
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final
-
Nottingham Forest beat Man Utd, Saka scores on Arsenal return
-
Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth
-
Stock markets mostly advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming
-
Saka scores on return as Arsenal beat Fulham
-
Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
-
Ball-blasting 'Torpedo bats' making waves across MLB opening weekend
-
Newsmax shares surge more than 2,000% in days after IPO
-
Thousands of Hungarians protest against Pride ban law
-
GM leads first quarter US auto sales as tariffs loom
-
Tesla sales tumble in Europe in the first quarter
-
No 'eye for an eye' approach to US tariffs: Mexico
-
NFL club owners back dynamic kickoffs, delay tush push vote
-
Trump 'perfecting' new tariffs as nervous world braces
-
Trump nominee says to press UK on Israel arms
-
French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote
-
The battle to control assets behind Bosnia crisis
-
Prabhsimran powers Punjab to IPL win over Lucknow
-
Mass layoffs targeting 10,000 jobs hit US health agencies
-
Tiger's April Foolishness: plan to play Masters just a joke
-
Myanmar quake toll passes 2,700, nation halts to honour victims
-
Turkish fans, artists urge Muse to cancel Istanbul gig
-
US seeks death penalty for accused killer of insurance CEO
-
UK govt moves to block sentencing guidelines for minority defendants
-
Trump puts world on edge as 'Liberation Day' tariffs loom
-
Swedish journalist jailed in Turkey kept 'isolated': employer
-
Stock markets advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
Gulf between Everton and Liverpool has never been bigger, says Moyes
-
Finland to withdraw from anti-personnel mine ban treaty
-
UK vows £20 million to boost drone and 'flying taxi' services
-
Ford's US auto sales dip in first quarter as tariffs loom
-
Digging for box office gold, 'A Minecraft Movie' hits cinemas
-
Southampton boss Juric desperate to avoid Premier League 'worst team' tag
-
Thailand rescue dogs double as emotional support
-
Five takeaways from Marine Le Pen verdict

COP28 opens with 'historic' launch of loss and damage fund
Nearly 200 nations agreed Thursday to launch a fund to support countries hit by global warming, in a "historic" moment at the start of UN climate talks in the oil-rich UAE.
The announcement came as the Emirati host of the COP28 talks declared that fossil fuels must be part of any climate deal negotiated over the next two weeks.
The talks in Dubai come at a pivotal moment for the planet, with emissions still rising and the UN on Thursday declaring 2023 on track to become the hottest year in human history.
The formal establishment of the "loss and damage" fund long sought by climate-vulnerable nations provided an early win at COP28, where sharp divisions over the phasing out of fossil fuels were immediately apparent.
"We have delivered history today," said COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber as delegates embraced and cheered.
Jaber said it was "the first time a decision has been adopted on day one of any COP and the speed in which we have done so is also unique, phenomenal and historic.
"This is evidence that we can deliver. COP28 can and will deliver," he said.
Leaders have been urged to move more quickly to a clean energy future and make deeper cuts to emissions, with the world off-track to keep global temperature rises below agreed levels.
A central focus of COP28 will be a stocktake of the world's limited progress on curbing global warming, which requires an official response at these talks.
- 'Help our people' -
Double the size of last year's COP27, the conference is billed as the largest ever with 97,000 people, including Britain's King Charles III and some 180 other heads of state and government expected to attend.
The UN and hosts the UAE say the talks will be the most important since Paris in 2015, and climate finance for poorer nations has been a key agenda item.
The UAE sees itself as a bridge between the rich developed nations most responsible for historic emissions and the rest of the world, which has contributed less to global warming but suffers its worst consequences.
The UAE and Germany immediately announced $100 million each toward the loss and damage fund with the European Union following with $246 million.
More pledges are expected in coming days, but the amounts fall well short of the $100 billion developing nations say are needed.
"The progress we've made in establishing a loss and damage fund is hugely significant for climate justice, but an empty fund can't help our people," warned Madeleine Diouf Sarr, chair of the Group of the 46 Least Developed Countries.
The 50-year-old Jaber is both COP president and head of UAE's national oil giant, raising concerns over a conflict of interest amid calls for a phasedown of fossil fuels to be negotiated in Dubai.
On the eve of COP, Jaber was forced to deny that he used the COP presidency to pursue new fossil fuel deals, allegations first reported by the BBC.
In his opening address, Jaber told delegates they must "ensure the inclusion of the role of fossil fuels" in any final climate agreement and praised oil companies for coming to the table.
"They can lead the way. And then leading the way will ensure that others follow and catch up," he said.
But UN climate chief Simon Stiell told the meeting: "If we do not signal the terminal decline of the fossil fuel era as we know it, we welcome our own terminal decline."
And Pope Francis, who cancelled his trip to COP28 due to illness, urged participants to reject "the vested interests of certain countries or businesses", in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
- Silence for Gaza -
Finding a common position on the future of fossil fuels will be difficult at COP where all nations -- whether dependent on oil, sinking beneath rising seas or locked in geopolitical rivalry -- must take decisions unanimously.
The UAE hopes to marshal an agreement on the tripling of renewable energy and doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
Nations will navigate a range of thorny issues between November 30 and December 12, and experts say building trust could be a huge challenge.
At the opening of the conference, delegates paused for a minute's silence for civilians killed in the Gaza conflict.
On the sidelines, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will hold talks with diplomats on the release of hostages held by Hamas, his office said.
Neither US President Joe Biden nor Chinese President Xi Jinping are attending, though Washington is sending Vice-President Kamala Harris.
But the US and China, the world's two biggest polluters, did make a rare joint announcement on the climate this month that spurred optimism going into COP28.
S.Gregor--AMWN