diff --git a/Lib/test/test_minidom.py b/Lib/test/test_minidom.py
index 90f7d51dd62..efb92407670 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_minidom.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_minidom.py
@@ -1483,6 +1483,13 @@ class MinidomTest(unittest.TestCase):
         doc.appendChild(doc.createComment("foo--bar"))
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, doc.toxml)
 
+    def testEmptyXMLNSValue(self):
+        doc = parseString("<element xmlns=''>\n"
+                          "<foo/>\n</element>")
+        doc2 = parseString(doc.toxml())
+        self.confirm(doc2.namespaceURI == xml.dom.EMPTY_NAMESPACE)
+
+
 def test_main():
     run_unittest(MinidomTest)
 
diff --git a/Lib/xml/dom/minidom.py b/Lib/xml/dom/minidom.py
index 12b7afce39e..693d1715dfc 100644
--- a/Lib/xml/dom/minidom.py
+++ b/Lib/xml/dom/minidom.py
@@ -291,9 +291,10 @@ def _in_document(node):
 
 def _write_data(writer, data):
     "Writes datachars to writer."
-    data = data.replace("&", "&amp;").replace("<", "&lt;")
-    data = data.replace("\"", "&quot;").replace(">", "&gt;")
-    writer.write(data)
+    if data:
+        data = data.replace("&", "&amp;").replace("<", "&lt;"). \
+                    replace("\"", "&quot;").replace(">", "&gt;")
+        writer.write(data)
 
 def _get_elements_by_tagName_helper(parent, name, rc):
     for node in parent.childNodes:
@@ -1340,11 +1341,9 @@ class Notation(Identified, Childless, Node):
 class DOMImplementation(DOMImplementationLS):
     _features = [("core", "1.0"),
                  ("core", "2.0"),
-                 ("core", "3.0"),
                  ("core", None),
                  ("xml", "1.0"),
                  ("xml", "2.0"),
-                 ("xml", "3.0"),
                  ("xml", None),
                  ("ls-load", "3.0"),
                  ("ls-load", None),
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 4a9ea8e8293..226bd46a793 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ Library
 
 - Issue #10459: Update CJK character names to Unicode 5.2.
 
+- Issue #6098: Don't claim DOM level 3 conformance in minidom.
+
+- Issue #5762: Fix AttributeError raised by ``xml.dom.minidom`` when an empty
+  XML namespace attribute is encountered.
+
 - Issue #1710703: Write structures for an empty ZIP archive when a ZipFile is
   created in modes 'a' or 'w' and then closed without adding any files. Raise
   BadZipfile (rather than IOError) when opening small non-ZIP files.