New York  | Late frost jeopardizes crops

Five consecutive nights of frost at the end of April may have jeopardized crops, though some north country growers say they’ve escaped the worst.

Starting April 26, temperatures dipped into the mid-20s at night. Exposed to the cold, fruit crops were among the most susceptible to damage, said Michael E. Hunter, field crops educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County.

...State Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie wants the federal government to declare disaster zones in the state. That would provide for federal low-interest loans and payments for damaged crops.

Business to gain a $700m tax lifeline

BUSINESSES struggling with the high dollar and other pressures of the mining boom will be thrown a $700 million lifeline in tomorrow's federal budget while parents of schoolchildren will receive large cash payments, which double as compensation for the carbon price...The shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, was more forthright.

''Everyone in politics knows this payment is about the carbon tax,'' he said.

''This has got nothing to do with education and everything to do with the carbon tax and the fact that people are about to be hit with a great big whack on their cost-of-living expenses.''

Romancing the bike: The seduction of pedal-powered transport | Grist

Biking together through the elements bonds us in a way that would never happen if we were strapped into a car.

Rio+20 Talks Deadlocked Over Green Protectionism Fears

Representatives from governments negotiating the outcome document for the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20) today agreed to add five more days of deliberations to bridge differences that have kept them from making further progress in negotiations. Countries have voiced concern over the theme of the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty, with some developing countries asserting that a green economy approach should not lead to green protectionism or limit growth and poverty eradication.