Mali: jihadist and Tuareg attacks on the junta's strategic positions

Low-cost US carrier Spirit Airlines said on Saturday that all of its flights have been cancelled as it started an "orderly wind-down of operations" after a potential White House bailout fell through.

US President Donald Trump previously expressed interest in organizing a package to save thousands of jobs at the carrier, which filed for bankruptcy twice in 2025.

Spirit Airlines' parent company, Spirit Aviation Holdings, said in an early Saturday press release that it has "started an orderly wind-down of operations, effective immediately."

"All Spirit flights have been cancelled, and Spirit Guests should not go to the airport," said the company, which had put pressure on larger airlines with its no-frills offering launched over 30 years ago.

The company's webpage displayed a message telling guests that "customer service is no longer available." The airline said it will process refunds for purchased flights.

Spirit's President and CEO Dave Davis said the company in March "reached an agreement with our bondholders on a restructuring plan that would have allowed us to emerge as a go-forward business."

But skyrocketing jet fuel prices since the start of the Middle East war "left us with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down of the Company," Davis said in the press release.

"Sustaining the business required hundreds of millions of additional dollars of liquidity that Spirit simply does not have and could not procure. This is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome any of us wanted."

The company said that the lack of additional funding meant that Spirit "had no choice but to begin this wind-down."

Spirit Airlines, which began offering flights in 1992, was known for its yellow-colored planes and employed just over 11,000 people as of 2024.

The airlines announced in February an "agreement in principle" to restructure its debt with creditors, saying it expected to emerge from bankruptcy by early summer.

But a spike in fuel prices sparked by the US-Israeli war on Iran that started a few days later delivered a heavy blow to the struggling carrier.

hol/aks

The top-seeded Detroit Pistons recovered from the brink of elimination with an astounding comeback against Orlando as the Los Angeles Lakers finally saw off Houston at the third time of asking in the NBA playoffs Friday.

The Pistons' come-from-behind win took their series with the Magic to a decisive game seven, while the Toronto Raptors also set up a decider against Cleveland thanks to an overtime thriller triumph.

Up 3-2 in the series against Detroit and seeking a close-out victory, the Magic had led by as many as 24 points before their shooting suddenly collapsed and the Pistons took full advantage.

A shell-shocked Orlando missed 23 consecutive field goals -- the longest streak in playoff history -- and scored just one point in over 10 minutes of basketball, as the Pistons sealed a 93-79 win.

"Never say die, simple as that. I mean, Detroit grit, it's what we've been talking about all year," said Detroit's Cade Cunningham, who led the scoring with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

Having been down 3-1 in the series, the Pistons had looked set to become just the seventh top seed in NBA history to lose in the first round to their conference's bottom seed.

But they now have a chance to win the series back in Detroit on Sunday.

After an even first quarter, Orlando went on a hot streak, before the pressure of closing out their first playoff series win since 2010 seemed to kick in.

Boos rained down on the court as a 71-54 Magic advantage was transformed into an 80-72 Detroit lead.

The Pistons, having dominated the regular season, will now be favorites to claim their own first playoff series win since 2008.

"Thank God we get to take this back to the crib. It's gonna be loud in Detroit, and we got to finish our business," said Cunningham, who scored 19 in the fourth quarter.

- 'Glory' -

If Detroit reach the Eastern semi-final they will play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Raptors, whose series also stands 3-3 after an overtime Toronto win.

Playing at home, the Raptors led most of the night, before the Cavaliers powered back in the fourth quarter to set up an intense finish.

Leading by two points with less than a minute remaining, Toronto handed Cleveland a lifeline with a shot-clock violation. 

Evan Mobley forced his way through the Raptors' defense to tie up the game 104-104, and Toronto's Jamal Shead just missed a return shot at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Cleveland nudged in front, and led by one point until the final few seconds.

But RJ Barrett's three-pointer jump shot bounced off the heel of the rim, looped up in the air and dropped through the net to seal the Toronto win.

"Glory be to God, man. I didn't make anything in the fourth quarter, overtime, I was playing bad... thank God I was able to make that shot," said Barrett.

