Business, Economics and Jobs

Musicians Anže Rozman and Kara Talve invented prehistoric instruments to help transport viewers back in time for the BBC series, “Prehistoric Planet.”

Microfinance was hailed as a way to change the lives of hundreds of millions of people without access to credit. It worked so well that Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus was awarded a Nobel Prize. But then, banks jumped in to get in on the profits. To manage high debt levels, Cambodians are migrating for work, eating less and even pulling their children out of school.

In Venezuela, security forces recently seized one of the country’s most-notorious prisons, with the mission of dismantling a transnational criminal gang that was ruled from inside. But the head of the gang was able to escape, and now, countries across South America are searching for him.

Brazil has embraced carbon credits as a way to protect the Amazon and mitigate climate change. But many community activists in the Amazon say carbon offset projects can be problematic.

The Biden administration announced it will grant work permits for nearly half a million Venezuelans. City officials in New York have been calling for it, as tens of thousands of migrants, mainly from Venezuela, have arrived in the city in recent months. However, the process of applying for the legal right to work can take months.

​​​​​​​Some years back, an American in Spain became homeless after a string of bad luck. Now, he’s helping others who’ve hit a similar rough spot. Especially other foreigners with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Costa Rica sells its image as a “green paradise,” with ample nature reserves and no standing military. But many say this reputation is more myth than reality as violence, poverty and unemployment is on the rise.

European countries that border the Rhine River are working together to restore an old migration route, but manmade structures present a major hurdle.

Spain’s on the rebound with tourism after huge losses during the pandemic. Those in the tourism business are relieved. But visitors are back with a vengeance and they’re not always well-behaved, irking locals who miss the quieter days.

The mysterious demolition of a lopsided 18th-century pub in England has infuriated the local community and raised questions about the loss of British heritage and the demise of the country’s famous pub culture.