, April 16 -- Tuvalu, the Pacific nation at the forefront of the global climate crisis, will host a special meeting of world leaders before this year's Cop31 summit, as the conference president expresses "complete faith" in Chris Bowen to lead tough negotiations.

Turkey's climate minister, Murat Kurum, is president-designate for the November summit, set to see world leaders meet in Antalya to thrash out new targets for cutting carbon emissions.

After a drawn-out fight with Australia over hosting rights, Kurum used his first letter to global partners overnight to announce plans for the pre-summit meeting to take place in Fiji in October.

He and Bowen, Australia's energy and emissions minister, will also convene a special leaders' event ...