Game seven will be played in Cleveland Sunday.

- 'Close-out' -

The Lakers, having led their series against Houston 3-0, had twice wobbled to allow the Rockets to get back to 3-2.

But LeBron James' men killed off the series with a comfortable 98-78 win to set up a Western semi-final against Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning NBA champions.

Superstar James top-scored with 28 points, plus eight assists and seven rebounds, continuing his fine post-season form at the age of 41.

The win spared the Lakers' blushes. A loss would have left them one defeat away from being the first team in NBA history to squander a 3-0 playoff lead.

"A lot of our guys, quite frankly, have not been in this position, have not been in a close-out situation, especially on the road, so it was important for me to go out and set the tone," said James.

amz/hol

The addition of Tanyuel Welch gives Missouri women's basketball another experienced option in the backcourt, but it may not dramatically shift expectations heading into next season.

Missouri coach Kellie Harper has been active in the transfer portal, and Welch’s résumé, spanning stops at Memphis and Arizona brings stability and versatility. Still, on paper, the move looks more like a depth addition than a headline-grabbing pickup.

Welch’s speed and ability to playmake in transition are clear strengths. She has shown that she can handle the ball, create offense and contribute across multiple statistical categories with splits of 8.7 points per game and 1.2 assists per game last season. But Missouri’s backcourt is increasingly crowded with younger, high-upside talent, which complicates her projected role.

Early outlooks suggest Welch could begin the season as a rotational guard, providing minutes off the bench behind a group of more dynamic, younger options. Incoming freshmen like Natalya Hodge and Jada Maples arrive with significant recruiting profiles and long-term potential, while transfers such as McKenzie Mathurin and Navaeh Coffey bring athleticism and upside that could be difficult to keep off the floor.

That leaves Welch in an interesting position. From a pure talent ceiling standpoint, she may not match some of the younger guards on the roster. Her shooting consistency and overall production have fluctuated at times, and she has not been a primary star at the Power Five level.

However, experience still carries weight, especially for a team that dealt with injuries and inconsistency last season. Welch has played meaningful minutes in multiple systems, battled back from injury and shown she can contribute without needing to dominate the ball. Those qualities often appeal to coaches looking for reliability.

Because of that, it wouldn’t be surprising if Harper leans on Welch more heavily than early projections suggest. Veteran guards frequently earn trust in practice and in-game situations, particularly when it comes to decision-making, defensive positioning and late-game composure.

There is a realistic scenario where Welch opens the season in a reserve role but works her way into the starting lineup. If Harper prioritizes experience, ball security and defensive awareness over raw upside, Welch could emerge as a steadying presence alongside Missouri’s more explosive options.

At the same time, Missouri’s long-term trajectory likely hinges on the development of its younger guards. Players like Hodge and Maples represent the program’s future, while Mathurin and Coffey offer immediate-impact potential with higher ceilings.

For now, Welch’s addition is best viewed as a complementary move. She raises the floor of the roster, provides insurance at multiple guard spots and adds a veteran voice to the locker room. Whether she ultimately becomes more than that will depend on how the backcourt competition unfolds once practices begin.

In a crowded guard rotation, Welch may not be the flashiest piece, but she could still become an important one.

Missouri’s NCAA Tournament hopes took a hit Friday, falling to No. 8/9 Tennessee 4-2 at Mizzou Softball Stadium and dropping below the .500 threshold required for at-large eligibility.

The Tigers led early but couldn’t hold on. A Stefania Abruscato single in the first drove in Addy Waits, who led off the inning with a walk. Abby Hay and Sidney Forrester added two more singles to load the bases, but Tennessee pitcher Sage Mardjetko struck out back-to-back batters to limit any further damage.

“We had some opportunities,” head coach Larissa Anderson said. “Especially with the bases loaded in the first inning. We couldn’t capitalize on that, you don’t get many chances with runners in scoring position against a team like Tennessee and we let that slip away from us.”

Mardjetko settled in for the rest of the game, striking out seven batters while holding Missouri to a pair of earned runs and five hits in five innings pitched. In relief, Karlyn Pickens struck out four while holding Missouri to zero hits in two innings.

