🐢 Pakistan and Afghanistan at war + 10 more stories

In the last 3 days ChatGPT read 94301 top news stories. After removing previously covered events, there are 11 articles with a significance score over 5.5.

[6.2] Afghanistan and Pakistan engage in open war following cross-border attacks — abcnews.com (+215)

Pakistan’s defense minister declared an “open war” with Afghanistan on Friday following a significant escalation in cross-border military strikes, marking the most serious confrontation between the neighbors in years.

Following Afghan cross-border attacks Thursday, Pakistan launched retaliatory airstrikes on Kabul and Kandahar. Tensions have peaked over Pakistan’s claims that Afghanistan harbors TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies while citing civilian casualties from recent Pakistani military operations along the porous frontier.

[6.3] Pentagon demands unrestricted military access to Anthropic's AI or risks contract loss — apnews.com (+100)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic a Friday deadline to allow unrestricted military use of its AI or risk losing government contracts and facing Defense Production Act intervention.

Defense officials suggested invoking the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to bypass Anthropic's ethical restrictions. This unprecedented move aims to integrate Claude AI into military networks despite leadership concerns regarding autonomous weaponry, mass surveillance, and safety limits for artificial intelligence.

While the DPA historically boosts production during emergencies like pandemics, experts warn that using it to dictate service terms is legally questionable and could trigger significant litigation between Anthropic and the government.

[5.5] EU expands funding for abortion access within the bloc — apnews.com (+24)

The European Commission has authorized using the 147 billion euro European Social Funds Plus to support citizens traveling to access safe abortions from EU nations with restrictive health laws.

This decision follows the My Voice, My Choice campaign, which gathered over one million signatures via the European Citizens’ Initiative. While no new fund was created, the Commission confirmed that existing resources can defray costs for women seeking legal healthcare across borders.

Although abortion is legal in most of Europe, it remains highly restricted in countries like Poland and Malta. Proponents call the move a victory for social justice, while some critics oppose the intervention.

Highly covered news with significance over 5.5

[6.0] Chip giant Nvidia defies AI concerns with record $215bn revenue — bbc.com (+138)

[6.5] World-first stem cell therapy trial shows promise for treating spina bifida in the womb — nature.com (+6)

[5.9] France's National Assembly approves assisted dying bill — lalibre.be (French) (+7)

[5.9] Chinese scientists transform desert sand into fertile soil using microbes — en.tempo.co (+2)

[5.7] Novartis settles with Henrietta Lacks' estate over use of her cells — independent.co.uk (+10)

[5.6] Germany's ruling parties reverse heat pump mandate, allowing homeowner choice — nzz.ch (German) (+9)

[5.5] UK's first geothermal power plant generates electricity for 10,000 homes and produces lithium — bbc.com (+2)

[5.5] Chilean telescope captures detailed view of Milky Way's star-forming core — apnews.com (+33)

Thanks for reading!

— Vadim

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