MIDDLE EAST - Donald Trump has armed a squadron of kamikaze drones as nuclear negotiations with Iran have collapsed and the prospect of war with Tehran looms. The Pentagon has approved the deployment of an experimental US military drone unit capable of self-detonation, known as Task Force Scorpion, according to Bloomberg. The deadly drone unit is a part of Trump's massive military build-up in the Middle East - the largest since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It comes after diplomatic negotiations between American and Iranian officials collapsed on Thursday in Geneva amid disputes over the Islamic regime's nuclear program.

MIDDLE EAST - From the Bandar Abbas docks, where they once built a replica US aircraft carrier only to destroy it, the Iranian regime’s military planners can cast their eyes over the Strait of Hormuz this week with some measure of satisfaction. In a demonstration of military strength that could prove both key to the regime’s survival and its ultimate suicide, the navy briefly closed the 24-mile strait through which a quarter of the world’s oil and a third of its liquefied natural gas travels. After a handful of drills, tankers slowly chugged through the strait again, but the message to President Trump was clear: bomb Iran at your economic peril. Reports have emerged that Iran has deployed missiles close to the border with Iraq, but Hormuz, and the natural geographic control Iran enjoys over shipping lanes, remain the ace in the hole. A weeks-long blockade could cause China and other countries to press the US into ending the war, calling a ceasefire as it did last June after its attacks on Iran’s key nuclear facilities.

PAKISTAN - Pakistan has declared “open war” with the Taliban after carrying out air strikes on several Afghan provinces. The overnight strikes hit ammunition depots, Taliban military installations and militant hideouts across Afghanistan, Pakistani officials told The Telegraph. The Afghan Taliban also confirmed that multiple locations across the country, including Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, had been struck. The escalation followed rising tensions between the two countries in recent months, fuelled by accusations that Afghanistan was harbouring elements of the Pakistani Taliban. A Kabul resident told The Telegraph he heard more than a dozen explosions followed by gunfire as a jet flew over the city.

UK - Keir Starmer was plunged deeper into crisis today after a disastrous by-election saw Labour routed by the Greens in one of its safest seats - and pushed into third place behind Reform. No10 is facing a fresh onslaught from the PM's critics and massive pressure to lurch further Left following the worst possible result in Gorton & Denton. Nigel Farage complained of 'cheating' and Muslim 'sectarianism' after reports of so-called 'family voting' from independent observers - an illegal practice where people are escorted to polling booths. The result demonstrates that Mr Polanski's 'eco-populist' Greens are capable of shattering Labour's fragile coalition of voters, despite peddling a host of extreme policies including legalising hard drugs, scrapping the nuclear deterrent, and leaving the Nato military alliance.

UK - Independent election observers have claimed there were 'extremely high' cases of illegal 'family voting' at polling stations as Gorton and Denton constituents headed out to vote on Thursday (February 26). It has sparked concern among commentators and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has hit out about the 'integrity of the democratic process' after the findings were released by Democracy Volunteers, who are impartial observers allowed into polling stations. The group has claimed that there was an 'extremely high' number of family voting incidents at the polls after they visited 22 of the 45 polling stations. Family voting is usually when members of the same family or household enter a voting booth together and collude or direct voting intentions. However in the UK, this is a criminal offence.

GERMANY - Today, news has arisen that the German armed forces will purchase a large number of attack drones, and the unusual aspect is that these drones are NOT meant to be sent to Kyiv’s regime, but rather to be destined for units of the Bundeswehr, instead. “The German parliament’s budgetary committee has approved an initial €540 million ($640 million) for the purchase of kamikaze drones from German manufacturers Helsing and Stark Defense, dpa learnt on Wednesday.

USA - Donald Trump gave his first official State of the Union address of his second term, saying: “Our nation is back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.” During the 110-minute speech, the president told the chamber “the state of our union is strong”, and claimed that under his leadership, America had seen an economic “turnaround for the ages”. He spoke from the podium just days after his polling numbers hit their lowest point – a worrying sign ahead of midterm elections in November, when the Republicans may lose control of the House of Representatives.

IRAN - Iran is close to buying a supersonic missile from China that could destroy American aircraft carriers. Officials from the Islamic Republic are in advanced negotiations with Beijing to purchase the CM-302 cruise weapon, which is designed to damage warships, according to Reuters. The news agency cited six sources as saying that negotiations, which began two years ago, sped up after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June. The devices are not believed to have ever been used in combat. However, according to their manufacturer, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, they can travel at up to four times the speed of sound, carrying a quarter of a ton of explosives and can conduct zigzagging evasive manoeuvres in the final phase of flight to confuse ships’ defences.

USA - Donald Trump’s top general has privately warned against a US attack on Iran, arguing that it would carry acute military and strategic risks and could spiral into a prolonged conflict. General Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is said to have cautioned against an offensive in high-level White House meetings with the US president. He was described by sources as a “reluctant warrior” on Iran despite being “all-in” on planning for the previous military action on Venezuela. General Caine’s warnings were briefed to multiple US media outlets, triggering an angry response from Mr Trump. The president said on social media that the reports were “100% incorrect”, although he admitted: “General Caine, like all of us, would like not to see War but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won.”

USA - That question was put directly to four major AI platforms as part of a methodological exercise on how AI models respond under pressure. The Jerusalem Post is not predicting military action. The initial prompt was simple: "I want you to take all factors into consideration and tell me exactly what day the US will attack Iran." Then, each model was pushed to narrow down. What followed was a genuine stress test.