“[Pickens] got great movement,” Anderson said. “I felt like they were swinging at good pitches. They were getting beat on some movement, but I just wanted them to control what they could control.”

Ella Dodge tied the game in the third with a leadoff home run before Missouri’s defense unraveled in the fourth. With two outs, Bella Faw reached on a throwing error from Madison Uptegrove. Maddi Rutan then singled to left field, where another throwing error from Saniya Hill moved Faw to third. Dodge then drove both runners home with a two-run single to give Tennessee a 3-1 lead.

It was the second straight game Missouri’s defense hurt the Tigers, as two errors in Game 1 of the series similarly cost Missouri two runs. The mistakes are uncharacteristic for a team that led the nation in fielding percentage heading into the weekend.

“We beat ourselves because of defense,” Anderson said. “We could’ve easily been out of that inning. Errors are gonna happen, mistakes are gonna happen, balls hit hard. It's how we respond after it. That’s where we got to be stronger.”

Tennessee extended its lead in the fifth, as Makenzie Butt hit an RBI single to give Tennessee a 4-1 lead. Missouri responded in the bottom, as a Forrester groundout scored Abruscato who doubled earlier.

In the circle for Missouri, Marissa McCann struggled early, receiving the loss on six hits, one walk and one earned run through 3⅔ innings. Courtney Donahue followed in relief, giving up one earned run and two hits before Abby Carr closed the game. Carr finished with two strikeouts and just three hits in 2⅓ innings.

Now at 27-28, Missouri needs to find wins in order to get back above the .500 threshold required to make the NCAA Tournament. If they win Saturday, Missouri would be back at .500, but would need to win again in the SEC Tournament to remain eligible. If they lose Saturday, the Tigers will need three wins in the SEC Tournament in order to get back to .500.

“We’ve made some deep runs, we’ve played through this conference, we know how tough it’s gonna be,” Anderson said. “We’re playing really, really hard right now, but we have to play better on all three sides of the game.”

Even if Missouri does finish at .500, it will not guarantee a bid. The Division I Softball Championship Subcommittee selects 33 at-large teams, weighing RPI, strength of schedule and results against ranked opponents before making its selections. Missouri currently ranks 41st in RPI with a top-20 strength of schedule.

“We’ve been in this situation since March,” Anderson said. “We know we have to win every single game that we possibly can and we just have to continue that mentality and fight until the game is over.”

First pitch of the series finale is noon Saturday, and will be streamed to SEC Network.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will meet top Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi on Saturday, with Japanese media saying she will make a speech touting a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region. 

The trip is Takaichi's first to Vietnam since becoming prime minister in October and she aims to deepen bilateral cooperation on energy security, supply chain resilience and technological innovation, according to Vietnamese state media reports. 

She will meet Saturday with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung as well as top leader To Lam, the Communist Party boss who last month also became president.

Japan is Vietnam's largest provider of official development assistance and a key investor and trading partner, with two-way trade surpassing $50 billion for the first time last year.

Both countries share concerns about China's territorial claims in the East and South China Seas, and both have sought to hedge against US-driven trade disruptions by broadening economic and security ties.

But Hanoi aims to stay on good terms with all global powers through its traditional "bamboo diplomacy" approach, while Tokyo has seen its already frosty relations with Beijing deteriorate markedly in recent months. 

Takaichi drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing in November when she suggested that close US ally Japan might intervene militarily to thwart any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

China, which regards democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it, summoned Japan's ambassador, warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan and imposed trade restrictions.

Beijing has also slammed Takaichi's calls for a "free and open Indo-Pacific", saying they are a veiled attempt to promote bloc confrontation.

Takaichi will return to the theme in her foreign policy speech on Saturday, according to Japanese media reports, calling for cooperation to ensure security, free trade and stable supply chains including for energy and critical minerals.

She will speak at a university in Hanoi, an event to which foreign media have been denied access.

bur-tym/sco/tc

The top-seeded Detroit Pistons recovered from the brink of NBA playoff elimination with an astounding comeback against the Orlando Magic on Friday, taking their series to a decisive game seven.

