National / International News

Sacred cows under threat in welfare budget row, says Allegra Stratton

London Olympic chief Lord Coe is made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

The Ulster Bank apologises and says it will reimburse any customer who was left out of pocket as a result of computer problems on Wednesday night.

I think it’s safe to say that we're pretty much tethered to our cell phones. But how attached are you to your area code? Does it mean something to you? Does it connect you to the place you live, or the city you grew up in?

The FCC is considering a proposal that would allow VoIPs -- Internet services like Google Voice and Skype -- to assign area codes to people regardless of their geographic location.

I live in Los Angeles, a vast tapestry of area codes. But I still cling proudly to 303, the  Colorado area code I grew up with. I like the symmetry of it, and that I share it with my family. I’m not alone in my love for that three-digit number.

Elaine Benes, on the TV show "Seinfeld," famously loved her 212 number.

Tech analyst Jeff Kagan had the same area code for 20 years. But when he moved out of his Atlanata home a decade ago, he couldn't take his old area code with him. “It was a heartbreaking thing," Kagan says, "because it was the phone number we taught our children to use. We had a lot of emotional conenction to it.”

Kagan says with smartphones, we’re already living in a world where dialing seven numbers is rare. Even he admits that many of his own phone numbers are a mystery to him. “I have so many cell phones and so many phone lines I don’t even know what the numbers are. I just go to my speed dial,” said Kagan.

He sees a day where telephone numbers are irrelevant. As more of our communications move from telephone to VoIP, those numbers are slowly being replaced by things like Skype handles.

“We might be a decade or so away from, "Phone number... what’s that? Is that like a (vinyl) record?” says telecom consultant David Isenberg.

He grew up with a 508 area code, but now has several phones with different area codes. He also has his own vanity telephone number. To reach Isenberg at that number, just dial the letters of his website.

NPR's supposedly sharp news blogger is surprised when he looks down to see that his left foot didn't know what his right foot was wearing.

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The tests are required by federal "No Child Left Behind" laws. Officials offered the unprecedented waiver to give some relief to the victims of the shooting rampage that killed 20 first-graders.

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China's citizens do not report as much as $2.34 trillion of what they make every year, hiding "gray income" that represents nearly 20 percent of the country's GDP, Chinese economics scholar Wang Xiaolu says, in a report from the news site Global Voices.

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Mark Cavendish criticises his team-mates after finishing fifth in the second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico.

Paul's epic-length filibuster not only drew attention to an issue of increasing concern to Congress, but also helped raise his own profile. The Kentucky Republican has long been considered a presidential aspirant.

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A Palestinian shot in the head by Israeli soldiers during a confrontation with stone-throwers has died of his wounds, hospital officials say.

A man wanted by police after his four-month-old son died when the child's mother knocked a television onto him at their home in Lancashire is jailed.

You didn't hear her voice on the air or know of her influence over our coverage, but Brenda was the kind of editor journalists dream of. She would get the best from correspondents and quietly fix their mistakes. If she liked what she read or heard, she'd give it her ultimate blessing: "Cool beans."

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You didn't hear her voice on the air or know of her influence over our coverage, but Brenda was the kind of editor journalists dream of. She would get the best from correspondents and quietly fix their mistakes. If she liked what she read or heard, she'd give it her ultimate blessing: "Cool beans."

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Vicky Pryce, the former wife of ex-MP Chris Huhne, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice by taking speeding points on his behalf 10 years ago.

Two Northamptonshire MPs battle it out in the Commons over which part of the county has the best nightclubs.

Canadian researchers wondered whether automated defibrillators that can save the lives of people suffering cardiac arrest are being put where they're needed most. A study found a mismatch between public locations where the devices are available and where cases of cardiac arrest are most likely.

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Canadian researchers wondered whether automated defibrillators that can save the lives of people suffering cardiac arrest are being put where they're needed most. A study found a mismatch between public locations where the devices are available and where cases of cardiac arrest are most likely.

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Demand for local foods is growing, but in many places, there still aren't efficient networks for getting them to consumers. A San Francisco startup called Good Eggs is trying out a new model: It's acting as the middleman, letting customers order from lots of different local producers and then delivering straight to their homes.

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A project will assess whether playing games can help increase people's interest in environmental issues, such as climate change.

The new look is visually richer and will look the same across platforms — be it mobile or desktop. In the past, they've grumbled about everything from small cosmetic tweaks to big changes in privacy policy.

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