After two days of meetings and discussions, world leaders are now leaving the COP26 conference, having reached agreements such as cutting methane emissions and boosting green technologies. The focus will now move to finance, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is due to set out plans to make the UK the first net-zero financial centre. Under new Treasury rules most big UK firms and financial institutions will be forced to show how they intend to hit climate change targets. By a 2023 deadline they will have to show plans to a panel of experts how they will move to low-carbon emissions to meet the UK’s net-zero target. This means those that set out and deliver a plan will no longer add to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Mr Sunak will say advances have been made to "rewire the entire global financial system for net zero" and 450 firms have aligned themselves to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. It would provide the financial services industry with a "valuable set of unified metrics to measure progress towards decarbonisation", says Kay Swinburne, vice-chairman of financial services at KPMG UK. And it would "spur demand for green finance and accelerate decarbonisation", adds Dr Ben Caldecott, director of the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment. However, environmental think tank Green Alliance, says while the plan is welcome it would not happen fast enough and "this announcement says nothing of the billions they're still pouring into environmentally harmful projects", according to David Barmes, senior economist at the campaign group Positive Money. Follow the money to net zero, is how our economics editor Faisal Islam describes it. By changing the financial system, politicians hope is that the trajectory of every economic sector, from energy to transport, food to clothing, how we live, work and what we consume will decarbonise of their own accord, he adds.

After being suspended from Parliament for what the standards watchdog said was a breach of lobbying rules, allies of Conservative MP Owen Paterson will attempt to prevent this from happening. The Commons Standards Committee recommended that he be suspended for 30 sitting days after it found he used his position as an MP to benefit two companies that paid him as a consultant. Mr Paterson rejects the findings, saying: "I am not guilty and a fair process would exonerate me." A suspension could lead to a by-election if 10% of eligible voters in his constituency sign a recall petition, which is automatically triggered due to the 30 day break. His supporters, led by fellow Tory MP and former Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, will try to push an amendment that would instead see a new committee set up to consider changes to the process for investigating MPs, thereby allowing his case to be reconsidered. MPs will vote on whether to back the suspension later .

With just over seven weeks until Christmas, many of you will have thought about presents if you’ve not already started squirreling some away. There’s been a push to make sure supplies meet demand for the festive season following fears logjams at ports will lead to shortages. And for some further reassurance, a company which handles almost 20% of the world's shipping containers, says Christmas trading will be safe from supply chain problems. The chief executive of Maersk, Soren Skou, says the firm is chartering more ships, keeping ports open longer and has opened more warehouses to help. The firm’s doing "everything" it can to alleviate the problems, he says. However, according to maritime research firm Drewry "port congestion is worsening while the number of ships waiting outside major ports around the world is increasing".

There's more from the COP26 climate summit in the papers this morning. The Times leads with an agreement to cut methane emissions by 30%. The planet was "officially saved" after world leaders agreed to "crack down on parping heifers", is the Daily Star’s take on this story. The Guardian focuses on new analysis that the heatwaves and devastating fires in 2021 can be "pinned" on global warming. The i, meanwhile, claims Covid booster jab rollout for over 50s has stalled and the Daily Telegraph has a different story altogether. It reveals plans to replace the House of Commons standards watchdog following its decision to ban Conservative MP Owen Paterson from Parliament for alleged breaches of lobbying rules. Read the newspaper review in full here.

When that time comes in a relationship to meet the parents, it’s nerve-wracking and you want to make the right impression. That’s what singer James Arthur hoped for but it ended with him spraying mud all over his potential in-laws' faces with his car. He’s retold part of that tale in his latest single, September. Here’s the full story.
Next to something that’s making an impression on children - and could make an impression on the world. It’s a bubble playground, and the more you bounce on it the better it is. It’s been designed to remove carbon dioxide, CO2, and other minerals from the air, releasing oxygen in its place. How is that possible? The key is microscopic algae and you can find out more about it here.
And finally, you won’t need a microscope to see the next one. A parrot gave a traffic camera a bird’s eye view when it popped in and out of a lens on a CCTV device keeping an eye on traffic. Take a look.

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