Feb. 27, 2026 - Daily News Digest
On this day in 1776, at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge, North Carolinian revolutionaries defeated loyalists during the American Revolution, thwarting a British Invasion of the southern colonies.
QotD: “We are going to see if there is a deal with the DoW that allows our models to be deployed in classified environments and that fits with our principles. We would ask for the contract to cover any use except those which are unlawful or unsuited to cloud deployments, such as domestic surveillance and autonomous offensive weapons,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote in an internal company memo.
PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN/MIL – Afghan Taliban open to talks after Pakistan bombs Kabul, Kandahar.
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers said on Friday they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed its forces in major cities and dozens of troops were killed in the most serious clashes between the allies-turned-foes.
The strikes by Pakistan were the first time it had directly targeted its former allies over allegations they are harbouring militants; it described the situation as "open war".
Targets in the capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based, were hit, signalling a stark rupture in ties between the Islamic neighbours.
Thick plumes of black smoke rose from two sites in Kabul and a huge blaze was also visible in video verified by Reuters.
"The plane came and dropped two bombs, then flew away again. After that, we heard explosions," said Kabul taxi driver Tamim, who was asleep when the strikes hit. "Everyone, in panic, ran down from the second floor of the house. The ammunition inside the depot kept exploding on its own."
Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air-to-ground missile attacks on Taliban military offices and posts in response to Afghan attacks on Thursday.
The Taliban said Afghan forces had used drones to hit Pakistani military targets. Pakistan said all the drones had been brought down and there was no damage.
Multiple ground clashes were reported along the border. Pakistan said it killed 274 Taliban officials and militants while Afghanistan said it killed 55 Pakistani soldiers - figures which Reuters was unable to verify.
MORE/INDIA – New Delhi and Kabul ‘on the same page’ for striking Pakistan, Pakistani defence minister says.
In an interview with FRANCE 24, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif addressed the security situation in Pakistan, claiming that the terrorist attacks in the country are the result of a "proxy war" waged by India in complicity with the Taliban government in Kabul. He also spoke about the situation in Gaza, saying that Pakistan is ready to contribute to an international peace force if the conditions are ripe.
Addressing the security situation in Pakistan and the recent bombing of a Shiite mosque in the capital Islamabad, the country's defence minister claimed that "almost all the franchises of terrorism" are present in Pakistan "because of the non-seriousness of the Kabul government towards curbing terrorism", adding that complicity would be a better word.
Asif went on to say that Pakistan "won't hesitate" to conduct new strikes on Afghanistan, unless someone in Kabul can "underwrite peace". He also accused India of waging a "proxy war" against Pakistan and accused New Delhi and Kabul of being "on the same page" when it comes to striking Pakistan. Asif emphasised that war with India was still "a possibility".
US/IRAN/NUKE TALKS – US-Iran talks end with no deal but potential signs of progress.
The United States and Iran made progress in talks over Tehran's nuclear program on Thursday, mediator Oman said, but hours of negotiation ended with no sign of a breakthrough that could avert potential U.S. strikes amid a massive military buildup.
The two sides plan to resume negotiations soon after consultations in their countries' capitals, with technical-level discussions scheduled to take place next week in Vienna, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X after the day's meetings in Switzerland.
Badr Albusaidi will hold talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. officials in Washington on Friday, MS NOW reported late on Thursday. Neither the White House nor Oman's embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment.
Any substantial move toward an elusive agreement between longtime foes Washington and Tehran could reduce the imminent prospects for U.S President Donald Trump to carry out a threatened attack on Iran that many fear could escalate into a wider war.
But Thursday's indirect talks wrapped up without a deal, still leaving the region on edge.
The Omani minister's upbeat assessment followed indirect talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Geneva, with one session in the morning and the second in the afternoon.
"We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran," Badr Albusaidi said.
US/ISRAEL/MID EAST/SEC – US advises embassy staff in Israel to leave now if they want, as risk of war hangs over Middle East.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-embassy-staff-436162f886bdaed30c8dd0cdbe1b5aea
The U.S. Embassy in Israel on Friday told its staff that it could leave the country and urged anyone considering departure to do so immediately, as the threat of an American strike on Iran looms.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee told embassy employees in an email that discussions with officials in Washington had led to a decision authorizing departures for those who wished to leave.
The email was recounted to The Associated Press by someone involved with the U.S. mission who wasn’t authorized to share details. Sent before 10:30 a.m., it urged staff considering departure to do so quickly, advising them to to focus initially on getting any flight out of Israel and to then make their way to Washington.
“Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote, using an acronym for “authorized departure.”
“While there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be,” he added.
Huckabee said that there was no need for panic, but for those desiring to leave, it was important to make plans soon.
US/MIL/AI/TECH – Altman says OpenAI is working on Pentagon deal amid Anthropic standoff.
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman waded into the standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon over the use of AI on the battlefield, telling his staff Thursday evening that the company was working on a deal that might help solve the impasse.
Altman in a memo to staff said that the company was working with the Defense Department to see if its models could be used in classified settings in a way that kept the same safety guardrails that have brought its rival Anthropic into a stalemate with the government. Altman said he hoped OpenAI could find a solution that could work for the rest of the industry.
