Many of the new sustainable buildings popping up around Europe contain technology to make use of solar power and rainwater, and aim to transform surrounding neighborhoods.

But these state-of-the-art developments in cities like Madrid and Paris haven't resolved the debate over whether going green pays off for investors.

Zijin Mining Group Co. said Wednesday that a pool designed to contain hazardous runoff from a tin mine collapsed due to heavy rains. Rain has presented surprisingly big challenges this year for Zijin, one of China’s largest mining groups and a company that boasts its technological prowess, even in harsh conditions like the permafrost of Tibet.

Heavy monsoon rains and landslides swept the hilly areas of northern India over the weekend, killing at least 47 people, officials said Monday.

Twenty-four people died Sunday as falling boulders crushed their homes in three villages in Almorah district in Uttrakhand state, said Prashant Kumar Tamta, a state government spokesman.

Several people were swept away by floodwaters or buried when ho

Refineries, such as BP's in Carson, Calif., must cut their emissions sharply under the California law. Oil refiners are stepping up their campaign to suspend a landmark California environmental law, and proponents of clean technology are writing their own checks to defend the law.

LONDON

BEIJING

As Governments Increase Spending and Support for Renewable Power, Even Fans Wonder If Aid Could Be More Efficient

In frigid water four miles off England's east coast, a floating crane is installing the last of 48 wind turbines. The 40-story-tall pinwheels are driven by two plentiful resources: ocean breezes and public funds.

BYD Auto Co. showcased an all-electric car Monday that the Chinese company intends to sell in the U.S. by the second half of the year, joining a raft of new entrants seeking to grab a piece of the emerging market for emissions-free vehicles.

Just months after rushing to order enough swine-flu vaccine to protect their citizens, European governments are cancelling orders and trying to sell or give away extra doses as they sit on a glut of the vaccine.

ZURICH