National / International News

A widow hugs the driver who killed her husband and urges him to "get on with his young life".

Seven people have been shot dead in an attack on a mosque in north-eastern Kenya near the border with Somalia, officials say.

A man appears in court charged with the murders of a family of four at their home in Northampton.

Aberdeenshire-based singer-songwriter Emeli Sande lifts two awards at the Brit Awards ceremony at London's O2 Arena.

US sportswear giant Nike suspends its sponsorship contract with Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend.

Patricia Machin told Radio 5 live Breakfast she has "never blamed" the driver who knocked down her husband and killed him.

Arsene Wenger's job as Arsenal manager will not be on the agenda at a board meeting on Thursday, BBC Sport learns.

Sales are suffering as defense budgets are slashed all over the world, but the U.S. is a special case where over $40 billion in defense cuts are set to go into effect next month.

Francis Tusa, editor of Defence Analysis, says that will heavily impact on European defense suppliers.

"If sequestration goes ahead in the way we’re talking about it, they will see a rather heavy hit on turnover," says Tusa.

According to Tusa, that's because U.S. contracts are far more profitable than those in Europe.

The British defense contractor BAE Systems announced a fall in profits today. The company earns 40 percent of its revenue in the U.S. It says it may have to lay off 3,500 workers in its shipbuilding industry if Washington doesn’t stop the cuts.

Other European defense contractors, such as EADS, say as the American military’s budget shrinks, U.S. defense suppliers will vie for new contracts in Europe and elsewhere. In that case, the global defense industry could get a lot more competitive.

Sales are suffering as defense budgets are slashed all over the world, but the U.S. is a special case where over $40 billion in defense cuts are set to go into effect next month.

Francis Tusa, editor of Defence Analysis, says that will heavily impact on European defense suppliers.

"If sequestration goes ahead in the way we’re talking about it, they will see a rather heavy hit on turnover," says Tusa.

According to Tusa, that's because U.S. contracts are far more profitable than those in Europe.

The British defense contractor BAE Systems announced a fall in profits today. The company earns 40 percent of its revenue in the U.S. It says it may have to lay off 3,500 workers in its shipbuilding industry if Washington doesn’t stop the cuts.

Other European defense contractors, such as EADS, say as the American military’s budget shrinks, U.S. defense suppliers will vie for new contracts in Europe and elsewhere. In that case, the global defense industry could get a lot more competitive.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting signs a two-month deal to play for Surrey as cover for Graeme Smith.

An international football match-fixing suspect is arrested in Italy after arriving from Singapore and giving himself up, police in Milan say.

Rachel Mwanza, the teenage star of an Oscar-nominated film about child soldiers in Africa, is granted a visa that will enable her to attend the Academy Awards.

President Obama is trying to pressure Congress to avoid $85 billion in federal budget cuts set to take effect March first. The president gave interviews Wednesday to eight local TV stations in markets with a lot at stake in the fight over the so-called sequester cuts.

One of the president’s interviews was with WJZ-TV in Baltimore. He had this message for Maryland workers who could be forced to take unpaid leaves because of the budget cuts:

“There’s no reason they should be furloughed or layed off," he said. "This is a problem that Congress can solve.”

Almost all of stations the president talked to are in places with defense installations that play a large role in their economies.

Larry Sabato, who teaches political science at the University of Virginia, says the president is trying to bring the cuts, known in Washington as the sequester, home.

“He’s using local economics to show people that the sequester is not simply an odd word," he explains.  "It has real world consequences and could cost some of them their jobs.”

The strategy could succeed, in the short run, says Jack Pitney, who teaches government at Claremont McKenna College. But Pitney has a word of caution for the president.

"In the long run, if the economy suffers as a result of the sequester, he’s the one that’s going to suffer,” Pitney says.

Because voters tend to blame the White House for the state of the economy. 

A final thought, which goes like this. We've just gotta find a new word for "sequester." Because really, it's just not fun to say -- or hear. At least "fiscal cliff" had a certain ring to it, even though we didn't really love that either.

Speaker of the House John Boehner is trying to get some traction for "Obamaquester." Funny, if not entirely accurate.

So over to you. Tweet us @MarketplaceAPM or @KaiRyssdal, or comment below with your suggestion.

DEET, which is the the active ingredient used by brands of insect repellent including Off, 3M and Cutter has been proven to be ineffective in fending off certain kinds of mosquitoes.

The London-based study showed that a certain kind of mosquito found in tropic regions that spreads diseases like yellow fever was not repelled by DEET after it was exposed to it a second time. However, it is not yet known how long it takes for the repellent to become ineffective.

"It's quite a worrying find," says the BBC's Science Correspondent Rebecca Morelle. Morelle says more research will be needed to gauge the effect of the findings on regular bug repellent use.

Scientists say that although DEET has been proven to be less effective in some cases, it should still be used when a person is exposed to insects.

DEET, which is the the active ingredient used by brands of insect repellent including Off, 3M and Cutter has been proven to be ineffective in fending off certain kinds of mosquitoes.

The London-based study showed that a certain kind of mosquito found in tropic regions that spreads diseases like yellow fever was not repelled by DEET after it was exposed to it a second time. However, it is not yet known how long it takes for the repellent to become ineffective.

"It's quite a worrying find," says the BBC's Science Correspondent Rebecca Morelle. Morelle says more research will be needed to gauge the effect of the findings on regular bug repellent use.

Scientists say that although DEET has been proven to be less effective in some cases, it should still be used when a person is exposed to insects.

A quarter of applications to set up free schools in England over the past two years were from faith-based organisations, official data shows.

Energy regulator Ofgem reiterates its plans for a simpler energy tariff regime, which the government says will be backed by legislation.

Backed by broadcasting powerhouse Barry Diller, a new service picks up broadcast TV signals and makes them available over the Web — and the TV networks don't like that one bit. Currently available only in New York City, Aereo is planning to expand ... if it makes it through the legal challenges.

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Backed by broadcasting powerhouse Barry Diller, a new service picks up broadcast TV signals and makes them available over the Web — and the TV networks don't like that one bit. Currently available only in New York City, Aereo is planning to expand ... if it makes it through the legal challenges.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us