No deal has been signed, and the talks could fall through, according to a person familiar with the matter.
“We are going to see if there is a deal with the DoW that allows our models to be deployed in classified environments and that fits with our principles,” Altman wrote in a note to staff Thursday evening viewed by The Wall Street Journal. “We would ask for the contract to cover any use except those which are unlawful or unsuited to cloud deployments, such as domestic surveillance and autonomous offensive weapons.”
Altman said he hoped to help broker a peace between the two camps and avoid dangerous precedents for the industry.
“We would like to try to help de-escalate things,” he wrote.
VENEZUELA/POL/COURTS – Venezuela says more than 3,200 people have been fully released since amnesty law took effect.
A special commission of Venezuela’s National Assembly announced Tuesday that over 3,200 people have been fully released since the amnesty law took effect four days ago. This group includes both former detainees and those previously under house arrest or other restrictive measures.
Lawmaker Jorge Arreaza, who leads the commission overseeing the amnesty law, said in a news conference that authorities have already received 4,203 applications for the program.
He said that after evaluating these requests, 3,052 people previously under house arrest or other restrictive measures have been granted full freedom. Additionally, another 179 individuals who were in prison have also been released.
In the days after the Jan. 3 capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro, Rodríguez’s government announced it would release a significant number of prisoners. However, relatives and human rights watchdogs have criticized the slow pace of releases and the restrictive conditions under which many have been placed after leaving prison.
The amnesty excludes individuals convicted of homicide, drug trafficking, military rebellion or serious human rights violations.
UKR/RUS/GENEVA/MIL – Ukraine says Russia launched major aerial attack before Kyiv’s talks with US.
Russia launched a barrage of 420 drones and 39 missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, hours before U.S. and Ukrainian envoys held more talks in Geneva on ending the war that is now in its fifth year.
The bombardment, which included 11 ballistic missiles, targeted critical infrastructure and residential areas across eight regions of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. Dozens of people, including children, were injured, officials said, though authorities did not immediately publish a confirmed total.
Zelenskyy said late Wednesday he had spoken by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and thanked him for his “efforts and engagement” in pursuing peace negotiations.
The U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv are continuing but are deadlocked on the issue of Ukrainian territory that Russia claims as its own.
Zelenskyy has pushed for a summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, saying a face-to-face meeting could be decisive in unlocking an agreement, but the Kremlin has rebuffed that proposal beyond inviting the Ukrainian president to Moscow, which Zelenskyy refused.
Russia returned 1,000 bodies of fallen soldiers to Ukraine, and got back 35 bodies of its fallen troops, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation at previous talks with Ukraine, said Thursday. He did not say when the exchange happened.
FRANCE/RUS/MIL – France says drone incident near aircraft carrier would be ‘provocation’ if Russian link confirmed.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday Paris had no evidence that Russia was behind an unidentified drone neutralised near the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier docked in Sweden but if that were to be the case it would be a "ridiculous provocation".
The Swedish military on Wednesday took down a drone of unknown origin detected more than 10 km from the carrier, the French army told Reuters. The carrier group is currently on a mission in the region and docked this week in the city of Malmo.
AG/MERCOSUR – EU to ‘provisionally implement’ controversial Mercosur deal.
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-to-provisionally-implement-controversial-mercosur-deal/a-76148877
The European Commission will "proceed with [the] provisional application" of the Mercosur trade deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday.
Von der Leyen's announcement came after Uruguay and Argentina ratified the agreement on Thursday, paving the way for its provisional application.
"I've said before, when they are ready, we are ready," she said on Friday.
Brazil and Paraguay have yet to ratify the deal, but von der Leyen said they are expected to do so soon.
The push to implement Mercosur comes as US tariffs and China's hold on critical mineral supplies pushes the 27-nation EU to forge a raft of free trade deals with other nations across the world.
The European Comission's move allows companies in the EU, Uruguay and Argentina to profit from new customs rules and other perks before the agreement formally enters into force.
After 25 years of negotiations, the Mercosur deal was signed in Paraguay on January 17, with the aim of creating a free trade zone of more than 700 million people.
On January 21, the European Parliament narrowly decided to refer the agreement to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for review before a final vote, delaying the deal's implementation.
GERMANY/POL/COURTS – German intelligence must pause extremist label for AfD.
https://www.dw.com/en/german-intelligence-must-pause-extremist-label-for-afd/a-76140587
An administrative court in the western German city of Cologne on Thursday ordered the country's domestic intelligence agency to cease referring to the political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "confirmed right-wing extremist" until the designation's legality can be determined.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classified the AfD as "certified right-wing extremist" (gesichert rechtsextrem in German) in May 2025. In response, the AfD filed an emergency injunction. Thursday's decision is the first preliminary legal judgment in the case.
Judges found that while there was evidence of potentially unconstitutional statements and policies within the AfD, including demands to ban the Muslim call to prayer or minarets, it said that there was not sufficient evidence to characterize the party as a whole as extremist.
"Following examination under the summary procedure, it cannot currently be established that the applicant, as a whole, is dominated by the positions discussed above," the court said in a statement.
The injunction is valid until the court delivers a final ruling in the case, though it gave no indication of when that might be.