Monday Briefing: COP26 talks wade into climate finance as poor nations count cost

The Reuters Daily Briefing Monday, November 8, 2021 by Linda Noakes and Katy Daigle Sponsored by   Hello Here's what you need to know. Travelers head to the U.S. as the entry ban is lifted, Twitter users vote for Musk to sell Tesla stock, and Obama arrives at COP26 Today's biggest stories A person carries a globe model during the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman COP26 One week down, one more to go – and still much to resolve at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow. After a day off yesterday, when the COP26 venue was closed, delegates are set to knuckle down to try to resolve tricky issues on how best to move global climate action forward. Country ministers will be diving into those talks, which so far have been handled by their technical teams. Meanwhile, negotiators over the weekend began working on the top-line messaging for the final COP26 agreement, which is meant to commit countries to keeping the 1.5 Celsius temperature goal alive. On stage today, speakers will focus on efforts to adapt to extreme weather, rising sea levels and other climate change impacts that will continue to worsen in coming decades. Also in focus will be a promise made in previous U.N. climate talks for industrialized nations to pay for climate-linked losses and damages incurred by vulnerable nations. Deciding how loss and damage will be funded and addressed is still up in the air, and some countries are pushing for a resolution this year. Former U.S. President Barack Obama is also expected to hold a round table with young climate campaigners and to make other appearances at the conference. See our full coverage of COP26 Performers engage with travelers as they queue to check into Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines flights at Heathrow Airport in London, November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls WORLD Global COVID-19 cases surpassed 250 million as some countries in eastern Europe experience record outbreaks, even as the Delta variant surge eases and many countries resume trade and tourism. Travelers excited at the prospect of seeing family and friends in the United States for the first time since the pandemic started took off early from London and other cities following the lifting of U.S. travel restrictions. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unharmed from an armed drone assassination attempt in Baghdad, officials said, in an incident that raised tension in Iraq weeks after a general election disputed by Iran-backed militia groups. Polish authorities accused Belarus of trying to spark a major confrontation as footage on social media showed hundreds of migrants walking towards the Polish border. Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega has secured a fourth term in office by a landslide, according to early results of an election that critics said the former guerrilla fighter rigged by suppressing his political rivals. China's military has built mockups in the shape of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships, possibly as training targets, in the desert of Xinjiang, satellite images show. U.S. Workplace whistleblowers and a fear of losing federal funds are expected to play vital roles in ensuring compliance with COVID-19 vaccine mandates ordered by President Joe Biden's administration for U.S. businesses, nursing homes and hospitals, according to experts. The only protester shot by Kyle Rittenhouse to survive is due to testify today, offering potentially critical testimony to a jury that must decide whether the U.S. teenager justifiably feared for his life when he opened fire with his rifle. To testify or not: Rittenhouse faces a risky decision. At least two investigations and one civil lawsuit are underway into the deadly stampede during rap star Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival that killed at least eight people and injured dozens in Houston. Dozens of crossings at the Mexico-United States border reopened to non-essential travel after a 20-month closure due to the pandemic, though life is not quite back to normal yet along the 2,000 mile frontier. Spurred by reopening, more migrants are heading for the border. BUSINESS Tesla's Frankfurt-listed shares fell about 9% as investors prepared for Chief Executive Elon Musk's proposed sale of about a tenth of his holdings in the electric-car maker following his Twitter poll. The poll and his vow to “abide by the results” evokes the fiasco he created three years ago, says Breakingviews columnist Antony Currie. Bitcoin rallied toward its all-time high and ether climbed to a fresh record as cryptocurrencies rode a wave of momentum, flows, favorable news and inflation fears. SoftBank slumped to a quarterly loss, as its Vision Fund unit took a $10 billion hit from a decline in the share price of its portfolio companies and as China's regulatory crackdown on tech firms weighed. When Chinese billionaire Jack Ma took a trip to Spain's Mallorca island last month, much was made of it being his first foreign foray since a 2020 fallout with regulators had clipped his wings. However, Ma's sunny sojourn also put a spotlight on a global trend: the return of the superyacht. Britain's shares are near "record cheap" levels as they have lagged their global peers since the Brexit vote, J.P. Morgan said, boosting its rating of UK stocks. Quote of the day "They want to destroy our country like they did to Afghanistan. They will never succeed, we are Ethiopians" Ethiopians denounce U.S. at rally to back military campaign Video of the day New York City Marathon returns Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir won the 50th running of the New York City Marathon, surviving a thrilling three-way battle before sprinting for the finish line, and fellow Kenyan Albert Korir won the men's race. And finally… The New Masters: How auction houses are chasing crypto millions Little could James Christie have known some 240 years ago, as he sold masterpieces by Rembrandt and Rubens to Catherine the Great, that his auction house would one day offer virtual apes to a crypto company for over $1 million. Sponsored by: Huawei Decoding the Sounds of Nature. In the woods, not every conversation starts with a Tweet… Learn more > More from Reuters COVID-19 The Great Reboot Disrupted COP26 Breakingviews Thanks for spending part of your day with us. 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