HSBC are HOT on online security. They don't want anyone accessing your account and pilfering your savings. That is why online@hsbc issues tips for creating a secure user ID: Do not only use your name, but create something unique. Do not use user IDs from other Internet sites. Use a combination of letters and numbers. Pick something you will remember without writing it down. Eg cOaL5835D, T5o2M1, A1frica4 . Selling Beijing Lai See supports Beijing's bid for the Olympic Games. What better place to hold the synchronised swimming competition than Tiananmen Square? Wrestling in the Forbidden City and cross-country skiing along the Great Wall? China should make more use of its historical assets. And so thinks investment bank CLSA Emerging Markets. Local Chinese-language financial news Web site infocastFN.com reports that CLSA has answered Beijing's trumpet call by listing 10 reasons why China should host the Olympic Games in 2008. We called CLSA to see if this was true and, while they admitted to sending clients reasons for supporting the bid, they denied having a top 10. According to the Web site, CLSA's reasons include: No developing country has hosted the Olympic Games in the past 30 years. US businesses are major sponsors of the Games and they will lobby for Beijing so they can seize opportunities in China. Beijing's success in the bid would also help strengthen China's ties with Taiwan, as Beijing has said it would let Taiwan host some events of the Games. The Dalai Lama also supports Beijing's bid. And the piece de resistance . . . Running the beach volley-ball games under the portrait of Mao Zedong would be a major selling point. Scaring the tourists If you are a United States passport holder considering a holiday this year, don't bother. Apparently there has been a substantial increase in warnings issued by the US Department of State to citizens considering a trip abroad. The hot-list of hot spots - at the moment standing at 25 - includes enticing holiday getaways such as Chad, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Kyrgyz Republic. Countries in this part of the world to be avoided are Malaysia, Philippines and China (particularly if you look remotely Chinese, according to the State Department). Those Chinese-Americans who have published critical scribblings about Beijing are warned to be especially cautious. So expect every postcard coming out of the PRC this year to read: 'Fabulous weather, great food and wonderful people.' The State Department could be accused of a certain amount of scare-mongering with its warning on travel to Britain. 'People can spread the disease if they come into contact with infected animals/areas as the virus can ride along on articles of clothing and footwear,' it says. 'Roads in the vicinity of farms where Foot and Mouth Disease has been detected are closed. Many footpaths, rural tourist sites, some parks and some zoos have been closed . . .' On a positive note: 'Stonehenge and Hampton Court Park have re-opened.' But the clincher, which will have many families opting for a week in Indiana shooting critters, is the worldwide caution. 'The US Government learned in early May 2001 that American citizens abroad may be the target of a terrorist threat from extremist groups . . . 'US citizens are urged to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness . . . 'Americans should maintain a low profile . . .' Unfortunately their penchant for wearing plaid shirts on holiday makes this almost impossible. So best stay at home. Graphic: whee21gbz
