Business

To protect against fraud, U.S. banks will be issuing credit cards with small computer chips. But some experts say using a PIN to complete a transaction is more secure than a signature.

U.S. Credit Cards Tackle Fraud With Embedded Chips, But No PINs

3:01pm January 08, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

The nation's biggest banks are leaning toward a new credit card security system that will rely on embedded chips and signatures rather than PINs. But critics say the PIN-and-chip system is superior.

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Irene Chen and Longlai Zuo, with the China-based company Quality Technology Industrial, show off their top-line phones, which cost about $100.

When It Comes To Smartphones, Are Americans Dumb?

2:20pm January 08, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

If you paid top dollar for a top phone, Asian vendors at the International Consumer Electronics Show have a message: You paid for a brand, not quality. And this year, they want to sell to you.

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An excavator loads a truck with oil sands at the Suncor mine near the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada in 2009. Environmental groups that oppose oil sands mining have pointed to delayed and canceled projects as a sign of recent success.

Environmentalists Push To Keep Canadian Crude In The Ground

11:29am January 08, 2015

by Jeff Brady

Many groups that oppose the Keystone XL pipeline also want, more broadly, to stop pollution-heavy extraction of crude from Canada's oil sands. They point to canceled or delayed projects as success.

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Stephane Charbonnier, the editor of Charlie Hebdo, poses with his magazine on Sept. 19, 2012. The magazine, which was attacked today, is part of a long tradition of French satire.

'Charlie Hebdo,' A Magazine Of Satire, Mocks Politics, Religion

7:48am January 08, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The publication that was the target of a deadly attack is part of a long tradition of French satire dating to the days before the French Revolution.

Growth In Manufacturing Tempered By Low-Wage Jobs

6:17pm January 07, 2015

by Scott Horsley

President Obama is touting growth in manufacturing jobs, but if they're low-wage jobs is that a good thing?

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Euro Falls To 9-Year Low Against U.S. Dollar

6:17pm January 07, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

Europe may have a deflation problem. Eurozone consumer prices fell on an annual basis in December for the first time since the depths of the financial crisis five years ago. The decline was driven by a sharp drop in energy prices. The news is expected to increase pressure on the European Central Bank to come up with a more aggressive response to slow growth and high unemployment.

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Kwesi Bido, 14, (right) stops to fix 13-year-old Inusa Mohammed's flip flop. Both spend evenings and weekends searching for scrap at Agbogbloshie, an electronic waste dump in Accra, Ghana.

A Shadow Economy Lurks In An Electronics Graveyard

3:53pm January 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

Two decades ago, the region of Agbogbloshie in Ghana was a lush mangrove swamp. Now, reporter and photographer Yepoka Yeebo explains, it's a vast dump full of electronic waste and young scavengers.

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Entrepreneurs Find Ways To Make Money From Carbon Emissions

3:52pm January 07, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

President Obama in September set a formidable goal for American industry and agriculture — reduce greenhouse gases by a quarter in 10 years. But several states are ahead of the game.

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The San Francisco-based startup CellScope has built a tool to do ear exams at home, instead of going to the doctor.

Health & Safety

Self-Tracking Gadgets That Play Doctor Abound At CES

1:30pm January 07, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

A new wave of self-monitoring devices and apps is hitting the Consumer Electronics Show — ones with explicit medical purposes. They promise to help diagnose everything from ear infections to diseases.

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Greek Opposition Party Seizes On Anger Over Austerity Measures

12:35pm January 07, 2015

We've been hearing a lot about economic anxiety in Europe lately. Much of that anxiety centers on Greece. Steve Inskeep talks to economist Platon Tinios about what's happening in Greece.

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