As world leaders gather for the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who’s already warned there are "no compelling excuses" for failing to slow global warming - says they need to move from "aspiration to action". He claims the world is at "one minute to midnight" as concerns grow among scientists, and others, that countries are not doing enough to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases, which have caused average global temperatures to rise. Mr Johnson says progress was made - and has been made - during the G20 summit in Rome, which took place before COP26, but acknowledges there’s still a "huge way" to go.
When the United Nations summit gets under way later, the Prince of Wales - who will be the most senior royal attending as the Queen was advised to rest by doctors - will speak at the opening ceremony. Prince Charles, a long-standing champion of environmental causes, believes a "war-like footing" is needed, with a "vast military-style campaign" to tackle climate change. Scientists believe keeping global warming below 1.5C - a target world leaders agreed to work towards at the Paris climate conference in 2015 - will avoid the worst climate impacts. As hosts, the UK wants to tackle key issues including coal, petrol and diesel cars and stopping deforestation in a bid to change the climate. This conference is a "critical" moment for Mr Johnson as a prime minister, he says, and he's aware an ambitious outcome is still "in the balance".

After 18 months of coronavirus restrictions, Thailand is reopening its borders. The country is still registering 10,000 Covid infections a day and much of the country still faces restrictions, but vaccinated travellers from more than 60 "low-risk" destinations are being allowed to enter, avoiding hotel quarantine. Tens of thousands of tourists are expected and tour guide Chaiyagorn Boonyapak says: "It's like seeing a very dim light at the end of the tunnel - we haven't been able to work in two years." Last year, tourist arrivals were down more than 80%, Thailand usually attracts 40m a year. The Thai government predicts revenues will rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2023, although many industry experts say China's ongoing border closures will hamper the sector's recovery. Meanwhile, in Australia there have been emotional reunions as its borders reopened for the first time in 20 months.

There are lots to choose from for this year’s word of the year but unsurprisingly it’s related to the coronavirus pandemic, and one you’ve probably used. Lexicographers at the Oxford English Dictionary have decided vax is the word of the year. It was an obvious choice, says senior editor Fiona McPherson, adding it had made "the most striking impact". Vax - a vaccine or vaccination - is versatile in forming other words like vaxxie, vax-a-thon, vaxinista and "goes back at least to the 1980s, but it was rarely used until this year," she says, "it became clear that vax was the standout in the crowd". Vax or vaxx - the less common spelling - join previous winners including climate emergency, toxic and post-truth.

The "heat is on" for the COP26 climate summit says the Daily Mirror as it leads with the UN conference, like many of the papers this morning. It’s "at risk of failure because countries aren’t promising enough" to restrict temperatures rising to below 1.5C, reports the Guardian. The Daily Mail carries Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s warning that broken promises on climate have left the world "one minute to midnight". This quote also appears in several papers including the Daily Telegraph, however it leads with a story about European Commission vice-president, Maros Sefcovic, warning Britain not to embark on "confrontation" over Northern Ireland. The Metro is also among the papers with alternative lead stories and covers the news that two trains crashed in what it describes as a "tunnel horror". Dozens of passengers had a "miraculous escape", it says. Read the newspaper review in full here.

Comedian Josh Widdicombe, soap star Danny Dyer and rower Sir Matthew Pinsent all have something in common, and there’s a chance many of you could too. They’ve discovered they have royal ancestors, and according to genealogy experts if you look back far enough a surprisingly high number of people will have too. There’s more on this story here.
Next, to three women who also discovered they had something in common. After feeling suspicious of her boyfriend, one of the women did some digging and discovered he was seeing someone else. They then found another woman who was also dating him. He got dumped, they became friends and realised they shared another common interest - travelling. So they’re taking a road trip together. Here’s their journey.
And finally, to a group of trailblazing women who share an interest in Sufi music. In Indian-administered Kashmir, Yemberzal - a first all-women Sufiyana group - are reviving this music, which is vanishing in the region. Watch to find out more.

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