"Australia has endured two of its deadliest summers on record, blamed in part on global warming, but record fires, floods and cyclones have not persuaded it to take strong action on climate change. But some experts hope that Wednesday's arrival of giant Cyclone Yasi on the coast of Queensland, already hit by massive floods last month, will help bring more of a sense of urgency to the political debate over climate policy."

"The government has again delayed independent safety tests required for many toys, youth all-terrain vehicles and other children's products as part of a 2008 anti-lead law -- a move meant to help small businesses burdened by the law."

"An enormous winter storm left Midwesterners shivering in its frozen footprint and crushed snow-laden buildings in the Northeast, where a combination of ice, snow and rain pushed much of the winter-cursed region to its breaking point."

"In a special report, The Baltimore Sun chronicles a movement under way to purge the trash, bacteria and pollution that have long infected the city's watery heart."