U.S., Israel strike Iran, plunging Middle East into new conflict

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. We have a live page going on the U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran and will bring you the latest developments throughout the day. Also: The murder of Sweden's prime minister Olof Palme remains unsolved 40 years later. Amateur sleuths are asking AI for help. And El Mencho might be gone, but his cartel's power endures in the United States.

United States and Israel strike Iran

Majid Asgaripour/WANA

Operation Epic Fury: President Donald Trump said the new conflict would end a security threat to the United States and allow Iranians to topple their rulers. He urged Iranians to take shelter and warned that some Americans may die. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Iranians to "remove the yoke of tyranny." Iran launched strikes at Gulf states and said it would attack U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Airlines suspended flights across the region.
Border war: Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban military clashed overnight as fighting entered its third day. Pakistan hit military installations and posts in Kabul and Kandahar, one of its deepest incursions into Afghanistan in years. Pakistan was long seen as a patron of the Taliban, but it accuses them of supporting insurgent forces rampaging on its side of the border. The Taliban deny supporting insurgents and say they're open to talks.

Trump orders government to stop using Anthropic AI

'We don't need it, we don't want it': Trump's directive comes during a feud between the Pentagon and the artificial-intelligence lab over how the military could use AI in war. Anthropic earlier said it would not honor the Pentagon's request to eliminate safeguards that would allow its AI systems to be used to target weapons autonomously and conduct surveillance in the U.S.
What Jack Dorsey said: The Block CEO and co-founder is laying off employees because it determined that a significantly smaller team working with AI can do their work better. Dorsey also said most companies will reach the same conclusion within a year.

A 'friendly takeover' of Cuba

Caribbean M&A: Havana has said it is not holding high-level talks with Washington, but it has not denied press reports that U.S. officials might be speaking informally with Raul Castro's grandson. Cuba accused the U.S. of allowing forces hostile to its government to operate with impunity after a dramatic speedboat attack in Cuban waters.
Seizure: The U.S. is trying to take ownership of an oil tanker it seized in December and 1.8 million barrels of crude-oil cargo supplied by Venezuela's state-run PDVSA. It said the Motor Tanker Skipper was involved in a scheme to benefit Iran's Revolutionary Guards. U.S. forces have seized 10 tankers since December.

'I saw nothing,' Bill Clinton says of Jeffrey Epstein

Testimony: The former president told a congressional committee he would not have flown on the late sex offender's plane if he had known about Epstein's trafficking of underage girls. Hillary Clinton earlier in the week told the panel during her deposition that she did not remember ever meeting Epstein.
Files: Britain's defense ministry is reviewing flight records after files appeared to show that Epstein landed his private jet at UK military bases. British police are assessing whether he trafficked women through two London airports and one in central England. The Justice Dept. said it is investigating after National Public Radio reported that the agency withheld FBI interviews with a woman who accused Trump of sexually abusing her when she was a minor.

Before I forget…

The Taliban are putting dress codes and other restrictions on women seeking medical care, and this is jeopardizing the lives of Afghan women and children, a U.N. human-rights expert said.
Albania's prime minister Edi Rama fired his deputy. Belinda Balluku faces accusations of interfering in the awarding of two construction contracts worth more than 200 million euros.
Greenland's lawmakers are pushing for a law to curb foreign purchases after a sudden surge in inquiries from investors trying to buy property. We don't know who the investors are or whether they were linked to Trump's attempt to acquire Greenland.
Paramount Skydance beat Netflix to buy Warner Bros. EU antitrust approval should not be a problem, but California might be.
Get a room, you two: Younger Europeans are having a harder time than ever buying homes as prices rise 10% faster than income. Some companies instead are selling bedrooms in flats shared with strangers.
City Memo's latest entry takes us to a city that's unapologetic about its obsession with Paella. I am of course talking of València. Enjoy your paseo and learn how to not stand out as a foreigner.

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