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• A recent study reveals that major U.S. newspapers prioritized political spectacle, strategy, and legal battles over substantive policy debates during the 2024 presidential race. • Coverage of election frames surged during pivotal moments, including President Biden's withdrawal from the race and the Democratic National Convention. • Reporting on Donald Trump’s legal challenges grew steadily, reaching a peak in late December and early January as court cases progressed.

• Vice-President Radhakrishnan announced that India has become the world's fifth largest economy following 12 years of sustained national efforts. • He emphasized that achieving the vision of becoming a fully developed nation by 2047 requires communities to foster a sense of shared responsibility. • This milestone reflects India's significant economic growth and strategic positioning on the global stage.

‘Total peace’ plan of previous government led only 99 of Colombia’s 30,000 armed combatants to disarm, but new president Abelardo De la Espriella opposes peace agreementsIn mid-June, 99 guerrilla fighters were flown by helicopter to a small settlement in a rural area of southern Colombia where they lined up and, one by one, handed their weapons to government officials: rifles, pistols, machine guns and grenade launchers.They also stripped off their heavy tactical vests, field packs and camouflage uniforms, which were each piled into a bonfire to mark the beginning of a new life away from an armed conflict that has claimed nearly half a million lives in the last six decades. Continue reading...

• European equities opened higher amid a series of corporate updates, including EL FP launching a share buyback for up to 5 million shares and BGN IM considering an offer from BMPS IM. • Major credit agencies are reviewing the ratings of several nations, including France (Fitch), Portugal (S&P), Switzerland (Moody’s), and the Netherlands (Morningstar DBRS). • The UK government has decided to drop its 3% defense spending target, while various commodity futures for gold, silver, copper, and Brent oil expire today.

• Security researchers discovered a vulnerability where AI coding agents can be manipulated into executing malicious code by following instructions within a company's own llms.txt or llms-full.txt files. • The flaw exploits a growing industry convention of using these text files to provide LLM agents with structured guidance on APIs, documentation, and installation workflows. • This is significant because it allows attackers to trick AI agents into installing attacker-controlled packages inside Fortune 500 companies, bypassing traditional security boundaries.

• French far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is actively seeking an alliance with the Greens to secure victory in next year's election. • Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain have sent a letter urging the EU to reconsider using €210 billion in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. • The proposal previously stalled after Belgium rejected it during a December EU summit due to concerns over legal vulnerabilities and potential lawsuits from Moscow.

Statement asks government for more backing after week in which nine people have died in series of incidentsFive MPs on Teesside have called on the government to provide more help to local police and fire services after a week in which nine people have died.The MPs said the communities they represented should get the “strongest possible backing from the government”. Continue reading...