World Economy >>

In West Baltimore, it takes 17 minutes of work (the average hourly wage is $19.34), but in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, where wages are more than double that, it takes only nine minutes....

Postmates is among a group of app-powered services popping up around the U.S., with a simple promise: deliver food or merchandise in as little as an hour. But can they succeed where Kozmo.com didn't?...

IN THE developed world, insurance is an every day part of life. In rich countries such as Britain, well over 80% of households hold at least one policy, according to the Association of British Insurers, an industry group. Insurance Europe, a lobbying organisation, reckons European countries spent 8.2% of their GDP on insurance cover in 2011. That figure rises to over 13% in countries such as the Netherlands. However,...

Government benefits enable military veterans to attend college, but accessing them is complicated. So how can veterans pay for higher education?...

Many banks report earnings this week. Bank of America turned in a loss after taking a big charge for legal expenses. Citigroup will lay off about 300 stock and bond traders in an effort to cut costs....

A typical UPS truck now has hundreds of sensors on it. That's changing the way UPS drivers work — and it foreshadows changes coming for workers throughout the economy....

The 304,000 applications filed last week means they were close to the lowest level since May 2007. Analysts say the news is another sign that the economy continues to grow....

Once status symbols for newly minted millionaires, horses are now the voiceless victims in Spain's economic crash. Two sisters are adopting horses that might otherwise end up in the food supply....

AS CHINA grapples with its industrial emissions, a newly built "eco-city" is being touted as a possible model for sustainable development Comment Expiry Date:  Thu, 2014-05-01 ...

UK Only Article:  standard article Issue:  Insatiable Fly Title:  Europe’s bond bubble Rubric:  Southern Europe’s economies are in worse shape than tumbling bond yields suggest INVESTORS have developed a remarkable enthusiasm for the European debt they once shunned. On April 10th, only two years after Greece imposed the biggest debt-restructuring in history on its private creditors,...

UK Only Article:  standard article Issue:  Insatiable Fly Title:  Microfinance in Bangladesh Rubric:  The biggest study so far finds that microcredit helps the poor after all FOR years the reputation of microfinance—which gives tiny loans to the poorest—rose and fell in tandem with relations between Grameen Bank and the Bangladeshi government. In 2006 the bank and its head, Muhammad...

UK Only Article:  standard article Issue:  Insatiable The “tax wedge”, the difference between total labour costs to the employer and employees’ take-home pay, rose by 0.2 percentage points to 35.9% in 2013. Of the 34 mostly rich countries in the OECD, 25 reported a rise in the tax burden in the past three years. The largest increase in the tax wedge was in Portugal. America’s wedge also...

General Motors revealed in court filings late Tuesday that it will soon ask a federal bankruptcy judge to shield the company from legal claims for conduct that occurred before its 2009 bankruptcy....

In Alabama, Stephen Black is trying to get college graduates to stay in the state and make life better for Alabamans. His inspiration is his grandfather, the late Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black....

Local and federal authorities worry over a rise in North Dakota's drug trade. Sharon Cohen of the Associated Press explains the proposed solutions to the issue, which some tie to the recent oil boom....

Some investors avoid paying taxes in a move called round-tripping — shifting money offshore, then investing it in U.S. stocks or bonds. A study estimates it costs the U.S. billions in lost revenues....

It's tax deadline day, but 75 percent of tax payers don't have to do anything by midnight tonight. That's according to Kevin McCormally of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine....

For women, lower average career earnings translate into smaller Social Security payments. Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin says women shouldn't wait to start saving for retirement....

Methane from livestock accounts for a huge portion of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, according to a UN report. But reducing global meat consumption isn't necessarily the answer to the problem....

In effect, the U.K. is saying "I told you so" after being declared the the fastest growing economy of any rich country in the world. NPR's Scott Simon talks with economist Simon Johnson....