National / International News

The 17 people have been convicted of mostly minor offenses. During his time in office, Obama has issued 39 pardons, the fewest of any president since James Garfield in 1881.

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Listening to Republicans this week, it was often hard to figure out the party's stance on the across-the-board cuts. But while they took different approaches, many made more or less the same argument: They're open to making the cuts more flexible, but they're not sorry to see spending cut.

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A new documentary peels back the curtain on the problem of food insecurity in the U.S. It shows that hunger and obesity are more closely connected than many of us realize.

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The judge took issue with the legal theory the original jury used to reach its decision. The judge ordered a new trial to determine the damages.

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With Detroit deep in the red, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has announced that the state will take over the city's finances, cut existing labor contracts and sell city assets. The business community and some residents applaud the move, but others fear a greater decline in already faltering city services.

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Loyalist campaigner Jim Dowson has been arrested in east Belfast by police investigating offences linked to the union flag protests.

Horse meat has now turned up in grocery stores in the U.K. and in meatballs from Ikea. And now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is talking about approving a horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico -- the first in the country in more than five years.

The unease many feel about horses as food is not new, as Colin Schultz recently wrote about for Smithsonian Magazine.

He takes a look back to Paris, circa 1870. The city was sieged by the Prussian army, who promptly cut off supply lines to the city. Parisians hesitantly, but out of desperation, turned to eating whatever they could find -- dogs, cats and yes, horse. But as it turns out, some developed a taste for the equine option.

And that created a bit of a stir in the international community. Some countries wondered if horse meat was something they should try. In 1875, the magazine Scientific American made the economic case for eating horses. They calculated that eating horses at the end of their life would add an estimated $30 million to the economy, in 1875 dollars.

But, Schultz says, it's not surprising Americans didn't take to the idea. "There's a real strong American ethos against it. You sort of see horses as companions, you see horses as pets. Even at the time, horses as tools but there was still that sort of iconic old-west imagery of the horse. You don't want to then eat that horse."

By now, American culture is pretty firmly against eating horses. And Schultz says that economic argument for eating horses in 2012 is kind of moot because horses don't serve the same purpose in the American economy. "Like if we could start eating cars, that would be the same argument."

And, of course, a Prussian siege is unlikely.

Horse meat has now turned up in grocery stores in the U.K. and in meatballs from Ikea. And now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is talking about approving a horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico -- the first in the country in more than five years.

The unease many feel about horses as food is not new, as Colin Schultz recently wrote about for Smithsonian Magazine.

He takes a look back to Paris, circa 1870. The city was sieged by the Prussian army, who promptly cut off supply lines to the city. Parisians hesitantly, but out of desperation, turned to eating whatever they could find -- dogs, cats and yes, horse. But as it turns out, some developed a taste for the equine option.

And that created a bit of a stir in the international community. Some countries wondered if horse meat was something they should try. In 1875, the magazine Scientific American made the economic case for eating horses. They calculated that eating horses at the end of their life would add an estimated $30 million to the economy, in 1875 dollars.

But, Schultz says, it's not surprising Americans didn't take to the idea. "There's a real strong American ethos against it. You sort of see horses as companions, you see horses as pets. Even at the time, horses as tools but there was still that sort of iconic old-west imagery of the horse. You don't want to then eat that horse."

By now, American culture is pretty firmly against eating horses. And Schultz says that economic argument for eating horses in 2012 is kind of moot because horses don't serve the same purpose in the American economy. "Like if we could start eating cars, that would be the same argument."

And, of course, a Prussian siege is unlikely.

A Chilean court suspends a trial against three Bolivian soldiers, whose arrest had led to diplomatic tensions between the neighbouring countries.

Well, we kind of knew things were headed this way, didn’t we? The sequester is here, and it's hard to tell how long it’ll last. So we thought we’d create a playlist to tide you over -- and all the picks were sent to us by Marketplace listeners. Enjoy!

*Note: Older songs suggested -- including "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin, "On the Border" by The Eagles and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by The Beatles -- were unavailable on Spotify.

Give us your own sequester song pick by commenting below or tweeting us @MarketplaceAPM.

A Florida man has disappeared into a 20ft-deep (6m) sinkhole that swallowed up a bedroom in his house.

Bakary Sako scores a stoppage-time equaliser to earn Championship strugglers Wolves a point against Watford.

A man facing re-trial over the murder of Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar at Massereene Barracks in Antrim in 2009 is released on bail.

It's called the "Last Great Race on Earth" and spans nearly 1,000 miles. Along the trail, veterinarians will be there at checkpoints to make sure the dogs competing are healthy enough to make it through the final dash.

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Following November's losses, there's wide agreement among Republicans that the party has to change. A former George W. Bush speechwriter says one model to study is how the Democrats bounced back after a similar political exile in the late 1980s.

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A terrific second-half try from Tom Biggs sets up victory for Bath in their local derby with Gloucester.

A former senior adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is under fire for expressing doubts about jailing viewers of child pornography.

The White House-Woodward spat is part of a longer story about the professional life of one of America's most famous journalists.

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The Sheffield stadium where Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis trains is to be closed.

More than 2 feet of snow hit the high plains this week, snarling travel and all but shutting down some cities. Despite those hassles, for farmers and ranchers, the snow brings some urgently needed moisture to their drought-stricken fields and pastures.

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