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Ukraine says it sent grenade-launcher-equipped ground robots to attack Russian shelters while its infantry stayed out of direct contact, with operators controlling the machines from positions tens of kilometers away. Ukraine's Third Army Corps says no one has used similar tactics in this war before, and the claim is being circulated via United24. Observers are weighing what the tactic means for manned assault operations.

OpenAI is running an influencer marketing campaign, sponsoring creators on platforms like Instagram to promote ChatGPT and present the company as 'good for the world', according to Business Insider. The strategy marks a shift toward paid advocacy for the AI firm, and readers are debating the ethics of using influencer armies to shape public perception of a company already facing scrutiny over AI's societal impact.

A suspected bomb plot near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire is under investigation. A farmer driving home in the early hours found three white vans abandoned blocking a village road, grew suspicious and turned around, before reportedly seeing a group of men nearby. Details remain limited, and the account is circulating widely online as people await official confirmation from police about arrests and the nature of the alleged plot.

North Korea has informed the United Nations that its status as a nuclear-armed state is irreversible and rejected outside pressure to abandon its weapons programme. The declaration, delivered through UN channels, signals Pyongyang's continued defiance of Security Council resolutions and international disarmament efforts, underscoring stalled diplomacy over the Korean peninsula's denuclearisation.

Reports claim Russian forces carried out large-scale strikes on Kyiv, saying the attacks hit Ukrainian military hubs and killed 'NATO specialists'. Russian officials have repeatedly framed strikes against foreign personnel in Ukraine as targeting Western involvement in the war. Ukraine has not confirmed such claims, and figures on casualties or damage remain unverified. The reported strikes add to ongoing Russian bombardment of the Ukrainian capital amid the continuing war.

Scientists report that as the Pacific Ocean warms, its water-age structure is behaving counterintuitively: young water at the surface appears to be aging, while older deep water is getting younger, a reversal of established circulation patterns. The finding suggests climate change may be disrupting the ocean's overturning circulation, with potential consequences for heat and carbon storage. Researchers say the shift warrants closer monitoring of how the Pacific redistributes heat as global temperatures rise.

CNBC's Daily Open newsletter highlights a widening split in the tech world: prominent AI researchers and executives are publicly warning about the risks of the technology they helped create, while companies continue pouring billions into data centres, chips and other AI infrastructure. The item frames this tension between caution and rapid investment as the defining debate around artificial intelligence right now.

Sudan's civil war has produced two rival centres of power with no internationally recognised government. The army-backed administration under General al-Burhan controls much of the formal state apparatus, while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces governs territory it has seized. Washington's position that neither side represents legitimate constitutional authority leaves Sudan effectively stateless in diplomatic terms, raising questions about aid, recognition and peace negotiations.

The large robotic arm on the International Space Station, known as Canadarm2, has reportedly stopped working, according to an Ars Technica report. The arm is critical for capturing cargo spacecraft, moving equipment and supporting spacewalks, so a failure would be a significant operational problem for the station's crews and their partners at NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.

Kazakhstan has put forward an offer to host talks on nuclear arms, according to Aju Press. The proposal comes from the Central Asian country that gave up the Soviet nuclear arsenal left on its territory after independence. Details on which parties would take part and when the talks might happen have not been reported.

Taiwan's government says US arms sales to the island continue as normal, but a large weapons package worth about $14 billion has not moved forward and remains on hold. Officials are playing down any suggestion of a policy shift, though the delay is drawing attention given rising tensions with China and questions about how quickly Washington will deliver promised defensive equipment to Taipei.

U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said on Fox News that Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping whether China would be interested in purchasing American weapons. The State Department moved quickly to clarify that Washington has no plans to sell arms to Beijing, seeking to walk back the remark.

Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for renewed negotiations among nuclear powers as the country marks 35 years since the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. He warned that global arms-control safeguards are weakening and urged nuclear-armed states to return to dialogue on disarmament.

Thales, Bull and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) are joining forces to develop software for quantum computers intended for the French military. The partnership, reported by French tech media, links major defence and research players around quantum technology, drawing attention among French-speaking tech and defence observers.

Sudan's foreign minister has criticised the United States after Washington imposed visa restrictions on the country's army chief. The move follows US steps targeting Sudanese officials amid the ongoing war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Khartoum's top diplomat condemned the decision as unjustified interference, reflecting rising friction between the two governments as international pressure over the conflict intensifies.

Japan's Foreign Ministry held a missile non-proliferation workshop focused on the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC), paired with a site visit to the Hokkaido Spaceport. The event brought together participants to discuss norms against ballistic missile proliferation while showcasing Japan's commercial space launch facilities, linking arms-control diplomacy with the country's growing space sector.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said Brexit has done more harm than good, and that he will lay out options at the government's next EU reset summit aimed at tightening the relationship between the UK and the European Union. His intervention adds to pressure on Labour to go further in rebuilding ties with Brussels, reigniting debate over the economic impact of leaving the EU.

The United Nations has added a wind farm developer to a blacklist over alleged links to human rights violations, according to trade outlet Recharge. The designation places the company alongside entities accused of complicity in abuses, raising questions about its access to international financing and renewable energy supply chains.

A new colloquium from the American Physical Society surveys the scientific legacy of Syukuro Manabe, whose pioneering climate models laid the foundation for simulating and understanding global warming. Manabe's work on atmosphere-ocean models earned him a share of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics, and the presentation revisits how his approach still shapes climate science today.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a directive to the US military concerning elections, drawing attention from observers who question the role of armed forces in electoral matters. Critics are weighing the directive against legal norms restricting military involvement in domestic political processes, while supporters see it as a security measure.

Ukraine's 475th Code 9.2 Regiment says its AI-enabled drones are striking Russian armored vehicles before they can reach the border of the Kharkiv region. The unit claims its drones are destroying Russian armor on a near-industrial scale. The claim highlights the growing role of autonomous targeting in Ukraine's defense against Russian advances.

The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation has published a new analysis titled 'The Costs of False Security', arguing that national missile defense systems, including the proposed Golden Dome, offer an illusory sense of protection. The piece also raises concerns about the prospect of placing nuclear weapons in space, warning such moves could fuel a dangerous arms race rather than improve security.

A new commentary argues that policymakers are importing the Manhattan Project mindset into artificial intelligence governance, treating AI development like the secretive, wartime race to build the atomic bomb. The piece contends these nuclear analogies distort debate, encouraging secrecy, arms-race framing and centralized control where openness and international cooperation may serve better. It has struck a chord in security and AI policy circles.

Italy has completed the withdrawal of its armed forces from Iraq, ending a 12-year military deployment, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced. Two Carabinieri officers remain in the country under a separate European Union mission. The withdrawal marks the close of a long-running Italian military presence in Iraq, drawing attention to the country's shifting defence commitments in the region.

British Olympic champion cyclist Katy Marchant has announced her retirement from the sport. Marchant won team sprint gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics alongside Becky James and Philip Hindes, and later added European and Commonwealth medals before a serious arm injury ended her track career. Tributes are being paid to one of Britain's most successful sprint cyclists.