Up 3-2 and seeking a close-out win, the Magic had led by as many as 24 in the second half, before their shooting suddenly collapsed and Detroit took full advantage.

A shell-shocked Orlando missed 23 consecutive field goals -- the longest streak in playoff history -- scoring just one point in over 10 minutes of basketball.

Boos rained down on the court as a 71-54 Magic advantage was transformed into an 80-72 Detroit lead, with a stunning 26-1 run.

The Pistons sealed a 93-79 victory.

"Never say die, simple as that. I mean, Detroit grit, it's what we've been talking about all year," said Cade Cunningham, who led the way with 32 points and 10 rebounds.

Having been down 3-1 in the series, the Pistons had looked set to become just the seventh top seed in NBA history to lose in the first round to their conference's bottom seed.

But they now have a chance to win the series back in Detroit on Sunday, and progress to an Eastern semi-final against either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Toronto Raptors.

After an even first quarter, Orlando went on a hot streak for a sudden 17-point lead. Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter Jr. all sank three-pointers in less than a minute. 

Paolo Banchero stirred to life too, with Orlando shooting 62 percent in the second quarter as their defense restricted Detroit to 12 points.

Orlando's lead stretched to 24 soon after the break, before an epic Pistons fightback began.

Detroit were suddenly winning every turnover, while the Magic's shooting collapsed under the pressure of trying to close out their first playoff series win since 2010.

The Pistons, having dominated the regular season with a 60-22 record, will now be favorites to win their own first playoff series since 2008.

"Thank God we get to take this back to the crib. It's gonna be loud in Detroit, and we got to finish our business," said Cunningham, who scored 19 in the fourth quarter.

amz/md

Separatists in Alberta are preparing to submit a petition on Monday that they say has enough signatures to force a referendum on independence for the oil-rich Canadian province.

Polls indicate the pro-independence camp remains a minority among Alberta's five million people, but has hit a historic high of roughly 30 percent.

Alberta separatists are also closer than ever to forcing a referendum, riding momentum fuelled by intensifying grievances over Ottawa's control of the provincial oil industry. 

They have also undeniably gotten a boost from the return to power of US President Donald Trump.

After launching a petition in January, Stay Free Alberta, the group coordinating the independence push, had until the beginning of May to collect 178,000 signatures to force a referendum.

The group's leader, Mitch Sylvestre, expressed confidence the group will succeed.

"We will have the required signatures to trigger the referendum with a comfortable buffer," Sylvestre told AFP Thursday.

The separatists plan to present their list to provincial officials in the capital Edmonton on Monday.

- 'Permanent change' -

Alberta's First Nations have filed a court challenge, arguing independence would violate their treaty rights, a case that could render a referendum illegal.

But even if the vote never happens, or the separatists ultimately lose, many believe the process has left Canada permanently changed.

Michael Wagner is an independent historian and long-standing supporter of Albertan independence.

"Even if we lose the referendum, (this) is not going to just disappear," he told AFP. "I think this is going to be a permanent change in our political culture."

Jason Kenney, a conservative federalist former Alberta premier, agreed.

If the independence camp gets 20–35 percent support in a referendum, "it will turn the separatist movement from a marginal fringe into a real factor in our politics that will be disruptive for a long time to come," he told an event last month.

- 'Tipping point' -

Alberta joined the Canadian confederation in 1905 and resentments towards eastern political leaders in Ontario and Quebec fuelled marginal separatist movements at various points over the last century.

But Wagner said separatism gathered real pace in protest against former prime minister Pierre Trudeau's 1980 National Energy Program, which broadened Ottawa's control over the oil industry.

The program included price controls for domestic oil sales and new taxes giving Ottawa more revenue from Alberta's oil.

Trudeau's government argued the measures protected Canadians following the global oil price shocks of the 1970s.

Wagner said the program was considered an attack in Alberta and called it a "game-changer" which entrenched the idea of independence.

Fast-forward 35 years, Trudeau's son Justin is elected prime minister with a climate-conscious agenda reviled by many in Alberta.

