The Israeli strike on Iran's Parchin military complex in late October will make it much harder for Iran to develop a nuclear explosive device if it chooses to do so, two Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The sophisticated equipment that was destroyed is needed to design and test plastic explosives that surround uranium in a nuclear device and are needed to detonate it. It dates back to before Iran ended its military nuclear program in 2003.
Beneficiaries of a program that shields undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children should renew their status immediately if eligible as President-elect Trump promises mass deportations, immigrant advocates urge.
Why it matters: An estimated 3.6 million Dreamers live in the country, per the National Immigration Forum, but only a fraction have sought legal protection.
A group of high-level climate diplomats — including Christiana Figueres, who led the UN climate talks in Paris in 2015 — released an open letter Friday in the midst of COP29 calling for urgent reform of the summit process.
Why it matters: It is rare to have so many luminaries and COP veterans, including former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and former Irish president and climate advocate Mary Robinson, to call for rethinking COPs while in the middle of negotiations.
What they're saying: The letter, endorsed by prominent climate scientists, calls for COPs to shrink in size and focus on implementation and accountability.
"Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity," it states.
"Whilst the Paris framework was intended to operate in "delivery mode", it is not working because governments are not held to account to ensure that national action plans align with the latest scientific evidence."
Between the lines: Azerbaijan, where COP29 is taking place, is the second petrostate in a row to host the talks.
The letter calls for eligibility criteria that might prevent such nations from hosting the talks if they do not "support the phase out/transition away from fossil energy."
Zoom out: The new letter follows an initial one sent in February 2023, which followed COP28. The new one goes much further, however, in its recommendations.
The signatories are not the only ones advocating for reforms. Former vice president Al Gore has been pushing for the consensus voting process at COPs to be changed to allow measures to pass with two-thirds support.
This might give more vulnerable nations more sway over the process, compared to fossil fuel producing countries.
As UN global climate negotiations close out the first week in Baku, Azerbaijan, even small climate players are showcasing their contributions to cutting emissions and raising more money.
Why it matters: The COP29 summit aims for a new target for financial flows from mainly developed countries to the developing world.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the mass production self-detonating suicide drones after overseeing a guided test of the weapons, state media reported Friday.
Why it matters: North Korea's efforts to bolster its military capabilities come weeks after it deployed thousands of troops to assist Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
The Israeli attack on Iran in late October destroyed an active top secret nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, according to three U.S. officials, one current Israeli official and one former Israeli official.
Why it matters: The strike — which targeted a site previously reported to be inactive — significantly damaged Iran's effort over the past year to resume nuclear weapons research, Israeli and U.S. officials said.
The world's largest coral has been found in the southwest Pacific Ocean, and scientists say the massive organism is visible from space.
The big picture: The "mega coral" near the Solomon Islands, believed to be about 300 years old and measuring 105 feet long by 111 feet wide, was discovered by the National Geographic Pristine Seas team, per an emailed statement from the group.
