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Cop30: countries still far apart as climate talks overrun – as it happened

That’s about it for our live coverage of the so-called final day of the Cop30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil. We say “so-called” because there is still no final agreement. It looks like we’re heading for at least one extra day of talks. Here’s a quick recap on what happened today. Countries appear to be still far apart on any agreement to draw up a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels. As the clock approached 11pm in Belem, talks were ongoing. Negotiating texts released early on Friday in Belem did not include the roadmap concept. The UK energy secretary Ed Miliband said a deal to create a roadmap away from fossil fuels needed to happen “one way or another” – even if it was a voluntary process. One representative from a country vulnerable to the climate crisis said: “Sometimes it’s like we are arguing with robots.” Observers claimed the Arab group of nations had warned any mention of phasing out fossil fuels in final negotiations would see the talks collapse. The architect of the Paris climate deal, Laurence Tubiana, said countries should not fear pursuing a deal on a roadmap. Turkey and Australia has agreed to the details on hosting next year’s Cop31 summit, that will be held in Turkey. Turkey will take on the Cop31 presidency and an Australian – energy minister Chris Bowen – will be appointed vice-president and “president of negotiations” Africa was still pushing for a tripling of the finance available from rich countries to help the poor world adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis. Thanks a lot for staying with us. The climate summit in Belem is on a knife edge. Join us again tomorrow, Belem time, as we follow what could be the actual final day. In the meantime, you can follow all our coverage from Cop30 here.

Survivor of Chilean blizzard that killed Briton says staff told trekkers they could proceed

A survivor of the blizzard that killed a British woman and four others in Chilean Patagonia has said that tourists were concerned about adverse weather conditions ahead of the trek, but were told by staff it was “normal” and they could proceed. Tom Player, a London-based composer, told the Guardian that during the brutal blizzard about 30 volunteers worked together in an attempt to try to rescue hikers. Nine people went missing on Monday in the Torres del Paine reserve in Patagonia, a popular tourist destination, amid heavy snowfall and winds reaching up to 120mph (193km/h). Four were rescued from a remote area in the mountains, but it was confirmed on Tuesday that two Mexicans, two Germans and a British woman, Victoria Bond, 40, had died. Player, who travelled to Chile with four friends including Bond, said there were no park rangers present on the day, adding: “We showed a screenshot of the weather forecast to staff at the camp and they said it was normal. We took that advice onboard.” He said: “There is absolutely no way anyone should have been allowed. It was too risky for the mountain rescue teams so why was it open to the public?” Bond, from Truro, died along with Cristina Calvillo Tovar and Julian Garcia Pimentel from Mexico and Nadine Lichey and Andreas Von Pein from Germany. Chilean authorities have been criticised by the hikers for suggesting that the tourists became lost near the park’s Los Perros camp. Player, 39, said: “We’ve been relentlessly trying to correct the record. Claiming that anyone got lost, four out of the five people were on the trail. “I saw three of them in my efforts to go up. Our friend Victoria … was on the trail. To claim they got lost is really upsetting and inflammatory. We have GPS data to back it all up.” Player described the storm as “absolutely brutal”, with cold temperatures, downpours, sleet and snow. He said: “We had seen a forecast which gave us a heads-up, gusts of over 100km/h [60mph], sustained high winds throughout the day. “I don’t think any of us expected blizzard-like conditions, it got progressively worse throughout the day. We left at around 5.30am in the morning, there was heavy rain, lots of wind. “We were getting knocked over, even crouching down on all fours. I wasn’t prepared for mountaineering conditions where you would have spikes in your boots, rope, snow goggles. I think it took everyone by surprise.” Player said the hiking group included a head of ER, junior doctors, a helicopter paramedic and a psychologist who all helped during the rescue effort. “The rescue effort was one of those moments when you realise you have so much faith in humanity and people.” He added: “There was a general unpreparedness and lack of emergency planning. We made a stretcher out of a set of hiking poles, gaffer tape, a tent cord and a sleeping mat.” Player said he came across other hikers during his search for Bond. “One staff member came forward out of compassion. He was amazing, he and I ran up the hill. “We found someone, who later turned out to be Cristina [Calvillo Tovar], who was hypothermic. He gave her gloves and a coat and tried to walk with her to get her some help. I found another person and was later told it was Julian [Garcia Pimentel], who was dead. “I carried on up the hill and found someone else, who later turned out to be one of the German ladies. She was responsive. I tried to help her up, she was deeply hypothermic. I wrapped my sleeping bag around her and stayed with her and tried to give her a drink of hot water.” A mountain rescue team eventually found Bond and, despite efforts to resuscitate her, she was pronounced dead. Player added: “I went up there looking for my friend and I didn’t find her, it is very hard to live with that. I had no idea how many people had succumbed to this brutal cold.” Bond, a PR manager for the Visit Isles of Scilly tourism organisation, was a “lovable, witty and creative” person, said Adrian Jones, who worked with Bond promoting the Roseland festival in Cornwall. Euan Rodger, executive vice-chair of Visit Isles of Scilly, said: “She brought life, energy, and an infectious enthusiasm to every project, making her a true joy to work alongside.” Mauricio Ruiz, the regional director of Conaf, Chile’s national forestry corporation, which employs the park’s rangers, told local news media that “there were no park rangers on the night of the 16th” because of mandatory voting in Chile’s presidential election.

