COP

A campaign is calling for national delegations to the COP31 climate summit to exclude fossil fuel lobbyists entirely. The push aims to prevent oil, gas and coal industry representatives from influencing negotiations at the UN climate talks. Advocates argue industry presence undermines the credibility and ambition of the summit's outcomes.

Microsoft and PC makers have stopped using the Copilot+ branding on new Windows 11 laptops, phasing out the label that was meant to mark AI-capable machines. Reports describe the AI PC branding as tarnished and quietly pulled back rather than formally retired, raising questions about how Microsoft will market AI features in future hardware.

UN Climate Change has introduced a new strategy for its Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) initiative ahead of the COP31 climate summit. The plan focuses on leveraging creativity from the entertainment and culture sectors to drive public engagement and climate action. Observers see it as an effort to broaden the reach of climate diplomacy beyond formal negotiations.

A Maricopa County election official spoke with NPR about the county's efforts to address public mistrust in election security. The discussion centered on steps Arizona's most populous county is taking to reassure voters about the integrity of its election processes, an issue that has drawn sustained scrutiny in the state since 2020.

Chinese researchers say they have developed an electron gun beam described as world-leading, a key step toward building an advanced 'super microscope' for studying materials at extremely small scales. The announcement, reported by the South China Morning Post, is being read as another signal of China's push to compete with the United States and others in cutting-edge scientific instruments.

The European Union is working to strengthen its strategic autonomy by building up internal capabilities while also expanding cooperation with external partners. The debate centers on how the bloc can reduce dependencies in areas such as defense, technology and supply chains without isolating itself, balancing self-reliance with continued partnerships abroad.

Pacific women are voicing their priorities to global climate advocates ahead of the COP31 negotiations, arguing that those most affected by rising seas and extreme weather in the Pacific must shape the agenda. Writers on the Devpolicy Blog urge international campaigners to listen to Pacific women's perspectives on loss, damage and adaptation rather than speaking for them.

An analysis published by the Kyiv Post examines the significance of Germany's Wingcopter 262 delivery drone for Ukraine's war effort. The piece looks at how the German-made unmanned aircraft, designed for long-range cargo delivery, could support Ukrainian operations as drone warfare continues to shape the battlefield and supply logistics under constant threat.

Turkey has announced an initiative addressing artificial intelligence ahead of the COP31 climate summit. COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum said governments must openly discuss AI's growing energy consumption and 'start setting the terms,' signalling that the technology's power demands will be placed on the climate agenda. The move frames AI as an emerging environmental issue requiring international policy coordination.

Poland is set to become a servicing hub for Apache helicopter engines, with an agreement now ready and reported as signed or near-final. The move supports Poland's broader military modernisation and its large planned fleet of US-made Apache attack helicopters. Commenters note it deepens defence cooperation between Poland and the United States.

Türkiye's Zero Waste Movement, launched under First Lady Emine Erdogan's patronage, has entered its ninth year, with attention turning to COP31 as a platform to advance the initiative internationally. The movement has promoted recycling and waste reduction across Turkish schools, businesses and households since 2017, and backers hope upcoming climate talks will give its waste-management goals fresh global momentum.

A close-up photograph shows Sarracenia leucophylla, the white pitcher plant, attracting a fly toward its tube-shaped trap. The carnivorous plant lures insects with nectar and colour before trapping them in its pitcher. The image is drawing attention from plant and nature photography enthusiasts interested in carnivorous plants and botany.

The Vera Rubin Observatory's telescope has begun work in the search for dark matter, the invisible substance thought to make up most of the universe's mass. By surveying the sky in unprecedented detail, it aims to detect subtle gravitational effects that could reveal dark matter's pull. Astronomers hope the mission will transform cosmology.

China has reportedly reached a new milestone with an advanced super microscope, a development being framed as potentially significant for science and technology. The claim has circulated through physics-focused news outlets, though few details about the instrument, its capabilities, or the research it enables are available. Observers are watching to see what the advance could mean for fields that depend on high-resolution imaging.

Microsoft's expanded Copilot rollout has drawn attention from retail investors to cloud and AI stocks. A Yahoo Finance piece lists three such stocks individual investors are watching following the announcement. The news highlights continued retail interest in artificial intelligence and cloud computing names tied to Microsoft's growing AI ecosystem.

Two Lowcountry police officers are under investigation for allegedly handling weapons connected to the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh that had gone missing from evidence. The reporting, first published by the Post and Courier, adds a new twist to the long-running South Carolina case that already led to Alex Murdaugh's murder conviction. It raises questions about evidence integrity in a case that has drawn intense scrutiny across the state and nationally.

Researchers are testing small robotic telescopes and have identified design changes that could lead to better maps of galaxies. The findings suggest that refining these compact instruments could improve large-scale astronomical surveys, helping scientists chart the universe in greater detail. Details of the testing process and specific modifications were reported by Phys.org.

A Chinese helicopter unit has completed the rotation of Vietnamese peacekeepers serving at the Sudan border, transporting personnel as part of United Nations peacekeeping operations in the region. The operation highlights growing cooperation between Chinese and Vietnamese contingents deployed under the UN mission, with the helicopters providing logistical and transport support for the handover of troops.

High-profile British creators have successfully pushed back against AI industry lobbying over the use of copyrighted works, a campaign now being studied as Australia weighs its own copyright reforms. Observers say the UK experience shows how artists' collective pressure can shape rules governing AI training on creative work, as Australian policymakers face similar demands from both creators and technology firms.

Forensic tools such as GrayKey can reportedly bypass the iPhone's automatic inactivity reboot, a security feature Apple introduced to lock devices and frustrate law enforcement data extraction. Police are using workarounds to get into locked phones despite the reboot protection, raising fresh concerns about iPhone security and law enforcement access to personal data.