The nation's largest private employer will no longer provide a healthcare plan for new part-time employees, according to The New York Times. Walmart is also raising premiums for many full-time staff. The reason is rising costs, according to a company spokesman quoted in the story.

The Franco-German relationship is so dramatic — so theatrical — it's best to tell it in song.

As the nation's student-loan debt climbs toward $1 trillion, many students face 20-year repayment plans. The average debt is $24,000, but some owe far more and say this burden influences life decisions, from buying a house to whether to have children.

At a time when retailers like Gap are shrinking, a trendy Japanese fashion retailer has opened a flagship location in New York and plans to keep expanding in the U.S. Customers are drawn to Uniqlo's affordable, colorful clothes at a time when they're reluctant to spend.

It sounds ridiculous today. But not so long ago, the prospect of a debt-free U.S. was seen as a real possibility with the potential to upset the global financial system.

More demonstrations are being staged in Greece as the parliament votes on another round of stinging austerity measures. Wednesdays protests ended in vicious street battles between police and protesters. Meanwhile, European leaders are unable to agree on plans to stop the Greek debt crisis from spilling into the rest of the Eurozone.

The new holographic helpers remind passengers about restrictions on liquids and other security procedures. They're actually high-definition images of real employees, projected onto flat, transparent material.