National / International News

The latest nutrition guidelines from the World Health Organization are urging people to amp up their potassium intake. It can cut the risk of high blood pressure — which may, in turn, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.

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Rebecca Adlington is arguably Britain's greatest swimmer and she will be a difficult act to follow, says BBC Sport's Gordon Farquhar

Scottish college bosses say places for part-time students have been cut in the wake of staff reductions.

A man is charged with wasting police time by detectives investigating the murder of Tia Sharp.

A County Down company at the centre of the horse meat controversy says it does not own the contaminated consignment.

Barclays must end the bank's "aggressive" and "self-serving" culture seen under its former boss, the new chief executive tells MPs.

Emirates airline signs a five-year branding deal with Formula One in a bid to boost its global presence.

Many long-term care policies sold 30 years ago didn't specifically cover assisted living facilities. Policyholders rely on clauses that say new kinds of care will be covered when it becomes available, but the ultimate decision rests with insurers.

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The controversy surrounding the presence of horse meat in beef products spreads to more companies.

A 13-year-old boy has a heart attack and collapses while playing in a football match in Wiltshire.

Michael Dell is in the group buying the computer maker. Analysts say the debt the company is taking on will be another challenge for Dell.

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The US President Barack Obama urges the people of Kenya, where his father was born, to avoid violence and intimidation in next month's elections.

A row has erupted between York and Leicester about which city has the right to bury Richard III's remains.

The average household water and sewerage bill in England and Wales is to rise by 3.5% over the next year, regulator Ofwat has said.

Police warn of a potentially deadly batch of ecstasy after a teenager dies and another is left seriously ill.

Dell has stopped trading on the NASDAQ exchange following the news that just came in that the company is being taken private. The investors are Dell's founder Michael Dell along with the private equity firm Silverlake Partners and Microsoft.

In other news this morning, the U.S. government is suing Standard & Poor's. The rating agency is accused of inflating its assessment of mortgage backed securities and contributing to the mortgage meltdown.
 
As of last Friday, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 7.9 percent, and until that figure falls to 6.5 percent, the Federal Reserve says it'll keep up its aggressive monetary easing. In some parts of the country, unemployment is below 6.5 percent. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman to one of them -- Boise, Idaho.

And finally, to Muzak, that background music we hear in malls and elevators. According to the New York Times, the company that owns the name Muzak, is re-branding it "Mood". Don't worry though, the music will not change.
 

Rising wages and house prices helped the baby boom generation to prosper. But young people face economic misery.

A look back at the life of Reg Presley of The Troggs

It’s tough to be a computer maker these days. Profits are slim, competition is tight, and shareholder scrutiny is intense. That’s partly why computer maker Dell announced Tuesday it’s going private in a $24.4 billion dollar deal.

Founder Michael Dell, equity firm Silver Lake Partners, and Microsoft are taking the Texas-based company off the market in an effort to make the company more agile, and hopefully, more profitable.

Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget says shareholders will probably be happy with the 25 percent premium the company will pay to buy back Dell stock.

But “on the other hand, you’re probably kind of frustrated that if Michael Dell has some brilliant ideas for how to make Dell much more valuable, that he’s not just doing that with you as a shareholder,” says Blodget.

Dave Johnson, senior analyst with Forrester Research, says the deal is good for business customers because a Dell/Microsoft partnership strengthens both players.

“A relationship with Dell gives them the opportunity to share more knowledge and learning around hardware manufacturing and hardware supply chains,” says Johnson.

Shareholders still must approve the deal.

There are always losers in politics. But even some of the winners wind up so badly outnumbered that accomplishing anything is a rare treat. On the surface, their jobs might seem so hopeless that you wonder why anyone took them on.

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