Kournikova virus spreads

A computer virus, which promises computer users a photograph of the Russian-born tennis star Anna Kournikova, is quickly spreading around the world.

Experts say the virus is not believed to cause direct damage, but it can paralyse computer systems by the sheer volume of e-mails it creates.

The virus comes attached to an e-mail, but instead of carrying the promised picture, it sends itself to every name in the user's address book. Pictures of Anna Kournikova are among the most popular images among internet users. Last year, a similar virus infected an estimated fifteen million computers around the world after users opened an e-mail with the message "I love you".

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service