Nine year old becomes Microsoft Certified Professional

At an age when most girls are more interested in dolls than databases, nine year old Arfa Karim Randhawa from Pakistan is something of an exception. She has just become one of the world's Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCP). Arfa recently received her certificate from Emre Berkin, chairman of Microsoft's Europe, Middle East and Africa region, and Jawwad Rehman, Microsoft's country manager for Pakistan. ...more

UPDATE 2: Apple updates iTunes

Apple has updated its iTunes jukebox software, ahead of the first birthday of the online iTunes Music Store later today. iTunes 4.5 is a free upgrade and adds several new features, detailed in the online help. ...more

High-end headphones for iPod aficionados

Sennheiser has launched what it calls 'the world's best noise-canceling headphones'. The ?299 high-end set delivers a 'portable cloak of silence' for travelers. Traveling companions will be relieved to hear that the soundproofing works both ways, so tinny tunes won't leak out. ...more

Ericsson puts wireless broadband into pubs

Ericsson has signed contracts with Inspired Broadcast Networks (IBN) for the deployment of 5,000 public Wi-Fi hot spots throughout the UK. 'The Cloud' - as the network is dubbed - is being deployed via a network of Leisure Link 'entertainment terminals'. There are 90,000 such coin-op machines in 30,000 locations across the UK including railway stations, motorway service stations, but the main location is pubs. ...more

UK poised to take lead in tackling online child abuse

A new organisation has been formed to tackle the growing problem of child abuse. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre will tap into a range of resources, including information from the likes of Microsoft, AOL and VISA, as well as law enforcement agencies and children's charities to tackle child abuse in all its forms, including the Internet. CEO of the new CEOP Centre, Jim Gamble, former Deputy Director General of the National Crime Squad, said: 'The CEOP Centre is the most significant development in child protection in recent years and is a direct response to the explosion in online child abuse. ...more