Mind-altering ‘brain weapons’ no longer only science fiction, say researchers

Sophisticated and deadly “brain weapons” that can attack or alter human consciousness, perception, memory or behaviour are no longer the stuff of science fiction, two British academics argue. Michael Crowley and Malcolm Dando, of Bradford University, are about to publish a book that they believe should be a wake-up call to the world. They are this weekend travelling to The Hague for a key meeting of states, arguing that the human mind is a new frontier in warfare and there needs to be urgent global action to prevent the weaponisation of neuroscience. “It does sound like science fiction,” said Crowley. “The danger is that it becomes science fact.” The book, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, explores how advances in neuroscience, pharmacology and artificial intelligence are coming together to create a new threat. “We are entering an era where the brain itself could become a battlefield,” said Crowley. “The tools to manipulate the central nervous system – to sedate, confuse or even coerce – are becoming more precise, more accessible and more attractive to states.” The book traces the fascinating, if appalling, history of state-sponsored research into central nervous system (CNS)-acting chemicals. During the cold war and after, the US, Soviet Union and China all “actively sought” to develop CNS-acting weapons, said Crowley. Their purpose was to cause prolonged incapacitation to people, including “loss of consciousness or sedation or hallucination or incoherence or paralysis and disorientation”. The only time a CNS-acting weapon was used at scale was by the Russian Federation in 2002 to end the Moscow theatre siege. Security forces used fentanyl derivatives to end the siege, in which armed Chechen militants had taken 900 theatregoers hostage. Most of the hostages were freed, but more than 120 died from the effects of the chemical agents and an undetermined number suffered long-term damage or died prematurely. Since then, research has made significant advances. The academics argue that the ability exists to create much more “sophisticated and targeted” weapons that would once have been unimaginable. Dando said: “The same knowledge that helps us treat neurological disorders could be used to disrupt cognition, induce compliance, or even in the future turn people into unwitting agents.” The threat is “real and growing” but there are gaps in international arms control treaties preventing it from being tackled effectively, they say. Dando is emeritus professor of international security at the University of Bradford and a leading expert on biological and chemical weapons control. Crowley is an honorary visiting senior research fellow at Bradford’s peace studies and international development division. This weekend they will travel to The Hague, where an international body called the Conference of the States Parties (CSP) will gather for its 30th session. The CSP oversees the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The book makes the case for a new “holistic arms control” framework, rather than relying on existing arms control treaties. It sets out a number of practical steps that could be taken, including establishing a working group on CNS-acting and broader incapacitating agents. Other proposals concern training, monitoring and definitions. “We need to move from reactive to proactive governance,” said Dando. Both men acknowledge that we are learning more about the brain and the central nervous system, which is good for humanity. They said they were not trying to stifle scientific progress and it was about preventing malign intent. Crowley said: “This is a wake-up call. We must act now to protect the integrity of science and the sanctity of the human mind.”

