Plundering the Amazon
Alcoa and Cargill have bypassed laws designed to prevent destruction of the world's largest rain forest, Brazilian prosecutors say. The damage wrought by scores of companies is robbing the earth of its best shield against global warming. (Sept 2009)

Washington's Other Handout
While taxpayers and lawmakers fret about the $700 billion bank bailout, the Treasury and Commerce departments are among a list of agencies that waste as much as $100 billion a year on contracts, often managed in secret. (March 2009)

China in Africa: Young Workers,
Deadly Mines
Children in Congo risk their lives digging cobalt and copper ore with their bare hands for Chinese companies. (Sept 2008)

Busting the Chip Cartel
U.S. antitrust prosecutors sent 15 executives from four companies to jail for price fixing of memory chips. There was a rub: The collusion failed. (June 2008)

The Subprime in the Schoolhouse
The mortgage contagion has hit state-run investment pools that handle $200 billion in funds for schools and cities. Taxpayers are in the dark. (Jan 2008)

Ethanol's Deadly Brew
Thousands of Brazilian sugar cane workers are injured and scores die each year in the rush to produce a fuel that Presidents Bush and Lula celebrate as a path to energy independence. (Nov 2007)

Unsafe Havens
U.S. money market funds have invested $11 billion in subprime debt, much of it managed by Bear Stearns. (Oct 2007)

The Insurance Hoax
Property insurers use secret tactics to cheat customers out of payments—as profits break records. McKinsey's advice to Allstate: Use "boxing gloves" instead of "good hands."
(Sept 2007)

The Secret World of Modern Slavery
Steel used to build cars and appliances in the U.S. starts with forced labor in Brazil. (Dec 2006)

The World's Best Brokers
Goldman Sachs displaced JPMorgan Chase in our global ranking in getting the best prices for customers -- as record volatility and high-speed trading shook up the industry.

Colony Capital's French Mess
Sebastien Bazin, the U.S. real estate firm's European boss, is cutting jobs and selling assets as its shares in Carrefour and Accor slump.

The Hidden Risks of Flying
Pilots of the last two fatal commercial airline flights in the U.S. trained at a school run by Gulfstream International. That company owns a carrier that the FAA has proposed fining $1.3 million for multiple violations.

Billionaire Whistle-Blower
Jose Berardo alleged that executives at Portugal's Banco Comercial had broken the law, knocking $660 million off the value of his stake. Now, he's trying to get his money back.

Grappling With Corruption
Greek officials can solve the country's debt crisis only if they tackle the scourges of bribery and tax evasion.

In Pinochet's Shadow
Chilean billionaire Sebastian Pinera won the presidency with help from aides of the former dictator. The new leader vows to distance himself from the ugly side of the late general's 17-year rule.