Companies have always tried to set prices to maximise profit, but software now lets them do it far more finely. Algorithmic pricing systems analyse demand, stock levels, competitor prices and sometimes data about the individual shopper to decide what each price should be, and can change it many times a day. Airlines and ride-hailing apps have long used 'dynamic pricing' of this kind; AI extends it to groceries, hotels, concert tickets and online retail. With many Americans frustrated by rising costs, regulators and lawmakers are asking whether these tools are simply efficient or whether they let firms squeeze more from each customer.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.