The sailor reviving the lost art of canoe building in New Caledonia

In October in Lifou island, a double-hulled canoe was pushed into the lagoon - a small act that marked a deeply symbolic moment. It was the first launch of a traditional canoe on Lifou in generations, an event that brought together the island’s three chiefly clans in a rare show of unity. Activist and sailor Aile Tikoure was behind the launch. For the past eight years, he has led a project that aims to revive traditional boat making in New Caledonia, a territory of France in the Pacific ocean. Dozens of canoes have been built in an initiative designed to reconnect Indigenous Kanak people with their maritime heritage. Tikoure says the boats also help the “start of conversation” around ocean rights and environmental policies. In July, he travelled to France and met President Emmanuel Macron, calling for marine policies shaped with and by Indigenous communities that recognise their relationship with the sea. “Our ancestors always crossed the sea. We lost that for a while,” Tikoure says. “Now we’re finding it again.” Canoes hold deep cultural and historical significance in New Caledonia. They once symbolised mobility, exchange and clan alliances across islands, but those traditions faded under colonisation and missionary influences. Unlike many Polynesian nations, where voyaging practices were continuously maintained and revived earlier, in New Caledonia that continuity was interrupted – and only now being reclaimed. “In three generations, that memory vanished,” Tikoure says. “But if we could lose it that fast, we can also bring it back fast.” His journey started in 2016, when the New Caledonia government’s culture department was looking at how to reintroduce traditional canoe-building skills. Tikoure worked with the government and two years later the boat building initiative – known as Kenu Waan project – was born. “The hardest part wasn’t cutting down trees, it was convincing people,” he says. ‘I’ve crossed oceans in these canoes’ The Kenu Waan project aimed to restore traditional navigation techniques, train young builders and use canoe-making to strengthen cultural identity and inter-island cooperation. So far, the team has produced an exhibition, published a book and supported the construction or restoration of around 30 canoes – from Goro, at the far south of the main island, to Ponerihouen, on the north-eastern coast. Unlike many other Pacific islands where deforestation has reduced timber supplies, New Caledonia still has suitable wood for carving large hulls. Tikoure has visited canoe workshops in Rapa Nui and Vanuatu to see their work. “There, they often work with marine plywood. Here, we can still carve solid logs,” he says. “It makes all the difference.” The canoes built under the Kenu Waan Project combine Polynesian hull design with Melanesian rigging. “Our ancestors were already looking for performance – to go faster, further. We’re continuing that mindset.” Since 2024, Tikoure has also been teaching navigation and traditional construction history at the University of New Caledonia. “It’s the first time these subjects are taught at master’s level. It’s not theory – it’s something I’ve lived. I’ve crossed oceans on these canoes. I’ve cried tears of joy doing it.” Tikoure sailed with the crew of the Uto ni Yalo, the Fijian canoe that journeyed to Tonga for the Pacific Islands Forum in 2024, led by Ivanancy Vunikura, the first Fijian woman to hold the position of sail master. “From Hawaii to Rapa Nui, from Fiji to here, it’s the same movement,” he says. “We’re taking back the ocean together.” In July, Tikoure travelled to Nice, France, to present a “Kanak vision of the ocean” when he met with Macron and other leaders. Before state and overseas representatives, he argued for shared maritime governance based on Kanak custom and participation.“You have to involve them – especially those who live from fishing.” Now, when navigators from across the Pacific – from Fiji, Micronesia and New Zealand – arrive in Lifou, they study canoes together, adjust the structure and eventually sail side by side. “We don’t just copy the old models, we make them evolve.” For Tikoure, teaching navigation and advocating environmental policy are linked. “It’s all about how we involve people: who has the right to move across the sea, and who decides what happens on it? The canoe is a way to start that conversation.”

