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Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s record $21.8 billion initial public offering has given founder Jack Ma the stature to draw attention and resources to some of China's most pressing environmental and social concerns, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said. Ma and Clinton have spoken on several occasions, most recently on a Clinton trip to Asia to check up on his philanthropic foundation. [Extracted from the article]

The article looks at the efforts of U.S. President Barack Obama in the policy area of global warming as of 2012, and presents a graphic illustrating the shrinkage of the Arctic polar ice sheet from 2008 to 2012.

The article reports on the efforts made by Bill Gross, CEO and founder of Energy Innovations, to provide cost effective solar-generated electricity. The company designed a generator that uses 25 mirrors to bounce light toward a silicon collector that is smaller than a square foot. A microchip repositions the mirrors to catch the most photons.

The article presents information on a proposed rail system to link Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia. The $5 billion rail link would encourage the development of northern mineral resources and carry freight between Asia and North America. The prospect of the rail link has lit up some of the Yukon's eccentric political figures. It is generating both personal attacks and anti-American sentiments.

The article focuses on political strategy in the United States presidential campaign. The high-tech secret weapon of this election isn't blogging or viral e-mail or any other sexy buzzwords. It's something mundane and under the radar and totally unsexy: data. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have amassed vast secret databases of information about voters, which they jealously guard on the simple theory that the more you know about people, the easier it is to get their vote. The Republicans began building their database, which they call VoterVault, back in the mid-1990s. It's no accident they got a head start: Bush adviser Karl Rove used to run a direct-mail company, so he knows the value of a few good leads. Secret it may be, but Voter Vault caused a stir last month when it emerged that the Republicans had outsourced some of its construction to a bunch of programmers in Maharashtra, India. By 2001, the Democrats had a data gap, so they hired a small firm called Plus Three to build them a database of their very own, which they named Demzilla. Voter Vault and Demzilla currently hold about 165 million entries each. Names in Demzilla typically have 200 to 400 pieces of info attached to them.

The article presents information on the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American and British soldiers. The U.S. Army suspended 17 guards at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison. Pictures taken at the jail by the guards themselves were obtained and broadcast by American network CBS. In Great Britain, the tabloid "Daily Mirror" showed what appeared to be a British soldier in Basra abusing an Iraqi soldier.

The article focuses on the issue on the eating habits of the Democratic candidates. Wesley Clark packs away Cheetos and Gummi Bears, and sometimes demands for a candy bar. An empty Hostess cupcake package can often be found next to John Kerry's bus seat. John Edwards sometimes has McDonald's for breakfast and dinner.

Discusses the arrest of Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky on tax evasion and other charges as politically motivated. Possible damage to international confidence in the Russian economy; Power struggle between President Vladimir Putin's coterie of security and bureaucrats and the billionaire's top officials; Khodorkovsky's financial support to opposition parties which is widely viewed as setting himself up for future presidential aspirations.

Reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture partially lifted its ban on Canadian meat products. Consideration of how a cow from Alberta, Canada tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease; How Japan has reported seven cases of BSE since 2001.

Discusses the efforts of the U.S. Senate to support legislation from the Food & Drug Administration which ruled that companies had to conduct pediatric tests of adult drugs in 1998. How studies indicate that young children need to take different amounts of medication than adults suffering from the same medical problems; Findings that children need to take the epilepsy drug Neurontin in higher doses than adults.

Focuses on Bj∅rn Lomborg, a Danish statistician and former Greenpeace member. His book 'The Skeptical Environmentalist'; His comments on selective and misleading use of scientific evidence.

Discusses the efforts of Sulzer Medica in lawsuits filed against the company for its faulty hip replacement joints. Role of lawyer Richard Scruggs in the trials; Establishment of a trust for victims of the faulty joints in which patients received stock in the company; Details of the case.

The article reports that venture capitalist Peter Thiel has embraced the nuclear fusion which means harnessing the power of the sun without byproducts.

Profiles John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo, who allegedly killed 10 people in the Washington D.C. area during the fall of 2002. Efforts made by Muhammad to portray his relationship with Malvo as that of father and son; Capture of the pair in a parking lot outside Washington state; Biographical information; Speculation as to the alleged shooters' motives. INSET: The Malvo Connection.

