Government drops ICT school exam

Government ministers have scrapped a compulsory computing exam for school kids in England. The statutory test in ICT (information and communication technology) was set to be made compulsory from 2008 for 14-year-olds (Key Stage 3 pupils), reports the BBC, but it will now be scrapped. The reason given is to lessen the testing burden on schools. ...more

The UK Intellectual Property Office is born

The UK Patent Office has announced that it plans to change its name to the UK Intellectual Property Office, in line with the recommendation of the Government's Gowers Review of Intellectual Property. The new name is designed to reflect the Office's wider role, encompassing copyright and trademarks as well as patents. 'The [Gowers] report's main recommendations will help us to enforce intellectual property rights, and support British businesses both at home and abroad,' said Ron Marchant, the Office's chief executive. ...more

VeriSign to defend Site Finder before ICANN

Verisign, which last week was forced to withdraw its controversial Site Finder service, will today present its case to the ICANN Security and Stability Committee. Representatives of Verisign will present technical data which, they say, will prove that the initiative did not compromise or destabilise the Internet. Whilst the 'service' was in place, users who mistyped or entered non-existant . ...more

Mozilla stamps out bug

Developers of the open source browser Mozilla have closed a security hole that would allow the program to run remote executables. The bug affects not only the Windows versions of Mozilla but also the separate Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client. Versions for the Mac and Linux are unaffected. ...more

Tesco becomes mobile network operator

Tesco is going to become a mobile phone network operator, promising lower prices and new handsets. The supermarket, which already sells mobile phones through its stores, won't be building its own network but will be leasing from one of the main operators. The basic service will be pay-as-you-go, the firm said, and will undercut its rivals. ...more