
-
Heat humble Celtics for sixth straight win, Thunder roll on
-
Trump escalates trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
Japan says US tariffs 'extremely regrettable', may break WTO rules
-
South Koreans anxious, angry as court to rule on impeached president
-
Juve at in-form Roma with Champions League in the balance
-
Injuries put undermanned Bayern's title bid to the test
-
Ovechkin scores 892nd goal -- three away from Gretzky's NHL record
-
Australian former rugby star Petaia signs for NFL's Chargers
-
China says opposes new US tariffs, vows 'countermeasures'
-
Athletics world watching as 'Grand Slam Track' prepares for launch
-
Heat humble Celtics for sixth straight win, Cavs top Knicks
-
Quake-hit Myanmar's junta chief to head to Bangkok summit
-
New Spielberg, Nolan films teased at CinemaCon
-
Shaken NATO allies to meet Trump's top diplomat
-
Israel's Netanyahu arrives in Hungary, defying ICC warrant
-
Shiny and deadly, unexploded munitions a threat to Gaza children
-
Stocks tank, havens rally as Trump tariffs fan trade war
-
Altomare hangs on to tie defending champ Korda at LPGA Match Play
-
Paraguay gold rush leaves tea producers bitter
-
Health concerns swirl as Bolivian city drowns in rubbish
-
Syria says deadly Israeli strikes a 'blatant violation'
-
Financial markets tumble after Trump tariff announcement
-
Starbucks faces new hot spill lawsuits weeks after $50mn ruling
-
Europe riled, but plans cool-headed response to Trump's tariffs
-
'Shenmue' voted most influential video game ever in UK poll
-
New coal capacity hit 20-year low in 2024: report
-
Revealed: Why monkeys are better at yodelling than humans
-
Key details on Trump's market-shaking tariffs
-
'A little tough love': Top quotes from Trump tariff talk
-
US business groups voice dismay at Trump's new tariffs
-
Grealish dedicates Man City goal to late brother
-
US tariffs take aim everywhere, including uninhabited islands
-
Trump sparks trade war with sweeping global tariffs
-
Israeli strikes hit Damascus, central Syria; monitor says 4 dead
-
Slot 'hates' offside rule that gave Liverpool win over Everton
-
US stocks end up, but volatility ahead after latest Trump tariffs
-
Barca oust Atletico to set up Clasico Copa del Rey final
-
Mourinho grabs Galatasaray coach's face after losing Istanbul derby
-
Grealish strikes early as Man City move up to fourth in Premier League
-
Reims edge out fourth-tier Cannes to set up PSG French Cup final
-
Liverpool beat Everton as title looms, Man City win without Haaland
-
Jota wins bad-tempered derby as Liverpool move 12 points clear
-
Inter and Milan level in derby Italian Cup semi
-
Stuttgart beat Leipzig to reach German Cup final
-
Trump unveils sweeping global tariffs
-
Italian director Nanni Moretti in hospital after heart attack: media
-
LIV Golf stars playing at Doral with Masters on their minds
-
Trump unveils sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Most deadly 2024 hurricane names retired from use: UN agency
-
Boeing chief reports progress to Senate panel after 'serious missteps'

Five things to watch for at COP28 climate talks
Deadly floods in the Horn of Africa. Summer wildfires that ravaged Canadian forests. Global temperature records unprecedented in the history of humanity.
Environmental activists say there's no doubt anymore that urgent collective action is needed to preserve a livable planet. As the COP28 UN climate talks begin in Dubai on Thursday, here are five things to watch out for.
- The energy transition -
All eyes are on the language leaders will adopt regarding the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy -- crucial to limiting long-term warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as envisaged under the Paris Agreement.
At COP26 in Glasgow, in 2021, countries agreed to a "phasedown" of "unabated coal power." Since then, momentum has been building among governments and activists to extend similar ideas to oil and gas, though the exact phrasing will have to be hammered out.
Expectations are high for voluntary pledges on tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, a goal endorsed by the United States and China in a recent climate statement, as well as doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements.
Ideally, the commitments should come in the form of an official response to the "Global Stocktake," a damning report card published in September that highlighted how little the world has done to confront the crisis.
- Making 'loss and damage' a reality -
A major breakthrough at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, was an agreement in principle to compensate climate-vulnerable countries that are least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and facing multiplying severe weather impacts.
But operationalizing a new fund has proven complicated, with negotiations dragging on for over a year. Among questions that had to be answered: will all countries pay, or just the rich? Who will be the recipients? Where would the fund be housed?
A fragile agreement was reached in early November, and COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber told AFP in a recent interview he hoped a decision would be adopted early on in the conference.
- The climate financing gap -
Expert groups believe the world needs in excess of $3 trillion in annual climate-related flows by the year 2030 to keep climate goals alive -- but so far developing countries have fallen well short, both in terms of accelerating decarbonization, known as mitigation, and building resilience to climate impacts, known as adaptation.
In 2009, richer countries promised to reach $100 billion annually in funding for these priorities by 2020 -- a goal finally met last year, according to an OECD report earlier this month.
COP28 is expected to lay the groundwork for a new financing goal to succeed the old $100 billion target, though parties aren't required to reach a decision this year.
It could also provide an opportunity to better define and operationalize clause 2.1(c) of the Paris agreement, which called for "making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate-resilient development."
- Methane and food systems -
Atmospheric methane is the second largest contributor to climate change, but has received relatively little attention compared to carbon dioxide, despite its potent warming impact.
China, the United States and the UAE are set to jointly hold a methane and non-CO2 greenhouse gasses summit at the talks, where there might be a strengthening of a 2021 "Global Methane Pledge" to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
COP28 will also be the first such conference to have a major focus on food systems, responsible for a third of manmade greenhouse gasses, with severe weather and droughts also in turn threatening food production and transport.
Another first: a summit featuring hundreds of "subnational" leaders such as mayors and governors.
Around 70 percent of the world's people are expected to call cities home by the year 2050, and increasing their participation in the climate fight is seen as vital, especially when national governments stall progress.
D.Kaufman--AMWN