Talks on global warming agreed

A UN conference on global warming has ended with a watershed agreement by more than 150 nations - the US not among them - to open talks on mandatory post-2012 reductions in greenhouse gases.

The Bush administration, which rejects the emissions cutbacks of the current Kyoto Protocol, accepted a second, weaker conference decision, agreeing on Saturday to join an exploratory global “dialogue” on future steps to combat climate change.

That agreement specifically ruled out “negotiations leading to new commitments”.