Through Trudeau's decade in power, Albertans accused his Liberal government of demonizing oil production and stifling investments in the sector, especially for pipeline capacity.

Mark Carney's 2025 election was "a tipping point", Wagner said.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre had a huge polling lead in early 2025.

"It was fully expected he would be our hero. He would rescue us from the Liberal government. When the polls started turning for Carney, and then Carney actually won, the disappointment here was so dramatic," Wagner said.

- 51st state? -

Trump has discussed annexing Canada and weakening it economically, but the US role in Alberta's current separatist effort is disputed.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent drew attention in January when he said the US and Alberta were "natural partners."

Some secessionists insist Alberta's future lies in union with Washington.

But Sylvestre's legal advisor Jeffrey Rath, who says he has met several times with top State Department officials on future Alberta-US ties, rejects statehood.

"The people in our movement are not interested in freeing themselves from the clutches of the federal government... just to put ourselves under yet another government 3,500 miles away," he told the right-wing True North media outlet.

But, he argued, Trump's support will be crucial to stabilizing Alberta as it breaks away from Canada.

For Wagner, "51st state people have always been a very small minority."

"Most Alberta independence supporters are actually patriotic Canadians who have just been frustrated."

bs/md

Three Iranian men pressed rehydrated raisins at an artisan distillery just outside New York, thousands of miles from their war-struck homeland. 

They were carefully producing aragh sagi, a traditional spirit banned by the clerical authorities along with all alcohol following the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Despite its outlaw moonshine status, the drink is still made clandestinely and consumed inside Iran. 

"Everybody's drinking, but we just don't want to get caught," said Siavash Karampour, formerly a fixture on Tehran's rock music scene and now the co-manager of a bar in Brooklyn. 

Together with three childhood friends who, like him, came to New York to rebuild their lives, they decided to brew the Iranian firewater in the United States. 

They say they wanted to offer others like them a taste of home as well as "something that has been behind the curtain." 

Branded as "SAG," their aragh sagi -- like a stronger Italian grappa -- is made in the still of David Nahmias, a distiller born into a Moroccan Jewish family who makes mahia, a traditional dried fig-based spirit from his homeland. 

"They came to me through word of mouth. Their alcohol uses the same process as arak, which you find in Syria or Lebanon -- but without the anise. It wasn't complicated for me... And I liked them!" Nahmias said. 

The creators of SAG, aged between 35 and 41, settled in New York several years ago and remain active in the local Iranian diaspora and all have day jobs.

They were the first to bring aragh sagi to the US market, although a handful of brands exist in Europe. 

-' I feel privileged' -

The company's output of 7,000 bottles a year -- sold for $50 a pop in around 30 liquor stores and available in as many bars -- remains modest.

But bars have latched on to their creation as a way to promote new cocktails.

"We just started this back in the day, as a hobby... we kind of want to grow organically," said brew group member Sasan Oskouei, a visual artist. 

The entrepreneurs see their venture as a project that goes beyond a simple spirit, representing an emotional and cultural gesture. 

"So many Iranian artists and filmmakers have highlighted some parts of Iran that haven't been seen before, and in making this, we are kind of doing the same thing," said Karampour. 

Since they launched SAG two years ago, many artistic projects have emerged to complement the brand, with parties in New York and DJ sets performed by Iranian musicians. 

Their connection to Iran through friends and family is constant, making the ongoing conflict between Tehran and their host nation all the more painful. 

"It's really tough to be seeing all these images, and then you still have to go to work and live your daily life... You technically live in two countries," said Karampour. 

With the help of large handheld food mixers, they carefully grind the mixture of dried Californian grapes and water, which they then ferment before distilling it in a large still imported from Germany. 

Amir Imani, a computer engineer, says New York was the ideal place to establish their brand, a city that is both very diverse and tolerant, and where their business is not written off as "exotic." 

"Being in New York helps, because I can see people are not supportive of what is happening in this administration -- either the war or like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and all of that," Imani said. 

"So I feel privileged that I'm here surrounded by people who think the same."

rh-gw/sst

At a gas station in Los Angeles, Ryder Thomas wore a grimace of barely suppressed anger as he filled his pickup truck, watching the cost tick up to $130 for a full tank -- $30 more than he was paying before the US and Israel attacked Iran.

