Crime

Job prospects for ex-cons are pretty dim, especially when the Internet makes it easy to dig up a person's past. But in Kansas City, Mo., some business owners are willing to give an ex-offender a second chance. Sylvia Maria Gross reports.

Farmers in South Texas are in court on a claim Mexico hogged water during a drought in the 1990's. But in an odd twist, the U.S. State Department is siding with Mexico. Dan Grech reports.

Starbucks baristas in California have won $100 million in back tips from a class-action lawsuit forbidding supervisors to share lower-level employee gratuity. Dan Grech reports where baristas draw the rank lines.

The Treasury Department released complaints from Americans shut out of financial deals because their names are similar to ones on a terrorism watchlist. Rachel Dornhelm reports how lenders can resolve the problem.

The JPMorgan buyout of Bear Stearns seems to have appeased the markets, but it also angered many Stearns shareholders. Now some are suing, claiming Stearns execs hid the firm's true financial condition and failed to properly manage risk. Bob Moon reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether California employers can spend state money on anti-union activities. It's a battle between free speech and taxpayer rights, but with a twist. John Dimsdale reports.

Crippled by decades of war, the government of Afghanistan has little or no power to stop illegal or questionable enterprises. Now a classic investment swindle has entagled thousands of Afghans hoping for a brighter future. Gregory Warner reports.

In Europe, nine makers of consumer products are suspected of colluding to keep prices high. The companies could face billions of euros in fines if France's Competition Council finds them guilty. Rene Gutel reports.

European commissions have delt Microsoft a $1.3 billion fine for failing to obey an antitrust order. The penalty, which is the largest ever in Europe, comes on top of a series of similar, earlier fines. Stephen Beard report.