National / International News

An IT manager who grew frustrated with call centre menus has catalogued shortcuts to thousands of phone services

Hopes are dashed that Severn bridge toll fees can be reduced soon after the crossings revert to public ownership as the UK government has amassed over £88m in debt.

We're all taught that a free press is vital to a functioning democracy. And an important resource to that free press is the ability to protect the identity of sources. So what happens when, in the age of the internet, it's extremely hard to stay anonymous? The Justice Department says it subpoenaed the Associated Press's phone records to investigate a "national security leak."

Many journalists are up in arms about that. Long-time investigative reporter Kevin Poulsen might hold part of a solution. He created something called Strongbox for the New Yorker Magazine, with the help of the late Internet activist Aaron Swartz.

Google's been making a lot of headlines this week between its new update to its maps and social media services, its introduction of a competitor to Spotify, and its developers' conference in San Francisco. At the same time, the search giant has been engaging in a war of words with Microsoft over the new Windows Phone. Google says Microsoft was not serving ads properly on its YouTube app, opening up the possibility that Windows Phone users will lose the app as soon as next week.

Microsoft representatives have responded to a cease and desist letter from Google. They say they'd be happy to work with the search engine giant to make sure they can deliver the ads.

Mashable's business editor, Todd Wasserman has the latest on the story.

U.S. officials have been warning for months that the unregulated digital currency Bitcoin wasn't fully legitimate in the eyes of the law. Now, the Department of Homeland Security has frozen an account for one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges, a firm called Mt. Gox. The online firm, based in Tokyo, says it handles nearly 80 percent of global trading for this form of virtual cash.

Queena Kim, Marketplace Tech reporter, explains the latest on the story.

A raccoon who escaped from a Perthshire wildlife park is captured after more than three months on the run.

Fire and rescue services in England need to be "transformed" to become more efficient and effective, a review commissioned by the government says.

US singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is made an honorary member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) made a series of mistakes in investigating the death of a man in custody, a review finds.

Steven Miller, who was forced to submit his resignation as head of the agency this week, is testifying before Congress. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are angry over the agency's targeting of conservative groups.

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If you have debt that's getting you down, don't worry.  You're not alone. Take a look at these eye-popping statistics from the website NerdWallet.com about the amount of debt American households carry:

• Average credit card debt: $15,162
• Average mortgage debt: $147,967
• Average student loan debt: $33,445

Of course, money woes and music go hand-in-hand and artists have been singing about debt since the first borrower defaulted on a loan.  While you're trying to collect the money your cousin owes you or worrying about whether that's a debt collector ringing your phone, just breathe and enjoy our playlist of songs about debt.  There are some hits on there -- like "Bills, Bills, Bills" by Destiny's Child. I mean, who  wouldn't like this lyric: "You triflin', good for nothing type of brother." Plus, we have some personal favorites from our staff in the playlist, like "Busted" by Ray Charles (our host Barbara Boagaev loves that song!). Take a listen and enjoy the music.

If you have ideas for songs about debt that we missed, please leave us a comment below or Tweet us @radiopiggybank #DebtJams.

 

 

 

Basingstoke Council is criticised over plans to spend £800,000 on the lease of a drive-through coffee shop.

Retiring Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is relishing his 1,500th - and final - game in charge on Sunday.

A "puffin census" has started on the Farne Islands in Northumberland, with National Trust rangers surveying how many breeding pairs of the birds live there.

A leading Scottish heart hospital conducts an internal review after an audit reported higher than expected mortality rates.

Russia has sent sophisticated anti-ship missiles to Syria which could be used to deter future military intervention, US media reports say.

Images from Paul Shane's career in television

A man who admitted killing a British soldier outside a Cyprus nightclub is jailed for eight years.

The number of people under 40 with type 2 diabetes in the UK has risen sharply in the past 20 years, research shows.

Games giant EA has revealed that it currently has no games in development for Nintendo's Wii U console.