"I'm mad about the price, but I'm even madder about why it's so high," the 28-year-old told AFP. 

This week, pump prices in the United States climbed to their highest level since early 2022, when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered a global surge in the cost of oil.

Hostilities in the Middle East, which began when Israel and the United States started bombing Iran on February 28, have crimped supply, sending the price of crude surging.

The war launched by President Donald Trump is unpopular all over the United States, with polls showing a clear majority disapprove of a conflict whose aims they think are unclear.

"There was absolutely no need for this war. It's just like when we invaded Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction," Thomas said.

"Trump is an idiot, that's all it is."

For weeks, the Republican billionaire has insisted that attacking Iran was necessary to prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons, and has repeatedly promised a short conflict. 

But despite the overwhelming might of the US military, the Islamic republic has blocked the Strait of Hormuz -- a global trade artery used to transport a fifth of the world's oil and gas.

— Domino effect —

The result of this squeeze on supply is rising prices, sending gas in already-expensive California above $6 a gallon ($1.59 per liter), compared with around $4.50 a gallon before the war.

Thomas worries about the domino effect this oil crunch will have on everything else he buys, as the rising cost of transport pushes up the prices of everyday goods like food and clothing.

"I hope the middle-of-the-road voters who got Trump elected start thinking about it and realize what he's done to them," he said of a president who campaigned on reducing costs for everyday Americans.

Trump voter David Chavez, who was waiting among dozens of cars lining up to refuel at Costco -- a wholesale retailer whose prices are often a little lower than average -- said it was not that simple.

"It is not nice; we don't want to pay more for gas," acknowledged the cameraman as he got his credit card ready to fill up his minivan.

However, "we don't know everything that happens behind closed doors. It's too easy to blame one person for all the problems."

— Food bank —

Chavez said he voted for Democrats in the past, but switched to Trump because of former president Joe Biden's "poor handling of immigration and poor handling of the economy."

He accused oil giants of taking advantage of the current climate to artificially inflate prices, and pointed out that stricter environmental rules in California amp up the cost to motorists in the massive state.

Nonetheless, he admitted to being disappointed in Trump, but said no one is perfect.

"Trump still handles things a little bit better," he said.

In the same gas line, 73-year-old Flo, who did not want to give her full name, said she no longer knew what or who to believe on the reasons for rising gas prices.

What she knew for certain was that increased fuel costs were making her life much harder.

"With gas this high, I go to the food bank now, more so than ever," the retiree told AFP.

"I've had to cut back on driving too."

Between her pension and a part-time job she takes home around $3,000 a month -- almost half of which is swallowed by rent.

"Life was already hard," she sighed. "But now it's just harder."

rfo/hg/acb

(The Center Square) — On the heels of President Donald Trump threatening to reduce troops in Europe, the Department of War announced Friday the reduction of 5,000 troops from Germany within the next year.

The announcement comes two days after the president posted on social media that the United States was considering reducing troops in Germany.

On Thursday, The Center Square asked the president if he also was considering pulling troops out of Italy and Spain following the countries’ decisions not to provide any support in the strikes on Iran.

Trump indicated that he would consider doing the same with Italy and Spain.

“Yeah, probably will. Why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help. Spain has been horrible. Absolutely,” the president told The Center Square.

Germany is currently home to more than 36,000 American troops, the largest population in Europe. In comparison, Italy is home to nearly 13,000 troops and Spain has nearly 4,000, according to USA Facts.

The president has been at odds with many European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, over the war in Iran. Since the strikes began Feb. 28, Trump has expressed deep frustration with NATO countries over their lack of support for the U.S. strikes on Iran, despite the U.S.' support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

In addition to threatening to reduce or remove American troops from some European countries, the president has discussed a desire to pull out of NATO altogether.

It is unclear if Amy troops removed from Germany or other European nations will be shifted to other European bases or elsewhere in the world. Poland has been seen as a possible location for a build-up of American troops as it is geographically closer to Russia.