The rate of average tuition of public and private four-year colleges in the United States is increasing faster than the inflation rate and, in some cases, more than doubling it. The price of an education at four-year state schools rose by 4.4 percent this fall, including tuition and fees. At private four-year institutions, the average tuition increased by 5.2 percent with room and board increasing slightly more moderately at 4.2 percent. The inflation rate was 2.7 percent in 1999, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, and 3.5 percent for the first eight months of this year. The increasing tuition costs have resulted in the need of most students for grants, loans, or both to pay for higher education. For the 1999-2000 academic year student loans accounted for 59 percent of financial aid as compared with 41 percent a decade ago.

Chevron Buys Texaco For $36 Billion

The Chevron Corporation announced Sunday that it would acquire Texaco Inc. for approximately $36 billion in stock, creating the world's fourth-largest oil company. Texaco and Chevron, the second and third largest U.S. oil companies, respectively, were faced with enormous pressure to merge in order to remain competitive in a field that has seen consolidation on unmatched scales. Analysts have predicted that consolidation in the oil industry will lead to better deals for the consumer.

UN Report: One In Six Go Hungry

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a report that nearly one in six people in the world does not get enough to eat in this age of "unprecedented plenty." The group estimates that 826 million people suffer from starvation and general hunger. The FAO expressed concern over the level of hunger, citing a 1996 World Food Summit pledge to reduce the number of starving people by 400 million before 2015. However, Monday's announcement shows progress is on pace to achieve that target 15 years too late. The most depressed nations are Afghanistan, where 26 percent of people are below the minimum nourishment requirement, and Haiti, where 24 percent are. Asia has the largest number of hungry people, but food insecurity is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, with notable deficiencies in 19 out of 46 countries.

Ebola Claims 43 Lives In Uganda

The death toll from an outbreak labeled as Ebola Fever in Uganda rose to 43 on Monday, according to World Health Organization (WHO) officials. WHO officials said there was no need for travel restrictions to and from the east African country to help contain the spread of the disease, which spreads via direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of infected people and kills between 50 and 90 percent of victims. But officials were cautious to say that the death count would stop here. Most experts think that the remaining 20 known infected patients will die and then the disease will contain itself. However, there is concern that a wider outbreak could lead to a much larger death toll, similar to the 1995 event that killed more than 245.