National / International News

India says it is freezing payments for a helicopter deal to Italian aerospace firm Finmeccanica over corruption allegations.

Authorities in Spain have busted a ring of computer criminals. Their speciality: Ransomware, an infuriating kind of computer attack where a virus gets introduced that locks up the computer system and demands a cash ransom. Most of those arrested were Russians allegedly operating out of two resort cities along Spain's mediterrean coast.

Spanish authorities say they'd received nearly 800,000 complaints about the virus. There were 1,200 victims in more than 30 countries with most concentrated in Europe. 

Cyrus Farivar at the tech publican Ars Technica, who has been following the story, joins Marketplace Tech host David Brancaccio to break down the story and explain how you can protect yourself.

England fast bowler Steven Finn believes he will no longer be disturbing the stumps when bowling.

State schools do not play enough competitive sport at a high level, it has been warned. But do private schools dominate professional sport?

Fighters from the Islamist al-Nusra Front have captured a town close to Syria's oil city of Hasaka, according to foreign-based anti-Assad organisations.

From pioneering Paralympian to facing a murder charge, BBC Sport charts the eventful life of Oscar Pistorius

American Airlines and US Airways have officially announced their long-suspected merger. Together the companies will become the largest airline in the world. The new airline will be called American Airlines and based in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be run by the current CEO of US Airways, Doug Parker. Robert Isom, the COO of US Airways and John Snook, the Senior Vice President of Customer Service at American Airlines, join Marketplace Morning Report host Jeremy Hobson to talk about the challenges of the coming merger and their hopes for the future airline.

Legendary investor Warren Buffet announced Thursday morning that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will team up with a Brazilian-backed investment firm to buy H. J. Heinz, the ketchup maker. The price tag? Just over $23 billion.

President Obama is visiting Atlanta today to talk about his plans to pump more federal dollars into education. But many school districts around the country aren't waiting for the cash. Instead, they're borrowing money, often using long-term bonds that can put them into debt for far more than they initially borrowed.

And finally, a new study from a company called Trustwave, says we're not being very careful with our online security. Apparently the most common password used by global businesses is Password1. And we're guessing when the company makes those people change their password, the most common will be Password2.

England coach Mark Lane wants to recruit more big hitters after his team was knocked out of the Women's World Cup in India.

Time was, California served as the nation's rose garden. Then foreign competition made things thorny for U.S. growers.

Today, the roses you are lucky enough to receive, or kind enough to give, probably came from South America. Colombia and Ecuador grow the vast majority of roses sold in the U.S. Lower costs in South America are a key reason prices for the flowers purchased here have remained the same for the past couple decades.

For long-stem-roses, New York or Los Angeles florists charge about $70 a dozen. At the grocery, store a bouquet is just $10. During most of the year, that is. On Valentine's Day, consumers can expect to pay much more ­ -- even double.

“The industry overall is very competitive,” says Ben Powell, chief operating officer of Mayesh Wholesale Florist. He says the U.S. used to buy most roses from California, but foreign competition has made things thorny for American flower farmers. "The U.S. growers of cut flowers really haven't been a major factor in roses for probably 20 years."

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway already owns Dairy Queen. Brazil's 3G Capital, which is part of the deal to buy Heinz, already owns Burger King.

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A mother accused of killing her six children in a fire tried to take her own life after her husband's mistress left the family home, a court hears.

A man from Ivory Coast about to be deported from Italy sets himself alight at Fiumicino airport in the capital, Rome, Italian media reports.

Manchester United reports a 74% rise in profits for the second half of 2012, on the back of rising commercial revenues.

It's the peak of the elephant seal mating season on the California coast. That means the SUV-sized, 4,000-pound males duke it out for a chance to mate.

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Thousands of viral video clips made by fans have helped propel Harlem Shake, a track by New York producer Baauer, into the top 25 of the UK's official midweek chart.

Three members of a gang who targeted and raped prostitutes in Bradford, including a future victim of "Crossbow Cannibal" Stephen Griffiths, are jailed for 12 years.

Legendary investor Warren Buffet announced Thursday morning that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, will team up with a Brazilian-backed investment firm to buy H. J. Heinz, the ketchup maker. The price tag? Just over $23 billion.

That may sound like a lot for condiments. For many people Heinz means one thing: Ketchup.

The company actually started with horseradish way back in 1869. It added “the red magic” -- as it later called ketchup -- a few years after. While it’s still best known for that iconic glass bottle of Heinz 57, it does a lot more.

“If you were in the U.K., for instance, Heinz Baked Beans is extremely popular,” says Erin Lash, an analyst who covers Heinz for Morningstar.

Plus they make sauces, soups, and pasta meals, among other products.

Lash says 60 percent of sales come from outside the U.S. That diverse customer base is likely part of the appeal for Berkshire Hathaway.

“Heinz has expansive global scale and they have a very strong brand portfolio,” says Lash. “Beyond that, the firm generates a boatload of cash.”

That combined with its iconic brand and long history, make it just the kind of company Buffet likes. He’s reportedly been keeping an eye on Heinz since the 1980s.

The eurozone recession deepened in the final three months of 2012, with the area's economy contracting by 0.6%.

South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing a murder charge after his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead at his home in Pretoria.

There is not enough strenuous, physical activity in many of England's school PE lessons, education inspectors say.