- Palestinians welcome ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials
- Senegal ruling party wins parliamentary majority: provisional results
- Fiji's Loganimasi in for banned Radradra against Ireland
- New proposal awaited in Baku on climate finance deal
- Brazil police urge Bolsonaro's indictment for 2022 'coup' plot
- NFL issues security alert to teams about home burglaries
- Common water disinfectant creates potentially toxic byproduct: study
- Chimps are upping their tool game, says study
- US actor Smollett's conviction for staged attack overturned
- Fears rise of gender setbacks in global climate battle
- 'World's best coach' Gatland 'won't leave Wales' - Howley
- Indian PM Modi highlights interest in Guyana's oil
- Israel strikes kill 22 in Lebanon as Hezbollah targets south Israel
- Argentina lead Davis Cup holders Italy
- West Bank city buries three Palestinians killed in Israeli raids
- Fairuz, musical icon of war-torn Lebanon, turns 90
- Jones says Scotland need to beat Australia 'to be taken seriously'
- Stock markets push higher but Ukraine tensions urge caution
- IMF sees 'limited' impact of floods on Spain GDP growth
- Fresh Iran censure looms large over UN nuclear meeting
- Volkswagen workers head towards strikes from December
- 'More cautious' Dupont covers up in heavy Parisian snow before Argentina Test
- UK sanctions Angola's Isabel dos Santos in graft crackdown
- Sales of existing US homes rise in October
- Crunch time: What still needs to be hammered out at COP29?
- Minister among 12 held over Serbia station collapse
- Spurs boss Postecoglou hails 'outstanding' Bentancur despite Son slur
- South Sudan rejects 'malicious' report on Kiir family businesses
- Kyiv claims 'crazy' Russia fired nuke-capable missile
- Australia defeat USA to reach Davis Cup semis
- Spain holds 1st talks with Palestinian govt since recognising state
- Stock markets waver as Nvidia, Ukraine tensions urge caution
- Returning Vonn targets St Moritz World Cup races
- Ramos nears PSG return as Sampaoli makes Rennes bow
- Farrell hands Prendergast first Ireland start for Fiji Test
- Gaza strikes kill dozens as ICC issues Netanyahu arrest warrant
- Famed Berlin theatre says cuts will sink it
- Stuttgart's Undav set to miss rest of year with hamstring injury
- Cane, Perenara to make All Blacks farewells against Italy
- Kenya scraps Adani deals as Ruto attempts to reset presidency
- French YouTuber takes on manga after conquering Everest
- Special reunion in store for France's Flament against 'hot-blooded' Argentina
- 'World of Warcraft' still going strong as it celebrates 20 years
- Fritz pulls USA level with Australia in Davis Cup quarters
- New Iran censure looms large over UN nuclear meeting
- The first 'zoomed-in' image of a star outside our galaxy
- ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Deif
- Minister among 11 held over Serbia station collapse
- Historic gold regalia returned to Ghana's king
- Kyiv accuses Russia of launching intercontinental ballistic missile attack
COP29 opens after Trump win with call for cooperation
The COP29 climate talks opened Monday in Azerbaijan with a call to show global cooperation was not "down for the count", as Donald Trump's re-election hangs over the key discussions.
Countries come to Baku after new warnings that 2024 is on track to break temperature records, adding urgency to a fractious debate over funding for climate action in poorer countries.
Trump has pledged to once again withdraw the United States from the landmark Paris climate agreement, and there are concerns the move could weaken ambition around the negotiating table.
As the talks opened, UN climate chief Simon Stiell told countries: "Now is the time to show that global cooperation is not down for the count."
And he warned wealthy countries who are struggling to agree a new funding target to "dispense with any idea that climate finance is charity."
"An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every nation, including the largest and wealthiest."
Negotiators must increase a $100 billion-a-year target to help developing nations prepare for worsening climate impacts and wean their economies off fossil fuels.
How much will be on offer, who will pay, and who can access the funds are some of the major points of contention.
Developing countries are pushing for trillions of dollars and insist money should be mostly grants rather than loans, but negotiators are tight-lipped over what final figure might emerge.
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev acknowledged the need was "in the trillions" but said a more "realistic goal" was somewhere in the hundreds of billions.
"These negotiations are complex and difficult," the former executive of Azerbaijan's national oil company said at the opening of the summit.
Developing countries warn that without adequate finance, they will struggle to offer ambitious updates to their climate goals, which countries are required to submit by early next year.
"Bring some money to the table so that you show your leadership," said Evans Njewa, chair of the LDC Climate Group, whose members are home to 1.1 billion people.
- Few G20 leaders -
The small group of developed countries that currently contributes the money wants the donor pool expanded to include other rich nations and top emitters, including China and the Gulf states.
That is firmly rejected by Beijing, with one Chinese official warning Sunday during a closed-door session that the talks should not aim to "renegotiate" existing agreements.
Just a handful of leaders from the Group of 20, whose countries account for nearly 80 percent of global emissions, are attending. US President Joe Biden is staying away.
Afghanistan will however be sending a delegation for the first time since the Taliban took power. They are expected to have observer status.
Diplomats have insisted that the absences, and Trump's win, will not detract from the serious work at hand.
The talks come with fresh warnings that the world is far off track to meet the goals of the Paris agreement.
Babayev warned the talks were "a moment of truth for the Paris agreement."
The climate deal commits to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, preferably below 1.5C.
- 'Worth it' -
But the world is likely to top that level in 2024, according to the European Union climate monitor.
That would not be an immediate breach of the Paris deal, which measures temperatures over decades, but it suggests much greater climate action is needed.
Last month, the UN warned the world is on a path towards a catastrophic 3.1C of warming this century based on current actions.
"Everyone knows that these negotiations will not be easy," said Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Sunday.
"But they are worth it: each tenth of a degree of warming avoided means fewer crises, less suffering, less displacement."
More than 51,000 people are expected at the talks, which run from November 11 to 22.
For the second year running the talks will be hosted by a country heavily reliant on fossil fuels, after the United Arab Emirates last year.
Azerbaijan has also been accused of stifling dissent by persecuting political opponents, detaining activists and suffocating independent media.
O.Bulka--BTB