof Web sites and message boards that carry oddball political rants, more than half of Internet users surveyed said "most or all" of the information they find online is reliable and credible.

The most trusting users are in South Korea while Swedes are the biggest skeptics about the veracity of Web news.

The Chinese, meanwhile, are among the most active Net socializers. According to the study, Chinese Internet users say they rely on the medium to interact with others who share their political interests, hobbies and faith.

"It's more than in any other country and a significant figure for citizens of a nation in which religion is officially banned," the study said of Chinese users' willingness to discuss religion online with others.