In this dismal context it is no wonder that a row has broken out in Italy, where control of Telecom Italia recently passed to Pirelli, a tyre and cables group.

ECONOMIST: European telecoms: Running for the exit | The

Still, our belief is one thing -- cold hard proof is another, and it looks like a group of 12 self-professed "audiophiles" recently couldn't tell the difference between Monster 1000 speaker cables and plain old coat hangers.

ENGADGET: Audiophiles can't tell the difference between Monster Cable and coat hangers