Cia

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Seychelles for a three-day official visit to strengthen bilateral ties. • In a separate incident at Pookkundu, a "mozha" elephant (a tuskless male Asian elephant) charged at a patrol vehicle. • The elephant is described as a habitual troublemaker in the region, posing a recurring threat to local safety.

Staff at Radio 4 show, which has 5 million listeners, told making content for likes of TikTok will take precedence for correspondentsFor decades, the task of briefing the nation on Radio 4’s agenda-setting Today programme has been one of the most urgent tasks facing the BBC’s top journalists.However, insiders at the corporation say that duty has effectively been downgraded, after an edict that will result in correspondents prioritising making content for TikTok, Instagram and other digital platforms. Continue reading...

• The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the draft of its new merger guidelines to update antitrust oversight. • The initiative follows recent regulatory scrutiny in the chocolate sector and investigations into Italian private-label markets. • These updates aim to modernize how the EU evaluates market competition and sustainability within financial and industrial regulations.

As a host of countries move to rein in social media use by children, could this be technology’s big tobacco moment? Continue reading...

• A recent audit has uncovered Rs 3.41 billion in financial irregularities within Pakistan's health sector, including fraud, embezzlement, and procurement violations. • Despite the scale of the mismanagement, only Rs 127.27 million has been recovered following the audit's intervention. • The audit warns that keeping public funds outside prescribed financial systems undermines fiscal transparency and significantly increases the risk of further misuse.

• Swiss financial regulator Marlene Amstad is urging banks and watchdogs to rapidly adopt new technology to combat escalating cybersecurity threats amplified by AI. • Amstad emphasized the critical need for faster vulnerability patching, as AI models are increasingly being used to expose systemic risks. • FINMA is actively promoting AI adoption among global regulators to strengthen financial systems, with a particular focus on securing digital assets.

• Canada is now officially eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest after CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union. • While Canada has not previously competed as a nation, Canadian artists have won before, most notably Celine Dion, who represented Switzerland and won in 1988. • This membership marks a significant expansion of the contest's reach, allowing the North American broadcaster to engage with the international competition.