Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. media empire appears to be under siege.

Five more journalists at The Sun were arrested over the weekend as part of a U.K. investigation into alleged bribery of police officials and others by the British tabloid. Four current and former Sun journalists were arrested last month.

For those who find themselves alone this Valentine's Day, or who reject the holiday altogether, you might not want to read about star-crossed lovers pining for each other and — even worse — winding up together in the end. So here are three alternatives to comfort you this Feb 14. Each novel is just the right length to read in a single night with a box of drugstore-bought chocolates. And although these tales are indeed reflections on love, the characters they follow are skeptics.

Super Bowl and World Series champions do it. Olympic athletes do it. War heroes do it. They all get to visit the White House and meet with an admiring President of the United States.

This Wednesday, the federal mine safety regulators who investigated the deadly 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia will travel to the White House and Capitol Hill. An email to the group lists morning tours of the White House and the Capitol and a "special White House event" at 2 p.m.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will face a young state governor in the October presidential election. Henrique Capriles, 39, emerged victorious this weekend after the opposition held its primary elections.

The Guardian reports that Capriles won in a landslide. The paper adds:

Like a lot of smartphone users, Rolando Terrazas, 19, uses his iPhone for email, text messages and finding a decent coffee shop. But Terrazas' phone also sometimes serves as his eyes: When he waves a bill under its camera, for instance, the phone tells him how much it's worth.

Through the smog and the smeariness of the seemingly ceaseless process of selecting a president, one thing is clear: Americans are seething.

Even for most avid political junkies, budgets can be as inspiring as watching paint dry. But in an election year, they can be used as a rallying point for both parties. Host Michel Martin discusses President Obama's new budget, and other political news with two of Tell Me More's top politicos.

In a landmark ruling, Pakistan's Supreme Court said the country's prime minister will stand trial on charges of contempt of court.

As NPR's Julie McCarthy reported for us last month, the charges against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stem from his refusal to re-open a graft case against his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari.

Gilani entered a not guilty plea.

President Obama unveiled a spending plan aimed at trimming $4 trillion from the deficit over the next decade, while boosting spending to programs to stimulate the still-ailing U.S. economy.

"At a time when our economy is growing and creating jobs at a faster pace, our job is to keep things on track," Obama told an audience at a Northern Virginia community college.

"I am proposing some difficult cuts that frankly, I wouldn't be proposing if I didn't have to," he said.

But he said, the nation could not simply cut its way to growth.

Valentine's Day is a time for tasty treats, and one Washington, D.C.-based boutique bakery bills itself as the "ultimate advocate for your sweet tooth."

The Sweet Lobby is based in Washington, D.C., but it didn't get its name from the interest groups that try to work their magic on politicians around the nation's capital.