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Missouri’s top election official has rejected a petition for a referendum on new congressional districts Missouri’s top election official has rejected a citizens’ petition seeking a statewide referendum on the states redistricting plan backed by Donald Trump.Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new US House map approved by the Republican-led state legislature. But the Republican secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, asserted Tuesday that the petition is void because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums. Continue reading...

• Employees from leading AI firms, including Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, have launched an initiative called "Pacing the Frontier" to manage the risks of advanced AI. • The effort is supported by nonprofits Guidelight AI Standards and Encode AI, with key signatories including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Meta VP Dawn Song, and OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki. • This collective action signals a growing demand for a US-backed global framework to ensure safety and oversight as AI capabilities rapidly evolve.

• The United States and Saudi Arabia have partnered to launch military strikes against Tehran-backed militias operating within Iraq. • The escalation follows reported Iranian attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global maritime chokepoint. • These developments have triggered a spike in global oil prices due to heightened instability and fears of disrupted energy supplies.

• The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has escalated attacks to exploit a period of vulnerability within Saudi Arabia. • The group aims to leverage this conflict to secure significant political concessions regarding the ongoing war in Yemen. • This escalation follows years of conflict and a Saudi strategic pullback driven by international pressure over the severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

• AegisAI has secured $36 million in Series A funding led by Battery Ventures to develop AI agents capable of detecting and blocking sophisticated spear-phishing attacks. • The investment addresses the growing threat of cybercriminals utilizing Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate and scale malicious activities. • This funding round highlights a broader 2026 trend of "AI mega-rounds" and a shifting focus on how venture capitalists assess revenue for AI-driven startups.

Saudi air defences intercept ballistic missiles as Iran reports first night without US strikes in two weeksYemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a missile attack on the southern Saudi city of Jizan on Saturday, after vowing retaliation against the kingdom for attacks this week.Iran, meanwhile, reported no strikes overnight on Saturday for the first time after two weeks of US attacks. The Iranian health ministry spokesperson, Hossein Kermanpour, said: “Iran had a peaceful night” in a post on X. Tensions, however, remain high. Continue reading...

• Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini have condemned a police raid targeting Hungary's largest opposition party, criticizing the move as a sign of growing autocracy. • The incident occurs amidst Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's sixteen-year tenure, during which he has consistently pushed a political vision centered on sovereignty, identity, and immigration. • This development highlights the tension between Orbán's FIDESZ party and democratic norms, despite Le Pen's previous predictions of a FIDESZ victory in March.