News Headlines - 17 October 2013

▽US federal staff prepare for return to work after debt deal - FT.com

Hundreds of thousands of US federal employees prepared to return to work on Thursday after Congress passed legislation that reopened the government and raised the debt ceiling only hours before the Treasury would have reached its borrowing limit. Foreign governments welcomed the 11th-hour deal that extends the borrowing authority until February and reopens the government after a 16-day partial shutdown.

▽BBC News - British Gas to raise prices by 9.2%

British Gas is to increase prices for domestic customers, with a dual-fuel bill going up by 9.2% from 23 November. The increase, which will affect nearly eight million households in the UK, includes an 8.4% rise in gas prices and a 10.4% increase in electricity prices.

▽BBC News - New global index exposes 'modern slavery' worldwide

Nearly 30 million people around the world are living as slaves, according to a new index ranking 162 countries. The Global Slavery Index 2013 says India has the highest number of people living in conditions of slavery at 14 million.

▽BBC News - Windows 8.1 gets global release

Microsoft has released the Windows 8.1 update for its flagship operating system. The download seeks to address some of the criticisms levelled at the original version of Windows 8. In particular, the update restores the start button and allows a computer to boot up with a traditional desktop interface.

▽South Park episode postponed after creators miss deadline - Telegraph

For the first time in South Park's 240-episode history, its creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were unable to finish an episode on deadline. The animated television programme, which has been running since 1997, runs to an unusually tight schedule. Rather than being created months in advance, each episode is written, animated and recorded from scratch six days before it's aired.