There are lots of News Sources available for free to stay on top of topical news:
Associated Press (AP News) — a globally recognized news wire service often republished freely via many outlets AAP News
Reuters — global news with strong reputation for straight reporting Reuters
Wikinews — a wiki-style news site with freely licensed content Wikipedia
Open Newswire — aggregator of freely-republishable journalism from around the world opennewswire.org
FreeNews — covers national & international news, often via syndicated & wire services Freenews.co