North America Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a Trump administration-backed Venezuelan oil driller, plans to more than double crude production in just over two years, targeting a rise from about 200,000 bpd to 500,000 bpd by end-2028. NABEP says recent supply growth has been funded by internal cash flow and that external investment would accelerate expansion. The company gained prominence after the US government signed what it called the world’s largest oil deal, granting NABEP 100-year concession

CHINA'S WERIDE-W (00800.HK), together with Uber and AVOMO, the autonomous-driving unit of Moove Cars Group, has been granted Spain's first L4 passenger autonomous-vehicle operating license by the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) under the ES-AV framework, authorizing deployment on public roads with support from the Madrid government. The three parties expect to launch public robotaxi commercial operations in 2026 after completing preparations and meeting applicable operational and regulatory requirements.

International affairs columnist Marc Champion says last weekend’s victory for the pro‑Russia Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony‑Anhalt strengthens Vladimir Putin’s position. Champion argues that over the next year other pro‑Russia European populist parties could make electoral gains, reducing European support for funding Ukraine and for sanctions on Russia, with France the most important potential battleground. That, he says, helps explain why Putin, despite mounting economic and political costs from the war, is reluctant to compromise in talks: he judges Russia is winning the information war in Europe and that further political shifts could eventually hand Russia an advantage in the conflict while fracturing Western unity and NATO.