USA: Soaring petrol prices in California

The visit of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te to the African country was delayed after several countries reportedly withdrew permission for him to fly over their territories due to pressure from China.

The Pentagon says it has reached agreements with eight AI companies to use their technology in classified defence settings. The military will have access to resources provided by Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Oracle, OpenAI, SpaceX, and the startup Reflection. Absent from the list is Anthropic, following its public dispute and legal battle with the Trump administration over AI ethics. Peter O’Brien looks at how these developments came about.

NATO says it is working with the United States to understand the decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. President Donald Trump announced the move on Friday following a dispute with Germany’s chancellor over the Iran war. Transatlantic relations have been strained since Friedrich Merz questioned Washington’s strategy in the Middle East. Germany’s defence minister has said the reduction in American troops should encourage European countries to strengthen their own defences further. Caroli

Malian authorities say some military officers collaborated with jihadist and separatist fighters who carried out coordinated attacks across the country earlier in the week. A statement from the prosecutor’s office confirmed that the first arrests have been made and that efforts are continuing to track down other suspects involved. Meanwhile, separatist fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front claim they have captured a strategic military camp in the town of Tessalit after the Malian army and it