Reports on the failure of the intended merger of General Electric and Honeywell International. Conditions proposed by Mario Monti, the European Union's Commissioner for Competition; Opinion that Monti's rejection of the deal proves that companies that benefit from a global market can be governed by the countries in which they do business; Speculation regarding the future of antitrust investigations.

Presents photographs of celebrities and events as of December 1, 1999. Preparations by Bette Midler for the Divine Miss Millennium Tour; Photos of David Bowie, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger and Madonna in clothing to be exhibited by the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; Lighting of a Norway Spruce contributed by Ethel and Ade Szitar of Richfield, Ohio in Manhattan; Release of animated film `Fantasia/2000.'

Discusses efforts to determine the cause for the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia upon re-entry of the Earth's atmosphere. Description of how the crew would prepare for reentry; Death of the seven crew members; Items that investigators will examine during the inquest into the Columbia accident; Examination of the last 45 minutes of the Columbia flight; Events at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Cape Canaveral site in preparation for landing; Weather conditions; Witness reports from eastern Texas and Louisiana, where debris landed; Remarks from U.S. President George W. Bush; Possibility that a piece of foam that broke from the insulation on the external fuel tank and struck the left wing of the ship during takeoff contributed to the deconstruction of the Columbia. INSETS: COLUMBIA'S FINAL FLIGHT;The Shuttle's Glory and Tragedy.

Profiles United States Vice President Dick Cheney. His role as loyal advisor to higher-profile leaders; Views of Cheney with regard to national security and foreign policy; His tenure as Defense Secretary for President George Bush; Cheney's experience at Yale University; Relationship with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Use of political and social discretion.

Reports on efforts by police in the Washington D.C. area to catch a serial sniper. Description of the first shot fired by the sniper at a Michaels craft store in Aspen Hill, Maryland; Randomness of the crimes; Number of officials who work on the case, including from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms units; Use of software by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to create animated displays that reconstruct the crime scenes; Community reactions; Description of the crimes; Geographic profiling. INSET: HUMAN TARGETS.

Reports on the economic impact to United States industries of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Job cuts and layoffs in various industries, including travel and airlines; Other factors affecting the economy, including a reluctance among European investors to invest in the U.S.; Forecasts for consumer spending; Political activity designed to aid the economy, including proposed bailout packages; Government defense budget spending.

Discusses the economic slowdown in the United States as of January 2001. Collapse of Internet companies; Plunge of the NASDAQ; Fall of the Consumer Confidence Index; Rising energy prices, interest rates and debt burdens; Statistics on unemployment, disposable income, home sales and personal savings; Impact of the stock market on the performance of the economy; Globalization; Recessions of the past; Business cycles.

Discusses the role of the United States Supreme Court in the contested 2000 U.S. presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. How court proceedings could end up determining the election's outcome; Role of supreme courts, and their right to inject themselves into state election disputes; Thoughts of Theodore Olson, a lawyer for Bush, and Laurence Tribe, a lawyer for Gore. INSET: The Long and Winding Road, by Andrew Goldstein.

Reports on the computer virus called the Love Bug that attacked computers around the world on May 4, 2000. Spread of the virus through electronic mail with the subject 'ILoveYou'; Suspicion that the creator of the virus was in the Philippines; Estimate on the amount of monetary damage done by the virus. INSETS: WHO ARE THESE GUYS?, by Jon Katz;WHY PCS ARE EASY TARGETS, by Chris Taylor.

Presents the stories of several married couples who seem to be opposites or have extreme dissimilarities, but who maintain happy and healthy relationships. Discussion of what makes marriages work, even with dissimilarities; Celine Dion and Rene Angelil; Annette and Shawn Bradley; Kenny and Darlene Dorn; Daniel Seals and Miyako Hasegawa; Jeanne Safer and Richard Brookhiser. INSETS: Celine Dion & Rene Angelil;Annette & Shawn Bradley;Kenny & Darlene Dorn;Daniel Seals & Miyako Hasegawa

Offers photographs and captions concerning celebrities, arts, and culture in the United States as of February 1, 2000. A behind-the-scenes look at Diane Keaton, who is directing and acting in the film 'Hanging Up'; Summary of the film 'The Cup'; Neil Tillotson, who annually casts the first primary presidential vote of the nation; An interview with television character 'Mary Richards,' played by Mary Tyler Moore; Others.