China issued a second water-pollution alert within a month, when phenol, a dangerous chemical, leaked into the Yangzi river near Shanghai.

ECONOMIST: Politics this week

Vandals had poured industrial-strength drain cleaner over the ride, and opened bottles of the dangerous chemical were found at the scene, police said.

BBC: NEWS | Americas | US toddler burnt in park attack

Among other things, I favor government-run roads, government-supported subways in large cities, educational subsidies for children whose parents cannot afford private tuition, safety regulation of dangerous chemical and nuclear facilities, regulation of natural monopolies, copyright protection, and so forth.

FORBES: Will Wilkinson, Libertarian

"There are no radioactive, biological, chemical and other dangerous materials on board the station, " the foreign ministry said.

BBC: Putin demands successful Mir scuttling

Syria's government accused rebels of firing a chemical weapon, marking a dangerous escalation in the fight.

WSJ: What's News

"The main arms of concern to us are the arms that are already in Syria - these are anti-aircraft weapons, these are chemical weapons and other very, very dangerous weapons that could be game changers, " he said.

BBC: Israel ready to act on Syria weapons, warns Netanyahu

Yet even as Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hailed their joint strategy as evidence of enhanced U.S.-Russian cooperation, it was unclear how their plan might work toward ending a war that has become even more dangerous in recent months with accusations the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, Israeli airstrikes on weapons convoys and American threats to begin arming the rebels.

NPR: US, Russia Seek To Revive Peace Plan For Syria

Our correspondent said the meeting was taking place as developments, including Israeli air strikes on targets in Syria and concerns about the possible use of chemical weapons, risk bringing the conflict into an even more dangerous phase.

BBC: Cameron and Putin discuss Syria conflict at Sochi talks