Business

Garment workers sew T-shirts at a factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2009. Bangladesh, the world's second-largest clothing exporter, has lured clothing makers through a combination of low wages and light regulation.

World News

Bangladesh's Powerful Garment Sector Fends Off Regulation

5:41pm May 14, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

The deaths of hundreds of workers in Bangladesh are taking place in a garment sector that has seen explosive growth over the past three decades. Amid market pressures to cut prices, the country has managed to lure clothing-makers through a combination of low wages and light regulation.

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World News

Bangladesh Reveals Uphill Battle For Fair Trade Clothes

3:24pm May 13, 2013

Retailers are under pressure after a building collapse killed more than 1,100 garment workers in Bangladesh. But global demand for inexpensive clothing shows no sign of abating. The New York Times' Steven Greenhouse and Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, unravel the prospects for improved safety in the garment industry.

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World News

Cybercriminals Drain $45 Million From ATMs Around The World

1:13pm May 13, 2013

by Joel Rose

Prosecutors in New York have announced charges against eight men for their roles in a "massive, 21st century bank heist." The operation stole more than $45 million from ATMs around the world in a matter of hours. Prosecutors declined to comment on who organized the heist, or where the hackers may be located.

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A visitor at the "NEXT Berlin" conference tries out Google Glass on April 24 in Berlin.

Google Fights Glass Backlash Before It Even Hits The Street

11:57am May 13, 2013

by Steve Henn

From privacy concerns to technology saturation, Google's new technology has had its fair share of criticism — and it's not even on sale yet. The company wants to change those negative perceptions of its wearable computer before it goes on sale to the public.

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The Philosophy, Economics Behind Sourcing Retail

10:11am May 11, 2013

Host Scott Simon talks to Michael Preysman, founder and CEO of Everlane, an online clothing retailer based in San Francisco that provides information to consumers about where its products are made.

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Students associated with the group Brown Divest Coal protested in front of the Brown University president's office during a rally May 3. The group is demanding that the university stop investing in certain oil and coal companies.

College Divestment Campaigns Creating Passionate Environmentalists

11:04am May 10, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

Taking a page from the playbook of decades past, college students are once again pressuring schools to pull investment funding from specific sectors. This time it's big oil and coal companies. But these campaigns have effects beyond the university — they're launching a new generation of activists.

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Economy

Peers Find Less Pressure Borrowing From Each Other

8:10am May 10, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

The Internet has managed to disrupt many industries, from publishing to music. So why not lending? Google's recent investment in Lending Club has raised the profile of peer-to-peer lending, which gets borrowers and lenders together outside the conventional banking system.

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National

Consumers Facing Subscription Service Overload Will Only Get More Choices

4:02pm May 09, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Consumers already have an abundance of choice when it comes to entertainment and news subscriptions. But analysts say it's still early days for all the digital subscription offerings we'll have to pay for.

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Deward Cawthon, a plant operator at the Federal Helium Reserve, walks through the Federal Crude Helium Enrichment Unit near Amarillo, Texas, in 2011.

Congress Considers Patch To Keep Helium Supply Afloat

2:39pm May 09, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

The Senate is considering legislation to prevent a global helium shortage from worsening in October. That's when the Federal Helium Program is set to terminate.

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Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system was criticized when it was released last year for features some said didn't mesh with a desktop PC environment. The company has indicated that it will address some of those issues in an upcoming update.

Economy

Will Tweaking Windows 8 Be Enough To Revive The PC?

11:43am May 09, 2013

by Steve Henn

When Microsoft introduced Windows 8 last year, the software giant billed the new operating system as one of the most critical releases in its history. The system would bridge the gap between personal computers and the fast-growing mobile world of tablets and smartphones. But this week, the company sent signals that it might soon alter Windows 8 to address some early criticism.

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