National / International News

In a business where effects-laden movies bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, many of the studios that create those effects are barely staying afloat.

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MPs conclude the remaining stages of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill.

The BBC is told Cardinal Keith O'Brien is "very upset" over the circumstances of his resignation.

A British immigration watchdog is warning of a major influx of migrants into the U.K. after the end of this year. MigrationWatch reckons that as many as a quarter of a million Romanians and Bulgarians will settle in Britain after they gain full access to one of the fundamental rights of  membership of the European Union -- the free movement of people.

In Britain, the prospect of a tidal wave of Romanian and Bulgarian settlers is causing profound alarm. “We’ve already got two and a half million Brits unemployed, and there’s high youth unemployment,” says Matthew Pollard, spokesman for MigrationWatch. “And there’s also an acute shortage of housing, especially in London and the southeast. There just isn’t enough housing to go around.”

The British government -- which is committed to reducing immigration --  is casting around for ways to dissuade the Romanians and Bulgarians from coming to Britain. One proposal is to run a negative advertising campaign about the U.K. in the Romanian and Bulgarian press. The ads might describe Britain’s appalling weather, high unemployment and lack of opportunity. 

But Faisal Siddiqui of the Figtree brand consultancy does not think that is a good idea. “Britain has spent millions promoting itself as a great place to visit and do business," he says. “The message has been: great creativity, great innovation, Great Britain. A negative ad campaign would detract from that national narrative."

The negative ads could backfire in another way, too. Forty years ago, when the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin expelled thousands of Asians, the people of Leicester in the English Midlands were terrified that some of the refugees would wind up in their city. So they took out an ad in Ugandan newspapers urging them not to come. Ten thousand -- more than a third of the total -- made a beeline for Leicester.

Members of the Romanian community in Britain have dismissed all the talk of a “tidal wave" of immigrants into the U.K. as ridiculous and insulting. Journalist Cristina Irimie says it is typical immigrant-bashing.

“Migrants are always blamed if there are no jobs and the economy’s poor,” Irimie says. "They’re using migrants as a demon.”

Meanwhile, back in Romania, as a riposte against what it sees as inhospitable Britain, a newspaper in Bucharest has launched a campaign entitled "Why Don't You Come Over?," offering job opportunities  and temporary accommodation to any Brits that would like to start a new life in Romania.

The Daytona 500 posted its strongest TV ratings since 2008, thanks to a buildup of attention drawn by Danica Patrick's history-making pole position and a horrendous crash during a race at the track Saturday. The biggest gains in viewership seem to have come in big cities.

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China's navy takes delivery of the first of a new kind of stealth frigate, as tension continues with neighbouring countries over maritime borders.

U.S. banks made $141.3 billion in net income last year. That's second only to the profit they made in 2006, before the financial crisis. Many of the banks that profited the most, have benefitted from a government bailout.

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Seventeen officers from Lothian And Borders Police are facing misconduct inquiries over racist and sexist emails sent on the internal police system.

Educators are bracing for deep budget cuts if the government sequestration occurs. Host Michel Martin speaks with Emily Richmond from the National Education Writers Association, and Kelly Field of The Chronicle of Higher Education, about the possible damage.

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A new study on bullying shows that people who were bullied have higher rates of psychiatric illness as adults. Host Michel Martin speaks with the study's lead author, William Coleman of Duke University, and bullying expert Rosalind Wiseman.

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The shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin one year ago became an international story, and raised difficult questions about race and justice. Host Michel Martin continues her conversation with Robert Zimmerman Jr., the brother of accused killer George Zimmerman, about how his family views the case and the public reaction.

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Civilization cannot live on anchovies alone. The ancient Norte Chico people of Peru were long thought to have built a complex society in South America while dining on a diet based on the tiny fish. But archaeologists now say they ate the food that fueled empires throughout the hemisphere — corn.

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Ronnie O'Sullivan will end his sabbatical from snooker after announcing he will defend his world title crown in April.

Outgoing Benedict XVI will be referred to as "His Holiness" and carry the title of "pope emeritus," the Vatican says.

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A police detective stole huge amounts of seized drugs and conspired to sell them with his brother making at least £600,000, a jury hears.

Researchers crack the long-standing problem of how to make stretchy batteries to power a growing range of stretchy electronics.

After being crowned double world champion, Becky James' hard work paid off says her boyfriend, Wales rugby wing George North.

World powers and Iran hold what a Western official describes as "useful" talks in the Kazakh city of Almaty over Tehran's nuclear programme.

US bank JP Morgan Chase increases its planned job cuts to 19,000 by the end of next year in its mortgage and community banking businesses.

Is Yemen heading toward fragmentation?