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European regulators have imposed a fine of more than $2 billion on eight large banks that used an illegal cartel scheme to fix interest rates. The largest fine ever issued in such a case by the European Union came after a two-year investigation into banks' collusion. And the inquiry isn't yet final.

Two American banks — JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup — are included in the list of financial institutions targeted by the EU fines, which are part of a settlement deal. Several of the institutions that cooperated with investigators saw their fines reduced or eliminated.

"Barclays received full immunity for revealing the existence of the cartel and thereby avoided a fine of around 690 million euros [$938 million] for its participation in the infringement," according to a news release from the EU.

Similarly, UBS also received immunity from what would have been a fine of around 2.5 billion euros — around $3.4 billion — for its cooperation.

For NPR's Newscast unit, Teri Schultz reports from Brussels:

"EU regulators found traders at some of the world's largest banks joined forces to manipulate borrowing rates, the euro interbank offered rate, or Euribor, and London interbank offered rate, or Libor. A record fine of about $2.3 billion dollars will be shared among eight institutions including Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland.

"EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia says if the public could hear the conversations between traders found to be manipulating benchmark interest rates they would be 'appalled.'"

"They discussed confidential, commercial and sensitive information that they are not allowed to share with other market players according to the antitrust rules," Almunia says.

"Almunia says today's fines are not the 'end of the story,' as regulators continue their investigations."

A report from payrolll company ADP finds that "the U.S. private sector added 215,000 jobs during November making it the strongest month for job growth in 2013," says the company's president and chief executive, Carlos Rodriguez.

The surge in job creation outpaced economists' estimates of 173,000 jobs for the month, according to CNBC. The last time U.S. companies added a bigger number of jobs to their payrolls was in November 2012, with 276,000 jobs, ADP says.

"The job market remained surprisingly resilient to the government shutdown and brinkmanship over the treasury debt limit," says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, which collaborates with ADP on the report. "Employers across all industries and company sizes looked through the political battle in Washington. If anything, job growth appears to be picking up."

The ADP National Employment Report, which measures non-farm private employment, says small businesses led the way in job creation, with 102,000 jobs added.

"Goods-producing employment rose by 40,000 jobs in November, up from 29,000 in October," according to the report. "Both construction and manufacturing payrolls added 18,000 jobs apiece."

Also Wednesday, the Census Bureau reported that America's trade gap shrank in October, on the strength of record sales to China, Canada, and Mexico. The gap narrowed 5.4 percent, to $40.6 billion from $43 billion in the previous month.

From Bloomberg News:

"Sales of goods to China, Canada and Mexico were the highest ever, pointing to improving global demand that will benefit American manufacturers. In addition, an expanding U.S. economy is helping boost growth abroad as purchases of products from the European Union also climbed to a record in October even as fiscal gridlock prompted a partial federal shutdown."

A white Volkswagen truck that was stolen at a gas station in Mexico Monday is no ordinary truck: It's carrying "extremely dangerous" radioactive material, officials say. Authorities are conducting a wide search for the truck, which had been heading to a disposal facility. They're also warning the thieves that they could face serious health problems.

Mexico's nuclear safety group, known as CNSNS, issued a public alert Tuesday, saying that federal, state, and local authorities are looking in at least six states for the Volkswagen Worker truck, which is equipped with a crane and bears the license plate 726-DT-8.

From the BBC:

"The radiotherapy source was being taken from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a waste storage center.

"It was stolen near the capital, Mexico City.

"Mexico's Nuclear Security Commission said that at the time of the theft, the cobalt-60 teletherapy source was 'properly shielded.'"

Part of the Planet Money T-shirt Project

This is the story of how the garment industry is transforming life in Bangladesh, and the story of two sisters who made the Planet Money T-shirt.

Shumi and Minu work six days a week operating sewing machines at Deluxe Fashions Ltd. in Chittagong, Bangladesh. They each make about $80 a month.

Interactive Documentary