National / International News

Investors got hit on the head yesterday, when a key Apple supplier issued a gloomy earnings forecast. It cited an unnamed customer. Since last fall, Apple stock has underperformed both gold and the economy of Greece. What gives? "Wall Street was expecting everything to go perfectly for Apple. We’ve now had little bits of bad news and unexpected news, like the iPhone 5 -- not as much earth shaking product as people thought," says Henry Blodget at Business Insider. "You have competitors coming into the market whose products are equaling Apple’s."

That’s code for Samsung. Its new smartphone is out later this month. Blodget thinks the fantastically profitable iPhone is near the end of its life cycle. And the question, as always, is what’s Cupertino got next?

Some analysts whisper that Apple’s R&D folks are unprepared for a tech future of big data and artificially intelligence -- a hint of how unfashionable the company’s become, for now.

In the past five days, Apple's stock price has plunged from over $430 to $395, falling significantly yesterday when a key supplier issued a gloomy earnings forecast.





Over the past year, Apple's stock has had a bumpy ride. Since hitting a peak last fall, its value has slid by 40 percent.



  If you were looking to buy a smartphone, what kind would you buy?

Bristol Academy striker Laura Del Rio says the Women's Super League has the potential to be the best in the world.

Retail sales in March were 0.7% lower than in February because of bad weather, according to the Office for National Statistics.

FIA president Jean Todt says the Bahrain Grand Prix can have a "healing effect" on a country struggling with civil unrest.

Department store chain Debenhams reports a dip in half-year profits after trading was hit by the snow in late January.

A house is badly damaged and a motor home left burnt out following a suspected explosion in Inverclyde.

Several South American Presidents are gathering today for an emergency meeting today in Lima, Peru. They will be discussing the electoral victory of Nicolás Maduro in Venezeula. Maduro will be sworn in tomorrow, while the vote counts are being disputed.

Stephen Keppel, economics editor at Univision News, says the slim margin of victory could make it difficult for Maduro's government to achieve economic reforms.

"This will make it hard to impose big economic plans or to increase the nationalization of the economy," Keppel says. "Nicholas Maduro is no Hugo Chavez -- he doesn't have the charisma, his government won't have the same money that Chavez's had."

Venezuela is suffering from inflation, food shortages, lower oil revenues, and a government that is running out of money. Keppel says these economic struggles may diminish the country's role abroad.

"Chavez supported a number of countries in Latin America -- particularly Cuba and some other countries in Central America. That is going to decline under a Maduro presidency, partly because he doesn't have the same relationships, but also because his government won't have the same resources."

To hear more about the ongoing situation in Venezuela, click on the audio player above.

Maasai anger at losing land to make way for Arab hunters

Brighton Council is to consider providing rooms where people can use illegal drugs safely without the fear of prosecution, in a bid to reduce deaths.

Ahead of his World Championship return, Ronnie O'Sullivan says keeping physically fit has helped his mental health

North Korea says it is ready to talk if UN sanctions against it are withdrawn and if the US and South Korea put an end to joint military drills.

John Terry says he understands Rafael Benitez's squad rotation policy at Chelsea, despite making only three league starts in 2013.

Disney announces a new Star Wars film will appear yearly from 2015, alternating between new episodes in the ongoing space saga and spinoff character films.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is not yet ready to recognise the election victory of Venezuela's President-elect Nicolas Maduro.

The Dalai Lama of Tibet is on a two-day visit to Londonderry where he will be guest of honour at a 'Culture of Compassion' event.

Today's final note brings with it a shake of the head and a 'no, c'mon...you're kidding, right?'

From the Federal Reserve, we have news that some of the checks sent to victims of foreclosure abuse — robo-signing, wrongful eviction — have bounced.

The good news is that it seems to be a paperwork snafu, not actually insufficient funds in the $3.5 billion settlement account.

But still.

The funeral of Margaret Thatcher, which passed off more harmoniously than predicted, was an occasion rich in ironies, writes Dominic Sandbrook.

About 10,000 tonnes of cardboard are on fire at a paper mill on an industrial estate in Birmingham.

Prosecutors in Mexico dismiss the case on drug charges against ex-assistant defence minister Gen Tomas Angeles.

Journalist killed in Syria is shortlisted for Orwell Book Prize, which celebrates political writing.