Barclaycard's chief executive, Gary Hoffman, defends his company's high interest rates in part because of the need to make good losses from fraud.

ECONOMIST: Fraud

"We want this to be a seamless process for our customers and they do not need to take any action, " said chief executive Gary Hoffman.

BBC: Northern Rock split date is set

His role as a distinguished professor at Indiana University is an enduring legacy. (In a typical wisecrack, he claimed that his long attendance there was a result of the school's proximity to the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.) His students included such standouts as Paul Katz of the Cleveland Quartet, and international prize winners such as Gary Hoffman and Maria Kliegel.

WSJ: Cello's Golden Age Comes to a Close | J��nos Starker | By Stuart Isacoff