Technologies that let employees work remotely have given rise to a growing phenomenon -- virtual internships. Businesses are realizing that commonplace Internet technologies like email, instant messaging -- which can also enable video chats -- and social media can be used to free interns from the confines of the office. For students, new graduates and career switchers looking to work in a different industry, working as an intern can be a valuable way of gaining work experience, and the flexibility ...

A series of photographic exhibitions have been organized in Europe and North America this autumn to highlight a campaign by Britain's Prince Charles to combat tropical deforestation. The photographs were taken by world-renowned environment photographer Daniel Beltra who was this year's winner of the Prince's Rainforest Project Award at the Sony World Photography Awards earlier this year. The images graphically depict the effects of climate change on the rainforests in the South America, Africa and Indonesia. Beltra compiled ...

With local economies flailing, communities across the U.S. are trying to drum up more action on Main Street. "Buy Local" campaigns are one way to go. But many towns--from Ojai, Calif., to Greensboro, N.C.--are considering going a step further and printing money that can only be spent locally. Issuing an alternative currency is perfectly legal, as long as it is treated as taxable income and consists of paper bills rather than coins. In the U.S., where local currencies ...

Ever since a slim majority outlawed gay marriage in California, opponents have waged national protests and petitions, urging the judicial system to reconsider the results of the Nov. 4 referendum. While the court weighs whether or not to get back into the fray, the civil unrest ignited by the ban shows no sign of abating. A national protest against Prop. 8 organized by JoinTheImpact.com is scheduled for today. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opponents say ...

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed charges today against high-flying Houston-based financier R. Allen Stanford for orchestrating what it calls a multibillion-dollar investment fraud of "shocking magnitude." The complaint says Stanford perpetrated a "massive fraud based on false promises and fabricated historical return data to prey on investors." The alleged fraud centers on an $8 billion certificate-of-deposit program. In the past few weeks, Stanford, who operates Antigua-based Stanford International Bank, and his companies had fallen under ...

Switzerland's biggest bank UBS on Tuesday posted a worse than expected loss of nearly $17 million -- the largest ever by a Swiss group -- and announced 1,600 new job cuts. The bank's full-year loss totaled 19.7 billion Swiss francs, including 8.1 billion francs during the last quarter, UBS said in a statement. UBS said the job losses would come from its investment bank unit, which suffered the largest exposure to the collapse of the U.S. sub-prime mortgage sector. It ...