The US and other nations were on Friday racing to send help to Haiti where tens of thousands of dead and injured remain buried in rubble or laid by the roadside after the country

Toyota plans to produce a lower-priced, smaller version of the Prius hybrid as part of a plan to broaden its offering of hybrid petrol-electric vehicles.

The Japanese carmaker on Monday unveiled a concept compact hybrid that would be more fuel-efficient and cheaper than the current model to appeal to younger, less affluent buyers. The current model is priced at about $22,500.

A consortium led by Alcatel-Lucent yesterday outlined a research programme to produce technology within five years that can cut the carbon emissions from telecoms networks by a factor of 1,000.

As Saudi Arabia

A consortium of US health organisations announced a plan on Monday to encourage food manufacturers and restaurants to reduce the amount of salt in dozens of staple items by some 25 per cent during the next five years.

Trains, planes and cars halted by snow and ice. Gas and electricity supplies rationed. Sensitive crops ruined. Boats frozen into waterways.

For weeks, images of the coldest weather for decades have filled the media across Europe, Asia and North America.

The crowds gather admiringly around a souped-up version of Volkswagen

Asian carp leap out of the water in the River Illinois
Harmful aliens: Asian carp leap out of the water in the River Illinois. A group of states led by Michigan is calling for the emergency closure of two locks leading to Lake Michigan

New Delhi is seeking the support of the World Bank in highlighting efforts to keep alive India's national emblem, the near-extinct wild tiger, as China and Russia champion their own conservation efforts.

India is facing pressure to raise the profile of the animal's plight as China celebrates 2010 as the Year of the Tiger and Russia is due to host an international summit on its survival.

Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to implement an amended carbon tax yesterday following last week's ruling by France's constitutional council that the original proposal was unlawful, writes Ben Hall in Paris .