Mar 18th, 2010 · With the cap-and-trade legislation aimed at curbing global warming stalled in Congress, there's an almost-complete collapse of the market for carbon credits. That means profits are drying up for people who are paid to create those carbon credits — like farmers who manage their land in ways that capture carbon dioxide in the soil.
Mar 18th, 2010 · Until his arrest in 2004, nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan — the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb — ran a vast smuggling network that sent nuclear materiel to Iran and Libya. In his book Peddling Peril: How the Secret Nuclear Trade Arms America's Enemies, weapons expert David Albright explains how Khan's network continues to threaten global security.
Mar 17th, 2010 · In a notable turnaround, the International Monetary Fund recently acknowledged that some developing countries might benefit from controls on capital inflows. IMF research found that countries with such regulations were better equipped to weather recent global economic crises.
Mar 12th, 2010 · There have been three deadly earthquakes already this year — in Haiti, Chile and Turkey — and a fourth that caused damage in Taiwan. Is this a coincidence? Seismologists can't answer that question directly, but they say there's a growing realization that big earthquakes can trigger other earthquakes many thousands of miles away.
Mar 11th, 2010 · Planet Money is committed to following the financial crisis to the bitter end. And what better way to do that than to own a piece of it. We bought one of those things that no one wanted, one of those things that almost brought down the global economy: our very own toxic asset.
Mar 11th, 2010 · The richest man in the world is no longer American. Forbes magazine's world's richest list has Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim on top. Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffet occupy the second and third spots, respectively. Indian billionaires round off the top 5. Luisa Kroll, co-editor of the list, discusses the changing face of the world's richest people.
Mar 11th, 2010 · World airlines can expect a better year as economies recover and passenger demand picks up. The International Air Transport Association had the sunniest forecast for Asia. Carriers there could make nearly $3 billion this year. Latin American airlines also are expected to turn a profit but North American airlines will likely struggle with losses.
Mar 10th, 2010 · George Soros has made billions of dollars predicting the ups and downs of global financial markets. Soros speaks to Steve Inskeep about his new book The Soros Lectures: At the European University. It is Soros' dissertation on why the world financial system is so flawed — and what corrective steps will help.