Ofcom releases new broadcasting code
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UK media and communications regulator Ofcom released a new broadcasting code on Wednesday that reduced the rules from 30 pages to three pages.
Some regulations will remain the same: hard-core pornography is still off-limits, news and current affairs [...]
May 25, 2005
New trojan encrypts for extortion
by brian_turnerUS net security company, Websense, has identified a new kind of malicious programme known as Trojan.Pgpcoder.
The programme can install itself on a vulnerable computer after the user has visited certain websites, by exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE). It then downloads an encoder application, which searches for common types of [...]
Banks told to speed up money transfers
by brian_turnerThe Office of Fair Trading (OFT), has given banks six months to find a way to process electronic money transfers made by telephone and over the Internet, within one day. When this six-month period has elapsed, banks will be expected to implement quicker money transfers within two years.
It currently takes up to four days [...]
EU gives China deadline on textiles imports
by brian_turnerThe European Union has given China until Tuesday to reduce its textile imports to the EU. If China refuses to comply, quotas may be imposed on textile imports by the fifteenth of June.
Global quotas on Chinese textiles ended in January, since when exports to the EU have increased substantially, threatening the European textile industry. [...]
Ecommerce sales triple as high street in recession
by brian_turnerFigures compiled by e-retailing trade organisation IMRG, show that although high street sales have fallen by 4.2% since February, e-retail has grown three-fold, from 13.4% to 30%. Twenty two million UK consumers spent a total of £1.4b online during April.
The company expects online shopping to grow by a further 320% by 2010.
Currently 7% of [...]
Ofcom rules against slamming
by brian_turnerOfcom, the UK telecoms regulator, is imposing fines on fixed-line phone operators who switch consumers to their service without consent – a practice known as slamming.
For the past six weeks, operators have been drawing up their own code of practice, based on Ofcom rules, to stop the activity. From Thursday, firms which do not [...]
Flu vaccine prepared for Third World
by brian_turnerRoche, the Swiss pharmaceuticals group, is currently participating in talks with the World Health Organization for the drug maker to donate up to one million treatments of Tamiflu, its antiviral drug, to be used in less developed countries, primarily in Asia where bird flu has appeared to have started infecting humans.
Health officials believe [...]
May 24, 2005
OECD warns on dollar fall
by brian_turnerA report by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an alliance of developed countries, has reported that a sudden decline in the value of the dollar could threaten the global economy.
The organisation is concerned about the size of the US current account deficit – the difference between the value of imported and exported [...]
Identity Theft may deter online shopping
by brian_turnerA survey commissioned by voice automation software firm Intervoice, showed that concerns about ID theft are starting to deter people from shopping and banking online.
17% of people surveyed said they had stopped banking online while 13% had stopped shopping online.
Online check-out services and credit card readers were identified as possible ID risks.
Concerns [...]
Google to join S&P 500?
by brian_turnerSpeculation that Google will be added to the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, caused the company’s shares to jump to $255.45 – the shares have gained a total of 11% over the past week.
Inclusion in the S&P 500 increases the value of stocks because many investors are only allowed to put money into [...]
First Advert on UK 3G Mobile Phone
by brian_turnerMobile phone network 3 has secured a contract with marketing company, Big BattleFlytxt, to will allow its customers to download a movie trailer for free. Handset owners were previously charged for film clips.
The contract represents the first time that an advertiser has bought space on a UK 3G network.
Advertising revenue could help [...]
iTunes to support Podcasts
by brian_turnerAt a conference in the US, Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, revealed that the next version of Apple’s iTunes music management program will support podcasts.
Podcasts are downloadable “radio shows” – listeners can subscribe to podcasts for free, and the latest broadcast is sent automatically to a subscriber’s digital music player.
Free programs have [...]
Google Adsense site hijacked
by brian_turnerGoogle’s AdSense page has been replaced by a smaller web page, showing that even a billion-dollar company can have its internet presence adversely affected by very simple methods.
Jenstar reports that in a process known as “hijacking”, Google’s AdSense page has been replaced by a smaller website in the results of a search of AdSense.
The process [...]
May 23, 2005
Children drive internet use
by brian_turnerA study into how people aged 35-45 use the internet, by consultancy firm Panlogic, has shown that it is often the children in a household who research and make online purchases.
A third of the people surveyed said that they would now be lost without Internet access, even though it was originally bought for [...]
Brown proposes housing part-ownership plan
by brian_turnerAmong concerns that the housing market is slowing, the Government has proposed a part-ownership plan, which could help over 100,000 people buy their first home in the next five years.
Buyers would only need to raise half the market-cost of the property and the remaining equity in the house would be shared by the [...]
Jack Straw faces off EU rebate opposition
by brian_turnerThe UK’s £3bn EU rebate, which was agreed by Margaret Thatcher in 1984, is being debated at a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels. The rebate was award because the UK receives fewer subsidies than other European Union members. It is due for renewal next year.
On Sunday, several EU ministers spoke out against the UK [...]
Public sector net borrowing down, but taxes may still have to raise
by brian_turnerThe Office for National Statistics has released figures showing that Britain’s public sector net borrowing (PSNB) in April was £1.3bn; slightly lower than economists’ predictions of £2.3bn. Government tax receipts were slightly higher than a small increase in spending.
PSNB for April 2005 was significantly lower than April 2004’s figure of £2.8bn. However, PSNB for [...]
EU forces Microsoft deadline
by brian_turnerThe European Commission has ruled that Microsoft must comply with the terms of a March 2004 judgement concerning the company’s market dominance, by the end of May 2005.
The judgement requires Microsoft to provide details of how it could bring its practices into line with EU rules. The European Commission has repeatedly expressed concern [...]
May 22, 2005
US to ban space advertising
by brian_turnerThe US Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday published a proposed regulation in the Federal Register that would ban US companies from launching billboards into space for advertising purposes.
The agency acted after a company, which was not identified, proposed a plan that would launch such billboards into orbit.
According to the FAA, these [...]
May 20, 2005
Google gets personal
by brian_turnerGoogle is following rivals Yahoo and Microsoft, to launch a personalised home page service. Yahoo’s and Microsoft’s personalised pages include news, weather, stocks, e-mail and blogs. Google’s ‘Fusion’ service, however, will offer a range of content, but, as most of its revenue comes from web advertising, will try to ensure that its users are still [...]