Nigeria reels after 215 children taken in second mass school abduction in a week

Unknown gunmen have abducted 215 schoolchildren and 12 teachers from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, the second mass abduction in the country in a week. The latest kidnapping, in Papiri community in Niger state, came against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s threat to intervene militarily to end a “Christian genocide”, which the Nigerian government has denied is happening. Abubakar Usman, the state government secretary, said in a statement: “The Niger state government has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St Mary’s School in Agwara local government area.” The Niger State Police Command said the abductions took place in the early hours, and that military and security forces have since been deployed to the community. Dauda Chekula, 62, said that four of his grandchildren, ranging in age from seven to 10, were among the schoolchildren abducted. “We don’t know what is happening now, because we have not heard anything since this morning,” Chekula told the Associated Press. “The children who were able to escape have scattered. Some of them ran back to their houses and the only information we are getting is that the attackers are still moving with the remaining children into the bush.” Niger, the biggest of the country’s 36 states, runs west from the capital, Abuja, to neighbouring Benin. The incident in the early hours of Friday is the third documented mass school abduction in the state in the last decade. In the last attack in Niger state, in May 2021, 135 pupils were abducted from an Islamic seminary, six of whom died while being held. On Monday, gunmen stormed a girls’ boarding school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing the vice-principal. According to local reports, security forces had relayed information about the plot and spent the night guarding the school but left the scene early. “The heavily armed security personnel spent time taking photographs with the students, only to abandon them 30 minutes before the attack,” the state governor said. Afterward, Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, ordered the junior defence minister Bello Matawalle to relocate to the state to help with rescue efforts. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but analysts and locals say gangs often target schools, travellers and remote villagers in kidnappings for ransom. Authorities say the gunmen are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes over strained resources. Africa’s most populous country is beset by multiple overlapping insecurity crises across its central and northern states, of which kidnapping for ransom is just one facet. On Monday, the extremist group Islamic West Africa Province (Iswap) claimed responsibility for the death of a Nigerian general in north-eastern Borno state. Iswap released footage of his death as well as WhatsApp chats about a failed rescue attempt. Earlier this week, gunmen abducted 38 worshippers from a church in Kwara state, Niger state’s southern neighbour, after a brutal attack that left at least two dead, according to church officials. The attack was seen by millions of people due to a live stream of the service that was taking place. The kidnappers have since demanded a ransom of 100m naira (£52,662) a person, a possible indication that the kidnapping was financially motivated rather than ideological. Regardless of motive, the scale and frequency of the attacks and kidnappings has heightened pressure on the government as it endeavours to avoid an escalating diplomatic row with the Trump administration, which has classified Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC), a designation given to countries where the government is deemed to have engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedoms. US lawmakers including Ted Cruz have helped spread claims of a “Christian genocide” being under way in Nigeria. Trump has since said that US forces could go “guns-a-blazing” into Nigeria if the country fails to protect its Christian population. There has been a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill and in the Vatican as the situation has unfolded. Jonathan Pratt, a senior official with the US Bureau of African Affairs, told Congress on Thursday: “Terrorists, separatists, bandits and criminal militias in Nigeria are all over the country, with ongoing attacks often deliberately targeting Christian communities.” Nigeria’s government has rejected claims of an anti-Christian genocide and says the victims of the attacks are from all faiths. On Wednesday, Tinubu announced he was cancelling planned trips to South Africa and Angola this weekend for the G20 and AU-EU summits respectively.

Eleven injured after grizzly bear attacks schoolchildren and teachers in Canada

Eleven people were injured, two of them critically, when a grizzly bear attacked a group of schoolchildren and teachers on a walking trail in British Columbia, Canada. The attack happened on Thursday in Bella Coola, 435 miles (700km) north-west of Vancouver. The Nuxalk Nation said the “aggressive bear” remained on the loose and police and conservation officers were on the scene. On Friday, the province’s conservation officer service said the incident happened after the bear emerged from the forest and attacked a group of students and teachers eating lunch on a trail. The province’s environment minister, Tamara Davidson, told reporters multiple teachers “took great risk” when they intervened to protect children during the attack. “They were well prepared, and they were the true heroes.” Three children were taken to hospital after the attack, including two with critical injuries. An adult was also hospitalised in Vancouver. Seven others were treated in the community. Conservation officers worked overnight to find the grizzly but have not yet located the bear. Their initial findings of their investigation suggest the bear may have previously been injured. “I really need to stress how dangerous this situation is with this bear at large,” said Insp Kevin Van Damme, of the conservation officer service. “We are doing our best to locate this bear and to capture it.” Van Damme, who has worked with the conservation service for nearly 25 years, said this was the first time in his career he had seen a grizzly attack a group in this manner. “This is extremely rare,” he said. “We are trying to determine the behaviour and why the bear acted in the way it did … Thankfully, the teachers were prepared. They did everything they needed to do and they avoided serious injuries to others.” Nuxalk Nation chief Samuel Schooner said in a statement the community was “devastated” for those involved in the attack. “All individuals involved are receiving medical support and our priority is to ensure that they are safe.” The nation also said that officers were armed and patrolling the community, with more conservation officers headed to the area. The nation also advised people to stay inside and had quickly set up a ride service as a way of preventing people from moving around outside. Bella Coola, a community of roughly 2,100 people, sits at the end of a fjord along the province’s central coast. Its remote location and abundant food sources mean that grizzly bears are a common sight in the region, informally known as the Great Bear Rainforest. Veronica Schooner, a parent of one of the children, said a lot of people tried to stop the attack but one male teacher “got the whole brunt of it” and was among the people taken by helicopter from the scene. Schooner’s 10-year-old son, Alvarez, was in the class of fourth- and fifth-graders and was so close to the animal “he even felt its fur”, she said. “He said that bear ran so close to him, but it was going after somebody else,” Schooner said. She added that some children were hit with bear spray as the teachers fought off the grizzly and Alvarez was limping and his shoes were muddy from running for safety. Her son’s thoughts, however, were with his classmates. “He keeps crying for his friends, and oh my goodness, right away he started praying for his friends,” she said. Acwsalcta school, an independent school run by Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola, said in a Facebook post that the school would be closed on Friday and counseling made available. “It’s hard to know what to say during this very difficult time. We are so grateful for our team and our students,” the post said. Grizzlies, which have coexisted with the Nuxalk Nation for generations, have a deep cultural significance for many of the First Nations along the Pacific coast. Many of those communities were on the frontlines of a successful fight to end the trophy hunting of grizzly bears in British Columbia. The ban went into effect in November 2017. But First Nations can still harvest grizzly bears under their Aboriginal rights for food, social or ceremonial purposes, or treaty rights. Attacks by grizzly bears in the province are rare, but British Columbia has seen a string maulings in recent months. Three grizzly attacks have been reported around the province in the last couple months. Of the three incidents since September one was fatal: hunter Joe Pendry was attacked by a sow and two large cubs. He fought off the mother, who later died of her injuries. Pendry succumbed to his own extensive injuries three weeks after the 2 October attack. The Nuxalk bear safe program, which applies non-lethal approaches to preventing and mitigating conflict, also acknowledges that incidents need to be treated on a “case by case basis”.

