How a Young Afghan Girl Almost Got Sold in Marriage to Pay Family’s Debt

A story appearing in the print edition of the New York Times on Monday had to be updated online. It told the story of a six year-old girl in a Kabul refugee camp who was going to be sold in marriage to pay off a debt. Her father had borrowed money to cover the cost of his wife’s hospital care. But after the Times came out, the newspaper’s website included an update that said that “an anonymous donor working through an American lawyer had paid the debt.”

In Spain, Everyone Assumes Corruption

Corruption is rampant in Spain. It’s so bad that even when corruption isn’t at play, people assume it is. The World’s Gerry Hadden tells the tale of a street closure in his own neighborhood in Barcelona.

Banks Re-Open but Life is Far From Normal in Cyprus: One British Cypriot Shares his Story

Costa Thomas is a British Cypriot who owns a restaurant in Cyprus. He has lost a significant amount of his savings during the crisis. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Thomas about how this crisis is affecting his business, his family, and his financial future.

Cyprus Banks Reopen

Banks in Cyprus reopen after a two-week closure sparked by negotiations over an EU-IMF bailout, but withdrawals are being tightly controled.

IMF Chief Christine Lagarde, Even-Keeled in the Midst of Eurozone Financial Crisis

IMF Chief Christine Lagarde is regarded as a female icon of success and self-confidence in France. Though a lawyer and not an economist by trade, she is managing to close bailout deals in the midst of a huge European financial crisis. Time Magazine Paris correspondent Vivienne Walt shares her profile of Lagarde with anchor Marco Werman.

Update: Study Finds Pesticides Dull Bees’ Sense of Smell

A new study finds that a widely-used group of pesticides seem to make bees forget the smell of food.

Greening Executive Bonuses

Executive compensation remains at all-time highs. And now executives are finding new ways to reward themselves with bonuses. But it’s a plan that has many environmentalists excited.

Qatar Plan to Invest in Muslim Populated Paris Suburbs Makes Some French Uneasy

Oil-rich Qatar invests extensively around the world. France is one of the largest recipients of Qatari money. But a plan for Qatar to fund business opportunities in the heavily Muslim suburbs near Paris is controversial.

Worth a Mint: Rare Canadian Penny Up for Auction

A Canadian penny minted in 1936 is coming up for auction next month. It’s one of three pennies in existence with a small dot under the date. This special coin is expected to fetch over $250,000.

Fiscal Crisis in Cyprus

For Cyprus, Painful Medicine to Swallow in Order to Avoid Collapse

A banking collapse on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been avoided, but the bailout plan is going to be painful for many bank customers there. Stavros Zenios, a professor of finance at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia, outlines the plan.

The European Union’s Role in the Cyprus Financial Crisis

The European Union drove a pretty tough bargain on the Cyprus bailout deal. As a result some bank costumers in Cyprus are having to swallow some pretty bitter medicine.

The Polluter Pays Principle: Mexico Considers Chewing Gum Tax

Discarded chewing gum is a common eyesore, and removing it from city streets and sidewalks can be costly. A Mexican congressman wants to solve the problem by borrowing a concept widely used in environmental regulation: making the polluters pay.

Undocumented Immigrants Work to Come Out of the Fiscal Shadows, Pay Taxes

With April’s tax deadline nearing, people in the US are starting to organize their paperwork. And it may come as a surprise to know that many undocumented immigrants also pay up. But anxiety is building as a pathway to citizenship may require paying years of back taxes. Feet in Two Worlds reporter Aurora Almendral has this story.

Spanish Protest Evictions at Doorsteps of Political Elite

Spanish government officials, these days, are dealing with a political hot potato these days. The country has one of the highest number of residential evictions in Europe. And as The World’s Gerry Hadden says the Spaniards are “not taking it anymore.”