38 minutes ago How late $300bn deal left a sense of dissatisfaction and betrayal at Cop29

While an agreement on climate finance was eventually reached in Baku, many poorer countries were outragedThe Lamborghini showroom and a Tiffany branch sit at either end of Baku’s long boulevards beside the Caspian Sea. Adorned with grand 19th-century mansions, all plaster nymphs and columned facades, that were built by the first oil millionaires, they are a testament to the enduring power of fossil fuels. Oil has been very good to Azerbaijan.It flows out of the ground here, and gas has seeped out, ignited and burned naturally in the area for so long that the country’s symbol is a flame and its nickname is the Land of Fire. Baku was the world’s first oil town, with wells exploited as early as the 1840s. Ilham Aliyev, the autocratic president, calls oil and gas “the gift of God” to his pe...

Economics

1 hour ago Readers' Letters: Sale of indulgences is alive and well among COP29's climage change pilgrims

If climate change is a religion then COP summits are cathedrals attracting worshippers, says a reader

Politics

4 hours ago Drake alleges Universal and Spotify falsely inflated Kendrick Lamar diss track 'Not Like Us'

Drake has begun legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging they conspired to falsely pump up the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Politics

5 hours ago Drake claims UMG and Spotify ‘artificially inflated’ Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us

Feud escalates as rapper’s lawyers file petition alleging Universal Music Group and streaming giant conspired to make rival’s hit more successfulDrake has launched legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging they conspired to artificially inflate interest in Kendrick Lamar’s diss track about him, Not Like Us, while suppressing his own music.In a petition filed to the New York supreme court on Monday, attorneys for Drake’s company Frozen Moments LLC accused UMG and the streaming service of having “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves”, using various tactics to make Lamar’s song more popular. Continue reading...

Politics

6 hours ago Matthew Richardson’s grand cycling betrayal will leave an asterisk on his glittering career | Kieran Pender

After issuing the findings of its review into the Olympic hero’s defection to Great Britain, AusCycling’s upset is understandableConflicting national allegiances in sport are no simple thing. It is hardly unreasonable for someone with more than one national background to feel competing tugs when it comes to flying the flag on the international stage. Emotion and pragmatism collide to force hard decisions.Australia is a deeply multicultural nation – more than one in four Australians were born overseas, while millions more have parents born elsewhere. We are a nation of complex sporting allegiances. I have dual nationalities; if it wasn’t for the fact that I have all the sporting talent of a gnat, I might have to consider which country to represent. Continue reading...

Sport

6 hours ago Telegram finances propped up by crypto gains as founder fights charges

Revenues leapt to $525mn in first half of 2024 before chief Pavel Durov was detained over alleged criminality on platform

Economics

6 hours ago Giant bags of Lindt truffles reduced to cheaper than Tesco price are 'perfect' for Christmas

"Bought these to enjoy over the Christmas period. I've had to hide them away or I'd eat them all straight away"

Politics

6 hours ago 'Murderous' Kentucky sheriff is hit with new charge after executing judge in his court house

Former Kentucky sheriff Shawn 'Mickey' Stines, 43, was arraigned on Monday on a new criminal charge of murder of a public official for allegedly shooting dead District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54.

Events

7 hours ago Republican lawmaker accuses State Department of allegedly offering ‘therapy’ to workers following Trump’s win

A spokesperson for GOP lawmaker Darrell Issa says the State Department has yet to respond to his letter

Politics