The Conservatives said they also forced the government to backtrack on the plans to levy a charge on landline phone bills - due to come into force in October - to pay for the universal roll-out of broadband.

BBC: Ministers drop plans for 10% increase in cider tax

The costs of patent litigation roll down-market: the pace of innovation slows and consumers pay more for less.

FORBES: Patent Trolls: The Innovation Hijackers

Now banks are forcing their counterparties to pay a much higher price to roll the paper over, and it is not clear how quickly central-bank injections of liquidity will ease the squeeze.

ECONOMIST: The crisis in the debt markets

VeriFone would roll out more so-called contact-less devices, or readers that enable consumers to pay with a wave or tap of a credit or debit card.

WSJ: Google Pursues Role in Mobile Payments