Poznan, Poland - The European Union reacted coolly Wednesday to calls by poor and island nations to take bolder action against global warming, saying such an effort may be "very costly."

The conflict is one of many playing out at this year's main UN climate conference, where some 190 countries are trying to pave the way for a global deal next year to curb emissions of so-called greenhouse gases.

Poznan, Poland - UN climate change talks focussed Tuesday on how rich countries can help poorer nations curb emissions of global-warming gases, with governments struggling to craft a "shared vision" for a wider deal due within a year.

Providing so-called clean technology to emerging nations like China and India - and how to pay for it - is a key sticking point at this year's UN conference that began Monday.

At issue are emissions of gases, mainly carbon dioxide created when fossil fuels burn, that scientists say are changing Earth's climate. China, but also many countries in eastern Europe, rely heavily on cheap coal for their energy needs.

Warsaw - Some 200 youths from more than 20 nations visited the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz on Tuesday as part of an event marking the 25th anniversary of Lech Walesa receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

"For us Russians this is important, because we suffered because of Soviet totalitarianism," Julia Malyszowa of Moscow told the Polish Press Agency. "We must now know as much as possible about history. For Russians it's essential, to fight today for democracy."

Poznan, Poland - Reaching a global climate deal by the end of next year will be difficult, even with Barack Obama as US president, the top US envoy at UN negotiations said Monday.

Harlan Watson, a State Department official representing the Bush administration at global warming talks in Poland, also said he expects no agreement on target dates for specific cuts in greenhouse gases to emerge from the two-week conference.

US officials were in an awkward position at the 190-nation talks, pledging to negotiate constructively while everyone else waits for Obama to re-energize US climate policy after taking office on January 20.

Warsaw - AIDS sufferers in Poland face discrimination, while Poles' knowledge of the disease is "still scandalously low," officials said Monday - World AIDS Day.

"Carrying HIV in Poland is still connected with shame," Polish Radio quoted Janusz Majchrzak of the Plus Network, which helps AIDS patients, as saying.

"We live in the 21st century, but Poles' knowledge of AIDS and HIV is still scandalously low."

According to research, many Poles think the disease effects only drug addicts and homosexuals, the daily Dziennik reported.

Warsaw  - The Polish coal mine Konin said on Monday it will take Greenpeace to court, citing some 350,000 zloty (121,000 dollars) in losses after protesters recently blocked production for two hours.

More than 20 Greenpeace activists entered the mine last week, using ropes to descend down to the mine from a nearby escarpment. Nineteen were charged with entering the property without the owner's permission, and face up to a year in jail.