Essentially you have a situation where the Kyoto Protocol and some of the subsequent accords called on the developed countries who were signatories to engage in some significant mitigation actions and also to help developing countries.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama at Copenhagen Climate Change Conference

The 50th anniversary of the Council of Europe, as the club of some 40 (variably) democratic countries is called, meets in Budapest.

ECONOMIST: January

By contrast, the African countries, with Malaysia and some Latin American countries, favour a restrictive protocol based on the so-called precautionary principle.

ECONOMIST: Genetically modified free trade

There remains some concern among analysts about what will happen if any of the countries that have pledged to guarantee savers' deposits are called upon to exercise these guarantees.

BBC: Bank uncertainty hits UK shares