Developing nations urged wealthy countries to make good on pledges to provide $20 billion a year for poorer nations to deal with climate change as climate talks got under way in Rome on Tuesday.

Armed conflicts are straining the economies of countries that matter most, says convenor. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Global talks to protect nature restarted on Tuesday with a call for humanity to come together to "sustain life on the planet" and overcome a fight over funding that caused a previous meeting last year to end in disarray.

Rich and poor countries are battling over who will fund nature conservation in the shadow of a radically anti-green U.S. administration.

Pope Francis is sitting upright and receiving therapy for double pneumonia while he remains in critical condition.

Hours ahead of resuming the three-day UN global biodiversity negotiations in Rome, the European Union (EU) on Monday said it is working towards an agreement on pending decisions at COP16 on biodiversity.

Countries are taking part in the COP16 event this week in a fresh attempt to generate the funding needed to halt the destruction of ecosystems and species.