So when Russian ministers muttered about sanctions against Estonia last year, and against Latvia this year, the oil and gas industry headed off mandatory measures.

ECONOMIST: Still most awkward partners

The measures include mandatory counseling and ultrasound for women seeking abortions, bans on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, curbs on how insurers cover the procedure, and new regulations for abortion clinics.

WSJ: Roe v Wade: After 40 years, deep divide is legacy

The State Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture took measures to raise the mandatory support price for farmers, trying to increase next year's cane yield.

FORBES: Companies, People, Ideas

In Nevada, for example, where prostitution is lawful, there are in place safety measures to protect both seller and buyer the mandatory use of condoms (instituted in 1988, as the AIDS crisis raged), and compulsory tests for legal prostitutes, once a month for HIV and syphilis, and once a week for gonorrhea and Chlamydia.

FORBES: The Short-sighted Campaign Against Craigslist

But he refuses to sign onto mandatory emission-reduction obligations, preferring to encourage the development of new technologies and other voluntary measures, and won't participate in any talks toward a global agreement that do not include energy guzzlers from the developing world.

NPR: Bush Calls for Goal on Reducing Greenhouse Gases

In a sign of the growing severity of the problem, the new regulations published on Saturday describe "emergency measures" for days when pollution becomes a "danger to human health", including mandatory factory closures and restrictions on vehicles.

CNN: Beijing tries to clean up its act

The measures in their current form still leave a lot of questions open, and as a result regulators have reportedly been flooded with comments on the draft measures from companies seeking to influence the process now rather than wait to comply with more unfavorable mandatory rules in the future.

FORBES: China: Seeking Balance In Regulating Data Privacy