Countries at the COP29 summit tried to make progress on how to raise up to $1 trillion in climate finance for the world’s most vulnerable, as political tensions overshadowed the talks and Argentina on Thursday pulled its delegation from Baku.

A group of former leaders and climate experts said the annual U.N. COP climate talks were no longer fit for purpose and needed to be reformed, publishing a critical open letter mid-way through what has so far been a fractious summit.

Governments around the globe are plowing billions of dollars into fossil fuel subsidies to shelter citizens from higher energy costs, but that comes at a fiscal burden, creates inefficiencies, and hampers the goal of reducing overall usage.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr directed authorities on Friday to stock up on food and other supplies in advance as Typhoon Man-yi threatened to hit the capital region.

Iran backs any decision taken by Lebanon in talks to secure a ceasefire with Israel, a senior Iranian official said on Friday, signalling Tehran wants to see an end to a conflict that has dealt heavy blows to its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Japan and South Korea’s leaders on Friday as they seek to preserve their diplomatic progress ahead of a new Trump administration that many fear could upend alliances worldwide.

Typhoon Usagi weakened sharply after bearing down on the Philippines’ northern towns.

President-elect Donald Trump said he has selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist who has spread misinformation on vaccines, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States’ top health agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guided a test of suicide drones and ordered a mass production of the aerial weapon, saying the introduction of such drones around the world requires an urgent update of military theory, state media said.

Diplomacy aimed at securing a ceasefire in Lebanon showed tentative signs of progress.

A bungled lease for a new Queensland police station with an unfunded $116 million price tag has been referred to the state’s corruption watchdog.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Lima.