Consumers paid out £24 million last year to wind farm owners who had to switch off their turbines because the conditions meant they could not operate, the Government admitted today.

The Tory MP Mark Pawsey (Rugby) said many payments were being made because it was often too breezy for turbines to work as the electricity grid could not cope with the power that they generated in high winds.

In other cases, turbines have been switched off because there is not enough wind.

The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, are seen near the city of Trondheim, Norway Tuesday Jan. 23, 2012.

Stargazers were out in force in northern Europe on Tuesday, hoping to be awed by a spectacular showing of northern lights after the most powerful solar storm in six years.

(AP Photo/Emil Bratt Borsting)

Facebook announced plans today to help thousands of small firms by offering free advertising to boost their chances of growing their business.

The firm will give away £4.2 million-worth of adverts to tens of thousands of small businesses across Europe following the launch of a series of roadshows being run in conjunction with the British Chambers of Commerce on building Facebook business pages.

A new report by Deloitte showed today that Facebook has supported 35,200 jobs across Europe and contributed £2.2 billion to the UK economy.

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said: "Today's report shows that Facebook is about a lot more than sharing pictures or keeping up with friends. Increasingly, social media means growth and jobs.

"As the Deloitte study highlights, social media is proving particularly valuable for small and medium-sized businesses, which form the backbone of the European economy.

"The impact of social media is a bright spot in challenging times, but growth won't happen on its own. We need to make sure that we invest in the right education, training, technology and networks so that social media can continue to drive innovation and economic growth."

A juror who carried out internet research at home while sitting at a criminal trial was jailed for six months for contempt of court today.

Academic Theodora Dallas, 34, had told other jurors what her research had revealed about a defendant on trial at Luton Crown Court in July 2011.

The judge aborted the trial after learning about her research.

She was sentenced today by three judges at the High Court in London, including Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice.

Dallas was present in court for the ruling.

She will serve three months and be on licence for the remainder of the term.

Online retail sales increased by 14% last year to more than £50 billion, with predictions that the growth will continue to hit high streets, according to a new report.

Shopping comparison website Kelkoo predicted a similar increase this year, well above the expected 3.65% rise in total retail sales.

Online shoppers spent an average of just under £1,500 each on 39 items last year, with internet retail trade accounting for 12% of total spending, the highest in Europe, said the report.

Other European countries with high online retail market shares included Germany (9%), Switzerland (8.7%) and Norway (8.1%), while the lowest were in Italy (1.3%) and Poland (3.1%).

Wikipedia blacked out the English language version of its website today in protest at anti-piracy laws being considered by the US government.

Users attempting to access the site were met with a black screen and the statement: "Imagine a world without free knowledge."

The website, which shut down at 5am British time, will go dark for 24 hours, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopaedia said, in an unprecedented move that brings added muscle to a growing base of critics of the legislation.

Wikipedia is considered one of the internet's most popular websites, with millions of visitors daily.

A British sprinter who offered himself for sponsorship via an online eBay auction has finally secured a deal to pursue his Olympic dreams.

James Ellington resorted to the unconventional method of attracting a sponsor on a site usually known for selling second-hand items after he missed out on fundraising opportunities due to injury.

The athlete - a 100m, 200m and relay sprinter - went up for auction in December with a £30,000 reserve.

The south Londoner said he would wear the kit of the sponsor at all opportunities leading up to the Olympic Games.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Image via Wikipedia

Can I bring myself to get excited about an email which recently landed?

I am a self confessed strategy fan and that all started many moons ago with Rebelstar Raiders back on the good old speccy.

Then came Rebelstar II, followed by the very successful Laser Squad series.

Then the biggie - UFO Enemy Unknown for the first time really put strategy games on the map in terms of utililising the huge capacity of modern PCs.

The number of people suffering serious injury while wearing headphones for gadgets such as iPods has tripled in six years, according to a US study.

Experts found a dramatic rise in injuries to people wearing headphones while walking in the street, particularly among teenagers, men and young adults.

Writing online in the journal Injury Prevention, they analysed US data from 2004 to 2011 but excluded cases involving mobile phones, including those that were hands-free.

Internet addiction disrupts nerve wiring in the brains of teenagers, a "groundbreaking" study has found.

Similar effects have been seen in the brains of people exposed to alcohol, cocaine and cannabis.

The discovery shows that being hooked on a behaviour can be just as physically damaging as addiction to drugs, scientists believe.