PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA was emphatic during his campaign and after his election: The best way to fight climate change is to cap carbon emissions and auction off tradable permits to emit carbon.

Swine flu cases world-wide climbed past 10,000 on Wednesday as health chiefs from around the world continued discussions in Geneva on how best to fight the disease.
There are now 10,243 people who have been infected with the A/H1N1 flu virus as confirmed by laboratories, said Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization. She said there have been 80 deaths, mostly in Mexico.

Thailand confirms first cases as China suspects a second

The swine-flu virus spread to Thailand Tuesday, while China reported the country's second suspected case of A/H1N1, one day after the country confirmed its first case of the virus.

The global recession and tight credit conditions have cast a chill on the solar-power industry after years of breakneck growth, and could usher in long-term changes in the industry.

Japanese health officials reported four confirmed cases and Tawian two cases of the A/H1N1 virus stemming from overseas flights, while Australia reported its first case but said the victim has recovered and is no longer contagious.

The crop-biotechnology wars are heating up again, with Monsanto Co. filing a patent-infringement lawsuit against archrival DuPont Co., which responded by calling Monsanto a monopolist.

Australia's government has postponed its proposal to tax polluting industries until 2011, a delay of one year because of the economic slowdown and concerns the measure would hurt business, the prime minister said Monday.

Vietnam is pressing ahead with efforts to lure Chinese mining firms despite facing at home an increasingly bold environmental lobby and a deep-seated suspicion of the country's larger, more prosperous northern neighbor.

The World Health Organization said Thursday that a new flu strain continued to spread, particularly in Mexico and the U.S., but refrained from declaring a global pandemic even as more countries confirmed cases.

Two years ago, Maries Jimenez demonstrated against the proposed development of the Resolution Copper mine by Rio Tinto and BHP Billi-ton here.