US transportation department unveils first female-modeled crash test dummy

The transportation department has unveiled a first crash test dummy in the US modeled specifically on female anatomy, a move officials say is meant to close decades of safety gaps in vehicle testing. Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, unveiled the THOR-05F, an advanced female design for a crash-test dummy with upgraded technical specifications. According to the transportation department, the dummy will be incorporated into federal vehicle crash testing once a final rule is published. Although men make up the majority of annual car-crash victims, women are more likely to die in collisions of comparable severity. Women are also 73% more likely than men to sustain serious injuries in a crash, according to studies. In addition, they face a higher risk of specific trauma, including pelvis and liver injuries. Despite the risks women face, the dummy used in the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s five-star crash tests is still a model designed in 1978: the Hybrid III, based on a 5ft 9in, 171lb man. Compared with the Hybrid III, the THOR-05F, which is described as more “durable, accurate and lifelike”, is equipped with over 150 sensors and can gather three times as many injury measurements as current dummies. It also represents a significant shift from the long-used Hybrid III, which has been the standard in crash testing for years. While the Hybrid III dummy assesses risk of skull fracture only, the Thor-05F can assess risk of skull fracture, brain injury and facial fractures. Additionally, with the Hybrid III only being able to bend in one direction – forward and backward, the Thor-05F can bend forward and backward, side-to-side and twist. Other differences include the spine area; while the Hybrid III has a rigid spine, the Thor-05F has a more life-like flexibility, allowing the dummy to sit slouched or erect and can measure forces in the lower spine. Additionally, unlike the Hybrid III which has no abdominal or pelvis sensors, the THOR-05F is able to measure pressure to assess risk to internal organs, as well as pelvis and hip forces from seatbelt and vehicle contact. Moreover, while the Hybrid III has no arm sensors, the new dummy is able to measure forces in upper and lower arms. “Its shape and response in a crash are based on female bodies, which will ultimately enable better assessment of brain, thorax, abdominal, pelvic and lower leg injury risk for small female occupants,” the transportation department said. Hailing the new dummy, Duffy said: “After years of delays, our team has worked hard over the last eight months to finalize the details for this new, state of the art female crash test dummy. Under the leadership of President Trump, this department will continue to put the safety of American families – including women – first.” Similarly, the National Highway Traffic Safety administrator, Jonathan Morrison, said: “This is a long overdue step toward the full adoption of this new dummy for use in our safety ratings and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.” Additionally, the US senators Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois – both co-sponsors of the She Drives Act, which seeks to improve vehicle safety testing – welcomed the announcement. “It’s far past time to make these testing standards permanent, which will help save thousands of lives and make America’s roads safer for all drivers,” Fischer said, with Duckworth adding: “Any progress here is good because there’s simply no good reason why women are more likely to be injured or die in car crashes.” Thursday’s unveiling follows other countries that have adopted improved, female-specific crash test dummies over the years including Australia and Sweden.