China is committed to seeking a climate change pact at key talks next year, the prime minister of Denmark said on Thursday, urging countries not to use global economic upheaval as a reason for delaying a deal.

Renault sees demand for as many as 50,000 electric vehicles in 2011, the year the carmaker will begin selling such zero emission cars in Denmark, Israel and Portugal, engineering and quality head Jean-Louis Ricaud said on Thursday in an interview with Reuters.

Ricaud confirmed the electric car will be based on the Megane platform and called the 'Fluence'.

The Netherlands must spend nearly 2 billion euros (US$2.9 billion) annually in the coming decades to protect low-lying areas from coastal flooding, the Dutch government said on Wednesday.

With sea levels projected to climb as much as 1.3 metres (4 ft 3 in) this century and another 2 to 4 metres in the next, current flood and sea defences will not be enough to protect the country of 16 million people from surging tides, said the commission, led by former agriculture minister, Cees Veerman.

Every international report on India says that India should seek options that are proactive in terms of developing international strategies to reduce the risk of destructive climate change. Knowing this, why does the government refuse to do anything to establish alternative sources of energy?

Sometimes you just wish you were a photographer. I simply do not have the words to describe the awesome majesty of Greenland's Kangia Glacier, shedding massive icebergs the size of skyscrapers and slowly pushing them down the Ilulissat Fjord until they crash into the ocean off the west coast of Greenland. There, these natural ice sculptures float and bob around the glassy waters near here. You can sail between them in a fishing boat, listening to these white ice monsters crackle and break, heave and sigh, as if they were noisily protesting their fate.

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Greenland Ice Sheet,

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Thomas L. Friedman

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fuel price India fails to shield consumers A pressed Indian government raised petrol and diesel prices by 10 per cent on June 4, curbing losses to its state-owned refiners but stoking inflation and risking a political backlash. Petrol and diesel prices are now dearer by Rs 5 and Rs 3 a litre, while the price of an lpg cylinder has gone up by Rs 50. The hike triggered protests across the

A deal to be done between rich and poor countries on global warming is going begging

The Danish Government has provided two interest free loans of Rs. 7.7 billion and Rs. 8.8 billion for the construction of Oluvil Port and the Kelani Right Bank Water Treatment Plant under the Danish Mixed Credit Programme. The funds are channelled through the Nordea Bank of Denmark. The proposed Oluvil Port will have the capability to cater to large ships with in-built tanks exceeding the eight metre depth level mark.