JHARIA, India -- Night falls here by 5 p.m. and people stream into the open-air market. They have much to discuss, because elections are currently on in the state of Jharkhand, which is famous for three things: corruption, a home-grown terrorism threat called Naxalism, and this area's economic life, which is marked in every imaginable way by coal. Coal-fired electricity lights a single incandescent bulb in each shop, and the combined yellow glow gives the market a festive air. Underneath this town, the earth is burning. Go to story #1

The Obama administration's top climate adviser strongly defended a cap on emissions a day after the president suggested Congress might move an energy bill without such a cap in place. White House climate and energy adviser Carol Browner used the words "cap" and "price signal" several times yesterday in describing what the administration would be pushing for in the days ahead to spur new jobs and curb the "dangerous pollutants that contribute to global warming." Go to story #2